William Cotyng to John Paston

  • Medieval Family Life
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Title
William Cotyng to John Paston
Reference
Add. 34889, f. 164
Date
about April 1449
Library / Archive
  • The British Library
Transcript location(s) in printed volume(s)
Gairdner, Vol II, item 89; Gairdner, 'Paston Letters', item 13
Transcript from James Gairdner, 'The Paston Letters, A.D., 1422-1509, New Complete Library Edition, Volume II'

89

 

WILLIAM COTYNG TO JOHN PASTON1

 

To the right reverent sir my most worshipful maister, my
maister John Paston.

 

       RIGHT reverent and my most worshipful maister, I
            recomaund me to yow. Please it yow to wete that
            the man whiche I wolde have hadde to a be youre
fermour at Snaillewelle hath tolde me that he will not therof,
and this he makith his excuse; he seythe that he shall dwelle
with his wyffes fader and fynden hym for his good as longe as
he levyth and he will no forther medill in the werde. I fele
well by hym that he hath inquered of the maner, for he coude
telle me well that olde Briggeman aught my maister, your
fader, whom God assoile, moche good, and how that he hadde
al that was ther whanne Briggeman was ded; and that this
Briggeman owith yow moche good at this tyme. I answered
therto, as for olde Briggeman, I seide that it was his will that
my maister shulde have his good, be cause he was a bonde
man and hadde no childer. And as for this Briggeman, I seide
that he hath bought a faire place sithe he was your fermour,
and payed therfor; but for this I kan not turne hym. Wher-
for, and it like yow to sende to me a bille of the value of the
maner, I shall inquere if any other may happe to be gete,
and sende yow worde therof; and in this and what ye will
comaunde me ellys I shall do my parte by the grace of our
Lord, Who ever have yow in His kepyng. Amen. Writen
at Cambrigge the Sunday nexte before the fest of Seynt
George.

     My maister your brother1 recomaundeth hym to yow, as
me semyth he is in right febill hele. he will not telle me qwy,
save he seyth he compleyned onys and hadde no remedy, and
therfor he seythe he shall suffer for a seoson. Forsothe I
suppose he is not intreted as he aught to be.—Your servaunt
and bedeman,                                                           W. COTYNG.

 

     1 [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 164.] This letter must have been written about the year
1449, when William Paston, son of the Judge, was a student at Cambridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About
1449
APRIL

 

 

 

 

 

 

About
1449
APRIL

Transcript from James Gairdner, 'The Paston Letters, 1422-1509'

XIII

 

About A.D. 1449, April

 

WILLIAM COTYNG TO JOHN PASTON

 

[Add. MS. 34,889, f. 164]

 

     This letter, No. 1024 in the Inventory at the end of Appendix to Vol. III.,
must have been written about the year 1449, when William Paston, son of
the Judge, was a student at Cambridge.

To the right reverent sir my most worshipful maister,
my maister John Paston.

RIGHT reverent and my most worshipful
      maister, I recomaund me to yow. Please
     it yow to wete that the man whiche I
     wolde have hadde to a be youre fermour
at Snaillewelle hath tolde me that he will not
therof, and this he makith his excuse; he seythe
that he shall dwelle with his wyffes fader and
fynden hym for his good as longe as he levyth and
he will no forther medill in the werde. I fele well
by hym that he hath inquered of the maner, for he
coude telle me well that olde Briggeman aught my
maister, your fader, whom God assoile, moche good,
and how that he hadde al that was ther whanne
Briggeman was ded; and that this Briggeman owith
yow moche good at this tyme. I answered therto,
as for olde Briggeman, I seide that it was his will
that my maister shulde have his good, be cause he
was a bonde man and hadde no childer. And as for
this Briggeman, I seide that he hath bought a faire
place sithe he was your fermour, and payed therfor;
but for this I kan not turne hym. Wherfor, and it
like yow to sende to me a bille of the value of the
maner, I shall inquere if any other may happe to be
gete, and sende yow worde therof; and in this and
what ye will comaunde me ellys I shall do my parte
by the grace of our Lord, Who ever have yow in His
kepyng. Amen. Writen at Cambrigge the Sunday
nexte before the fest of Seynt George.

     My maister your brother1 recomaundeth hym to
yow, as me semyth he is in right febill hele. he will
not telle me qwy, save he seyth he compleyned onys
and hadde no remedy, and therfor he scythe he shall
suffer for a seoson. Forsothe I suppose he is not
intreted as he aught to be.—Your servaunt and
bedeman,                                       W. COTYNG.

  1 William Paston.