To þe ryght worshypfull Mestresse Margret Paston be thys delyueryd.
Please it yow to weete þat i have ben heer at London a xiiij nyght, wheroff the first iiij dayes i was in suche feere off the syknesse, and also fownde my chambre and stuffe nott so clene as i demyd, whyche troblyd me soore; and as i tolde yow at my departyng i was nott weell monyed, for i hadde nott paste x ma rke, wheroff i departyd xl s. to be delyueryd off my olde bedfelawe, and then i rode be-yonde Donstaple and there spake wyth on off my cheffe wittnessis, whyche promysed me to take labore and to gete me wryghtyngys towchyng thys mater bytwyen me and þe Duke of Suffolk, and i rewardyd hym xx s; and then as i jnformyd yow i payed v marke jncontynent vppon my comyng hyddre to replegge owte my gowne off velwett and other geer. And then i hopyd to have borowyd some off Towneshend, and he hathe foodyd me forthe euyre synys, and in effecte i cowde have at þe most and at þe soneste yisterdaye xx s.; wherffor i beseche yow to purveye me c s., and also to wryght to Pekok þat he purveye me as moche, c s., whyche i suppose þat he hathe gaderyd at Paston and other placys by thys tyme. For wyth-owte i have thys x li., as God helpe me, i fere i shalle doo butt litell goode in noo mater, nor yitt i woote nott howe to come home but iff i have it. Thys geer hathe troblyd me so þat it hathe made me moore than halffe seke, as God helpe me.
Item, i vndrestande þat myn oncle William hathe made labor to þ'exchetor, and þat he hathe bothe a wrytte off diem clawsyth extremum and also a supercedeas. I have wretyn to þe exchetor the r-in off myn entent. Iff myn oncle hadde hys will in that, yitt sholde he be neuer nerre the londe, butt in effecte he shold have thys avauntage whyche is behovefull for a weyke matere, to have a coloure ore a clooke ore a botrase. But on Tywesdaye i was wyth þe Bysshop off Hely, whyche shewyth hym-selffe goode and worshypfull, and he seyde þat he sholde sende to myn oncle William þat he sholde nott procede in no suche mater till þat he speke wyth hym; and moore-ouyre þat he scholde cawse hym to be heer hastelye. In whyche mater is no remedy as nowe, butt iff it were soo þat þe exchetor, iff he be entretyd to sytte by myn oncle William, whyche par case he shall nott, þat iff my brother John and Lomnore have knowleche off the daye, and they myght be there, Lomnore can geve euydence j-now in that mater wyth-owte þe boke. And more-ouyre þat they see bothe the letter and the other noote þat i sende to þe exchetor, and wyth helpe off th'exchetor all myght be as beste is. And iff my brother and Lomnor take labor her-in, i shall recompence ther costys.
Wretyn in haste wyth schort advisement on the Frydaye next Seyntys Symond and Jude Ao E. iiijti xixo.
Late my brother John se thys bille, for he knoweth mor off thys mater.
John Paston, K.
To þe ryght worshypfull Mestresse Margret Paston be thys delyueryd.
Please it yow to weete þat i have ben heer at London a xiiij nyght, wheroff the first iiij dayes i was in suche feere off the syknesse, and also fownde my chambre and stuffe nott so clene as i demyd, whyche troblyd me soore; and as i tolde yow at my departyng i was nott weell monyed, for i hadde nott paste x ma rke, wheroff i departyd xl s. to be delyueryd off my olde bedfelawe, and then i rode be-yonde Donstaple and there spake wyth on off my cheffe wittnessis, whyche promysed me to take labore and to gete me wryghtyngys towchyng thys mater bytwyen me and þe Duke of Suffolk, and i rewardyd hym xx s; and then as i jnformyd yow i payed v marke jncontynent vppon my comyng hyddre to replegge owte my gowne off velwett and other geer. And then i hopyd to have borowyd some off Towneshend, and he hathe foodyd me forthe euyre synys, and in effecte i cowde have at þe most and at þe soneste yisterdaye xx s.; wherffor i beseche yow to purveye me c s., and also to wryght to Pekok þat he purveye me as moche, c s., whyche i suppose þat he hathe gaderyd at Paston and other placys by thys tyme. For wyth-owte i have thys x li., as God helpe me, i fere i shalle doo butt litell goode in noo mater, nor yitt i woote nott howe to come home but iff i have it. Thys geer hathe troblyd me so þat it hathe made me moore than halffe seke, as God helpe me.
