The Paston Letters Volume Iv Part 11

[Footnote 58.1: Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, half-brother to Henry VI.]

532

JOHN PASTON, JUNIOR, TO HIS FATHER[58.2]

_To my ryth reverent and worchepfull fadyr, John Paston, be thys delyveryd in hast._

[Sidenote: 1462 / NOV. 1]

Ryth reverent and worchepfull fadyr, I recomand me on to yow, beseechyng yow lowly of your blyssyng. Plesyt you to have knowlage that my Lord[58.3] is purposyd to send for my Lady, and is lyke to kepe his Crystmas here in Walys, for the Kyng hathe desyered hym to do the same.

Wherfor I beseche yow that [ye][58.4] wole wychesave to send me sume mony by the berer herof; for, in good feythe, as it is not on knowyng to yow that I had but ij. n.o.blys in my purse, whyche that Rychard Call took me by your comandement, when I departyd from yow owt of Norwyche. The berer herof schuld bye me a gowne with pert of the mony, if it plese yow to delyver hym as myche mony as he may bye it with; for I have but on gowne at Framyngham and an other here, and that is my levere gowne, and we must were hem every day for the mor part, and one gowne withowt change wyll sone be done.

As for tydyngs, my Lord of Warwyk yed forward in to Scotland as on Saterday[59.1] last past with xx.^ml. [20,000] men; and Syr Wylliam Tunstale is tak with the garyson of Bamborowth, and is lyke to be hedyd, and by the menys of Sir Rychard Tunstale[59.2] is owne brodyr.

As sone as I here any more tydyngys, I schall send hem yow by the grace of G.o.d, who have yow in Hys kepyng. Wretyn in hast, at the Castle of the Holte,[59.3] upon Halowmas Daye.

Your sone and lowly servaunt,

J. PASTON, Junior.

[Footnote 58.2: [From Fenn, i. 266.] In the month of October 1462, as we learn from William Worcester, Margaret of Anjou came out of France, whither she had fled in spring, with a force of 2000 men, landed on the coast of Northumberland, and laid siege to Bamborough, which she took and placed in the keeping of the Duke of Somerset.]

[Footnote 58.3: The Duke of Norfolk.]

[Footnote 58.4: Omitted in original.]

[Footnote 59.1: 30th October.]

[Footnote 59.2: Sir Richard Tunstal was on Queen Margaret's side, while his brother William, it seems, was on that of King Edward.]

[Footnote 59.3: In Denbighshire.]

533

JOHN PASTON THE YOUNGEST TO JOHN PASTON THE ELDER[59.4]

_To my ryth worchepful brodyr John Paston, the elder, sone of John Paston, Esquyer, be thys delyveryd in hast._

[Sidenote: 1462 / DEC. 11]

Ryth worchepfull brodedyr, I recomaunde me to yow. Plesyt yow to wet, that as thys day we had tydyngs here, that the Scottys wyll come in to Inglend with in vij. days aftyr the wrytyng of thys lettyr, for to rescue these iij. castellys, Alnewyk, Donsamborowe[59.5] and Bameborowe, whyche castellys wer besegyd, as on yesterdaye. And at the sege of Allnewyk lythe my Lord of Kent and the Lord Scalys; and at Donsameborow castyll lythe the Erle of Wyrcetyr [and] Syr Rafe Grey; and at the castyll of Bameborow lythe the Lord Montagwe and Lord Ogyll, and othyr dyvers Lordys and gentylmen that I knowe not; and ther is to hem owt of Newe Castyll ordynans inowe, bothe for the segys and for the feld, in cas that ther be ony feld takyn, as I trow there shall none be not yet, for the Scottys kepe no promes. My Lord of Warwyk lythe at the castyll of Warcorthe, but iij. myle owt of Alnewyk, and he rydyth dayly to all thes castelys for to overse the segys; and if they want vataylys, or any othyr thyng, he is redy to pervey it for them to hys power. The Kyng comandyd my Lord of Norfolk[60.1] for to condyth vetaylys and the ordynans owt of New Castyll on to Warcorthe Castyll, to my Lord of Warwyk; and so my Lord of Norfolk comandyd Syr John Howard, Syr William Peche, Syr Robert Chamberlyen, Rafe Ascheton and me, Calthorp and Gorge, and othyr, for to go forthe with the vytalys and ordynans on to my Lord of Warwyk; and so we wer with my Lord of Warwyk with the ordynans and vytalys yesterdaye. The Kyng lythe at Durham, and my Lord of Norfolk at New Castyll. We have pepyll inow here. In cas we abyd here, I pray you purvey that I may have here more mony by Crystmas Evyn at the ferthest, for I may get leve for to send non of my wagyd men home ageyn; ne man can get no leve for to go home but if they stell a wey, and if they myth be knowe, they schuld be scharply ponyschyd. Mak as merry as ye can, for ther is no joperte toward not yet. And ther be any joperte, I schall sone send yow word, by the grase of G.o.d. I wot well ye have more tydyngys then we have here, but thes be true tydyngs.

Yelverton and Jeney ar lek for to be gretly ponyschyd, for because they came not hedyr to the Kyng. They ar morkyn [_marked_] well inowe, and so is John Bylyngforthe and Thomas Playter; wherefor I am ryth sory. I pray yow let them have wetyng therof, that they may purvey their excuse in hast, so that the Kyng may have knowlage why that they come not to hym in ther one personys; let them come or send ther excuse to me in wrytyng, and I schall purvey that the Kyng schall have knowlage of ther excuse; for I am well aqueyntyd with my Lord Hastyngys, and my Lord Dakarys,[61.1] whyche be now gretest abowt the Kyngys person; and also I am well aqueyntyd with the yonger Mortymere, Fererys, Hawte, Harpor, Crowmer, and Bosewell, of the Kyngys howse.

