The Paston Letters Volume Iv Part 50

[Footnote 266.2: 'Syr William--Grey' is an interlineation.]

660

T. DAVERSE TO SIR JOHN PASTON[267.1]

_To my right good mayter, Sir John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: 1467(?) / JAN. 29]

My right especiall good mayster, I recomand me to yow, thankyng you right hertely of your gentell letter late send to me. And as to Pynchester mater, &c., I wulde I were youre nygh kynnesman, yef hit plesed G.o.d, and than shuld I know yef hit shuld greve your herte asmeche as. .h.i.t dothe other of my kynne and frendes to see me thus cowardly hurte and maimed[267.2] by Pynchester, causeles; and of myn entente in that mater, Wylliam Rabbes shall telle you more. All so I beseche yow to recomand me to my Lordes good grace, as to hym whom of erthely estates, next my dewte, I moste love and drede, and that shuld he well knowe and hit lay in my power, praying you hertely to declare his Lordship such mater as Wylliam Rabbes shall enfourme yow, and to send me my Lordes answere.

All so in asmoche as I understode by yow that money shuld cause you conclusion in your mater this next terme, and ye wull be at London on Monday at nyght or Tewsday by none, I truste that I have studyed such a mene that, up on surete as ye may make, to gete yow an C_li._ or CC.

mark to be lante un to yow for an halfe yere, with oute any chevysshaunce or losse of good by yow, as Wylliam Rabbes shall telle you more, &c.

And as to Ovyde 'De Arte Amandi,' I shall send hym you this next weke, for I have hyt not now redy; but me thenkeyth Ovide 'De Remedio' were more mete for yow, but yef [_unless_] ye purposid to falle hastely in my Lady Anne P.[268.1] lappe, as white as whales bon, &c. Ye be the best cheser of a gentell woman that I knowe, &c. And I pray you to recomaunde me to my Lord of Oxford,[268.2] and to my goods Maysters Nedeham, Richemond, Chyppenham, Stavely, Bloxham, Stuard, and Ingulton in speciall, and all other good masters and frendes in generall, &c. And, sir, Maystres Gaydade recomand me [? _her_] to yow and said bessyng fare for charite, and she said me she wuld fayne have a new felet, &c.

Wreten at London, this xxix. day in Janyver.

With herte and servyse your,

T. D.[268.3]

[Footnote 267.1: [From Fenn, iv. 172.] The precise date of this letter is by no means certain. Fenn dates it merely between 1463 and 1469; but if it be 'my Lady of Oxford,' and not 'my Lord,' who is spoken of near the end (_see_ page 268, footnote 2), it may be many years later. The Earl of Oxford was committed to the Tower in the latter part of the year 1468. In 1470 he took part in the brief restoration of Henry VI., and on the return of Edward IV. he was obliged to quit the country. If the Earl, therefore, is alluded to as living in England, the date cannot well be later than 1468. Probably it is about the year 1467. In that year the 29th January fell on a Thursday, which would allow a reasonable time for the writer to suggest to Sir John Paston the expediency of his being in London on Monday or Tuesday following.]

[Footnote 267.2: The words 'and maimed' are inserted from the right-hand copy in Fenn. They are not in the left-hand copy, having been overlooked, apparently, by the transcriber.]

[Footnote 268.1: Who my Lady Anne P. was I cannot tell. The expression 'as white as whale's bone' is rather a strange one.]

[Footnote 268.2: The modern version in Fenn reads 'my Lady of Oxford,' but 'my Lord of Oxford' is right.]

[Footnote 268.3: Fenn says this subscription is explained by 'T.

Daverse' being written under the direction, as he believes, in the hand of the receiver.]

661

JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[268.4]

[Sidenote: 1467 / FEB. 7]

Syr, it is so that thys Saterday John Rus sent me word by Robert Botler, that William Yelverton hathe ben thys iij. dayis in Yermothe for to get new wytnessys up to London; and, as it is thowt by the seid John Rus and Robert Botler, ther wytnessyng is for to prove that it was Sir John Fastolfs wyll that ther schold be morteysyd iij.^c. mark by yer to the colage, and also that syche astat as my fadyr took her at Caster at Lames next befor that Sir John Fastolf dyid, was delyveryd to my fadyr to the intent for to perform the seyd wyll.

Bartholomew Elys, John Appylby, and John Clerk ar the wytnessys; and as for Barthew Elys, he is owtlawyd, and also men say in Yermowthe that he is bawde betwyx a clerk of Yermowthe and hys owne wyfe; and as for John Appylby, he is half frentyk, and so take in the towne, notwithstandyng he is an attorny, as Barthew Elys is, in the Baylys Coort of Yermowthe; and as for John Clerk of Gorleston, he is owtlawyd at Sir John Fastolfys swte, and at dyvers othyr menys, notwithstandyng he is thorow with Sir T. Howys[269.1] for Sir John Fastolf, for thys cause, that the seyd Clerk was on of Sir T. Howys[269.1] last wytnessys befor thys.

