William Paston to Margery Paston

255

WILLIAM PASTON TO MARGERY PASTON¹

To his rythe worchypfull and harthy wellebelovyd suster,
Margere Paston, dwellyng in Norwyche.

   RYTHE harthely well belovyd suster, I recomand me,
     &c. And I have received zowre letteres. And as
     for my nevewes, they lerne rythe well bothe, and
there gownys and there gere schall be mad for hem a
cordyng the enthenthe of zowre letter, and all oder thynggis
that behovyth on to here profythe harddely to my powere.

And, Suster, God zelde zow for zowre labore fore me, for
gaderyng of my mony. And I pray, as sone as ze receyvyth,
send it heder be some trusty man; and that it plese to calle
ther on, &c. My suster and my broder recomand hem to
zow bothe, and I may say to zow in counsayll sche is op on
poyn of mariage, so that moder and my broder sett frendely
and stedfastely there on, leke as I wothe well ze wolld, and it
lay in zow as it dothe in hem, &c. I pray zow do zoure
parthe to kall theron. It were to long to wrythe on to zow
all the maner of demenyng of this mater; and therfor I have
spoke to Wyllyam Worseter and to Wethewell to tell it zow
holly as it is. I wothe ryth well zow (sic) good labore may
do moche; and send me word how ze here as hastely as ze
may. Item, Howard spak of a mariage betwex his sone and
my neece Margery, zowr dother: it wer well do such materes
wer nawthe sclawfully laboryd; it is wurchypfull, &c. Send
me word, and Gog (sic) have zow in His kepyng. Wretyn at
London on Sent Lawrens day in hast.—Be zowre brodyre,

                                                                          WYLLYAM PASTON.

     Item, send zow a letter directyd to Wollysby. I pray zow
lethe it be delyvered hym as hastely as ze may; and if ze
come to this contre I am leke to se zow, and we schall make
rythe mery I trust.

     ¹ [Add. MS. 33,597, f. 5.] This letter is in the handwriting of William Paston,
son of the judge; but the ‘Margery’ Paston to whom it is addressed seems to be his
brother John’s wife, Margaret. His nephews, John Paston’s sons, were at school in
London. His sister Elizabeth, who was married to Robert Poynings in 1458, is here
said to be upon the point of marriage, but no doubt this refers to the negotiations of
the year 1454, as the eldest of John Paston’s sons must have been sixteen in 1458.
St. Laurence’s day, on which the letter was written, is the 10th August.

[1454]
AUG. 10

1454]
AUG. 10

LXXIX

WILLIAM PASTON TO MARGERY PASTON

[Add. MS. 33,597, f. 5]

     This letter is of uncertain date, and apparently should have been placed
many years earlier, but that the address was misleading and the contents
rather perplexing. It is certainly in the handwriting of William Paston,
son of the judge; but the ‘Margery’ Paston to whom it is addressed seems
to be his brother John’s wife, Margaret. His nephews, John Paston’s
sons, seem to be at school in London. His sister Elizabeth, who was mar-
ried to Robert Poynings in 1458, is here said to be upon the point of
marriage, but very likely an earlier negotiation is referred to, for the eldest
of John Paston’s sons must have been sixteen at that date. St. Laurence’
day, on which the letter was written, is the 10th August.

To his rythe worchypfull and harthy wellebelovyd
suster, Margere Paston, dwellyng in Norwyche.

RYTHE harthely well belovyd suster, I reco-
     mand me, &c. And I have received zowre
     letteres. And as for my nevewes, they
     lerne rythe well bothe, and there gownys
and there gere schall be mad for hem a cordyng the
enthenthe of zowre letter, and all oder thynggis that
behovyth on to here profythe harddely to my powere.
And, Suster, God zelde zow for zowre labore fore me,
for gaderyng of my mony. And I pray, as sone as
ze receyvyth, send it heder be some trusty man;
and that it plese to calle ther on, &c. My suster and
my broder recomand hem to zow bothe, and I may
say to zow in counsayll sche is op on poyn of
mariage, so that moder and my broder sett frendely
and stedfastely there on, leke as I wothe well ze wolld,
and it lay in zow as it dothe in hem, &c. I pray zow
do zoure parthe to kall theron. It were to long to
wrythe on to zow all the maner of demenyng of this
mater; and therfor I have spoke to Wyllyam Wor-
seter and to Wethewell to tell it zow holly as it is. I
wothe ryth well zow (sic) good labore may do moche;
and send me word how ze here as hastely as ze may.
Item, Howard spak of a mariage betwex his sone and
my neece Margery, zowr dother: it wer well do such
materes wer nawthe sclawfully laboryd; it is wurchyp-
full, &c. Send me word, and Gog (sic) have zow in His
kepyng. Wretyn at London on Sent Lawrens day in
hast.—Be zowre brodyre,                   WYLLYAM PASTON.

     Item, send zow a letter directyd to Wollysby. I
pray zow lethe it be delyvered hym as hastely as ze
may; and if ze come to this contre I am leke to se
zow, and we schall make rythe mery I trust.