Margaret Paston to John Paston

497

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my ryth worchepful husbond, Jonhn Paston,
be thys delyveryd in hast.

RYTH worchepfull husbond, I recomande me to yow.
     Plesyt yow to wete that I receyvyd the lettyr that
     ye sent me by a man of Seynt Mychell parysche on
Fryday next aftyr the Consepcion of owyr Ladi;² and anon as
I had it, I sent my modyr³ the lettyr because of swyche materys
as longyd to hyr in that same lettyr. And sythyn that tyme I
kowd gete no massanger to London but if I wold have sent by
the Scheryfys men; and I knew nowthyr her mastyr nor them,
not whedyr they wer well wyllyng to yow or not; and therfor
methowt it had be no sendyng of no lettyr by hem.

And as for swyche materys as John Geney and Jamys
Gresham spak to me, I sped hem as well as I kowd; and they
bothe told me that ye schold veryly a ben at home before
Crystmas, and that causyd me that I wrot not to yow now non
answer. For if I had know that ye schold not have ben at
home er thys tyme, I schold a sent some man to yow; for I
thynk ryth longe tyll I have some god tydyngys fro yow. I
fer me that it is not well with yow that ye be fro home at thys
good tyme. And many of yowyr contre men thynk the same;
but they be hertty inow to yow-ward, and full fayn wold her
god tydyngys fro yow. The wer no byllys put to the Scherryf¹
at hys beyng her, ner non opyn playnt mad that I . . . . . of
no persone, be cawse they had so lyttyll knowlage of hys come-
yng in to thys contre. He demenyd hym full . . . . . and
indeferently, as it was told me, and Yelverton mad a fayir
sermone at the Sesschyonys, and seyd . . . . . so that the
Kyng was informyd that ther was a ryotows felawschep in thys
contre, wer for the Kyng was gretly dysplesyd, and that the
Kyng undyrstood well that it was not of ther owne mosyon,
boot of cownselyng of one or ij. that ben evyll dysposyd folk.
And also he seyd if ony man wold put up ony byllys of com-
pleynts of ony extorcion or brybery don be ony men of thys
contre to them, they wer redy to receyve them, and to make
a-kord be twyx hem; and if they cowd not mak the acord,
that than the schold tak the byllys to the Kyng, and he schold
set hem thorow. And the Scheryfe seyd that he wold he
. . . . . . them that wold compleyne and dorste not for fer
put up ther byllys.

     And Yelverton preyid the Scheryfe that if he had for get
onythyng that the Kyng seyd to hem at ther departtyng, that
he wolde rehersyt [rehearse it] ther. And than the Scheryf
seyd that he had seyd all that he remembryd, save only [that]
the Kyng . . . . to hem ij. personys, Syr Thomas Todenham
and Heydon. And than Yelverton seyd, ‘A, that is trowthe,
as th . . . . . . . that J[ohn of] Dame told me that he spak
with the Scheryf aftyrward, and let hym h . . . . . . . the
rewylle [and] demenyng of thys contre, and what cawsyd the
pepyll for to grwge ayens swyche folkys as had the reuyll be
fortyme; and he was pleyne to hym in many thyngys, as he
told me; and he fond the Scheryfe ryth pleyne ayen to hym,
and well dysposyd in that that myth growe to the welfar of the
schere. The Scheryfe seid he undyrstood by swyche informa-
cion as he had, syns he came into thys contre, that they had
not all gydyd hem well that had the rewyill of thys contre be
for; and therfore he seyd feythfully, and swore by gret othys
that he wold nowthyr spar for good, nor love, nor fer, but that
he wold let the Kynge have knowlage of the trowthe, and that
he wold do asmyche for thys contre as he cowd or myth do to
the welfare therof, and seyd that he lekyd the contre ryth well.
And John of Dame seyd if the contre had had knowlage of
hys comyng, he schold have had byllys of compleyntes and
knowlage of myche more thyng than he myth have knowlage
of that tyme, or myth have because of schort abyng; and he
seyd he wold not be longe owt of thys contre.

     And also Yelverton seyd opynly in the Seschyons they to
come downe for the same cause to set a rewyll in the contre.
And yet he seyd he woste well that the Kynge myth full evyll
have for bor ony of hem bothe; for as for a knyth ther was
none in the Kyngys howse that myth werse a be for bore than
the Scheryfe myth at that tyme. I have myche mor to wryt to
yow of than I may have leyser at thys tyme; but I troste to God
that ye schall be at home yowyr selfe in hast, and than ye schall
knowe all. And but if ye come home in haste, I schall send
to yow; and I pray yow hertly, but if ye come home, send me
word in hast how ye do. And the blyssyd Trinyte have yow
in hys kepyng. Wretyn in hast on Seynt Thomas day in
Crystmas.¹

                                By yowyr,              MARGARET PASTON.

     Here was an evyll rewlyd felawschep yestyrday at the schere,
and ferd ryth fowle with the Undyr Scheryfe, and onresnably
as I herd sey.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this letter will appear by comparison
with No. 500. A few words in the margin of the original letter are illegible, the
writing having been injured by damp.

     ² The Conception of Our Lady was on the 8th December.

     ³ Margaret always speaks of Agnes Paston as her mother.

¹ The Sheriff was Sir Thomas Montgomery.

¹ The day of St. Thomas of Canterbury (Becket), 29th December.

1461
DEC. 29

1461
DEC. 29

1461
DEC. 29