I prey yow bryng home some hattys with yow, or and ye come not hastyly, send me on, &c., and I shall pay yow for it a comb otys[240-2] when ye come home.
My modyr wold fayn have yow at Mawtby; she rode thydyr ought of Norwyche on Saturday last past, to purvey your lodgyng redy ayenst your comyng.
I have been ryght seek ayen sythe I wroote to yow last, and thys same day have I ben pessyng seek; it wyll not ought of my stomak by no mean. I am undon. I may not ete halff i nough, when I have most hungyr, I am so well dyettyd, and yet it wyll not be. God send yow heele, for [I] have non iij. dayes to gedyr, do the best I can.
Wretyn at Norwyche, the Monday next be for Seynt Simone and Jude,[240-3] anno E. iiij. xv^{ o}.
[Footnote 239-4: The Duchess of Norfolk.]
[Footnote 240-1: Sir William Brandon was the grandfather of Henry VIII.’s favourite, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Footnote 2 on p. 156, taken from Fenn, is wrong. Charles Brandon’s father, who was slain at Bosworth, was another Sir William, knighted by the Earl of Richmond before the battle.]
[Footnote 240-2: In 1475 a comb of oats sold for 11_d._; we have therefore the value of a hat in this reign.--F. In No. 871 the price of oats is given as 10_d._ a comb, but the markets are considered to be bad.]
Aftyr all dewtes of recomendacyon, in as humbyll wyse as I can, I beseche yow of your blyssyng. The cheff cause that I wryght to yow for at thys season is, for that I undyrstand that my lady[241-2] wold be ryght glad to have yow a bought hyr at hyr labore; in so myche that she hathe axyd the questyon of dyvers gentyllwomen whedyr they thought that ye wold awayte on hyr at that season or nought, and they answerd that they durst sey that ye wold, with ryght good wyll, awayte on hyr at that tyme, and at all other seasons that she wold comand yow. And so I thynk that my lady wyll send for yow; and if it wer your ease to be here, I wold be ryght glad that ye myght be here, for I thynk your being here shold do gret good to my brodyrs maters that he hathe to sped with hyr. Wherfor, for Godes sake, have your horse and all your gere redy with yow, whersoever ye be, ought or at home, and as for men, ye shall nott need many, for I wyll come for yow, and awayte on yow my sylf, and on or ij. with me; but I had need to undyrstand wher to fynd yow, or ellys I shall happyly seeke yow at Mautby, when ye be at Freton, and my lady myght then fortune to be ferforthe on hyr jorney or ye cam, if she wer as swyfte as ye wer onys on Good Fryday.