The Paston Letters Volume V Part 20

And on the Kynge Edwardes partye, the Lord Cromwell,[100-2] the Lord Saye,[100-3] Sir Omffrey Bowghsher[100-4] off owr contre, whyche is a sore moonyd man her, and other peple off bothe partyes to the nombre off mor then a m^l.

As for other tythynges, is undrestande her that the Qwyen Margrett is verrely londyd and hyr sone in the west contre, and I trow that as to morow, or ellys the next daye, the Kynge Edwarde wyll depart ffrom hense to hyr warde, to dryve her owt ageyn.

Item, I beseche yow that I may be recomendyd to my cosyn Lomner, and to thanke hym ffor hys goode wyll to me wardes, iff I had hadde nede, as I undrestoode by the berer heroff; and I beseche you on my behalve to advyse hym to be well ware off hys delyng or langage as yit, ffor the worlde, I ensur yow, is ryght qwesye, as ye schall know with in thys monthe; the peple heer feerythe it soor.

G.o.d hathe schewyd Hym selffe marvelouslye lyke Hym that made all, and can undoo ageyn whan Hym lyst; and I kan thynke that by all lyklyod schall schewe Hym sylff as mervylous ageyn, and that in schort tyme; and, as I suppose, offter than onys in casis lyke.

Item, it is soo that my brother is on purveyed off monye. I have holpyn hym to my power and above. Wherffor as it pleasythe yow remembre hym, ffor kan not purveye ffor my selffe in the same case.

Wretyn at London the thorysdaye in Esterne weke. I hope hastely to see yow.

All thys bylle most be secrett. Be ye not adoghtyd off the worlde, ffor I trust all schall be well. Iff it thusse contenewe, I ame not all undon, nor noon off us; and iff otherwyse, then, &c. &c.

[Footnote 99-1: [From Fenn, ii. 62.] This letter, as shown by the contents, was written just four days after the battle of Barnet, by which Edward IV. recovered his throne. It is not signed, but the writer is Sir John Paston.]

[Footnote 99-2: George Neville, Archbishop of York. It was from the custody of this prelate that Edward escaped, after having been surprised and taken prisoner by the Earl of Warwick, in 1470: perhaps the kind treatment of his then prisoner now procured his pardon.--F.]

[Footnote 100-1: Sir William Tyrell was cousin to Sir James Tyrell, the afterwards supposed murderer of Edward V. and his brother the Duke of York.--F.]

[Footnote 100-2: Humphrey Bourchier, third son of Henry, Earl of Ess.e.x, had summons to Parliament, in 1461, as Lord Cromwell, in right of his wife.--F.]

[Footnote 100-3: William Fienes, Lord Say.]

[Footnote 100-4: Son of John, Lord Berners.]

775

[THE EARL OF OXFORD] TO A LADY[101-1]

_To the ryght reverent and wyrchypfull Lady._[101-2]

[Sidenote: 1471]

Ryght reverent and wyrchypfull Lady, I recomande me to yow, lettyng yow wete that I am in gret hevynes at the makyng of thys letter; but thankyd be G.o.d, I am eschapyd my selfe, and sodenly departyd fro my men; for I undyrstand my chapleyn wold have detrayed me; and if he com in to the contre, let hym be mad seuer, &c. Also ye shall gyff credence to the brynger of thys letter, and I beseke yow to reward hym to hys costs; for I was not in power at the makyng of thys letter to gyff hym, but as I wa.s.s put in trest by favar of strange pepyll, &c.

Also ye shall send me in all hast all the redi money that ye can make, and a.s.se mone of my men a.s.se can com well horsyd; and that they c.u.m in dyverse parcellys. Also that my horsse be sent, with my stele sadelles; and byd the yoman of the horse cover theym with ledder. Also ye shall send to my moder,[101-3] and let hyr wete of thys letter, and pray hyr of hyr blessyng, and byd hyr send me my kasket, by thys tokyn; that she hathe the key theroff, but it is brokyn.

Also ye shall send to the Pryor of Thetford,[101-4] and byd hym send me the sum of gold that he seyd that I schuld have. Also sey to hym by thys token, that I schewyd hym the fyrst Prive Seale, &c. Also lete Pastun, Fylbryg, Brews, come to me. Also ye shall delyver the brynger of thys letter an horsse, sadell, and brydell. Also ye schallbe of gud cher, and take no thowght, for I schall brynge my purpose abowte now by the grace of G.o.d, Qwhome have yow in kepyng.

O ... D (?).

