Thomas Betson to Dame Elizabeth Stonor

                                   217. THOMAS BETSON TO DAME
                                               ELIZABETH STONOR

                                                      24 JUNE 1478

    The original is damaged and in places illegible; some of the missing
words have been restored (in brackets) conjecturally. "My lady your
mother" is Margaret, widow of John Croke; her title is one of courtesy only.
From AC, xlvi., 237.

                                                     Jhesus. A^o xviij.

Moste honorable and worshipfull and my right spescyall good lady,
I recommaund me unto your good ladyshipe in the moste loffyngest
wyse that I best can or may, ever more desiryng almyghty God to send
your ladyschipe all good helth and well to fare, as ever had good
gentillwoman in this world, to Godes plesour and your hartes comffort:
and moreover lyketh it your good ladishipe to understonde that this
same day by my Master your br[other John] Croke I resseyved a letter
ffrom you, and a token, ffor the which with all. . .²¹ wordnes off myn hart
I thannke your ladyschipe, and off your contenewall . . ²² kyndely loffe,
the which all wayes ffull largely your good [ladyshipe] shewith unto me,
and off myn part as yet nothynge desservid unto you nor to youres.
But I trust in þe mercy off our Lord to remembre hit here after, and so
am I bowndyn to do, to your pleasour, so God helpe me. Also,
madam, and it lyke you, I undyrstond by your writynge that it will
be the latter end off Auguste or your ladishipe can come here to London;
and yff it so shuld be I wold be sory, ffor I have mych to do and I can
lytill skyll to do eny thynge that longeth to the matter ye wote off.
Nevertheles yff my mayster your husband and you be so agreed I hold
me plesid: it shalbe to me peynffull but I muste and shall [content],
aswel as I may, my selff: I shall do lyke blynde byar, that is to
s[ay . . .²³] what, and þerfore I moste beseche your ladyshipe to send
me [your avyse [?] ] how I shall be demeyned in such thynges as schall
belonge unto my Cossen Kateryn, and how I shall provyde ffor them:
she must have gyrdilles, iij at the leyst, and how they shalbe made I
know nat: and many ober thynges she muste have, ye know well what
they be, in ffeyƷth I know nat: be my trouth I wold it were done, lever
thanne more þan it shall cost. I am lothe to displese or to troble eny
person, yff I shuld be holpen forwardes in my besynes now, I wold it
were done with a corage and with good will, [it] shall make me the
gladder a grete dele. Also, madam, þeras your ladishipe desy[reth me]
to come to Stonor to make me mery &c.: in good feiƷth, madam, [my
besynes is] such now I can nat well come to myn ease: I have grete
besynes [with] the ffelishype off the Stapell, and I have mych to do with
myn owne mat[ters]²⁴ ... so that in good ffeyth I can nat make an end
lyghtly. And yet God wote I wold ffull ffayn speke with your ladishipe
ffor the matters afforsaid, and as sone as I have made an end off my
maters I shall nat longe be ffrom you, with Godes grace. And as ffor
the sendynge hedyr off my Cossen Kateryn, your ladyshipe may do
þerin as it shall plese you. I wold she knew as mych as you know, ffor
soth and than she shuld doo som good and helpe me in many thynges
w[han] she come. My lady, your modyr, is in good helthe and ffareth
well, and she s[endeth] you Godes blissyng and hirs, and lyke wyse my
Cossen Kateryn, and to all . . .²⁵

    [In dorso.] Also my lady, your modyr, recomaundith hir [hartely]
to my mayster your husband, and she is very glad of his recovere, and
she prayeth God to send hym good helth. Also, madam, as ye wryte
me the curtesse delynge off my mayster with my Cossen Kateryn &c.,
truly I am very glade þeroff, and I pray God hartely thannke hym
þerffore: ffor he hath ever ben loffyngly disposed [unto] hir, and so I
beseche God ever contenew hym and also my Cossen Kateryn to
[de]serve it unto hym by hir goodly demeynour and womanly disposision,
as she can do right well yff hir lyst, and so sayth every body þat
prayseth hir. Also, madam, maystres Bevesse recomaunds hir unto
your ladishipe, and prayeth har[tely ffor] your good helthe. And I
[hartely] beseche almyghty Jhesu and his blissid modyr to be your
comffort, and to helpe you in all your good workes, Amen. [Wryten at
London] the xxiiij day of June

                               Be your owne Servant Thomas Betson.

