The Paston Letters Volume Iv Part 36

And in good feyth me thynkyth by hym that he is ryght ille plesyd that the mater was so gydyt. He seyde to me ryght pleynly that the Jugis dede not therin as thei owght to do, and he seyd thowe I hadde hade noo councell, the he howght of ryght to have a.s.syngyd me councell suche as I hadde dyssyrid; but he seyde he wyst well he dede in that mater as he have do in other materys byfor. Me thynkyth by suche thynges I harde ther that the seyd Master John ner the tother is not grettly in conseyt at thys tyme; and so tolde me Aschefylde in councell.

[Sidenote: ner have no mor to do by my writynge that I sent yow thanne to avyse hough I shall take myn accion, and that in that accion I have as good t.i.tell as my Lord of Norwich hath to the chirch of Thorp.]

What the cause was he myght have no leyser to telle me. I mevyd my lorde in the mater acordyng to the intent of yowr wrytyng yf aney axcion wer take; and he seyd feythefully yf it myght prevayle yow, he woulde with ryght good wylle that it choulde be doo; and ellys he woulde not in noo wyse that it choulde be doo. And he dyssyryde me to sende to hym suche as be of yowr councell lernyd, that they myght comune with hym therin, for he seyd he woulde not ye choulde take non axcion therin withowt it myght provayle. He was well payed that I tolde hym that ye woulde not do therin withowt hys knowleche and a.s.sent; and he seyd he woulde do therin as he woulde do yf the mater wer hys owne. Be avyse of yowr councell, I purpose to sende Loumnowr and Playter to commone with hym therin. He seyd he woulde feyne that ye wer owt of troble; and he seyd, yf he myght doo owght to helppe yow forwarde in aney of yowr materys, he swore by heys feythe he wode do hys parte feythfully therin.

[Sidenote: Episcopus apud London.]

He purp[o]syd to be at London thys terme, and thanne he seyd he woulde speke with yow of maney thyngs; he wycheyd herteley that he myght have spoke with yow on owr. He mevyd to me of a mater of a jentyllman of Cornale.

[Sidenote: Cornwayle]

He seyd he woulde speke with yow therof her after; yf it myght be browt to, it myght do meche good in maney thyngis. I harde yow onys speke of the same; ye tolde me ye hade be mevyd to therof by other.

Item, I received at letter frome yow yesterday, wherof I thanke yow hertely, and I praye yow that I maye be as ye writt. And as for suche materys as Sir Thomas Howys choulde be spoke to for[194.1] I sent Ric.

Calle this day to speke with hym, but he myght not speke with hym; but as hastely as I may I challe do myn parte to spede the erands and other.

[Sidenote: Ecclesia de Mautby.]

It is tolde me that Sir Thomas wyll ressyng Mautby chyrche, and yf it plesyd yow to geve it to on Sir Thomas Lyndis, I truste verely that ye choulde leke hym ryght well, for he is rit a prystly man and vertusly dysposyd. I have knowe hym this xx. yer and mor; he was brother to the goode parsone of Seynt Mich.e.l.lys that ye lovyd ryght well; and yf he myght havyt he woulde kepe an howsolde therupon and bylde (?) well the plase (?); and therof have it grete nede, for it is now rit evyll reparyd, and I wott well he woll be rulyd and gydyt as ye wyll have hym.

[Sidenote: Wursted.]

I praye yow, yf it plese yow that he have it, that it lekyth yow to sende me an answer by the berrer herof.

Item, I have do spoke for yowr worstede[195.1] but ye may not have it tylle Halowmesse; and thane I am promysyd ye challe have as fyne as maye be made. Ric. Calle challe bryng it up with hym.

Wretyn the Fryday next before Michelmas day.

[Footnote 191.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is apostyled in the handwriting of John Paston, and numbered 'IIII.' at the head, showing that it is of the same sequence as the next, which is numbered 'V.' and dated on the very same day. In fact, the latter is clearly nothing but a postscript to this, and bears the address upon the back, which this does not.]

[Footnote 192.1: Gilbert Debenham, senior, Esq.]

[Footnote 192.2: Sir Gilbert Debenham.]

[Footnote 193.1: So in MS.]

[Footnote 193.2: 6th October.]

[Footnote 194.1: _See_ No. 609.]

[Footnote 195.1: _See_ No. 609, p. 188, Note 2.]

611

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[195.2]

_To my ryght worschipfull husbond, John Paston, in haste._

[Sidenote: To get a copy [of] that he hath . . hed; notwithstandyng [I]

wote well thei have found non such evidens as ye wene.]

Item, it was tolde me thys day that Master John Salatt hathe made a serge in the regestre this monethe aftre the wylles and testements or suche as hought the maners of Heylesdon and Drayton this c. yere, and be that hathe they founde suche evidence as schal be gret strenghthyng to the Duks t.i.ttle, as it is seide. I undrestonde verely that Mastre John Salet is all on that partye, and no thyng with you.

Item, as for the bill that ye sent to Sir Thomas Howys touchyng on Edmond Carvyll and on Fraunces, I wote ner whether he had hem or nought, for he is not spoken with yett in the maters. As wee spede owr materys, we chall sende yow answers of them as hastely as we maye. At the reverense of G.o.d, spede ye yowr materys that ye maye come owte of that loggyng that ye ar in as hastely as ye maye, for I have non fansey with some of the felechipp. I tolde yow, as me thowth, I praye yow be ware, &c.

