1GEORGE CELY AT CALAIS TO RICHARD CELY THE ELDER AT
2LONDON, 21 MARCH 1478/9
3
4    Ryght rewerent and whorshipffull ffadyr, afftyr all dew recomendasyon
5I recomeavnd me vnto yow in the most lowlyest
6whisse that I con or may // Fordyrmor plesythe ytt yow to vndyrstond
7that I hawe hade comynycasyon wyth Thomas Kesten, and
8he wyth me, and Thomas Kesten whan I come vnto Calles, he
9axyd me yff Y hade browght hym any wryttyng ffrom yow. He
10sayd vnto me that he sent wryttyng be my cossyn Maryon and
11be me wheroff he hade whent Y had browght hym an answer //
12I sayd vnto hym agen that at my comyng houyr se yowr besynesse
13whas soyche ȝe myght nott hawe non laysar to wrytt vnto hym,
14wherffor ȝe comeavndyd me to say vnto hym / That ȝe wyll wrytt
15vnto hym and to me schorttly of an answer of theke letterys and
16how that ȝe whollde that I showld be demenyd in that casse, etc.
17Ytt wholl be whell don yff ȝe sode // Plesyth ytt yow to vndyrstond
18that in this sayd letter ȝe shall ffynd closyd the salle of yowr
19Cottys ffellis and how they wher sowlld. Ther wher sowlld no mor
20but iij M^l ix^c lxxj ffor Cottys ffellis and the remenavnt of theke
21ffellis bethe anwhardyd by the whardars ffor Contre ffellis, ȝett
22they kepe the prysse of xiiij noblis, etc. As ȝett Y connott wrytt
23vnto yow of none newis, yff ther come any ȝe shall vndyrstond.
24No mor vnto yow at this tyme, but Jhesu kepe yow and all yowrs,
25amen. Wrytt at Calles the xxj day of Marche, anno lxxviij, etc.
26
28

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3393. GEORGE CELY (AT ANTWERP) TO RICHARD CELY THE ELDER
34AT LONDON, C. JUNE 1480 (DRAFT).
35
36    Ryght reverent and whorschypffull ffadyr, affter all dewe recomendasyon
37pretendyng, I recomavnd me vnto yow in the most
38lowlyest whisse that I con or may. Fordyr mor, plesythe ytt yow
39to vnderstond that at my comyng vnto this Syngsyon marte
40I spake wyth John Descyrmer of Gavnt, and he hawe made vnto
41me, and to dyvars of my fellyschyppe heuyr I come to the martte,
42grett complaynt of yowr medyll woll wheche Y sowlde vnto hym.

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43He swerys vnto me largely that he has hade of yowrs in tyme
44passyd better medyll yowng Cottys than this woll whas. They lay
45vnto me grett vnkyndenesse that Y delle wyth them vnder this
46maner / they say vnto me that ȝe myght an takyn howght of this
47vj sarpleris and the poke, ij sarpleris medyll yowng. Ytt ys so,
48becavsse they wollde nott strywe wyth me, they do hodyrwhysse
49than they wher porposyd - they bowght ytt ffor þer own drapery,
50and now ther ys no man wholl draper none of theke sarpleris at
51Gavnt nor at Bregys, but he ys ffayne to bryng them to the marte
52and sell them ther, wherffor I am ryght sory // In good ffayþe
53Y connott say wher Y wrytt vnto yow or no heroff // Y hade
54moche whorke at Calles heuyr I covde hawe ytt anwhardyde ffor
55Cottys, and moche stekyng whas anȝenst ytt anmongeyst the
56Fellyschyp. In the reverens of Good se better to the pakyng of
57yowr woll that shall com, or ellis yowr woll ys lyke to lesse that
58name that ytt has hade heuyr anffore in tyme passyd // I nevyr
59whyst yow sent cursar woll to Calles ffor the contre than this last
60whas / I am porpossyd to com hovyr vnto yow whan this marte
61ys done, and than schall Y tell yow mor playnle be movthe.

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63109. GEORGE CELY AT CALAIS TO RICHARD CELY THE ELDER AT
64LONDON, 16 NOVEMBER 1480
65
66    Ryght rewerent and whorshypffull ffadyr, affter all dewe recomendacyon
67pretendyng, I recomeavnd me vnto yow in the most
68lowlyest whysse that Y con or may / Fordyrmor, plesythe ytt yow
69to vndyrstond that I hawe resseywyd an letter ffrom yow beryng
70date at London the xiij day of Octobyr in hast / wheche Y do
71whell vndyrstond, and I hawe resseywyd yowr warant, and ys
72anlowyd appon yowr byll ancordyng. As towchyng hodyr clavsys
73in yowr sayd letter, Y vndyrstond them ryght whell, and as ffor
74Robyn, ye vndyrstond be this how whell he has done none thyng
75but put ȝe to cost, etc. As towchyng me, bothe be yowr sayd letter
76and be my cossyn Maryons, I am sory, and Y connott be mery tyll
77that Y hawe ben wyth yow, and Y whollde a ben wyth yow shorttly,
78savyng my besynesse ys soche that Y connott, as ȝe know // Indede