I trow John Loer shall be anothyr wyttnesse. As for Barthew Elys and John Appylby, they lye thys nyht at Blyborowgh onward on her wey to Londonward. Make good weche on hem.

I pray yow send us some good tydyngs. Wretyn the Saterday, lat at nyght, next aftyr Kandylmas Day.

I pray yow remembyr John Grey and John Burgeys. We have hom the most part of your barly, save fro Wynterton, and that I trost to have this next wek, or ellys we wyll strat [_distrain ?_] for it by the grace of G.o.d, whom I beseche mak yow good.

I thynk ther comyng up is for to dysprove your wyttnessys that he had in to the Chancery.

J. P.[269.2]

[Footnote 268.4: [From Fenn, iv. 276.] This letter must have been written in February 1467. It was evidently after Sir John Paston had succeeded to his father's estates, but before any arrangement had been come to between him and Yelverton. It will be found hereafter that on the 11th January 1468 Sir John Fastolf's executors, including Yelverton, released their rights in Caister and other manors to Sir John Paston. On the back of this letter, Fenn says, is written in an ancient hand, 'Testes idonei ad negandum veritatem, ut patet infra.']

[Footnote 269.1: Fenn has 'Sir Thowys' in his left-hand copy, which we cannot help thinking a misreading of 'Sir T. Howys.']

[Footnote 269.2: Fenn says this letter 'has neither subscription nor date'; nevertheless these initials stand at the foot of the text as he has printed it.]

662

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[270.1]

_To my brother, John Paston._

[Sidenote: 1467 / MARCH]

Ryght worschypful and verrely welbelovyd brother, I hertely comande me to yow, thankyng yow of yowr labor and dyligence that ye have in kepyng of my place at Castr so sewerly, both with yowr hert and mynde, to yowr gret bisynesse and troble; and I ageyn warde have hadde so lytell leyser that I have not spedde bot fewe of yowr erendys, ner kannot befor thys tyme.

As for my Lady Boleynes[270.2] dysposicion to yow werds, I kannot in no wyse fynde hyr a greable that ye scholde have her dowter, for all the prevy meanes that I kowde make, inso moche I hadde so lytell comfor by all the meanes that I kowde make, that I dysdeyned in myn own p[e]rson to comon with hyr ther in. Neverthelesse, I undrestande that sche seythe, 'What if he and sche kan agre I wyll not lette it, but I will never advyse hyr therto in no wyse.' And uppon Tewesday last past, sche rood hom in to Norfolke. Wherfor as ye thynke ye may fynde the meane to speke with hyr yowr selfe, for with owt that, in myn conceyt, it wyl not be.

And as for Crosseby, I undrestand not that ther is no maryage concluded betwen them, neverthelesse ther is gret langage that it is lyke to be.

Ye be personable, and peraventure yowr beyng ones in the syght of the mayde, and a lytele descuveryng of your good wyl to her, byndyng hyr to kepe it secret, and that ye kan fynde in yowr hert, with som comfort of hyr, to fynde the meane to brynge suche a mater abowt as schall be hyr pleasur and yowrs, but that thys ye kannot do with owt som comfort of hyr in no wyse; and ber yor selfe as lowly to the moder as ye lyst, but to the mayde not to lowly, ner that ye be to gladde to spede, ner to sory to fayle. And I alweys schall be your herault bothe her, if sche com hydder, and at home when I kome hom, whych I hope hastly with in xl.

dayes at the ferthest. My modre hathe a letter, whych can tell you mor, and ye may lat Dawebeney se it.

JOHN PASTON, K.

I suppose and ye kall welle upon R. Calle, he schall purvey yow mony.

I have wretyn to hym inow.

[Footnote 270.1: [From Fenn, iv. 326.] This letter is evidently of the same year as No. 666 following, and a little earlier in point of date.]

[Footnote 270.2: Anne, widow of Sir Geoffrey Boleyn. She was daughter of Thomas, Lord Hoo and Hastings. Sir Geoffrey had by her three daughters, of whom the youngest, Alice, is here referred to.

This Alice was afterwards married to Sir John Fortescue.]

663

RICHARD CALLE TO SIR JOHN PASTON[271.1]

_To my ryght reverent and worschipfull mayster, Sir John Paston, Knight._

[Sidenote: 1467 / APRIL 3]