  
TO JOHN PASTON III 1473,  11, 
22  
[[t]]o John Paston, [[e]]squyere, be thys delyueryd. 
Ryght wyrshypfull and hertyly belovyd brothere, I comand me to 
yow, letyng yow wet &thorn;at I receyuyd a letter that com from yow 
wretyn sirca viij Mychaelys, wherin ye leet me weet off &thorn;e 
decesse off Syr James, and &thorn;at my moodre is in purpose to be at 
Norwyche; and I am ryght glad &thorn;at sche wyll now doo somwhat 
by yowre advyce. Wherffor be ware fro hense forthe &thorn;at noo 
suche felawe crepe in be-twyen hyre and yow, and iff ye lyst to take a 
lytell labore ye may lyff ryght well, and she pleasyd. It is as good that 
ye ryde wyth a cople off horse at hyre cost as Syre James ore Richard 
Calle. Ye sende me worde also &thorn;at she in noo wyse wyll purueye 
thyre c li. for &thorn;e redemyng off Sporle. Late it goo. As towchyng 
that mater, John Osbern tolde me that he comonyd wyth yow at Sporle 
off that mater. Ferre, he devysed &thorn;at Kokett ore suche an other 
man sholde, to haue it the better cheppe, leye owt the valewe off vj yere 
for to haue it vij yere, wherto I wolde agr&eacute;; and for Goddys sake 
iff thatt maye be browt a-bowt late it be doon. As ye woot off, it is laten 
for xxij li. by yere,yit &thorn;e fermorys graunt but xxj; but to Kokett it 
wolde be worthe xxv li., yea and better. Neuerthe  lesse, iff Kokett wyll 
delyuer vjxx li. I wolde he had it for vij yeere, wyth thys that my 
moodre be agreable to &thorn;e same by-cawse off th'entresse that she 
hathe for my brother William , whyche shall nott be off age thys vij 
yeere. Neuerthe lesse, as ye know myn olde entent, I purpose to puruey 
for hym in an other plase better than theere, off whyche graunte off my 
moodre i praye yow to be my solycytore, in why[[c]]h[[e iff]] it be 
browt abowt Sporle shall be in as goode case as euyre he was. John 
Osbern willyd me to make yow a sufficiaunt waraunt to selle and felle 
wood at Sporle, whyche I  
remembre ye have in as ample forme as can be. Neuerthe lesse iff thys 
meane above wretyn, off letyng to ferme, maye be hadde, it shall I hope 
nat nede to felle nere selle moche; but I remytte that geere to yowre 
dyscrescion. But iff ye haue suche comfforte I praye yow sende me 
worde. I maye seye to yow John Osbern flateryd me, fore he wolde haue 
borowyd mony off me. Item, jn retaylyng off woode theere it weere 
harde to tryst hym, he is nedye. Iff Kokett ore whoo so euyre had that 
maner to ferme for vij yere and payd therffor but vjxx li. he sholde, to 
lete it ageyn, wynne xxxvj li., whyche we[re] moche; wherffore, iff it 
myght bee, yt were more resenable vjxx vij li. to be reseyuyd, and yit is 
there lost xxix li., ore ellys iff ye take lesse mony and fewere yerys so it 
be afftre the rate, so there be purueyd c li. at &thorn;e lest. Sende 
worde. Item, ye wroot &thorn;at lyke a trewe man ye sende me 
xviij s. by Richarde Radl&eacute;. Ye weere to trewe, but he semys to 
be a false shrewe, fore he browt me noon yitt. Whethyr he be owt off 
town ore nott kan I nott seye. Ye prayed me also to sende yow tydyngys 
how I spedde in my materis, and in cheff off Mestresse Anne Hault. I 
haue answere ageyn froo Roome that there is the welle off grace and 
salve sufficiaunt fore suche a soore, and that I may be dyspencyd wyth. 
Neuerthe lesse my proctore there axith a ml docatys, as he demythe, but 
Master Lacy, an other Rome-rennere heere, whyche knowyth my seyde 
proctore theere, as he seythe, as weell as Bernard knewe hys sheeld, 
seythe &thorn;at he menythe but an c docatys, ore cc at &thorn;e most; 
wherffor afftre thys comythe moore. He wrote to me also 
quod papa hoc facit hodiernis diebus multociens.
Item, as towchyng Caster, I tryst to God &thorn;at ye shall be in 
it to myn vse ore Crystmesse be past. Item, yowre ost Brygham 
recomand hym to yow, and when he and I rekenyd I gave hym ij noblis 
fore yowre borde whyll ye weere theere in hys absence; but in feythe he 
wolde, fore nowth &thorn;at I kowde doo, take j d., wherffore ye most 
thanke hym ore charge me to thanke hym on yowre behalve in som nexte 
epystyll &thorn;at ye wryght to me to Caleys. He leete me weet 
&thorn;at he wolde do moore for yow than soo. Item, my Lady 
Bowgchere was almost deed but she [[is]] amendyd. I trowe they com 
in-to Norffolk. Item, as for W. Berkere, I heere no worde from 
hym. I praye yow comon wyth Berney ther-in; he knoweth myn conceyt. 
And also I praye yow hast Berney ageyn. I wold not &thorn;at he pleyed 
the fooll nere wastyd hys tyme nere hys syluer. Item, as for the 
brace of growndes, ore on verry goode ore in especiall &thorn;e blak off 
Germynys, I can nott seye but ye be a trewe man, but William  
 
Mylsent isse a false shrewe, so mote I thee; and I trow hys master is 
too. Item, I most haue myn jnstrumentys hydder whyche are in 
the chyst in my chambre at Norwyche, whyche I praye yow and Berney 
to-gedre, joyntly but natt seuerallye, to trusse in a pedde and sende them 
me hyddre in hast, and a byll ther-in how many pecys. Thys most be had 
to avoyde jdelnesse at Caleys. Item, I praye yow take heed among 
thatt my stuffe take noon harme, nere that myn euydence wher ye wott 
off be owt off jopart&eacute;. Item, I praye yow doo for Berneye 
as ye kan so &thorn;at he maye be in sewert&eacute; for hys 
annywyt&eacute;, and that it be nott costius fro hense forthe to hym any 
more to come ore sende for it. I praye yow wynne yowre sporys in thys 
mater. Item, I purposed to haue sent heere-wyth the testement off 
my fadre and the scytacions to my moodre, to yow, and Arblaster, but 
they be nott redy. Wyth-in ij dayes afftre the comyng off thys I suppose 
they shall be wyth yow, and than I shall wryght more to yow. As for 
other tydyngys, I trust to God thatt the ij Dukes off Clarans and 
Glowcester shall be sette att on by the adward off the Kyng. Item, 
I hope by the meanys off &thorn;e Duke of Glowcester &thorn;at my 
lord Archebysshop shall com hom. Item,as towchyng my sustre 
Anne, I vnderstand she hathe ben passyng seek, but I wende &thorn;at 
she had ben weddyd. As fore Yeluerton, he seyde but late &thorn;at he 
wold haue hyre iff she had hyre mony, and ellis nott; wherffor me 
thynkyth that they be nott verry sewre. But amonge all other thyngys i 
praye yow be ware &thorn;at &thorn;e olde love off Pampyng renewe 
natt. He is nowe fro me; I wott nat what he woll doo. No more. Wretyn 
at London the xxij daye of Novembre Ao r.r. E. iiijti xiijo. John Paston, 
K.  

