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 þat I receyuyd a letter that com from yow wretyn sirca viij Mychaelys, wherin ye leet me weet off þe decesse off Syr James, and þat my moodre is in purpose to be at Norwyche; and I am ryght glad þat sche wyll now doo somwhat by yowre advyce. Wherffor be ware fro hense forthe þat 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 þat she in noo wyse wyll purueye thyre c li. for þe 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 þat 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 agré; 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 þe 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 þe 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 þe lest. Sende worde. Item, ye wroot þat lyke a trewe man ye sende me xviij s. by Richarde Radlé. 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 þat he menythe but an c docatys, ore cc at þe 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 þat 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 þat I kowde doo, take j d., wherffore ye most thanke hym ore charge me to thanke hym on yowre behalve in som nexte epystyll þat ye wryght to me to Caleys. He leete me weet þat 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 þat 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 þe 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 joparté. Item, I praye yow doo for Berneye as ye kan so þat he maye be in sewerté for hys annywyté, 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 þe Duke of Glowcester þat my lord Archebysshop shall com hom. Item,as towchyng my sustre Anne, I vnderstand she hathe ben passyng seek, but I wende þat she had ben weddyd. As fore Yeluerton, he seyde but late þat 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 þat þe 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.