Item, i vndrestande þat myn oncle William hathe made labor to þ'exchetor, and þat he hathe bothe a wrytte off diem clawsyth extremum and also a supercedeas. I have wretyn to þe exchetor the r-in off myn entent. Iff myn oncle hadde hys will in that, yitt sholde he be neuer nerre the londe, butt in effecte he shold have thys avauntage whyche is behovefull for a weyke matere, to have a coloure ore a clooke ore a botrase. But on Tywesdaye i was wyth þe Bysshop off Hely, whyche shewyth hym-selffe goode and worshypfull, and he seyde þat he sholde sende to myn oncle William þat he sholde nott procede in no suche mater till þat he speke wyth hym; and moore-ouyre þat he scholde cawse hym to be heer hastelye. In whyche mater is no remedy as nowe, butt iff it were soo þat þe exchetor, iff he be entretyd to sytte by myn oncle William, whyche par case he shall nott, þat iff my brother John and Lomnore have knowleche off the daye, and they myght be there, Lomnore can geve euydence j-now in that mater wyth-owte þe boke. And more-ouyre þat they see bothe the letter and the other noote þat i sende to þe exchetor, and wyth helpe off th'exchetor all myght be as beste is. And iff my brother and Lomnor take labor her-in, i shall recompence ther costys.
Wretyn in haste wyth schort advisement on the Frydaye next Seyntys Symond and Jude Ao E. iiijti xixo.
Late my brother John se thys bille, for he knoweth mor off thys mater.
John Paston, K.
To þe ryght worshypfull Mestresse Margret Paston be thys delyueryd.
Please it yow to weete þat i have ben heer at London a xiiij nyght, wheroff the first iiij dayes i was in suche feere off the syknesse, and also fownde my chambre and stuffe nott so clene as i demyd, whyche troblyd me soore; and as i tolde yow at my departyng i was nott weell monyed, for i hadde nott paste x ma rke, wheroff i departyd xl s. to be delyueryd off my olde bedfelawe, and then i rode be-yonde Donstaple and there spake wyth on off my cheffe wittnessis, whyche promysed me to take labore and to gete me wryghtyngys towchyng thys mater bytwyen me and þe Duke of Suffolk, and i rewardyd hym xx s; and then as i jnformyd yow i payed v marke jncontynent vppon my comyng hyddre to replegge owte my gowne off velwett and other geer. And then i hopyd to have borowyd some off Towneshend, and he hathe foodyd me forthe euyre synys, and in effecte i cowde have at þe most and at þe soneste yisterdaye xx s.; wherffor i beseche yow to purveye me c s., and also to wryght to Pekok þat he purveye me as moche, c s., whyche i suppose þat he hathe gaderyd at Paston and other placys by thys tyme. For wyth-owte i have thys x li., as God helpe me, i fere i shalle doo butt litell goode in noo mater, nor yitt i woote nott howe to come home but iff i have it. Thys geer hathe troblyd me so þat it hathe made me moore than halffe seke, as God helpe me.
Item, i vndrestande þat myn oncle William hathe made labor to þ'exchetor, and þat he hathe bothe a wrytte off diem clawsyth extremum and also a supercedeas. I have wretyn to þe exchetor the r-in off myn entent. Iff myn oncle hadde hys will in that, yitt sholde he be neuer nerre the londe, butt in effecte he shold have thys avauntage whyche is behovefull for a weyke matere, to have a coloure ore a clooke ore a botrase. But on Tywesdaye i was wyth þe Bysshop off Hely, whyche shewyth hym-selffe goode and worshypfull, and he seyde þat he sholde sende to myn oncle William þat he sholde nott procede in no suche mater till þat he speke wyth hym; and moore-ouyre þat he scholde cawse hym to be heer hastelye. In whyche mater is no remedy as nowe, butt iff it were soo þat þe exchetor, iff he be entretyd to sytte by myn oncle William, whyche par case he shall nott, þat iff my brother John and Lomnore have knowleche off the daye, and they myght be there, Lomnore can geve euydence j-now in that mater wyth-owte þe boke. And more-ouyre þat they see bothe the letter and the other noote þat i sende to þe exchetor, and wyth helpe off th'exchetor all myght be as beste is. And iff my brother and Lomnor take labor her-in, i shall recompence ther costys.
Wretyn in haste wyth schort advisement on the Frydaye next Seyntys Symond and Jude Ao E. iiijti xixo.
Late my brother John se thys bille, for he knoweth mor off thys mater.
John Paston, K.
To þe right worshipful Mestresse Margret Paston be thys delyueryd.
