Walter Paston to Margaret Paston

LETTER LI.

To his worchypfull
      Mody^r Margar’t Paston
      dwellyng in Mawtby be
      y^is lett^r delyv^ryd i˜ hast

RYTGH reu^rent and worchypfull Mod^r I recomaund me on
to yowr good mod^rchypp Besechyng yow to geve me yowr
dayly b’n’diccyon Desyeryng hartyly to heer of yowr p’sp^ryte
whych god p’serue to hys plesur and to yowr hartys desyyr
&c I marvel soor that yow sent me noo word of the lett^r
wych I sent to yow by mast^r Wyll’m Brown at Est^r I sent
yow word that tym that I xold send yow myn exspe˜s’
p^rtyculerly but as at thys tym the berar her of had a lett^r
sodenly that he xold Com hom and ther for I kowd haue
no leysur to send them yow on that wys and therfor I xall
wryt to yow in thys lett^r the hool som of my exspens’
sythyns I was w^t yow tyll Est^r last paste and also the
reseytys rekenyng the xx^s that I had of yow to Oxon
wardys w^t the buschoyps fyndyng The hool som of reseytys
ys vli xvij^s vj^d and the holl som of exspe˜s’ ys vjli v^s v^d ob
q^ti and that Comth ov^r the reseytys in my exspe˜s’ I haue
borowd of Mast^r Edmund and yt drawyth to viij^s and yet
I recon non exspe˜s’ sythyns Est^r But as for them they be
not grete and therfor I besech yow to send me mony by
Syr Richard Cotman bryng^r of thys lett^r or ellys by the
next Maseng^r that yow kan haue to me J besech yow that
he that I sent by thys lett^r to yow may haue good scher
yf he brynge yt hym selfe as he telth me that he woll for
heys a good lov^r of myn Mast^r Edmund Alyard r’comaund
hym specyally to yow and to all my brodryn and systyrs
and to all yowr howshold &c I besech yow that I may be
recomaundyd to all them also and specyally to my brodyr
John y^e you˜g^r No mor to yow at thys tym but allmythy
Jhus haue yow in hys kepyng Ame˜ Wr’tyn at Oxonforth
on sent Dustonys day and y^e xix day of May.

                                                             By your sonn and
                                                              scoler WALT PASTON.

        12 by 7.

              Paper Mark,
         Bull’s-head and Star.
            Pl. xi. No. 10.

 Had this Letter contained a particular account of Walter Paston’s expenses
at Oxford, it would have been more curious; we must, however, take it as we
find it, and be content with knowing that he had expended £6. 5s. 5¾d. from
the time that he had left his Mother to Easter last, which this year fell on the
22d of March; from which time it was now two months, and of the expenses
“since incurred,” he says “they be not grete:” we may, therefore, conclude
the former account was from the Michaelmas preceding, and a moderate one;
if so we may fairly estimate his University education at £100. a year of our
present money. I mean that £12. 10s. 11½d. would then procure as many
necessaries and comforts as £100 will at this day.

     Autograph, Pl. xxix. No. 7.

LETTER LI.

To his Worshipful Mother, Margaret Paston, dwelling in
Maultby, be this Letter delivered in haste.

RIGHT Reverend and Worshipful Mother, I recommend
me unto your good Mothership, beseeching you to give me
your daily benediction, desiring heartily to hear of your
prosperity, which God preserve to his pleasure and to your
heart’s desire, &c. I marvel sore that you sent me no word
of the letter which I sent to you by Master William Brown
at Easter: I sent you word that time that I should send
you mine expenses particularly; but as at this time the
bearer hereof had a letter suddenly that he should come
home, and therefore I could have no leisure to send them
you on that wise, and therefore I shall write to you in this
letter the whole sum of my expenses since I was with you
till Easter last past, and also the receipts, reckoning the
20s. that I had of you to Oxon wards with the Bishop’s
finding.

and yet I reckon none expenses since Easter, but as for
them they be not great, and therefore I beseech you to send
me money by Sir Richard Cotman, bringer of this letter, or
else by the next messenger that you can have to me.

