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263. TO JOHN PASTON III

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1471, 15 SEPTEMBER

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TO MESTRESSE MARGRET PASTON OR TO JOHN PASTON, ESQUIER, HYR SONE, IN HAST.

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5    Ryght well belouyd brother, I comande me to yow, letyng yow wete þat I
6am in wellffare, I thanke God, and haue ben euyre syns þat I spake last
7wyth yow; and mervayle sore þat ye sent neuer wryghtyng to me syns ye

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8departyd. I herde neuyre syn þat tyme any worde owt off Norffolk. Ye
9myght att Bertelmev Feyre haue had massengerys j-nowe to London, and
10iff ye had sent to Wykys he scholde haue conveyd it to me.
11    I herde yister-daye þat a worsted man off Norffolk þat solde worstedys
12at Wynchester seyde þat my lord off Norffolk and my lady wer on pylgrymage
13at Owre Lady on foote, and so they went to Caster; and þat at Norwyche
14on scholde haue had large langage to yow and callyd yow traytore, and
15pyked many quarellys to yow. Sende me worde ther-off. It were well doo
16þat ye wer a lytell sewrere off yowr pardon than ye be. Auyse yow; I deme
17ye woll her-afftre ellys repent yow.
18    I vndrestonde þat Bastarde Fauconbryg is owther hedyd or lyke to be,
19and hys brother bothe. Som men seye he wolde haue deseruyd it, and som
20sey naye.
21    I purpose to be att London the fyrst daye off the terme. Sende me worde
22whethyre ye schall be ther or nott.
23    Item, I wolde wete whether ye haue spokyn wyth my lady off Norffolk
24or not, and off hyr dysposicion, and the howsoldys, to me and to yow
25wardes, and whether it be a possible to haue Caster ageyn and ther goode
26wyllis, or nott. And allso I praye yow vndrestande what felaschyp and
27guydyng is in Caster, and haue a spye resortyng in and owt; so maye ye
28know the secretys a-monge them.
29    Ther is moche adoo in the Northe, as men seyn. I pray yow be ware off
30yowr guydyng, and in chyff off yowre langage, so þat fro hense forthe by
31yowr langage noo man parceyue þat ye fauor any person contrary to þe
32Kynges plesure.
33    I vndrestonde þat þe Lord Ryuers hathe lycence off þe Kynge to goo to
34Portyngale, now wyth-in thys vij nyght. I pray yow recomande me to my
35moodre, and beseche hyr off hyr blyssyng on my be-halue. I herde not from
36hyre thys x wekys, nowther I wote not whether sche be payed off x li. at
37Sporle ore nott. I deme yis; neuerthelesse Harry Halman is a false schrew.
38For all my spekyng wyth hym my-selffe, and þer-to þe daye assyngnyd by
39hym-selffe, wher as he scholde haue payed at Candelmes to paye me, he
40hadd daye to paye Townesend tyll Fastyngonge; and at Mydsomer I
41vnderstonde he had not payed Townesende, as hym-selffe tolde me. He
42hathe don me an hurte þerby more than he wenythe. Iffe he haue not payed
43my moodre I praye yow see þat sche be payed, and scende to hym for it;
44and sende me worde how it is.
45    Item, I praye yow scende me worde iff any off owre frendys or well-wyllerys
46be dede, fore I feer þat ther is grete deth in Norwyche and in other
47borowghe townese in Norffolk; for I ensure yow it is the most vnyuersall
48dethe þat euyre I wyst in Ingelonde, for by my trowthe I kan not her by

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49pylgrymes þat passe þe contre, ner noon other man þat rydethe er gothe
50any contre, þat any borow town in Ingelonde is free from þat sykenesse.
51God sease it whan it pleasyt hym. Wherffor, for Goddysake, late my
52moodre take heede to my yonge brytheryn, that they be nat in noon place
53wher that sykenesse is regnyng, nor that they dysport not wyth noon other
54yonge peple whyche resortythe wher any sykenesse is. And iff þer be any
55off that syknesse ded or enffecte in Norwyche, for Goddes sake lete hyre
56sende them to som frende off hyrse in-to þe contre, and do ye þe same, by
57myn advyce. Late my moodre rather remeve hyr howsolde in-to þe contre.
58    Euyn now Thyrston browt me worde fro Lundon þat it was Doctore
59Aleyn þat cawsyd yowre troble þat ye had at Norwych, and þat John
60Pampyng roode for a dyscharge fore yow and þat he hathe sped well; but
61hoghe, þat wot I nott. Iff ye be cleer owt off Doctore Aleyn danger, kepe
62yow ther and here-afftre ye maye schoffe as well at hys carte. I praye yow
63sende me worde of all the forme off hys delyng wyth yow.
64    I had almost spoke wyth Mestresse An Hault, but I dyd not. Neuyre
65thelesse thys next terme I hope to take on weye wyth hyre ore othere. Sche
66is agreyd to speke wyth me, and sche hopythe to doo me ease, as sche
67saythe. I praye yow sende me worde hoghe ye doo wyth my lady Elysabeth
68Boghschere; ye haue a lytell chaffyd it, but I can not tell howe. Sende me
69worde whether ye be in better hope ore werse.
70    I her seye þat the Erle off Oxenffordys bretheryn be goon owt off
71sceyntewarye. Syr Thomas Fulfforthe is goon owt off sceyntewarye and a
72gret felaschyp fettchyd hym, a iij^xx, and they sey þat wyth-in v myle off
73London he was wyth cc men, and no man wotethe where he is become
74not yit. The Lordes Hastyngys and Howerd be in Caleys and haue it
75pesebely, and Syr Walter Wrettesle and Syr Ieffrey Gate be comyn thense
76and woll be at London thys daye, as it is seyde.
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80

