The Paston Letters Volume Iv Part 5

[[ye may knowe by his tepet and staff _text has "bv" (misprint or damaged type)_]]

507

RICHARD CALLE TO JOHN PASTON[29.1]

_To the ryght reverent and my mooste worschipful master, my Master John Paston, in the Inneer Tempyll._

[Sidenote: 1462 / FEB. 1]

Plesith it your maisterschip to witte that I have been at Burnewyll in Nacton to receyve the rentes and fermys of the tenauntes. And I undrestande be them, and be Robert Goordon that Mastre Jenney whas there and helde a coorte on the Mondaye next aftre Tlwelthe, and warned the tenauntes that they schulde pay no money to no man onto the tyme they had worde from hym, seyng that he whas on of the feffeys of the same maner, and that he whas feed with Sir John Fastolff, of weche fee he was be hynde for ij. yere; wherfore he desired the tenauntes that they schulde not be redy in payement onto the tyme they had word from hym, but that he myght be payed of his seide fee, lyke as the wylle of the deede was. Wherfore I can gete no money of them unto the tyme they have knowleche how it stond be twyx your maisters.h.i.+p and Mr. Jenney; for withoute Jenney write to hem or come hom ward that wey, and have the tenauntes together and lete hem witte that ye ought to have the rentes and fermes of the seid maner, I can not see that ye be like to have but litell money there, withoute ye woll do distreyne throuout all the lordeschip. I have sette dayes to purvey but [_their_] money ayenst the first weke of cleene Lenton, and than they schul have an answere who shal receyve it. Wherfore that it please your maisters.h.i.+p to remembre to speke to Mastre Jenney. The blissed Trinite preserve you and kepe you from all advercyte. Wreten at Yebbyshep[30.1] the furst daye of Februare.

Your pore servaunt and bedman,

R. CALLE.

Item, the maner of Stratton shuld paye of rente xxvj_s._ viij_d._, weche the fermour seythe my mastresse Brandon is acorded with you. He is be hynde for certeine yeres, &c.

[Footnote 29.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The manor of Burneviles in Nacton, near Ipswich, was part of the lands of Sir John Fastolf which Paston inherited by his will; but his claim was disputed by Jenney, one of the executors. As Jenney is here said to have complained that his fee was two years in arrear, we may presume that it was little over two years since Fastolf's death when this letter was written. For further evidences of date compare No.

494. It may also be observed that we find undoubted evidence that John Paston was residing in the Inner Temple six weeks later (_see_ No. 511), whereas in the preceding year he was in Norfolk, where his brother Clement wrote to him news from London (No. 430).]

[Footnote 30.1: Ipswich?]

508

JOHN PASTON TO ----[30.2]

[Sidenote: 1462 / FEB. 9]

Right trusty and welbeloved, I grete yow hartily well, and will ye wite that where hit is so, that Sir John Fastolf, whom G.o.d a.s.soyle, with other, was sum tyme by Sir Herry Inglose enfeffed of trust of his maner offe Pykewurthe in Rutlande, the which made his wille, proved, that the seid maner sholde by solde by Robert Inglose and Edmunde Wychingham his executours, to whom the seid Sir John hath relesed, as his dute was to do; now it is so that for John Browne[31.1] ther is shewed a dede under seall of armes berynge date byfore his reles made to the Duke of Norffoke, Henry Inglose and other, contrarie to the wille of the seid Sir Herry and the trust of the feoffement that the seid Sir John Fastolff was infeffed inne. And a letter of Attorney under the same seale of armes to yow, to deliver seison acordynge to the same feffement, to the gret disclaundre of the seid Sir John and all his, yef this be true. Wherfore I preie yow hertili that ye feithfully and truly rescribe to me in all the hast ye may what ye knowe in this mater such as ye wull stonde by with outen glose, and how ye can imagine that this crafte shulde be practised, and specially whether ye yourself delivered seison in Rutlond or noo. And this and what incedentes ye knowe, I preie yow by wrytinge certefie me in all hast, that I may be the more ripe to answer to this, to the wurs.h.i.+p of the seid Sir John, that was your maister, so that thorowh your defaute your seid maisters soule ther for lie not in perell, but this disclaundre may be eesed and cesed as reson requireth, to the wurs.h.i.+p of hym and all that longe to hym. And this I pray yow faile not offe as I truste yow. Wret at Londo[n] the ix. day of Februar.

Yowr frend,

JON PASTON.

[Footnote 30.2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The MS. is a rough draft signed by John Paston the eldest, and corrected in his hand. It seems to have been written on the cover of a letter addressed to himself; for on the back is this direction in another hand:-- 'To my most reverent and worchepfull maister, John Paston the eldest, Esquier, be this deliveryd in hast.'

