William Paston to John Paston

406

WILLIAM PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

To hys rythe wurchyp[full] broder, Jon Paston,
[dwell] yng at Castre.

       BRODER, I comand me to zow, certhefieng zow that
            Playter is redyn to Lundon ward this day abowthe ij.
            afternone. And he taryed here, and schulde abedyn
styll till he had had an horse that Master Thomas Howys
schuld have lent hym. And so I thowthe he schuld have taried
to long; and so he hathe bowthe on off myn hors. And iff it
nede, he schall send zow word be his man fro Lundon how he
felythe the disposycyon off men ther, &c.; and he schall send
his man horn be Newmarket wey. And I have infurmyd hym
acording after the ententhe of zowr letter.

     I spak this day with Bokkyng. He had but few wurdes,
but I felt be hym he was rythe evyll disposyd to the parson and
zow, but coverthe langgage he had. I wene he be assentid to
the fyndyng of this offyce¹ takyn at Bokynham, and Recheman
schall bryng zow the namys of the men that mad the verdythe
on Soneday nexst comyng. I pray send to myn broder
Clements fermor of Somerton for money for my broder
Clement, for to have sent to hym to Lundon. I schuld have
done it qwan I was at Caster; myn moder desyryd me, and I
sent a letter after to the parson, and prayed hym to receve it,
&c.

     Item, I prayd the parson to wrythe a letter in his name to
myn suster Ponyngges,² as ze and I comunyd onys togeder,
cownsellyng her to take good avyse befor sche sold her wood
at Wrenham; and he schuld knowe ther by weder Ponyngges
wer in Kent ar nat, &c. I understond that this Bokkyng and
Worceter have grett trust in ther awne lewd consaythe, wathe
some ever it menythe, &c. Bokkyng told me this day that he
stood as well in consaythe with myn Maister Fastolff iii. days
befor he dyed as any man in Englond. I sayd I soposyd nay,
ner iij. zere before he dyed. I told hym that I had hard
dyveres talkynges of hym as men sayd, qweche I soposyd
schuld nat easly be browthe a bowthe, and he swore that he
talkyd never with no man in no mater that schuld be a zen
zow, &c. It is he that makythe William Wurceter so froward
as he is.

     I wold ze had a witnesse of Roberd Ingglows, thow he
wittnessyd no more but that myn master had his witthe,
becawse he was so lathe with myn master Fastolff. Worceter
sayd at Castre it schuld be nessessary for zow to have good
witnesse, as he saythe it schuld go streythe with zow wytheowt
zowr witnesse were rythe sofycyent. Myn cosyn Berney can
tell zow, &c.

     Item, remenbre to make the parson to make an instrument
up on his sayyng. I funde hym rythe good qwan I spak with
hym at Caster; and remembre the newe evydens.

     Item, Arblaster and I spakk togeder. I felle hym rythe
feythefully disposyd to zow ward, and he schall mow do myche
good and he go to Lundon, for he can labore will a monge
Lordes. He and I comunyd to geder of myn Lord Awbre;¹
lethe hym tell zow qwat it was, for he will speke with zow to
morow. It is full nessessary to mak zow strong be lord chep,
and be oder menys. Myn Lord Awbry hathe weddit the
Duke of Bokyngham dowter,² and he was lathe with Master
Fastolff be fore he dyed, and he is gret with the Qwene.

     God have zow in His kepeng. Wretyn at Norwyche the
secund day of May.

                                        Be zowr broder,                  W. PASTON.

     Omnya pro pecunya facta sunt.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this letter is certainly in the year 1460,
for it was written after the death of Sir John Fastolf, and before the deposition of
Henry VI., Margaret of Anjou being still spoken of as ‘the Queen.’

                     ¹ See p. 199, Note 2.

                       ² Elizabeth Paston, now wife of Robert Poynings.

     ¹ Aubrey de Vere, son of the Earl of Oxford, who suffered death, with his father,
in February 1462.

     ² Anne, eldest daughter of Humphry, Duke of Buckingham.

MAY 2

1460

MAY 2

1460

MAY 2