The Paston Letters Volume Iv Part 15

Item, as for John Say,[78.1] he recomendyth hym to you, bothe for your billes and for your labour, and prayeth you if ony land that lyth for the priour ease mygth be aspyed, that ye wold help to gete it hym and send hym word; and as for the morteysyng ... ... and at his cost and labour.

Item, as for tydyngs, the Kyng and the counsell is at Northampton,[78.2]

and the Convocacion schall be ... ... ... after Relyk Sunday. And ther be ij. marchaunts come fro Caleys, and they mygth no leve have to com[e] ... ... ... schuld bere the Kyng certeyn lettres and juste tytyngs that sege is comyng to Caleys. And trew[s] ... ... . .

[ou]re Lady Day, as I herd sey.

Item, it is talked that d.u.c.h.emen and Englysshemen ben at contraversie with in ... ... .

[Footnote 76.2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter seems to be in James Gresham's handwriting. It is evident that it was written shortly after Midsummer. Rather more than a year and a day had elapsed since a murder committed on the morrow of St. Peter's Day (_i.e._ on the 30th June), and it is mentioned that Convocation was to sit some little time after Relic Sunday, which always falls in the middle of July. Further, the King is said to be at Northampton, which he was in July 1463, and no other year appears to suit.]

[Footnote 77.1: Yelverton.]

[Footnote 78.1: Probably the Speaker of the Parliament of 1463, whom Margaret Paston named Fynes in Letter 544. _See_ p. 75, Note 2.]

[Footnote 78.2: According to the dates of the Privy Seals the King was at Northampton from the 8th to the 28th July 1463; also on the 2nd May 1464.]

[[To mygth rigth good and speciall maister _text has "gooa" (italic a for d)_]]

546

JAMES GRESHAM TO MARGARET PASTON[78.3]

_To my right wurshepfull mastres, my Mastres Margret Paston, at Caster._

[Sidenote: 1463]

Please it your good mastresship to wete that a _fieri facias_ is come out of the Exchequir for Hue Fen to the Shireff of Norffolk to make levy of CC. mark of the propir goods and catels of my masters, as executor of Sir John Fastolf; of whech _fieri facias_ we sent my master word, whech sent us word ayen by Berney that we shuld lete the Shiref undirstand that my master nevir toke upon hym as executor, and so for that cause that writte was no warant to take my masters goods; and also that my master mad a dede of gift of all his goods and catels to Master Prewet and Clement Paston and other, so that my master hath no goods whereof he shuld make levy of the forseid summe; and if the Shireff wold not take this for non answere, that thanne my master wold he shuld be lettid in Master Prowetts and Clement Pastons name. Nevirthelesse we spak with the Shireff this day, and lete hym undirstand the causes aforeseid, and he agreid, so that he myght have suerte to safe hym harmeles, to mak such retorne as my master or his counsell coud devise. And because my master wrote by Berney that he wold not fynd the Shireff no suerte, we wold not apoynt with hym in that wyse; and so we toke avyse of Thomas Grene, and by cause the Undir-Shireff shall be on Monday at Hygham, by Bastewyk brygg, and he and we thought that it was best that Master Prowet shuld mete with the Shireff there, and require and charge hym that by colour of the foreseid _fieri facias_ that he make no levy of any goods and catels of the seid Prowetts and Clement Pastons ayens the seid John Pastons, letyng hym vete that such goods as the seid Paston had, be now the seid Prowetts and Clement Pastons by vertu of a dede of gift mad to hem almost ij. yere agoo; and if the Shireff woll be besy aftir that to take any catell, that he be lettid in Master Prowetts name and Clement Pastons by Daubeney and other; whech besines of the Shireff shall be on Tuisday or Wednesday, and as we understand at Heylesdon. Wherfor ye must send thedir Daubeney with Pec.o.k, and the may gete hym here more felasep by the avise of Master Sir John Paston.

JAMES GRESHAM.

[Footnote 78.3: [From Fenn, iv. 130.] John Paston's eldest son appears to have been knighted in the course of the year 1463. The earliest notice which I find of him as knight is in a writ dated 11th July, 3 Edward IV., entered on the Coram Rege Roll of Trinity term, 3 Edward IV. This letter is not unlikely to have been written about that time, as it appears by a subsequent letter (No. 550) that Sir John Paston remained for some time at home in Norfolk, when the friends of the family thought he ought to be abroad in the world.]

547

ABSTRACT[80.1]

[Sidenote: 1463 / AUG. 15]

Deed poll whereby Elizabeth, widow of John Vere, Earl of Oxford, Lady of the manor of Knapton, Norfolk, grants to Agnes, widow of William Paston, the right of removing obstructions in two watercourses belonging to the mill called Wodmyll in Bacton; the first of which watercourses flows out of Knapton Fen, and the second from the mill of the Abbot of St. Benet's of Holme.

Stratford of the Bowe, 15th Aug. 1463, 3 Edward IV.