I pray yow let my grandam[61.2] and my cosyn Clere[61.3] have knowlage how that I desyryd you to let hem have knowlage of the tydyngys in thys letyr, for I promysyd for to send them tydyngs.

I pray yow let my modyr[61.4] have cnowelage how that I, and my felawscep, and your servauntys ar, at the wrytyng of this lettyr, in good h.e.l.l, blesyd be G.o.d.

I pray yow let my fadyr have knowlage of thys lettyr, and of the todyr lettyr that I sent to my modyr by Felbryggys man; and how that I pray bothe hym and my modyr lowly of her blyssyngys.

I pray yow that ye wole send me some lettyr how ye do, and of your tydyngys with yow, for I thynk longe that I here no word fro my modyr and yow.

I pray yow that thys bill may recomand me to my systyr Margery, and to my mastres Jone Gayne, and to all G.o.de mastyrys and felawys within Castyr. I sent no lettyr to my fadyr, never syn I departyd fro yow, for I kowd get no man to London, and never sythe.

I pray yow in cas ye spake with my cosyn Margaret Clere, recomande me to hyr; and Almythy G.o.d have yow in Hys kepyng.

Wretyn at Newcastyll on Saterday next aftyr the Consepsion of owyr Lady.

Your,

JOHN PASTON, the Yongest.

I pray yow let Rychard Call se thys lettyr.

[Footnote 59.4: [From Fenn, i. 272.] The sieges mentioned in this letter took place, according to Warkworth, in December of the _first_ year of Edward IV., _i.e._ 1461; but according to William Worcester in 1462. The dates of the Privy Seal writs prove that the latter is right, and that Edward IV. was at Durham in December 1462.]

[Footnote 59.5: Dunstanborough.]

[Footnote 60.1: John Mowbray, who succeeded his father in the dukedom of Norfolk in 1461. He was at this time only eighteen years of age.]

[Footnote 61.1: _See_ p. 57, Note 3.]

[Footnote 61.2: Agnes Paston.]

[Footnote 61.3: Elizabeth, widow of Robert Clere of Ormesby.]

[Footnote 61.4: Margaret Paston.]

534

[JOHN] PASTON TO [THE DUKE OF SUFFOLK][62.1]

[Sidenote: 1462-3]

That it please my lordis good grase to be good lord and supporter of Paston in his right and possession of the maner till his right can be lawfully or be trete dispreved by his adversaries, consideryng that the said Paston is my lordis homager and was nevir ayens his lordship and that my lord is not gretly behold to do for the seid Pastons adversaries as he understandith.

And in case my lord woll not supporte the seid Paston in his right but be indifferent athwyx bothe parties, that thanne it please my lorde to have consideracion to the right of the mater as folowyth in articles and ther upon to be remembird whedir it be resonably desired by William Jenney or by Debenham as his waged man or for his sake that Paston shuld leve the possession or the takyng of the profitez of the seid maner.

First to be remembird that the seid maner aswell as the maner of Nakton were Sir John Fastolffis, and that the seid Paston of the seid maners toke estatis at Cotton and attornement of the tenauntis viij. or ix.

yere goo, in such wise as the tenauntes can reporte, and continued there in possession aswell in the live of the seid Sir John as sithen, and hath take the profitez therof sith the discese of the said Fastolff, except for the terme of Mighelmes a yere pa.s.sed, whech tyme the tenauntes were compellid by fors of distresses to pay ayens ther willes part of the seid profitez.

And that also the t.i.tle of the seid Paston to the seid maner is not all only by the seid feffement but aswell by a graunt and bargeyn made a thwyx the seid Fastolff and the seid Paston as by the last will of the seid Fastolff, where by the seid Paston ought to take the hole profitez of the seid maner, and also it is lefull to the seid Paston to kepe the seid maner with fors, consideryng he hath be in possession iij. yere and more; hough be it, the seid Paston intendyth to kepe the seid maner pesibly and non otherwise. And that the pretense and cleyme of the seid Jenney is that he schuld be infeffed with the seid Paston in the seid maner; by whech pretense, if it were trewe, yet the seid Paston by reason shuld not be put out of the seid maner, for who som evir had t.i.tell therto by feffement or by executrie, Paston shuld be on that had t.i.tle; hough be it, the seid Paston cleymyth not in that forme, but by the t.i.tell of his bargeyne and by the seid Fastolffis will.

Item, to be remembird, whech tyme as my lord had wretyn his lettirs and sent his servauntes for the eyde and supporte of the seid Paston to take the profitez of the seid maner of Nakton as of the maner of Cotton, desyryng the tenauntes to the seid Paston, the seid Jenney wold have no consideracion therto; hough be it, though he were a feffe he had no t.i.tell to take the seid profitez, consideryng he is non executor, but presumptuously, havyng no consideracion to my lordis lettir ner sendyng, compellid the tenauntis by distresses to pay hym more besely thanne any feffe or executor, and now at this same tyme hath be at Nakton and reseyvid as moch mony as he coud gader there.

Item, where at Mighelmesse the yere pa.s.sed the seid Paston sent his sone, a servaunt of my Lordis, and also Richard Calle, servaunt to the seid Paston put to hym by my Lordis fader,[63.1] to reseyve the profitez of the seid maner as thei had do many yeres before, the seid Jenney ded arest the seid Calle for a thef and as a thef caried hym to th'entent that the tenauntes shuld be discoraged to pay the seid Paston. Whech tyme, at the request of the said Calles kynred, it pleased my lord to write to the seid Jenney and Debenham for the deliverauns of the seid Calle; to which letteris they nouther toke hede nor reputation, but by that sotilte reseyved the profitez of the seid maner, the seid Paston havyng non help by my seid Lordis writyng nor sendyng.