William Botoner to Sir John Paston

927

WILLIAM BOTONER TO SIR JOHN PASTON¹

To the Ryght worshypfull sir, Sir John Paston ch’l’r logged at the
     signe of the George next to Poulys Wharf; or to lefe thys
     letter at a barbourys house ovyr the seyd George to delyver it
     to Sir John Paston.

     PLESE yor gode masterschyp to wete that I herd thys day
         how a man wend that a jugement ys passed ayenst your
         entent yn the ende of the last terme (hyt was not of
verray certeyn tolde me, but as a dreme) yn the kynges
Chauncerye. I coude gefe none aunswer therto. I prai God
alle be well; hyt wold ease som of your frendes hertys yff they
coude understand ony gode comfort. Sir, as for Robert,¹ I
wold pray and requyre your maistershep that he may for his
lernyng be abydyng with your cousyn of Lincoln Inne, as yt
was promysed, and to be occupyed under drede of displesir
under subjecion, wyth erly rysyng accustomed, for slouth ys
the moder and norysher of all vices. He hath cost me moch
goode and labour, and now he ys uppon hys makyng by
vertues governance, or undoyng to the contrarye, and yn
especyalle to be not conversant ne neere amongis women, as
I was kept froo her [their] company xxx. yeres or ony suche
were of my councelle, I thank God of yt. Sir, and ye write
to me as ye lust, let no name be wythynne wryt whens yt com,
and that yt be sent by sure comer to delyver yt me, for yt ys
better brent then founde. Also your discrecion ought not
loth (to take the cost and labour wolle not be gret, nether
importune) for to send a man of purpose to my lord of [sic]
Bysshop Waltham and to hys councell lerned, ye wete to
whom, for redy serch to be made for the bill of half lefe of
paper quantite of my hand I faythfully delyvered to Master
T. Danvers for to ovyrsee, of the fyrst appoyntment ye wote
off, that ye desyre so hertly to see as of othyr manyfolde
wrytyngis belongyng to yow and to me. Yt ys seyd yne a
vers: Gutta cavat lapidem non vi set sepe cadendo, &c.; to a
slow man or a foryetefull or lothfull man must be importune
callyng allway uppon hym tille he hafe hys entent, for now
thys vacacion to spede or nevyr shall stand in yow no stede. I
can no ferther then the walle.

     Item, Sir, I comyned wyth Doctor Yotton at Camebrygge
late, because there ys no dyvyne service seyd yn the free
chapelle at C.,² that he wold hafe a grete concience yn yt, and
to depart wyth an honest preste called Sir John Brykkys that
ys now duellyng wyth a ryzt lovyng kynnesman of yowres;
the seyd Doctor gevyng me to aunsuer he wold comyn wyth
yow by Pasch,³ and the rather wyth your gode wylle wold
depart to such one ye owe affeccion unto. Sir, I wold, as I
dar tak uppon me to owen your affeccion to the seyd John
Brickys, that he may wyth more help of your cellary hafe the
better to lyve and serfe God there to abyde and do yow
service also. I mene faythfullye, and soo I pray yow take yt;
to remembre a thyng in seson ys gretely to commend, and of
a spedy avantage. The blessed Trinite be wyth yow. Wret
the fyrst day of Marche.—Your

                                                                               W. BOTONERE.

To J. P. c.¹ at London.

     Item, I had foryete to hafe remembred your maystershyp
to hafe a bille to your baylly Pecok for to delyver my fermour
of Tyrkbye C. or ii C. lawre and asshe, and than to plant yn
my tenement at Thyrkbye, or foras many ye lust; for I lost
the last waraunt that ye wrote me truly, and so I was not
served.

     Item, yff ye wryte to me, hyt hath nede to be by a sure
comer, for I had levyr a letter be brent then lost ne forte
videant Romani . . . and at reverence of Jhesu that my Robert
lose no tyme, nether be idelle, for doubt of ymaginacions and
temptacions. I trust wyth your principale help to be wyth the
worshypfull gentleman that made promysse to yow, &c.

     ¹ [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 152.] This letter would seem to be of the year 1478. It
will be seen by No. 925 that in the beginning of that year Sir John Paston wished to
arrange with Dr. Yotton to get a priest to sing in Caister.

     ¹ Is this Robert, son of Sir John’s brother Edmund, who is mentioned in Margaret
Paston’s will? The will, dated 4th February 1482, will be found printed in the next
volume.                                            ² Caister.                                    ³ Easter.

     ¹ John Paston, Chevalier.