     I beseech you that he that I sent by this letter to you,
may have good cheer, if he bring it himself, as he telleth
me that he will, for he is a good lover of mine. Master
Edmund Alyard recommend him specially to you, and to
all my brethren and sisters and to all your household; and
I beseech you that I may be recommended to all them
also, and specially to my brother John the younger. No
more to you at this time, but Almighty Jesus have you in
his keeping. Amen.

     Written at Oxonforth on Saint Dunstan’s day, and the
19th day of May.

                                                       By your Son and scholar,

                                                                 WALTER PASTON.

              Oxford,
      Tuesday, 19th May,
         1478. 17 E. iv.

     Had this Letter contained a particular account of Walter Paston’s expenses
at Oxford, it would have been more curious; we must, however, take it as we
find it, and be content with knowing that he had expended £6. 5s. 5¾d. from
the time that he had left his Mother to Easter last, which this year fell on the
22d of March; from which time it was now two months, and of the expenses
“since incurred,” he says “they be not grete:” we may, therefore, conclude
the former account was from the Michaelmas preceding, and a moderate one;
if so we may fairly estimate his University education at £100. a year of our
present money. I mean that £12. 10s. 11½d. would then procure as many
necessaries and comforts as £100 will at this day.

     Autograph, Pl. xxix. No. 7.

931

WALTER PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON¹

To his worchypfull moder, Margaret Paston, dwellyng
in Mawtby, be this letter delyveryd in hast.

      RYTGH reverent and worchypfull moder, I recomaund
          me on to yowr good moderchypp, besechyng yow to
          geve me yowr dayly benediccyon, desyeryng hartyly
to heer of yowr prosperyte, whych God preserve to Hys
plesure, and to yowr hartys desyyr, &c. I marvel soor that
yow sent me noo word of the letter wych I sent to yow by
Master Wylliam Brown at Ester. I sent yow word that tym
that I xold send yow myn exspenses partyculerly; but as at
thys tym the berar her of had a letter sodenly that he xold
come home, and there fore I kowd have no leysur to send
them yow on that wys; and there fore I xall wryt to yow in
thys letter the hool som of my exspenses sythyns I was with
yow tyll Ester last paste, and also the reseytys, rekenyng the
xxs. that I had of yow to Oxon wardys with the Buschopys
fyndyng.

     The hool some of reseytys ys vli. xvijs. vjd., and the holl
some of exspenses ys vjli. vs. vd. ob. qua., and that comth
over the reseytys in my exspenses I have borowd of Master
Edmund, and yt drawyth to viijs. And yet I recone none
exspenses sythyns Ester. But as for them, they be non grete;
and therfor I besech yow to send me mony by Syr Richard
Cotman, brynger of thys letter, or ellys by the next masenger
that yow kan have to me.

     I besech yow that he that I sent by thys letter to yow may
have good scher, yf he brynge yt hym selfe, as he telth me
that he woll, for he ys a good lover of myn. Master Edmund
Alyard recomaund hym specyaly to yow, and to all my brodyrn
and systyrs, and to all yowr howshold; and I besech yow that
I may be recomaundyd to all them also, and specyaly to my
brodyr John the yonger. No more to yow at thys tym, but
Allmythy Jhesus have yow in Hys kepyng. Amen.

     Wretyn at Oxonforth, on Seynt Dunstonys Day and the
xix. day of May.

                           By your sonn and scoler,

                                                                      WALTER PASTON.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is printed in Fenn’s fifth volume, and
dated by him in 1478. I do not know on what evidence he assigns this particular
year to it, except that, as he tells us elsewhere, Walter Paston took a degree at Oxford,
and died in 1479.

MAY 19

1478
MAY 19