[Footnote 101-1: [From Fenn, ii. 68.] The signature of this letter is composed of flourishes which were probably devised on purpose to make it unintelligible. Fenn suggests that the first character may be taken for an O, and the last for a D; but to our thinking the resemblance is rather difficult to trace. There is, however, great probability in his conjecture that the writer was the Earl of Oxford, and the date just after the battle of Barnet.]

[Footnote 101-2: Margaret, daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, sister to the late Earl of Warwick, and wife of John de Vere, Earl of Oxford.--F.]

[Footnote 101-3: Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Sir John Howard, Knight, who was the grandfather of John Howard, first Duke of Norfolk of that name. She was now the widow of John de Vere, late Earl of Oxford.]

[Footnote 101-4: John Vescey, Prior of Thetford, from 1441 to 1479.--F.]

776

JOHN PASTON OF GELSTON TO MARGARET PASTON[102-1]

[Sidenote: 1471 / APRIL 30]

Aftyr humbyll and most dew recomendacyon, in as humbyll wyse as I can, I beseche you of your blyssyng, preying G.o.d to reward you with as myche plesyer and hertys ease as I have latward causyd you to have trowbyll and thowght; and, with G.o.dys grace, it shall not be longe to or then my wronges and othyr menys shall be redressyd, for the world was nevyr so lyek to be owyrs as it is now; werfor I prey you let Lomnor no be to besy as yet. Modyr, I beseche you, and ye may spare eny money, that ye wyll do your almesse on me and send me some in as hasty wyse as is possybyll; for by my trowthe my leche crafte and fesyk, and rewardys to them that have kept me and condyt me to London, hathe cost me sythe Estern Day[102-2] more than v_li._, and now I haue neythyr met, drynk, clothys, lechecraft, ner money but up on borowyng; and I have asayid my frendys so ferre, that they be gyn to fayle now in my gretest ned that evyr I was in. Also, modyr, I beseche yow, and my horse that was at lechecraft at the Holt[102-3] be not takyn up for the Kynges hawkys,[102-4] that he may be had hom and kept in your plase, and not to go owght to watyr, nor no whedyr ellys, but that the gat be shet, and he to be chasyd aftyr watyr within your plase, and that he have as myche met as he may ete; I have hey i new of myn owne, and as for otys, Dollys will purvey for hym, or who that dothe it I wyll paye. And I beseche yow that he have every wek iij. bosh.e.l.l of otys, and every day a penyworthe of bred; and if Botoner be not at Norwyche, and Syme kep hym, I shall geve hym well for hys labore. Also that Phelypp Loveday put the othyr horse to gresse ther, as he and I wer acordyd.

Item, that Botoner send me hyddyr the two shyrtys that wer in my casket, and that he send me hydyr xl_s._ by the next messenger that comyth to London.

Item, that Mastress Broom send me hedyr iij. longe gownys and ij.

doblettes, and a jaket of plonket chamlett, and a morey bonet out of my cofyr. Sir Jamys hathe the key, as I sent hyr werd be for thys.

Item, that syche othyr wryghtynges and stuff as was in my kasket be in your kepyng, and that no body look my wryghtynges.

Item, that the horse that Purdy hathe of myne be put to some good gresse in haste; and if it plese yow to have knowlage of our royal person, I thank G.o.d I am hole of my syknesse, and trust to be clene hole of all my hurttys within a sevennyght at the ferthest, by wyche tym I trust to have othyr tydynges; and those tydynges onys had, I trust not to be longe owght of Norffolk, with G.o.dys grace, Whom I beseche preserve you and your for my part.

Wretyn the last day of Apryll. The berer herof can tell you tydynges, syche as be trew for very serteyn.

Your humbylest servaunt,

J. OF GELSTON.

[Footnote 102-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter was printed by Fenn in his fifth volume, of which the original MSS. are now recovered. It was evidently written in April 1471, when the writer was recovering from the wound he had received at the battle of Barnet (_see_ No. 774). It is not addressed, but is endorsed in a later hand, 'Litera Johannis Paston armigeri matri suae.']

[Footnote 102-2: The battle of Barnet was fought on Easter Day, 14th April 1471.]

[Footnote 102-3: A pasture so called, and means the groves, or lands full of wood.--F.]

[Footnote 102-4: This may signify, in jocular language, if he be not dead.--F.]

[[Footnote 102-1 ... (_see_ No. 774).

_closing parenthesis missing_]]

777

THE BATTLE OF TEWKESBURY[104-1]

_Ded in the Feld._

[Sidenote: 1471 / MAY 4]

Edward that was called Prynce.

Lord John of Somerset.

Erle of Devenshire.

Lord Wenlok.

Sir William Vaus.