MARCH 1

1478
MARCH 1

1478
MARCH 1

XCII

A.D. 1478, 1 March

WILLIAM BOTONER TO SIR JOHN PASTON

[Add. MS. 34,889, f. 152]

     This letter, No. 1015 in the Inventory at the end of the Appendix, would
seem to be of the year 1478. It will be seen by No. 811 that in the begin-
ning of that year Sir John Paston wished to arrange with Dr. Yotton to get
a priest to sing in Caister.

To the Ryght worshypfull sir, Sir John Paston ch’lr
         logged at the signe of the George next to Poulys
         Wharf; or to lefe thys letter at a barbourys house
         ovyr the seyd George to delyver it to Sir John
         Paston.

PLESE yor gode masterschyp to wete that I
     herd thys day how a man wend that a juge-
     ment ys passed ayenst your entent yn the
     ende of the last terme (hyt was not of
verray certeyn tolde me, but as a dreme) yn the
kynges Chauncerye. I coude gefe none aunswer
therto. I prai God alle be well; hyt wold ease som
of your frendes hertys yff they coude understand ony
gode comfort. Sir, as for Robert,¹ I wold pray and
requyre your maistershep that he may for his lernyng
be abydyng with your cousyn of Lincoln Inne, as yt
was promysed, and to be occupyed under drede of
displesir under subjecion, wyth erly rysyng accus-
tomed, for slouth ys the moder and norysher of all
vices. He hath cost me moch goode and labour,
and now he ys uppon hys makyng by vertues
governance, or undoyng to the contrarye, and yn
especyalle to be not conversant ne neere amongis
women, as I was kept froo her [their] company xxx.
yeres or ony suche were of my councelle, I thank God
of yt. Sir, and ye write to me as ye lust, let no name be
wythynne wryt whens yt com, and that yt be sent by
sure comer to delyver yt me, for yt ys better brent
then founde. Also your discrecion ought not loth (to
take the cost and labour wolle not be gret, nether
importune) for to send a man of purpose to my lord
of [sic] Bysshop Waltham and to hys councell lerned,
ye wete to whom, for redy serch to be made for the bill
of half lefe of paper quantite of my hand I faythfully
delyvered to Master T. Danvers for to ovyrsee, of the
fyrst appoyntment ye wote off, that ye desyre so hertly
to see as of othyr manyfolde wrytyngis belongyng to
yow and to me. Yt ys seyd yne a vers: Gutta cavat
lapidem non vi set sepe cadendo, &c.; to a slow man or a
foryetefull or lothfull man must be importune callyng
allway uppon hym tille he hafe hys entent, for now
thys vacacion to spede or nevyr shall stand in yow
no stede. I can no ferther then the walle.

     Item, Sir, I comyned wyth Doctor Yotton at Came-
brygge late, because there ys no dyvyne service seyd
yn the free chapelle at C.,² that he wold hafe a grete
concience yn yt, and to depart wyth an honest preste
called Sir John Brykkys that ys now duellyng wyth a
ryzt lovyng kynnesman of yowres; the seyd Doctor
gevyng me to aunsuer he wold comyn wyth yow by
Pasch,¹ and the rather wyth your gode wylle wold
depart to such one ye owe affeccion unto. Sir, I
wold, as I dar tak uppon me to owen your affeccion
to the seyd John Brickys, that he may wyth more
help of your cellary hafe the better to lyve and serfe
God there to abyde and do yow service also. I mene
faythfullye, and soo I pray yow take yt; to remembre
a thyng in seson ys gretely to commend, and of a
spedy avantage. The blessed Trinite be wyth yow.
Wret the fyrst day of Marche.—Your

                                                               W. BOTONERE.

To J. P. c.² at London.

     Item, I had foryete to hafe remembred your
maystershyp to hafe a bille to your baylly Pecok for
to delyver my fermour of Tyrkbye C. or ii C. lawre and
asshe, and than to plant yn my tenement at Thyrkbye,
or foras many ye lust; for I lost the last waraunt
that ye wrote me truly, and so I was not served.

     Item, yff ye wryte to me, hyt hath nede to be by
a sure comer, for I had levyr a letter be brent then
lost ne forte videant Romani . . . and at reverence
of Jhesu that my Robert lose no tyme, nether be
idelle, for doubt of ymaginacions and temptacions. I
trust wyth your principale help to be wyth the wor-
shypfull gentleman that made promysse to yow, &c.

     ¹ Is this Robert, son of Sir John’s brother Edmund? See Vol. III. p. 285.

     ² Caister.

              ¹ Easter.                       ² John Paston, Chevalier.