TO JOHN PASTON III

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1472, 4 NOVEMBER

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A JOHAN PASTON, ESQUYERE, SOIT DONE.

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84    Worshypffull and weell belovyd brother, I recomaund me to yow, letyng
85yow weet þat I sente yow a letter and a rynge wyth a dyamand, in whyche
86letter ye myght well conceyue what I wold ye scholde do wyth þe same
87ryng, wyth manye other tydyngys and thyngys whyche I prayed yowe to
88haue doon for me; whyche letter Boton had the beryng off. It is soo nowe
89þat I vndrestond that he is owther deed ore ellys harde eskapyd, wheroff I
90am ryght heuye, and am not serteyn whethyre the seyd letter and rynge
91come to yowre handys ore nott. I wolde nott that letter were seyn wyth som
92folkys, wherffor I praye yow take goode heede hoghe thatt letter comythe
93to yowre handys, hooll or brokyn; and in especiall I praye yow gete it iff ye
94haue it nott.
95    Also I praye yow feele my lady off Norffolkys dysposicion to me wardys,
96and whethyre she toke any dysplesure at my langage, ore mokkyd ore
97dysdeyned my wordys whyche I hadd to hyre at Yarmothe be-twyen the
98place where I fyrst mett wyth hyre and hyre lodgyng. Fore my lady Brandon

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99and Syr William also axhyd me what wordys I had had to hyre at that
100tyme. They seyde þat my lady seyde I gaff hyre ther-off, and þat I sholde
101haue seyde þat my lady was worthye to haue a lordys soon in hyre belye,
102fore she cowde cheryshe itt and dele warlye wyth it. In trowthe, owther the
103same ore wordys moche lyke I had to hyre, whyche wordys I ment as I seyde.
104They leye to þat I seyde she toke hyre ease. Also I scholde haue seyde þat
105my ladye was off stature goode and had sydes longe and large, so that I
106was in goode hope she sholde bere a fayre chylde; he was nott lacyd nore
107bracyd jne to hys peyn, but þat she lefft hym rome to pleye hym in. They
108seye that I seyde my lady was large and grete, and that itt sholde haue rome
109jnow to goo owt att. And thus whyther my lady mokk me or theye I woote
110nott. I mente weell, by my trowthe, to hyre and to þat she is wyth, as any
111he þat owythe heere best wyll in Ingelond. If ye can by any meene weete
112whethyre my ladye take it to dysplesure or nowt, or whether she thynke I
113mokkyd hyre, or iff she wyght it but lewdnesse off my-selffe, I praye yow
114sende me worde, for I woot nott whethyre I maye trust thys Lady Brandon
115ore nott.
116    Item, os fore tydynges, nowe heer be but fewe saff that, as I vndrestande,
117jmbassatorys off Bretayn shall come to London to-morowe, and men seye
118that the Lorde Ryuerse and Scalys shall hastelye come hom, and men seye
119þat ther is many off the sowdeorys þat went to hym in-to Bretayn been
120deede off the flyxe and othere jpedemye, and þat the remenant sholde come
121hom wyth the Lorde Skalys; and som seye þat thees jmbassatorys come for
122moore men. And thys daye rennyth a tale þat the Duke off Bretayne
123sholde be ded. I beleeff it nott.
124    I sent yow worde off an hawke; I herde nott from yow syns. I do and
125shall doo þat is possible in suche a neede.
126    Also I canne nott vndrestond that my lorde off Norffolk shall come heere
127thys tyme, wherffore I am in a greet angonye howe js best fore me to sywe
128to hym fore rehauyng off my place. Þat goode lorde woot full lytell how
129moche harme he doothe me, and how lytell goode ore worshyp it dothe
130hym. I praye yow sende me yowre advyce.