William Paston, Junior, to John Paston

LETTER LIII.

To hys worchepful brodyr
     John Paston be thys delyu˜ed
     in hast.

RYGHT reu˜ent and worchepful brodyr J recomaunde me on
to yow desyrynge to here of yowre welfare and prosp’ite
litynge yow wete that J haue reseuyd of Alwedyr a lettyr
and a nobyll in gowlde y’in Ferthirmor my Creansyr
Mayst^r Thomas hertely recomandyd hym to yow and he
p’ythe yow to sende hym su˜ mony for my Comons for he
seythe ye be XX^ti S in hys dette for a monthe was to pay
for whe˜ he had mony laste. Also I beseche yow to sende
me a hose clothe on for y^e halydays of su˜ colore and a no-
thyr for y^e workyng days how corse so eu^r it be it makyth
no matyr and a stomechere and ij schyrts and a peyer of
sclyppers and if it lyke yow that J may come w^t Alwedyr
be watyr and sporte me w^t yow at london a day or ij thys
terme tyme Than ye may let all thys be tyl y^e tyme that J
come And than J wol telle you when J schall be redy to
Come from Eton by y^e grace of god whom haue yow in hys
kepyng Wretyn the Saturday next aftyr all halown day w^t
y^e hand of y^r brodyr.

                                                                  WYLLM PASTON.

       11¾ by 4.

     William Paston, a younger brother of J. Paston, was now finishing his school
education at Eton; he was born in 1459, and was at this time about 19 years
old.

     ¹ A sort of band or ruff.

     His desire to sport himself for a few days at London is very natural and
reminds us of a modern Eton boy; his next letter from school, dated a few
mouths after this, talks of a wife.

     Autograph, Pl. v. No. 13.

     It is necessary to inform the reader that the letter here referred to is Letter
XXII. vol. i. and the last in that volume; there dated by mistake Wednesday,
23d Feb. 1467-8. 7 E. iv. The date should have been Tuesday, 23d Feb.
1478-9, 18 E. iv. as I found out afterwards. I wish it therefore to be cor-
rected accordingly. The following errata in the second edition of the same
letter must likewise be thus corrrected.

p. 298, 2 note, line 1, for 1468, read 1479.

p. 299, same note, line 1, for I suppose about 18 or 20, read between
     19 and 20.

p. 300, ^*note, line 2, for deductura? read deductum?
line 3, for exemptum, read exemplum.

LETTER LIII.

To his worshipful Brother John Paston, be this delivered
in haste.

RIGHT reverend and worshipful brother, I recommend me
unto you, desiring to hear of your welfare and prosperity,
letting you weet that I have received of Alweder a letter
and a noble in gold therein; furthermore my creanser [cre-
ditor] Master Thomas [Stevenson] heartily recommended
him to you, and he prayeth you to send him some money
for my commons, for he saith ye be 20s. in his debt, for a
month was to pay for, when he had money last; also I be-
seech you to send me a hose cloth, one for the holydays
of some colour, and another for the working days how
coarse soever it be it maketh no matter, and a stomacher,¹
and two shirts, and a pair of slippers: and if it like you
that I may come with Alweder by water, and sport me with
you at London a day or two this term time, then ye may
let all this be till the time that I come, and then I will tell
you when I shall be ready to come from Eton by the grace
of God, who have you in his keeping. Written the Satur-
day next after Allhallows day with the hand of your bro-
ther,

                                                                  WILLIAM PASTON.

                 Eton,
       Saturday, 7th Nov.
           1478. 18 E. iv.

   William Paston, a younger brother of J. Paston, was now finishing his school
education at Eton; he was born in 1459, and was at this time about 19 years
old.

     ¹ A sort of band or ruff.

     His desire to sport himself for a few days at London is very natural and
reminds us of a modern Eton boy; his next letter from school, dated a few
mouths after this, talks of a wife.

     Autograph, Pl. v. No. 13.

     It is necessary to inform the reader that the letter here referred to is Letter
XXII. vol. i. and the last in that volume; there dated by mistake Wednesday,
23d Feb. 1467-8. 7 E. iv. The date should have been Tuesday, 23d Feb.
1478-9, 18 E. iv. as I found out afterwards. I wish it therefore to be cor-
rected accordingly. The following errata in the second edition of the same
letter must likewise be thus corrrected.

p. 298, 2 note, line 1, for 1468, read 1479.

p. 299, same note, line 1, for I suppose about 18 or 20, read between
     19 and 20.

p. 300, ^*note, line 2, for deductura? read deductum?
line 3, for exemptum, read exemplum. 

939

WILLIAM PASTON, JUNIOR, TO JOHN PASTON³

To hys worchepful brodyr, John Paston, be thys
delyvered in hast.

     RYGHT reverent and worchepful brodyr, I recomaunde
        me on to yow, desyrynge to here of yowre welfare
        and prosperite; letynge yow wete that I have re-
sevyd of Alwedyr a lettyr and a nobyll in gowlde therin.
Ferthermor my creansyr [creditor], Mayster Thomas,⁴ hertely
recomandyd hym to yow, and he praythe yow to sende hym
sum mony for my comons; for he seythe ye be xx^tis. in hys
dette, for a monthe was to pay for when he had mony laste.

     Also I beseche yow to sende me a hose clothe, one for the
halydays of sum colore, and a nothyr for the workyng days,
how corse so ever it be it makyth no matyr; and a stomechere,
and ij. schyrtes, and a peyer of sclyppers. And if it lyke yow
that I may come with Alwedyr be watyr, and sporte me with
yow at London a day or ij. thys terme tyme, than ye may let
all thys be tyl the tyme that I come, and than I wol telle you
when I schall be redy to come from Eton, by the grace of
God, Whom have yow in Hys kepyng.

     Wretyn the Saturday next aftyr All Halown Day, with
the hand of your brodyr,

                                                                          WYLLIAM PASTON.

     ³ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] William Paston, the writer of this letter, was a
younger son of old John Paston, and brother of the John Paston to whom the letter is
addressed. He was born, as Fenn tells us, in 1459, and it will be seen by what is
said of him in Letter 842 that he could not possibly be older. He was now at Eton
finishing his education, and we have a letter from him written there on the 23rd of
February 1479, which gives good reason for attributing this to the November im-
mediately before.

     ⁴ Thomas Stevenson. See Letter 942 post.

NOV. 7

1478
NOV. 7