The Paston Letters Volume Ii Part 57

[Footnote 273.3: Mountford was disseised of Brayston by Daniel in the spring of 1450, but recovered possession on the 23rd September. I find no note of his having been disseised again, but I should think he must have been, as this paper is certainly two years later.]

[[the G.o.de lord[273.2] is at _footnote marker [2] invisible_]]

220

EDMUND WYCHYNGHAM TO JOHN PASTON[275.1]

_To my ryth trusty Cosyn, John Paston, escwier._

[Sidenote: 1452-3 / OCT.]

Ryth reverent and trusty Cosyn, I recomande me to zow, thankyng zow of zour good wil and counseill. Like zow to wete, I cam hom be myn Lord of Oxeford and told hym of the greet labour of Sir Thomas Tudenham and Heydon for schirevez of owr schire, and namyd the personez quom thei laboryd fore, and myn Lord agreeyth not to tweyne of hem; to the knyth he seyd not moch to, but I felt my lord he wold labore for William Dorward, myn neview.[275.2] And thanne I answerd, Sir, he may not profite me in myn matere for he hath weddyd myn nece. Also I felt myn Lord that myn Lord Crumwell laboryth for Stonham of Huntyngton schire, Sir John Tirell howe [_who_] weddyd hese modir, hese sone executour to my Lady Clyfton, with Heydon and othir memento, &c. And to fore I cam to Framyngham myn lord of Norffolk hadde wrytyn for Sir Robert Conyers, takyng promys of hym to be rewlyd in alle matterez as myn Lord of Norffolk wil avyse hym, and as an undirschireve ze schall be acounseill therof. And as touchyng Lee, as I am enformyd, ther ys no man that he wil do lesse for thanne for Sir Thomas Tudenham. And as touchyng myn seyd Lord of Norffolk, he hath wrytyn, or I cam, be Debenham, as he may not wel returne, and the personez ben Sir Robert Conyers, Henry Gray, Thomas Brews. And I suppose as for Thomas Brews he schall be translate in to myn brothir John Blake, but myn seyd Lord of Norffolk hath previly (?) wrytyn to the Kyng for Sir Robert Conyers promisyd[276.1] be the seyd Sir Robert that he schall non undirshireve, ne non othir officer make, but be the avyse of myn seyd Lord of Norffolk counseill, to qwhom ze schall be prevy to And I have no dowte zour owyn materez schall ben speed aftir zour entent myn seyd Lord of Norffolk wil with alle hese herte that Blake schuld be it, or ellez the seyd Sir Robert with alle hese herte. And yf myn Lord of Norffolk, to for myn comyng, hadde be a vertysyd, he wold a do hese trew parte ther to, as I suppose he schall have vere knalich from myn Lord. I preye zow remembre William Bury for myn _venire facias_. And yf it likyd myn brothir Blake to remembre my welbelovyd mayster Sir John Bawryte (?) of myn mater I trust he wold remembre the Kyng ther of atte hese leyser; for he knowyth the matere, and that Debenham hath greet charge to labore myn seyd Lordys materez of Norffolk, levying the favour of Sir Thomas Tudenham. Aftir I here I schall send zow be wrytyn. I preye zow in like forme. G.o.d preserve zow to Hese grace. Wrytyn atte Framyngham the Fryday next to fore the feste of Simon and Jude.

E. WYCHYNGHAM.

[Footnote 275.1: [Add. MS. 33,597, f. 1.] The year when this letter was written is not exactly certain, but seems to have been either 1452 or 1453. It might be 1450, except that one would have expected in October of that year to hear something about the parliamentary election, as well as the election of sheriffs.]

[Footnote 275.2: William Dorward, according to Blomefield (_Hist. of Norf._ vi. 519), married Margaret, daughter of Nicholas Wichingham, who thus appears to have been a brother of Edmund the writer of this letter.]

[Footnote 276.1: The sentence here is a little confused, and we forbear to supply punctuation.]

221

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[276.2]

_To my right worchepful husbond, John Paston, be this delyverid in hast._

[Sidenote: 1452(?) / NOV. 5]

Right worchepful husbond, I comaund me to yow. I pray yow that ye wol do bye ij. doseyn trenchors, for I can none gete in this town. Also I pray yow that ye wol send me a booke wyth chardeqweyns[276.3] that I may have of in the monynggs, for the eyeres be nat holsom in this town; therfor I pray yow hertely lete John Suffeld bryng it hom wyth hym.

No more but the blyssid Ternyte have yow in Hese kepyng, and send yow good sped in all yowre maters. Wrete on Sent Leonard even.

My uncle Phelyppe[277.1] commaund hym to yow, and he hath be so seke sith that I come to Redham, that I wend he shuld never a askapid it, nor not is leke to do but if he have redy help; and therfore he shal into Suffolk this next weke to myn aunt, for there is a good fesician, and he shal loke to hym.

My Lady Hastyngs[277.2] told me that Heydon hath spoke to Geffrey Boleyn[277.3] of London, and is a greid wytht hym that he shuld bargeyn wyth Sir John Fastolff to bye the manor of Blyklyng as it were for hymselff, and if Boleyn byet in trowght Heydon shal have it.

Yowr,

M. P.

I cam to Norwiche on Sowlemesday.

[Footnote 276.2: [From Fenn, iii. 168.] This letter was written during the life of Philip Berney, most probably in 1452, while he lay sick of the wounds, of which he afterwards died. _See_ No. 227 further on.]

