Sir John Paston to Margaret Paston

LETTER LXVII.

    To Mestresse Margrete
    Paston be thys delyvryd.

PLEASE it yow to weete y^t I sende yow by Barker the berer
heroff iij tracle pottes of Geane as my potecarie swerytht
on to me and mooreovyr that they weer neur ondoo syns y^t they
come from Geane wheroff ye shalle take as many as pleasyth
yow neu^r the lesse my brother Iohn sente to me for ij y' for I most
beseche yow y^t he maye haue at y^e left on ther is on potte y^t is
morkyn ondre y^e bottome ij tymes wt thyes letteris M. P. whyche
potte I haue best truste on too and nexte hym to y^e wryghe
potte and I mystruste moost y^e potte y^t hathe a krotte abovyn in
the toppe lesse y^t he hathe ben ondoone and also the other ij
pottys be prentyd w^t y^t marchauntys marke too tymes on the
coueryng and that other pott is butt onys morkyn but w^ton
prente notw^tstondyng I hadde lyke othe and promyse for on as
well as for alle.

    11 ? by 11.

    I have given this Letter to shew the very great repute in which the liquor here men-
tioned was held at this time, Sir John Paston's observations to prove it genuine manifest
the esteem in which it stood as a Cordial. Geane, Gin or Geneva, (if that be the thing
here meant) is a compound water, procured from the berries of the Juniper, distilled with
brandy or malt spirits, and was for many years drank in improper quantities by the
lower order of people in this kingdom, and attended with very pernicious effects; as a
Medicine it has now its uses.

    In a Letter which I have examined since I copied the above, I find the following order:
"I prey yow send me by the next man that comyth fro London ij pottys of tryacle of
"Ienue, they shall cost xvjd."

 I believe I am mistaken, therefore, in calling the Medicine mentioned in this Letter Gin
or Geneva; it seems from this last extract to be Treacle of Genoa, a City in Italy, from
whence various drugs and medicines are imported.

    This Letter has no date, and the subscribing signature is torn off; it was, however,
written by Sir John Paston to his Mother, in the reign of Edward IV.

LETTER LXVII.

To Mistress Margaret Paston, be this delivered.

PLEASE it you to weet that I send you by Barker the
bearer hereof three treacle pots of Geane ( q^? Gin or Geneva),
as my Apothecary sweareth unto me, and moreover that they
were never undone since they came from Geane (Geneva),
whereof ye shall take as many as pleaseth you, nevertheless my
Brother John sent to me for two, therefore I must beseech you
that he may have at the least one; there is one pot that is
marked under the bottom two times, with these letters M. P.
which pot I have best trust unto, and next him to the wryghe
(q^? twisted) pot, and I mistrust most the pot that hath a krott
(q^? a crack, or piece chipt off) above on the top, left that he hath
been undone; and also the other two pots be printed with the
Merchant's mark two times over the covering, and that other
pot is but once marked but with one print, notwithstanding I
had like oath and promise for one as well as for all.

                                                                                       JOHN PASTON.

 Between 1460 and 1470
     1 and 10 E.IV.

    I have given this Letter to shew the very great repute in which the liquor here men-
tioned was held at this time, Sir John Paston's observations to prove it genuine manifest
the esteem in which it stood as a Cordial. Geane, Gin or Geneva, (if that be the thing
here meant) is a compound water, procured from the berries of the Juniper, distilled with
brandy or malt spirits, and was for many years drank in improper quantities by the
lower order of people in this kingdom, and attended with very pernicious effects; as a
Medicine it has now its uses.

    In a Letter which I have examined since I copied the above, I find the following order:
"I prey yow send me by the next man that comyth fro London ij pottys of tryacle of
"Ienue, they shall cost xvjd."

 I believe I am mistaken, therefore, in calling the Medicine mentioned in this Letter Gin
or Geneva; it seems from this last extract to be Treacle of Genoa, a City in Italy, from
whence various drugs and medicines are imported.

    This Letter has no date, and the subscribing signature is torn off; it was, however,
written by Sir John Paston to his Mother, in the reign of Edward IV.

652

SIR JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON²

To Mestresse Margrete Paston, be thys delyveryd.

PLEASE it yow to weete that I sende yow by Barker, the
     berer heroff, iij. tracle pottes of Geane [Genoa] as my
     potecarie swerytht on to me, and mooreovyr that they
weer never ondoo syns that they come from Geane. Wheroff
ye shalle take as many as pleasyth yow; neverthe lesse my
brother John sente to me for ij., therfor I most beseche yow
that he maye have at the lest on. Ther is on potte that is
morkyn ondre the bottome ij. tymes with thyes letteris M. P.,
whyche potte I have best truste on too, and nexte hym to the
wryghe potte; and I mystruste moost the potte that hathe a
krotte abovyn in the toppe, lesse that he hathe ben ondoone.
And also the other ij. pottys be prentyd with that marchauntys
marke too tymes on the coveryng, and that other pott is butt
onys morkyn but with on prente, notwithstondyng I hadde
lyke othe and promyse for on as well as for alle.¹

     ² [From Fenn, iv. 264.] This and the two letters following are without any
certain date, but they are all addressed to Margaret Paston, most probably after her
husband’s death.

     ¹ The signature of this letter, Fenn says, is torn off the original MS.

Date
uncer-
tain

Date
uncer-
tain