    To my right worshipful good lady, dame Elisabeth Stonor, this be
delivered in hast.

217. THOMAS BETSON TO DAME
ELIZABETH STONOR

24 JUNE 1478

     The original is damaged and in places illegible; some of the missing
words have been restored (in brackets) conjecturally. “My lady your
mother” is Margaret, widow of John Croke; her title is one of courtesy only.
From A.C., xlvi., 237.

Jhesus. A^o xviij.

     Moste honorable and worshipfull and my right spescyall good lady,
I recommaund me unto your good ladyshipe in the moste loffyngest
wyse that I best can or may, ever more desiryng almyghty God to send
your ladyschipe all good helth and well to fare, as ever had good
gentillwoman in this world, to Godes plesour and your hartes comffort:
and moreover lyketh it your good ladishipe to understonde that this
same day by my Master your br[other John] Croke I resseyved a letter
ffrom you, and a token, ffor the which with all . . . nes off myn hart
I thannke your ladyschipe, and off your contenewall . . . kyndely loffe,
the which all wayes ffull largely your good [ladyshipe] shewith unto me,
and off myn part as yet nothynge desservid unto you nor to youres.
But I trust in þe mercy off our Lord to remembre hit here after, and so
am I bowndyn to do, to your pleasour, so God helpe me. Also,
madam, and it lyke you, I undyrstond by your writynge that it will
be the latter end off Auguste or your ladishipe can come here to London;
and yff it so shuld be I wold be sory, ffor I have mych to do and I can
lytill skyll to do eny thynge that longeth to the matter ye wote off.
Nevertheles yff my mayster your husband and you be so agreed I hold
me plesid: it shalbe to me peynffull but I muste and shall [content],
aswel as I may, my selff: I shall do lyke blynde byar, that is to
s[ay . . .] what, and þerfore I moste beseche your ladyshipe to send
me [your avyse [?] ] how I shall be demeyned in such thynges as schall
belonge unto my Cossen Kateryn, and how I shall provyde ffor them:
she must have gyrdilles, iij at the leyst, and how they shalbe made I
know nat: and many oþer thynges she muste have, ye know well what
they be, in ffeyЗth I know nat: be my trouth I wold it were done, lever
thanne more þan it shall cost. I am lothe to displese or to troble eny
person, yff I shuld be holpen forwardes in my besynes now, I wold it
were done with a corage and with good will, [it] shall make me the
gladder a grete dele. Also, madam, þeras your ladishipe desy[reth me]
to come to Stonor to make me mery &c.: in good feiЗth, madam, [my
besynes is] such now I can nat well come to myn ease: I have grete
besynes [with] the ffelishype off the Stapell, and I have mych to do with
myn owne mat[ers] . . . so that in good ffeyth I can nat make an end
lyghtly. And yet God wote I wold ffull ffayn speke with your ladishipe
ffor the matters afforsaid, and as sone as I have made an end off my
maters I shall nat longe be ffrom you, with Godes grace. And as ffor
the sendynge hedyr off my Cossen Kateryn, your ladyshipe may do
þerin as it shall plese you. I wold she knew as mych as you know, ffor
soth and than she shuld doo som good and helpe me in many thynges
w[han] she come. My lady, your modyr, is in good helthe and ffareth
well, and she s[endeth] you Godes blissyng and hirs, and lyke wyse my
Cossen Kateryn, and to all. . . .

     [In dorso.] Also my lady, your modyr, recomaundith hir [hartely]
to my mayster your husband, and she is very glad of his recovere, and
she prayeth God to send hym good helth. Also, madam, as ye wryte
me the curtesse delynge off my mayster with my Cossen Kateryn &c.,
truly I am very glade þeroff, and I pray God hartely thannke hym
þerffore: ffor he hath ever ben loffyngly disposed [unto] hir, and so I
beseche God ever contenew hym and also my Cossen Kateryn to
[de]serve it unto hym by hir goodly demeynour and womanly disposision,
as she can do right well yff hir lyst, and so sayth every body þat
prayseth hir. Also, madam, maystres Bevesse recomaunds hir unto
your ladishipe, and prayeth har[tely ffor] your good helthe. And I
[hartely] beseche almyghty Jhesu and his blissid modyr to be your
comffort, and to helpe you in all your good workes, Amen. [Wryten at
London] the xxiiij day of June

                                                  Be your owne Servant Thomas Betson.

     To my right worshipful good lady, dame Elisabeth Stonor, this be
delivered in hast.