Please it you to weete þat i have [be/been] hear at London a xiiij night, wheroff the first iiij days i was in suche feere off the syknesse, and also fownde my chambre and stuffe not so clene as i demyd, which troblyd me soore; and as i tolde you at my departyng i was not weell monyed, for i had not paste ten ma rke, wheroff i departed xl s. to be delyueryd off my olde bedfelawe, and then i rode be-yonde Dunstable and there spake with on off my cheffe wittnessis, which promysed me to take labore and to gete me wryghtyngys towchyng thys matter bytwyen me and þe Duke of Suffolk, and i rewardyd him xx s; and then as i jnformyd you i paid v marke jncontynent vppon my coming hyddre to replegge owte my gown off velwett and other geer. And then i hopyd to have borowyd some off Towneshend, and he hathe foodyd me forth euyre synys, and in effecte i cowde have at þe most and at þe soneste yisterdaye xx s.; wherffor i beseech you to purveye me c s., and also to wryght to Pekok þat he purveye me as much, c s., which i suppose þat he hathe gaderyd at Paston and other placys by thys time. For with-owte i have thys ten li., as God helpe me, i fere i shalle do butt litell good in no matter, nor yitt i woote not howe to come home but iff i have it. Thys geer hathe troblyd me so þat it hathe made me moore than halffe seke, as God helpe me.
Item, i vndrestande þat [mine/my] oncle William hathe made labor to þ'exchetor, and þat he hathe both a wrytte off diem clawsyth extremum and also a supercedeas. I have written to þe exchetor the r-in off [mine/my] entent. Iff [mine/my] oncle had his will in that, yitt sholde he be neuer nerre the londe, butt in effecte he shold have thys avauntage which is behovefull for a weyke matere, to have a coloure ore a clooke ore a botrase. But on Tywesdaye i was with þe Bysshop off Hely, which shewyth him-selffe good and worshipful, and he said þat he sholde send to [mine/my] oncle William þat he sholde not procede in no suche matter till þat he speak with him; and moore-ouyre þat he scholde cawse him to be hear hastelye. In which matter is no remedy as now, butt iff it were soo þat þe exchetor, iff he be entretyd to sytte by [mine/my] oncle William, which par case he shall not, þat iff my brother John and Lomnore have knowledge off the day, and they might be there, Lomnore can geve euydence j-now in that matter with-owte þe boke. And more-ouyre þat they see both the letter and the other noote þat i send to þe exchetor, and with helpe off th'exchetor all might be as beste is. And iff my brother and Lomnor take labor her-in, i shall recompence there costys.
Written in haste with schort advisement on the Frydaye next Seyntys Symond and Jude Ao E. iiijti xixo.
Late my brother John se thys bill, for he knoweth more off thys matter.
John Paston, K.
Please deliver to the right worshipful mistress, Margaret Paston,
This is to let you know that I have been here in London for a fortnight. For the first four days I was very afraid of the plague, having found my room and stuff not as clean as I'd expected, which troubled me greatly; and as I told you when I left, I was not well-supplied with money, for I didn't have more than ten marks. Of this I gave eleven shillings to my best friend. I then rode through Dunstable and spoke with one of my chief witnesses, who promised me they would sort out the paperwork concerning the matter between me and the Duke of Suffolk, and I rewarded him with 20 shillings and then, as I told you, I paid five marks immediately on arriving here to get back my velvet gown and other clothes.
I hoped to have borrowed some money from Townsend, but he has fobbed me off ever since, and so I have at the most 20 shillings; so I am asking you to send me 100 shillings and also to write to Peckock to get him to send me the same amount. He should have collected that much at Paston and other places by now. Without this ten pounds, as God help me, I fear I shall not be able to do much in any matter, and I don't know how I will get home without it.
This affair has troubled me so much that it has made be more than a little sick, God help me.
Item, I understand that my uncle William has made an appeal to the officer investigating land inheritance, and that he has a new writ where the other one hadn't been carried out, and also a stay of proceedings. I have written to the officer of my intent. If my uncle has his way, he would be no nearer the land but in effect he would have the benefit, which is a sign of a weak argument, of some pretext or concealment in his support. But on Tuesday I was with the Bishop of Ely, who showed himself to be good and worthwhile, and he said he would contact my uncle William, and tell him not to go ahead with the matter until they had spoken together, and moreover that he should come here quickly. There is no immediate solution, unless we can persuade the officer to meet with my uncle William, which perhaps he won't, but if my brother John and Lumnor know the day, they can be there, and Lumnor can give evidence without the paperwork. And if they both see the letter and the note that I sent to the officer, with his help all might be for the best. If my brother and Lumnor take this on, I will pay their costs.
Written in haste at short notice on the Friday after St Simon and Jude's Day, in the 19th year of Edward IV.
Let my brother John see this letter, for he knows much about this matter.
John Paston, Knight