[Footnote 276.3: A preserve made of quinces. --_See_ Index to Furnivall's _Manners and Meals in Olden Times_. In the ordinances of the household of George, Duke of Clarence, 'charequynses' occur under the head of spices, their price being five shillings 'the boke,' or 2, 10s. for 10 lbs.--See _The Society of Antiquaries' Collection of Ordinances for the Royal Household_, p. 103. The word also occurs pp. 455, 471 of same volume.]

[[_Early English Meals and Manners_, Project Gutenberg ebook 24790.]]

[Footnote 277.1: Philip Berney.]

[Footnote 277.2: Margery, widow of Sir Edward Hastings of Elsing, Norfolk, who styled himself Lord Hastings and Stutvill. --_See_ Blomefield, viii. 112, and ix. 513, 514.]

[Footnote 277.3: An ancestor of Anne Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth.

He was Mayor of London in 1457.]

222

AGNES PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[278.1]

_This lettre be delyvered to John Paston, beynge at London, in the Innere In of the Temple._

[Sidenote: 1452(?) / NOV. 16]

I grete you well, and sende you G.o.ddes blissyng and myn. And as touchyng the mater wheche ye desyryd my cosyn Clere shulde write fore, she hath doo, and I sende you the copy closed in this lettre. As for the enquerre I have sent by Pynchemore to enquere and sent myn owen men to William Bakton, and don hem enquered in dyverse placs, and I can here no woord of noon suych enquerans; I wot not what it menyth. Roberd Hill was at Paston thys wyke, and the man that dwelled in Bowres place is oute ther of, and seid to Roberd he durst no lenger abyde ther in, for Waryn Herman seyth to him it is his place. As for c.o.kets mater, my doughter your wyf told me yester even the man that suyth him will not stonde to your awarde.

Bertilmow White is condemnyd in Forrenecet Court in xl. marc, as it is seid.

Item, as for Talfas, the Sherevis hav be hest to do all the favour thei may. I sente the Parson of Seynt Edmundes to Gilberd, and he seide ther was come a newe writ for to have him up by the xv. day of Seynt Martyn, and how Caly hadde ben at hem,[278.2] and desired to carye up Talfas on his owen cost, and yeve hem goode wages.

Item, John Osbern seide to me this day that he supposed thei will not have him up be forn Estern, and Margerete Talfas seide to me the same day that men tolde hire that he shulde never have ende till he wer at London, and asked me counsell wheder she myte yeve the Sherevys sylver or non; and I tolde hire if she dede, I supposed she shulde fynde hem the more frendly.

Item, as for Horwelbur, I sende you a bill of all the rescyts syn the deth of your fader, and a copy wrete on the bak how your fader lete it to ferme to the seide Gurnay. I wulde ye shulde write Gurnay, and charge him to mete with you fro London warde, and at the lest weye lete him purveye x_li._ for [he] owyth be my reknyng at My helmesse last pa.s.sed, be syde your faddes dette, xviij_li._ xiiij_s._ viij_d._ If ye wolde write to him to brynge suerte for your fadyrs dette and myn, and pay be dayes, so that the man myte leven and paye us, I wolde for yeve him of the olde arrerags x_li._; and he myte be mad to paye xx. marc be yer, on that condicion I wolde for yeve him x_li._, and so thynketh me he shulde hav cause to praye for your fader and me, and was it leten in my fadres tyme. I fele by Roberd, his wif is right loth to gon thens, she seide that sche had lever I shulde have all her G.o.de after her day, than thei schulde go out ther of.

Item, John Dam teld me that the Lady Boys[279.1] will selle a place called Halys,[279.2] but he seith sehe speketh it privyly, and seith it is not tayled, as John Dam kno, wech will she hath seide as largely of other thyngs that hath not be so.

Item, he tolde me, as he herd seyn, Ser John Fastolf hath sold Heylysdon to Boleyn[279.3] of London; and yf it be so, it semeth he will selle more. Wherfor I praye you, as ye will have my love and my blissyng, that ye will helpe and do your devoir that sumthyng were purchased for your ij. bretheren. I suppose Ser John Fastolf, and he wer spake to, wold be glader to lete his kens.e.m.e.n have parte than straunge men. Asay him in my name of suych placs as ye suppose is most cler.

It is seid in this contre that my Lord of Norfolk seith Ser John Fastolf hath yoven him Castr, and he will hav [it] pleynly. I sende you a bill of Osbern hand, whech was the ansuer of the Sheref and John of Dam.

Jon, brynge me my lettre hom with you, and my cosyn Cler is copy of her lettre, and the copy of the reseyth of Horwelbury; and recomaunde me to Lomnor, and tell him his best be loved fareth well, but sche is not yet come to Norwich, for thei deye yet, but not so sor as thei dede. And G.o.d be wyth you. Wreten at Norwych, in right gret hast, the xvj. day of Novembr.

By your moder,

ANNEYS PASTON.

[Footnote 278.1: [From Fenn, iii. 162.] This letter is certainly not earlier than 1451 or later than 1453; for it was written some time after Lady Boys became a widow, which was in December 1450 (_see_ p. 198), and before Sir John Fastolf's removal from London into Norfolk, which, as will be seen hereafter, was in the autumn of 1454. Probably the true date is 1452, for in the summer following, owing to Gurney's utter inability to pay his rent, we find Agnes Paston urging her son seriously to look out for another tenant for Orwellbury.]

[Footnote 278.2: The modernised version in Fenn reads 'at home.']

[Footnote 279.1: _See_ p. 248, Note 2.]

[Footnote 279.2: Holm Hale. --_See_ p. 248.]

[Footnote 279.3: Geoffrey Boleyn. --_See_ p. 277, Note 3.]