Sir Ralph Hastings to John Paston

848

SIR RALPH HASTINGS TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my feithful lovyng gode cousyn, Johan Paston.

      COUSYN Paston, I recommaunde me to you in as speciall
          wise as I cane. And like you to witte, on Sondaye at
          even last I hadde writing and evedence frome my lorde
by Punche of tidyngis and have understonde them wel al a
longe. And on Monday erly in the mornyng I came to Calais
to have spoken with you, but I came to late. Praying you to
advertise my lord² to se wel to him self, etc. And at my
comyng home the same nyght I felle doune syke, and have
ever sith kept my bedde and yitte do. And, as you knowe
wel, the Connestable sykened with you in his goyng to Calais,
of whome I doubt me, and so I do of my self bothe. So that
here amongis us nowe is no man to stirre about and see quykly to
alle thingis as ther aught to be and is nede to be, which hevieth
me gretly; and though I were up and might somwhat stire
myself, yitte I am not seure so to contynue ij. daies to-geder,
etc. As for moo men, my Lord hathe praied me and advised
me to holde me content with thoo that I have, and that I
shulde make as litel coste in reparacions as I maye, because he
cannot se wel howe the monney cane be goten to content them.
Cousyn, as for moo men ye knowe right wel thoo that we have
are to fewe, and we have nede; notwithstonding I shal do as
wel as I may with thoo that I have. But as [for]³ eny ferther
reparacions, might I ones for oure seurte have this fournisshed
that I am about, I kepe not to make moo, for I doubt me that
this we are about, that parte therof wil reste in my nekke,
because we cane not be seure of oure assignement. I pray you,
cousyn, brekes to my Lord all suche maters that ye cane remem-
bre and thinke⁴ may be for the wele of us and the seurte of
this place, as my ful speciall truste and alle othir mennes here
is in you. I hadde thought to have writton to my lord to
have sente some othir seure man hidre to have assisted and
holpen us during oure infirmitees, but I fele by Punche that
my Lord saith I write always so plainly to him that hit fereth
him, and therfore I dar not but shal forbere to write any more
so; howe be hit, it were ful necessarye and behofful so to do,
that knoweth God, Who ever preserve you. Writton at
Guysnes, the ix^e daye of May.

     I praye you to sende us some of your tidingis by this berer
as oft as ye may. And if ther be anything I may do to your
plesir, I shal do it with as good hart as ye cane desire.

                                    Your tru luffuyng coussen,

                                                                           RAUFF HASTYNGIS.

     ¹ [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 122.] This letter was clearly written in the same year as
No. 847, which was apparently 1474.

     ² Lord Hastings.                                             ³ Omitted in MS.

     ⁴ ‘thinke’ repeated in MS.

1474 (?)
MAY 9

1474 (?)
MAY 9

LXXXIX

A.D. 1474?, 9 May

SIR RALPH HASTINGS TO JOHN PASTON

[Add. MS. 34,889, f. 122]

     This letter (noted as No. 1039 in the Appendix) was clearly written in the
same year as No. 737, which was apparently 1474.

To my feithful lovyng gode cousyn, Johan Paston.

COUSYN Paston, I recommaunde me to you
     in as speciall wise as I cane. And like you
     to witte, on Sondaye at even last I hadde
     writing and evedence frome my lorde by
Punche of tidyngis and have understonde them wel
al a longe. And on Monday erly in the mornyng I
came to Calais to have spoken with you, but I came
to late. Praying you to advertise my lord¹ to se
wel to him self, etc. And at my comyng home the
same nyght I felle doune syke, and have ever sith
kept my bedde and yitte do. And, as you knowe
wel, the Connestable sykened with you in his goyng
to Calais, of whome I doubt me, and so I do of my
self bothe. So that here amongis us nowe is no
man to stirre about and see quykly to alle thingis
as ther aught to be and is nede to be, which
hevieth me gretly; and though I were up and
might somwhat stire myself, yitte I am not seure
so to contynue ij. daies to-geder, etc. As for moo
men, my Lord hathe praied me and advised me to
holde me content with thoo that I have, and that I
shulde make as litel coste in reparacions as I maye,
because he cannot se wel howe the monney cane be
goten to content them. Cousyn, as for moo men ye
knowe right wel thoo that we have are to fewe, and
we have nede; notwithstonding I shal do as wel as I
may with thoo that I have. But as [for]² eny ferther
reparacions, might I ones for oure seurte have this
fournisshed that I am about, I kepe not to make
moo, for I doubt me that this we are about, that
parte therof wil reste in my nekke, because we cane
not be seure of oure assignement. I pray you,
cousyn, brekes to my Lord all suche maters that ye
cane remembre and thinke¹ may be for the wele of
us and the seurte of this place, as my ful speciall
truste and alle othir mennes here is in you. I
hadde thought to have writton to my lord to have
sente some othir seure man hidre to have assisted
and holpen us during oure infirmitees, but I fele by
Punche that my Lord saith I write always so plainly
to him that hit fereth him, and therfore I dar not
but shal forbere to write any more so; howe be hit,
it were ful necessarye and behofful so to do, that
knoweth God, Who ever preserve you. Writton at
Guysnes, the ix^e daye of May.

     I praye you to sende us some of your tidingis by
this berer as oft as ye may. And if ther be anything
I may do to your plesir, I shal do it with as good
hart as ye cane desire.—Your tru luffuyng coussen,

                                                                RAUFF HASTYNGIS.

                   ¹ Lord Hastings.                  ² Omitted in MS.

¹ ‘thinke’ repeated in MS.