William Paston to John Paston

91

WILLIAM PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

To myn most reverent and [w]urchepful broder, Jon Paston.

      TO myn most reverent and wurchepful brodur, I recum-
           mend me hartely to zow, desiryng speciali to hare of
           zowre wellefare and prosperite, qweche Almyty God
contenu to zowre gosteli hele and bodili welfare. And if it plase
zowre goode broderod to here of myn wellefare, at the makyng
of this bylle I was in good hele. And if it leke zowre good
broderod to remembre the letter that I sent to zow of the
noyse that was telde of zow, that ze schuld a be on of the
capetayns of the ryserse in Norfolk, and how that j. scholere
of Cambryg, qweche is parsone of Welle, schuld an utteryd
ferthere to zowr grete schalndyr [slander]; besechyng zow to
undyrstond that the seyde parsone of Welle was sone [after ?]²
that tyme at Lundon, were he harde sey of j. swyr of ij. c.
marc be zere [of one squire of 200 marks by year] that ze and
Master Thomas Wellys wolde sewe the seyd Parsone Welle
for zowre schalndyr; and the seyde parsone come to Cambryg
sothyn, and hathe pekyd a qwarell to on Mastyr Recheforthe,
a knythys sone of Norforfolke,³ and seyd to Rychechefor³ that
he had because that ze schuld sewe hym; and the seyd Parsone
Welle thretyd Rycheferthe that wat some ever that ze causyd
Parson Welle to lese be zowre sewtes, that Rycheferthe schul
lese the same to the Parson of Welle. Werefor this jeltylmon
Rycheforthe taketh grete thowt, and pray me to wrythe to
zow that ze wulde sese zowre suthe tylle the tyme that ze
wulde asyne that I mythe speke wythe zow, and odyr sundry
have speke with zow of the same mater; for yt ware pithe
that Rycheforthe chuld have ony hurthe thereby. I beseche
zow holde me excusyd, thow I wryt no better to zow at thys
tyme, for in good feyth I had no leysere. The brynggar of
thys letter can telle zow the same. God have zow in hys
kepyng. Wretyn at Cambryg, on Fryday [sa]nyth¹ nexste
before Mydsommer Evyn.

     In case ze come ba come [back home?] be Cambryg, I schal
telle zow mo of it. I am sory I may wrythe no bettyr at this
tyme, but I trust ze wylle [have] paciens.

                                Be zowre pore Broder,       W. PASTON.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] As it appears from Margaret Paston’s letter of the
2nd April 1449 that William Paston was a student at Cambridge in that year, the
date of this must be about the same period.

     ² Word omitted.                                          ³ So in MS.

     ¹ This is written ‘sanyth,’ but there is a stroke through the a, which was perhaps
intended to have been carried through the s also.

About
1449

About
1449