We have inserted this letter in the year 1462 as this was the first year after Fastolf's death, when John Paston appears to have been residing in London in the beginning of February. The only other possible years are 1463, 1465, and 1466.]

[Footnote 31.1: This name is subst.i.tuted for 'Herry Inglose,'

struck out.]

509

SIR THOMAS HOWES TO JOHN PASTON[31.2]

_To the ryght wurs.h.i.+pfull sir and meyster, myn Mayster John Paston, Squier._

[Sidenote: 1462 / [FEB.]]

Ryght wors.h.i.+pfull sire and mayster, I recomaunde me to yow. And please yow that the chirche of Drayton is or shal be resyngned in hast in to the Bysshopys hands by Sir John Bullok, desyryng yow hertly that ye lyke I may have the presentacion of the next avoydaunce for a newew of myn, callyd Sir Reynold Spendlove, whiche I truste youre maysters.h.i.+p wold agree to make in youre name and myn as was last, &c. And, sir, please yow also that I have hadde diverse communicacions with Worcestr sethe Crystmesse,[32.1] and I fele by hym otterly that he wole not appoynt in other fourme than to have the londs of Feyrechildes and other londes in Drayton to the sume of x. marc of yow proprely, by syde that that he desyreth of myn mayster, whom G.o.d a.s.soyle, whiche mater I remytte to your n.o.ble discrecion.

And as for answere of the bylles that I have, I have ben so sekelew seythe Crystma.s.se that I myght not yette don hem, but I shal in alle hast, wher inne ye may excuse yow by me if ye please tyl the next terme, at whiche tyme alle shal be aunswered, be G.o.dds grace, who preserve yow and send yow th' accomplyshement of youre desyres, &c.

Item, sere, please youre maysters.h.i.+p hit was leten me wete in ryght secrete wyse that a pyssaunce is redy to aryve in thre parties of this londe, by the meane of Kyng Herry and the Quene that wes, and by the Dewk Somercete and others, of vi.^xx. m.^l. [120,000] men; and here day, if wynde and weder hadde servyd theym, shuld a' ben here sone upon Candelma.s.se; at Trente to London werdes thei shuld a' ben by Candelma.s.se or sone after, one parte of theym, and another parte comyng from Walys, and the thredde fro Yernessey and Garnesseye. Wher fore it is weel don ye enforme myn Lord Warwyk, that he may speke to the Kyng that good provy[s]ion be hadde for withstandyng there malicyous purpose and evyl wylle, whiche G.o.d graunt we may our come theym; and so we shuld, I dought not, if we were alle on [_one_]. There ben many medelers, and they ben best cheryshed, whyche wold hurt moche if these come to, as G.o.d diffende, &c.

T. HOWYS.

[Footnote 31.2: [From Fenn, iv. 68.] For evidence of the date of this letter, Fenn quotes the following extracts from the Inst.i.tution Books in the Registry of the Bishop of Norwich:--

'Draiton

'Reg. xi. 124. 29 January 1460-1. Johannes Bullock ad praesentationem Joh'is Paston arm. et Tho. Howys capellani.

'Reg. xi. 131. 15 March 1461-2. Joh'es Flourdew ad praesentationem eorundem.'

It thus appears that the living was resigned by John Bullock in 1461-2, and on the 15th March John Flourdew was presented to it, not the person here recommended by Howes.]

[Footnote 32.1: This word is indicated by Fenn as indistinct in the MS.]

510

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[33.1]

_To my ryth worchepfull husbond, John Paston, be this delyveryd in hast._

[Sidenote: 1462 / MARCH]

Plesyth yow to wete that John Wellys and his brodyr told me thys nyth that the Kyng lay at Cambryge as yestyrsnyth to Sandwyche ward, for ther is gret dyvysyen be twyx the Lordys and the schypmen ther, that causyth hym to goo thedyr to se a remedye therfor.

I thank G.o.d that John Paston yed non erst [_went no earlier_] forthe, for I trust to G.o.d all schall be do er he comyth. And it is told me that Syr John Howard is lek to lese hys hed.

If it plese yow to send to the seyd Wellys, he schall send yow mor tydyngys than I may wryt at thys tyme. G.o.d have yow in Hys kepyng.

Wretyn in hast at Thetford, at xj. of the clok in the nyth, the same day I departyd fro yow.

I thank Pampyng of hys good wyll, and them that wer cause of changyng of my hors, for they ded me a bettyr torne than I wend they had do, and I schall aquyt them anothyr day, and I maye.

By yor

M. P.

[Footnote 33.1: [From Fenn, ii. 288.] It appears by the dates of the Privy Seal writs that Edward IV. was at Cambridge on the 2nd and 3rd March 1462, and this is probably the visit alluded to, although we do not find that the King went on to Sandwich afterwards.]

[[To my ryth worchepfull husbond, _text has "husbona" (italic a for d)_]]