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79Y hawe bene long awhay, and therffor my besynesse ys the mor.
80Y this day Y begon to pake yowr wholl. Y thanke Good ytt rysythe
81ffull ffayr, and som medyll woll ȝe shall hawe, but and ytt rysythe
82as ytt do, ytt shall nott be moche. I hawe men apon yowr ffellis
83dayly, in good ffaythe Y nevyr sawe yowr good so lond in my dayys,
84and so dyd all mens. Ȝe shall hawe abowe an M^l made ffellis / and
85yowr woll ys lykewhysse arayd. Be the grace of Godd Y sshall
86fenyshe all thyngys heuyr that Y go vnto the marte // As tovchyng
87my clawis afore, I hawe ben long hens, as ȝe know, nevyrthelesse,
88and my debyteyys had done ther devteys, Y myght so a ben ffor
89that sesson ryght whell / Now Y hawe sen that at Y desyryd long
90to se Y toke this seson, wheche tyme Y wollde that Y hade lyne
91syke in my bede yf ȝe be dysplesyd therwyth. Y hawe hade lettyrs
92dyvars to an kept Wylliam Cely styll at Calles: indede he departyd
93heuyr any wryttyng, and allso Y shall nott nede hym grettly,
94Y hawe helpe ynow. Y am in good whay of my besynesse now, ȝett
95whas ther ryght lytyll done therto whan he departyd.
96    Ytt ys so that her whas grett ado at Calles ffor that woll that come
97in the last schyppyng, becawis the dokatys bare nott dat of the
98xiiij day of Septembyr, dyvars men wold an hade ytt but newe
99woll. Ther ys derectyon takyn that ytt shall nedyr be new nor
100howllde, but yt shall hawe that lysens that yt shall passe wythhowght
101howlde woll, appon yt selffe. Men hade whent that the
102ffellis showld a bene howlde, ȝett whe connott tell: ther ys replyyng
103ther anȝenst. Y thynke that whe shall sett them in the sam kasse
104as the wholl stondys: whe shall do moche therto / Y whas to swefft
105in wryttyng to my cosyn Maryon, Y wrott hym they wher howllde
106ffellis. It ys so that the xiiij day of Novembyr ytt whas conclevdyd
107be Cortt that from Candyllmesse forþe no man shall sell but
108ffor xxvj s. le li. I thynke ytt shall cavsse an stope. Ȝe most now
109wrytt me yowr hadvysse how Y shall be demenyd: wher Y shall
110howlld hand tyll than, or sell affore, and Y con / Ther ys but lytyll
111Cottyswolld woll at Calles, and Y vndyrstond Lombardys has
112bowght yt vp yn Ynglond, and ȝe vndyrstonde what sobstons is
113at London to shyppe. I hope ther whas nott a better markett
114toward ffor Cottys woll many a day // I woll nott avysse ȝe to shype
115in the dede of wynter: ytt ys long lyyng, ffowlle whedyr, and
116jepardes ffor stormys. Of tydyngys I con none wryght yow ffor
117sarten as ȝett, but at myn howllde Lady ys comyng ffrom Bynus

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118to Sent Tomers, and the ambassettors bothe of Inglond and
119Fravnsse. Y connott say what whorlld whe shall hawe: some of
120the Devkys Covnsell wholld hawe whar and som pesse - the very
121grovnde most come howght of Ynglond. The Frenche Kynge has
122fforneshed his garysons appon the ffrontys all redy, etc. My
123lady proposythe to ly at Sent Tomers and the Frenche ambassett shall
124ly at Tyrwhyne iij lekys thens, etc. // Her ys but ffewe merchantys
125at Calles nowe. I am in whay wyth Gyshbryght Van Whennysbarge
126ffor an ij of yowr sarpleris: Y hope Y shall go thorow wyth hym /
127I woll that Y myght vndyrstond be wryttyng wher the Kyng
128porposythe to hawe whar wyth Fravnsse or no: my brodyr
129Rychard may vndyrstond that of my Lorde. Yff Y vndyrstode
130betymus Y myght, yf nede be, porvay me off saffecondytt. Y
131whollde fforst vndyrstond how the Kynge take my Lordys answar,
132etc. No mor vnto yow at this tyme, but Jhesu hawe yow and all
133yowrs in his kepyng, amen. Wrettyn at Calles the xvj^th day of
134Novembyr, Anno iiij^xx .
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