The Paston Letters Volume V Part 43

848

SIR RALPH HASTINGS TO JOHN PASTON[205-1]

_To my feithful lovyng G.o.de cousyn, Johan Paston._

[Sidenote: 1474(?) / MAY 9]

Cousyn Paston, I recommaunde me to you in as speciall wise as I cane.

And like you to witte, on Sondaye at even last I hadde writing and evedence frome my lorde by Punche of tidyngis and have understonde them wel al a longe. And on Monday erly in the mornyng I came to Calais to have spoken with you, but I came to late. Praying you to advertise my lord[205-2] to se wel to him self, etc. And at my comyng home the same nyght I felle doune syke, and have ever sith kept my bedde and yitte do.

And, as you knowe wel, the Connestable sykened with you in his goyng to Calais, of whome I doubt me, and so I do of my self bothe. So that here amongis us nowe is no man to stirre about and see quykly to alle thingis as ther aught to be and is nede to be, which hevieth me gretly; and though I were up and might somwhat stire myself, yitte I am not seure so to contynue ij. daies to-geder, etc. As for moo men, my Lord hathe praied me and advised me to holde me content with thoo that I have, and that I shulde make as litel coste in reparacions as I maye, because he cannot se wel howe the monney cane be goten to content them. Cousyn, as for moo men ye knowe right wel thoo that we have are to fewe, and we have nede; notwithstonding I shal do as wel as I may with thoo that I have. But as [for][205-3] eny ferther reparacions, might I ones for oure seurte have this fournisshed that I am about, I kepe not to make moo, for I doubt me that this we are about, that parte therof wil reste in my nekke, because we cane not be seure of oure a.s.signement. I pray you, cousyn, brekes to my Lord all suche maters that ye cane remembre and thinke[205-4] may be for the wele of us and the seurte of this place, as my ful speciall truste and alle othir mennes here is in you. I hadde thought to have writton to my lord to have sente some othir seure man hidre to have a.s.sisted and holpen us during oure infirmitees, but I fele by Punche that my Lord saith I write always so plainly to him that hit fereth him, and therfore I dar not but shal forbere to write any more so; howe be hit, it were ful necessarye and behofful so to do, that knoweth G.o.d, Who ever preserve you. Writton at Guysnes, the ix^e daye of May.

I praye you to sende us some of your tidingis by this berer as oft as ye may. And if ther be anything I may do to your plesir, I shal do it with as good hart as ye cane desire.

Your tru luffuyng coussen,

RAUFF HASTYNGIS.

[Footnote 205-1: [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 122.] This letter was clearly written in the same year as No. 847, which was apparently 1474.]

[Footnote 205-2: Lord Hastings.]

[Footnote 205-3: Omitted in MS.]

[Footnote 205-4: 'thinke' repeated in MS.]

849

ABSTRACT[206-1]

[Sidenote: 1474 / JULY 24]

Letters patent, dated at Westminster, 24 July, 14 Edw. IV., for levying a subsidy in the county of Norfolk for a war against France.

[Footnote 206-1: [Add. Charter 14,973, B.M.]]

850

JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[206-2]

_To Sir John Paston, Knyght, or to hys brodyr Edmund in hys absence, lodgyd at the George by Powlys Wharff, in London._

[Sidenote: 1474 / JULY 25]

Ryght worchepfull sir, I recomand me to yow, preying yow to remembyr, or ye depert ought of London, to spek with Herry Ebertonys wyf, draper, and to enforme hyr that I am profyrd a maryage in London, whyche is worth vj^c. [600] mark and bettyr; with whom I preyid yow to comone, in as myche as I myght not tery in London myself, alweys reservyng that if so be that Mastresse Eberton wyll dele with me, that ye shold not conclud in the other place, thow so wer that Eberton wold not geve so moche with Mastress Elyzabet, hys dowghtyr, as I myght have with the other, for syche fantazy as I have in the seyd Mastress Elyzabet Eberton. And that it lyek yow to sey to Ebertons wyff that syche as I spak to hyr of shalbe bettyrd rather then enpeyred as for my part; and if it lyek hyr to deale with me, I wylbe at London for that cawse only with in xiiij.

dayis aftyr the wryghtyng of thys byll, with G.o.des grace, Who preserve yow and yours.

Wretyn at Norwyche, on Seynt Jamys Day.

Also, sir, I prey yow that ye wyll, as I desyerd yow, comon with John Lee or hys wyf, or bothe, and to undyrstond how the mater at the Blak Freerys dothe, and that ye wylle see and spek with the thyng your sylf, and with hyr fadyr and modyr, or ye depert; and that it lyek yow to desyer John Lee is wyff to send me a byll in all hast possybyll, how fer forthe the mater is, and whedyr it shalbe necessary for me to come up to London hastyly or not, or ellys to kast all at the Kok.

Also, sir, I prey yow that Pytt may trusse in a male, whyche I left in your chambyr at London, my tawny gowne furyd with blak, and the doblet of porpyll sateyn, and the doblet of blak sateyn, and my wryghtyng box of syprese, and my book of the Metyng of the Dwke and of the Emperour, and when all thys gere is trussyd in the male, to delyver it to the berer herof, to brynge me to Norwyche.

Item, I send you herwith the pylyon for the male, and x_s._ for the hyer, whyche is usery, I tak G.o.d to rekord.

Also, that it lyek yow to spek with your apotycary, whyche was som tyme the Erle of Warwykes apotycary, and to weet of hym what the wedow of the Blak Freiris is woorthe, and what hyr husbondes name was. He can tell all, for he is executore to the wedous husbond. I prey yow forget me not, no more then I do yow. I have spokyn thys day with Jamys Hubberd and Herry Smyth, and to morow I shall have an answer of theym.

Also, my modyr wyll labore thys mater with effect, that the CC. mark may be had for the wood.

Also, brodyr Edmund, I prey yow, and my brodyr Sir John be not in London, that ye wyll labore all thys maters with effect, as my trust is in yow in every poynt as is above wretyn.

Also, I a.s.sartayn yow that I was with Ferrour thys day, and he had no leyser to comon with me; but I wyll be with hym ayen to morow by apoyntment betwyx hym and me, and so as I speed I shall send yow woord by the next man that comyth to London.

Also, I sent John Lee is wyff a lettyr by on Crawethorn dwellyng in Wood street, or ellys in Sylver street at the end of Wood street. I prey yow weet whedyr she had it or nought; and she had it not, brodyr Edmund, I prey yow go to the same Crawethorn, and tak the lettyr of hym, and delyver it hyr in all hast.

J. PASTON.[208-1]

[Footnote 206-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is endorsed in a contemporaneous hand 'Anno xiiij^o,' showing that it was written in 1474, the 14th year of Edward IV. We also find Sir John writing to his brother in November following that his brother Edmund had heard nothing more of Eberton's daughter.]

[Footnote 208-1: This signature stands in the middle of the postscript.]

[[... Who preserve / yow and yours.

_final . missing or invisible_]]

851

ABSTRACT[208-2]

[Sidenote: 1474 / OCT. 24]

'Bill' dated 24 Oct., 14 Edw. IV., relative to the pledging of certain parcels of plate by William Paston, Esq., to Elizabeth Clere of Ormesby.

The parcels amount in all to 250 oz. 4 dwt., and are pledged for 40.

_Sealed._

ii. Fair copy of the preceding.

[Footnote 208-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

852

ABSTRACT[208-3]