I praye yow yf it plese yow that I may be recommaundyd to my Lorde Percy, and to myn mastres, and to my Lorde Abott. And I pray G.o.d bryng yow and them owt of troble, and send yow good spede in alle yowr materys. Wretyn in hast, the Fryday next afor Mich.e.l.lmes.

Be yowr,

M. P.

Yf it plese yow to send aney thyng by the berer herof, he is trusty inough.

[Footnote 195.2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is apostyled in the handwriting of John Paston, and numbered 'V' at the head.

As it refers to Paston's dispute with the Duke of Suffolk about the manors of h.e.l.lesden and Drayton, it must belong to the year 1465. The reader will also perceive that it contains an allusion to John Paston's imprisonment in the Fleet, and to my Lord Percy, who is mentioned in Letter 609, and who must have been a fellow-prisoner of Paston's.]

612

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[196.1]

_[To] his ryght worschypful [fa]dre John Paston, beyng [in t]he Flete at London, be thys delyvered._

Ryght Worschypful Syr, in the most lowly wyse I recomand me to you.

Pleasyth it you to wet that I sente you a letter but late agoo, in whych letter I lete you have understondyng that if it pleasyd yow to grante and a.s.sente therto, Syr Thomas Howes wolde resyngne the benefyse of Mawteby to a ful prestly man of Norwych callyd Sir Thomas Lyndys, whom I suppose ye have knolech of. Neverthelesse I wote wele he hath not ben grettly aquentyd with you. But I and he have ben moch aquentyd to geder, and I understond and knowe hys vertews levyng and dysposicion ryght wele; whyche heraffter, I wote wele, sholde please you ryght wele. And that letter whyche I sente you as I understode syns Nycholas Calman the berer ther of came not owte of Norwych iiij. or v. dayes after that the bylle was delyveryd hym; wherefor I am in dowte whyther it is come to your handes.

Whych causyth me to wryght to you ageyn in thys wyse, besechyng yow, if it plese yow that the seyd Sir Thos Lyndys schal be of your promotynge in the wyse above wretyn that there it lyke you that I may have answer by the berer herof; whych schal tary at London a day or ij., and not pa.s.synge. No more to yow at thys tyme, but Alle myghty G.o.d have yow in guydynge. Wretyn at Heylesdon the Fryday next byfore Seynt Mych.e.l.l.

By yowr older sone,

JOHN PASTON.

[Footnote 196.1: [MS. in Pembroke College, Cambridge.] This letter, as will be seen, was written in 1465 on the same day as Margaret Paston's two letters, Nos. 610, 611.]

[[and not pa.s.synge. _final . invisible_]]

613

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[197.1]

_To my ryth reverrend and worchepfull fadre, John Paston, be thys delyveryd._

[Sidenote: 1465 / OCT. 3]

Aftyr all humbyll and most due recomendacion, as lowly as I can, I beseche yow of your blyssyng. Plesyt yow to have knowlege that as on Sonday next be for Myhelmas Day, as my modyr came fro London ward, sche cam homward by Cotton, and sche sent for me to Heylysdon to come to hyr thedyr, and so I have ben in the plase ever sethyn. And as sone as Myhelmas Day was past, I begane to dystreyne the tenants, and gadryd some syllvyr, as myche, I trowe, as wyll pay for our costs; and yet I cepe here ryth a good felawschep, and mor wer promysyd me, whyche that came not to me, wherby I was ner deseyvyd. For when Debnam herd sey how that I began to gadyr sylvyr, he reysyd many men with in j. daye and an halfe, to the nombyr of iij^c. men, as I was credebly a.s.sartaynyed by a yeman of the chambyr of my Lordys[198.1] that owythe me good wyll, whech yeman, as sone as he had sene ther felauschep, rod streyth to my Lord and informyd hym of it; and also he informyd my Lord how that I had gadryd a nothyr gret felashschep, whyche felawschep he namyd more than we wer by j^c. and an halfe and yett more. And he seyd on to my Lord and my Lady, and to their consell, that with owt that my Lord took a dyrectyon in the mater, that ther wer leek to be do gret harme on bothe oure pertyes, wheche wer a gret dysworchep to my Lord, consederyng how that he takyth us bothe for hys men, and so we be knowyn well inow. Upon whyche informacion, and dysworchep to my Lord, that tweyn of hys men schold debat so ner hym, contrary to the Kyngs pese, consedryd of my Lord and my Lady and ther cownsell, my Lord sent for me and Syr Gylberd Debnam to come to hym to Framlyngham bothe, and as it fortunyd well my modyr come to me to Cotton not half an owyr be for that the mesenger came to me fro my Lord, wheche was late upon Twysday last past at nyth; and the next day on the mornyng I rod to my Lord to Framlyngham, and so ded Syr Gylberd also. And as sone as we wer come, we wer sent for to come to my Lord, and when we come to my Lord, he desiyryd of us bothe that we schold neythyrthyr gadyr no felawschep, but syche men as we had gadryd that we schold send hem home a yen, and that the coort schold be contenuyd in to the tyme that my Lord, or suche as he wold asyngne, had spok bothe with yow and Yelverton and Jenney, and that on indeferent man chosyn by us bothe schold be a.s.synyd to kepe the plase in to the tyme that ye and they wer spook with.