page 106

1117. RICHARD CELY THE YOUNGER AT LONDON TO GEORGE CELY
2AT CALAIS, 4 JUNE 1481
3
4    Riught interly whelbelouyd brother, I recomend me harttely onto
5you, thankyng you of aull good brotherhod that ȝe haue scheuyd
6to me at aull tymus. Syr, ȝe know whell that I haue bene in the
7Northe Contre, and ther I haue had grette scheyr of my nowlde
8aqweyntans, as the bryngar heyrof can informe you; and as for
9my noncle ys exseketurs has promysyd me and Plomton be the
10faythe of ther bodys to be wyth howr father her Myhellmes, and to
11make a neynd wyth hym. And as I whente northewharde, I met
12Roger Wyxton a thys syd Northehamton, and he desyryd me to
13do so myche as drynke wyth hys whyfe at Laysetter, and after
14that I met wyth Wylliam Daulton, and he gaue me a tokyn to hys
15mother, and at Laysetter I met wyth Rafe Dawlton, and he brohut
16me to hys mother, and ther I delyuyrd my tokyn, and sche prayd
17me to come to brekefaste on the morow, and so I ded and Plomton
18bothe, and ther whe had a gret whelfar, and ther whos Freyr
19Este, and I pray yow thanke them for me. Syr, and ȝe be remembyrd,
20whe thaulkyd, togydyr in hour bed of Dawltonys syster, and
21ȝe ferryd the condyscyons of father and brethyrn, byt ȝe neyd not.
22I saw hyr and she whos at brekefaste wyth hyr mother and ws.
23Sche ys as goodly a ȝenge whomane: as fayr, as whelbodyd and
24as sad as I se hony thys vij ȝeyr, and a good haythe. I pray God

page 107

25that hyt may be inpryntyd in yur mynd to sette yowr harte ther.
26Syr, howr father and I comende togydyr in the new orchard on
27Fryday laste, and a askyd me many qwestyonys of gyu, and
28I towlde hym aull as hyt whos, and he whos ryught sory for the
29dethe of the schylde, and I toulde hym of the good whyll that
30the Whegystons and Dawltons hows to yow, and how I lykyd the
31ȝenge gentyllwhoman, and he commaunded me to whryte to yow
32and he whowlde gladly that hyt whor brohut abohut and that ȝe
33labyrde hyt betymys, and I haue towllyd hour father of Schestyrs
34dowter, how that I whowlde fayne be ther, and howur father whos
35ryught glad of thys comenycacyon. Daultons mother comendys
36hyr to you and thankys yow for the knyuys that ȝe sente to hyr.
37Howr father has ressauyd a letter frome yow wherby he wndyrstond
38of the salle: ij sarpellys and a peke. As for the mony at ys
39by you, he whyll that hyt ly be yow tyll Sencyon marte, and lette
40the mersars haue the lengar days, bothe Browell and Paullmar,
41and ther mony acordyng. Dorse Syr, I thanke you at hyt
42plesehyd you to leue me Goos, for he has don to me good sarues
43in thys gornay, and I haue delyuyrd to him ix s. to brynge hym
44to you, etc. My godfathyr has be syke byt he ys whell mendyd,
45thankyd be God. Thys same day my Loord ys comyn to London
46to aske the Kyng leue to go to the Rodys for he ys sent for. Syr,
47I send you be Goos a purs seche as whos gewyn me at Ȝeorke, and
48I pray yow by for Alyson Myhell a mantell of fyn blake schankys,
49for I haue mony therfor, and sche comendys hyr to you. No mor
50to yow at thys tyme, Jhesu kepe you. Wrytyn at London the
51iiij^the day of Juyn.
52
55

58    

page 150

59165. RICHARD CELY THE YOUNGER AT LONDON TO GEORGE CELY
60AT CALAIS OR THE MART, 13 MAY 1482
61
62    Riught interly whelbelouyd brother , I recomende me harttely
63wnto yow, informing yow at the makyng of thys howr mother,
64brother, my godfather and the howsowlde ar in goode heyll,
65thankyd be the good Loorde. Syr, the same day that I departtyd