_Fine Seal._

[Footnote 80.1: [From Add. Charter 14,514, B.M., D. Turner's Coll.]]

548

THE DUKE OF NORFOLK TO JOHN PASTON, SENIOR[80.2]

_To oure right trusty and entierly welbelovid servaunt, John Paston, th'elder._

THE DUC OF NORFF.

[Sidenote: 1463 / AUG. 31]

Right trusty and entierly welbelovid servaunt, we grete you hertily well, and specially praying you that ye will be with us at Framlyngham on Sonday next comyng, that we may comon with you there, and have youre sadde advise in suche matiers as concernyth gretly to oure weel, whiche shall be mynestred unto you at youre comyng. Prayng you that ye fayle not herof, as our speciall trust is in you. And our Lord preserve you in His keping.

Written at Framlyngham the x.x.xj. day of August.

NORFF.

[Footnote 80.2: [From Fenn, iv. 250.] John Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, the writer of this letter, succeeded his father in the dukedom in November 1461, being at the time only seventeen years of age. A year afterwards, in November 1462, we find him living at his castle of Holt in Denbighshire, where he proposed to spend Christmas (_see_ No. 532), but before that season came he was sent for by the King to serve against the Scots (No. 533). I am inclined to think this letter was written in the August of 1463; for although the Duke was again living at Holt in March following, it seems probable that he would have visited his chief family seat at Framlingham in the meanwhile. John Paston, the youngest, who was attached to his household, was certainly at home with his family in the latter part of this year (_see_ No. 560).]

549

THE ABBOT OF LANGLEY TO SIR JOHN PASTON[81.1]

_To the ryght worcheppful Sere John Paston, Knyght, be this delyvered._

[Sidenote: 1463 / SEPT. 4]

Ryght worchepful ser, and tendyrly belovyd in our Lord G.o.d, I comend me to you, sendyng you knowyng that I dede your erand to my brother, the persoon of Blofeeld, on Wednysdaye was sevenyght, after the undyrstandyng that I had of you and from you be this brynger; whech man I felte ryght wele and favorabelye dysposyd to you ward, and more favorable wole be than to ony other jentylman levand, the wylle of the dede performyd, and his conscyens savyd; and more thinges seyd favorabely for yow which I entytelyd in a scrowe to a' certyfyed to your servaunt Calle, yf he had come, as ye sent me woord he sculd ado, and xuld, as ye behestyd me, abrowte me our ferme for Heylesdon, which not don, causeth me to wryte, prayng your jantylnesse that I send no more therfore, for it is unpayed for the zeer afore the Halwemesse that my Mayster Fastolf deyed, and for the same zer that he deyed in, and sythen for ij. zer, and v_s._ unpayed of a zer, and come Myhelmesse nexte xal be another zer unpayed. Thus is iiij. zer unpayed and v_s._, and at Myhelmesse next xal be v. zer and v_s._

This thus kepte from Holy Chirche that is Holy Chirchez good, may not be withoute grete parelle of soule; wher the parelle is G.o.d knoweth, I pray G.o.d amend it, and geve hem grace that have his goods so to dyspose them, that thei and the dede both may be oute of parelle. And the Trynyte have you in His mercyful kepyng. Wretyn at Langle, on Soneday, at evyn late, next after Seynt Johne Daye Decollacion.[81.2]

Be your welewylland,

ABBOT OF LANGELEYE.

[Footnote 81.1: [From Fenn, iv. 146.] The date of this letter is clear, from the statement it contains as to the length of time which has elapsed since the decease of Sir John Fastolf.]

[Footnote 81.2: The Decollation of St. John the Baptist was observed on the 29th August.]

550

R. C. V. C. TO JOHN PASTON THE ELDEST[82.1]

_To my worcheppefull master, Master Paston the heldest._

[Sidenote: 1463(?)]

Ryth worchepfull master, I recommend me on to zowr masterchepe. And of on mater at reverens of G.o.d take hede, for in trowth I her meche talkyng therof, and that is both in Norffolk, Suffolk, and Norwyche, among halle men of worchepe, as welle that love zow as oder, and that is of my master, your son, Syr Jon, causse he is so at home, and no noderwyse set for. Summe sey that ze and he both stond howth of the Kyngs good gras, and summe sey that ze kepe hym at home for negard chepe, and wyll no thyng ware [_spend_] up on hym; and so heche man sey is avyse as it plese hem to talke. And I have hanqwerryd [_inquired_], and seyd the most cause is inparty for cause ze har so meche howte, that he is the rather at home for the save gard of the costs. But at the referens of G.o.d, excheuyng of common langage, se that he may worchepfull be set for, heyder in the Kyngs servyse, or in maryache; for as towchyng the Lady Chaberlen[82.2] that mater is don, for I spake with the parson therof, and I hard be hym that that mater wyll not pre [_proceed ?_].

No more, but G.o.d spede zow as well in all maters, as I wold ze xuld do, I be seche zow that this leter be kept secrete.