page 151

66into Cotesowlde I ressauyd a letter frome yow wryte at Calles the
67xiiij day of Aprell, wherein I fynd the inuiatory of syche godys
68that whos howr fathers and mony on that syd of the see. Syr, I
69spake not wyth the Byschopys ofesars syn that I resauyd yowr
70letter. When I spake laste wyth them thay sayd that awl thyng
71schullde abyd yowr cwmyng. I wndyrstonde be yowr letter that
72ȝe wyll make howyr abowe v^c li. I hawhe beyn in Cottyssowllde
73thys iij whekys, and packyd wyth Wylliam Mydwyntter xxij
74sarpellys and a poke, wherof be iiij mydyll. Wylliam Bretten says
75hyt ys the fayreste wholl that he saw thys ȝeyr, and I packyd iiij
76sarpellys at Camden of the same bargen, wherof ar ij good, ij
77mydyll. Ther wyl be in all, wyth blottys, apon xxvij or xxviij
78sarplers wholl. Syr, I cannot hawhe Wylliam Mydwynttyrs fellys
79wndyr iij li. xl d. the C. And I schaull go to that pryse I pray yow
80send me a letter schorttely. Syr, I hawhe bohyt in Cottysowlde
81apon the poynt of vij M^l resenabyll good felles, and I pay iij li.;
82I can gehet noyn wndyr. Syr, I whryte to yow a prosses: I pray
83God sende therof a good heynd. The same day that I come to
84Norlache, on a Sonday befor mattens frome Burforde, Wylliam
85Mydwyntter wyllcwmyd me, and in howr comynycacyon he askyd
86me hefe I wher in any whay of maryayge. I towlde hyme nay, and
87he informeyd me that ther whos a ȝeunge genttyllwhoman hos
88father ys name ys Lemryke, and her mother ys deyd, and sche
89schawll dyspend be her moter xl li. a ȝer , as thay say in that
90contre, and her father ys the gretteste rewlar and rycheste mane
91in that conttre, and ther hawhe bene grete genttyllmen to se hyr
92and wholde hawhe hyr, etc. And hewyr matens wher done,
93Wylliam Mydwynter had meuyd thys mater to the gretteste mane
94abot the gentyllman Lemeryke, and he ȝeyd and informyd the
95forsayd of aull the matter, and the ȝewng gentyllwomane bothe;
96and the Sattyrday aftyr, Wylliam Mydwyntter whent to London,
97as aull wholl getherars wher sent for be wryt be the mene of Pettyt,
98for inwynde and grete markyng, and thay hawhe day to cwm agen
99at Myhellmas. New page, headed Anno Jhesu M^liiij^ciiij^xxij When
100I had packyd at Camden and Wylliam Mydwyntter departtyd,
101I came to Norlache ageyn to make a nende of packyng, and on the
102Sonday nexte aftyr, the same mane that Wylliam Mydwynter
103brake fyrste to cam to me and telde me that he had brokyn to hys

page 152

104master acordyng as Mydwyntter desyryde hym, and he sayd hys
105master whos ryght whell plessyde ther whothe. And the same mane
106sayd to me hefe I whowllde tary May Day I schulde hawhe a syte
107of the ȝewnge gentyllwhoman, and I sayd I wholld tary wyth a
108good wyll, and the same day her father schuld a syttyn at Norlache
109for the Kyng, but he sente whon of hys clarkys and rod
110hymselfe to Wynchecwme. And to mattens the same day come the
111ȝewnge gentyllwhoman and her mowther-i-law, and I and Wylliam
112Bretten wher sayng mattens when thay com into chyrche, and
113when mattens vhos done thay whente to a kynnyswhoman off the
114ȝewnge genttyllwhomane; and I sent to them a pottell of whyte
115romnay, and thay toke hyt thankefully, for thay had cwm a myle
116a fote that mornyng; and when Mes whos done I come and whellcwmyd
117them, and kyssyd them, and thay thankyd me for the
118whyne, and prayd me to cwm to dyner wyth them, and I ascwysyd
119me and thay made me promys them to drynke wyth them after
120dyner. And I sent them to dyner a galon whyne and thay sent me
121a heronsew roste, and aftyr dyner I com and dranke wyth them and
122toke Wylliam Bretten wyth me, and whe had ryught gode comynecacyon,
123and the person plesetheyde me whell as be the fyrst
124comynycacyon: sche ys ȝewnge, lytyll, and whery whellfauyrd and
125whytty, and the contre spekys myche good bye hyr. Syr, aull thys
126matter abydythe the cowmyng of her father to London, that whe
127may wndyrstonde what some he wyll departte wyth, and how he
128lykys me. He wyll be heyr wythin iij whekys. I pray send me a letter
129how ȝe thynke be thys matter. New page headed Anno Jhesu etc.,
130as above Heyr has beyn whyt my mother Myhell Koke and hys
131whyfe from Ȝeorke, and my mother and I hawhe made them gret
132scheyr, and my mother has gewyn to Myhelles wyfe a cremsyn
133govne of hyr wheryng, and sche has prayd me to whrayt to yow
134to by for her a for of callabyr for to lay in the same gowne,
135and Kokys whyfe and scho prays yow to by for them x as fyne
136mynkys as ȝe cane fynde in the marte, and ȝe schawl be plesyd
137for them. I schawll send to Calles be Robard Heryke at thys
138Whyttesontyd the byll of xiij s. iiij. d.: hyt amowntys to xv li.
139vj s. viij d. and payde. I ondyrstonde be Wylliam Celys letter that
140ȝe hawhe whryttyng frome my Lorde of Sent Jonys. I pray yow
141send me partte of yowr tydyng: I sent to yow the laste that I had.
142Syr, thay hawhe begwn to schype at London, and aull howr wholl

page 153

143and fell ys hyt in Cottyssowllde, sawhe iiij sarpllerys; therfor whe
144can do nothyng at thys tyme. Syr, I thynke mony wyll be gode at
145thys marte, for the Kyng has sente to the mercars and lette them
146whet that he wyl hawhe iij whystyllys; whon at Bregys, another
147at Calles, the thyrd at London; and as I am informyd, what
148merchand of the Stapell that sellys hys wholl , he may by what
149whar that he wyll ageyn. And thay that by no whar schaull brynge
150in ther mony into the Kyngys wystyll at Bregys ar Calles, and be
151payd at London at a monythe day, and the mony schawl be
152stablyschyd at viij s. The mercars be not conttent therwyth. I pray
153yow rememyr howr bowys. No mor. Wrhryt at London the xiij
154day of May.
155
157