The Paston Letters Volume Iv Part 51

Plesith it you to wete that I have spoken with Henre Inglouse, and I fynde hym disposid weele; hough be it he hath be labored to nough of late be divers, nevertheles he woll not come withoute he have a suppena, and if he come up be suppena, he can sey nor nought woll sey, any thynge that schulde be prejudice or hurte to your mater, and so he hathe tolde them that hath labored to hym for it, weche hym thynkyth causith them to have no grete hast to have hym up. He tellith me that the Abbot of Langley schal come up and Wichyngham. Thes have her writtes of suppena delyverd unto them. Also ther cometh up Doctor Vergraunt and Frier Bernard. And as for Robert Inglouse, I have spoken with hym, and I fynde hym no thyng so weele disposid as his brother is; he hath be sore labored be the meanes of my Lord of Norffolk and of my Lord of Suffolk; he seyth largely that he knoweth moche of this mater, seyng to me that if he schulde be examyned be for a juge, he wolde my master your uncle[272.1] wer his juge, for he knoweth the mater as weele as any man.

He seith if he be sworn be fore my Lorde Chaunceler, he woll desire of my Lord that Maister William schulde be sworn as weele as he; nevertheles I have so mevyd hym that withoute ther come a suppena for hym he woll not come, as he seth it is hard to truste hym. It were weele doo if ther were no suppena out for hym to cauce that ther schulde non come, nouther to hym nor to hes brother, &c. I can not undrestonde of no moo that schulde come up yet, but I schal enquere, and sende you word as hastely as I can. I have not spoken with John Maryot yet, but I schall speke with hym within this iij. dayes and sende you worde. &c.

Ferthermore, sir, like you to remembre the lees of the maner of Sporle; your fermours goth out at Michelmes next comyng. Henry Halman wolde have it for his sones, and if be schulde have it he wolde wete at this tyme, be cauce he wolde somerlay[272.2] and tylle the londe, otherwise then it is; it were tyme to lete it, wo so ever schulde have it. Henry woll geve for it but xx_li._; wherfor, if ye wol that he have it, plese you to sende word how we schal do with all, &c. Almyghty G.o.dde spede you in all youre maters, and sende you hastely a goode ende in hem. Wreten at Castre on Friday next after Esterne Day.

Your own Servaunt, RIC. C.

[Footnote 271.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter seems to relate to the summoning of witnesses to London for the probate of Fastolf's will, and being addressed to Sir John Paston, we may presume that it was written in the year after his father's death, and before the final settlement of the dispute.]

[Footnote 272.1: William Paston.]

[Footnote 272.2: Halliwell gives the expression 'to summerland a ground' which is used in Suffolk, meaning to lay it fallow a year.

For this he refers to Ray.]

664

[WILLIAM PASTON] TO SIR JOHN PASTON[273.1]

_To my right wors.h.i.+pfull nevew, Sir John Paston, knyght._

[Sidenote: 1467 / APRIL (?)]

Myne suster,[273.2] Arblaster[273.3] and I have apoyntyd that we chall kepe no howsold this terme,[273.4] but go to borde; wer for we avyse zow to purvay for us a logyng ner a bowt my lord Chanseler that be honest, for Arblaster will non oder.

Item, as for zow, we avyse zow in any wyse gete zowr chamer a.s.synyd with in my Lordis place, and gete chamer a lone iff ze may, that Arblaster and I may have a bed ther in ziff it fortune us to be late ther with zow.

Item, take hed to get suyrtees for the pore men that come up and that they may be sent hom a zen forthe with with owt taryyng, and take avyse so that the proses may so go forthe that they may be qwett at the next a.s.syssys; take avyse of Townysend.

As for Yelverton, fynd the menys that he speke not with my Lord till we come.

Iff any labore be mad to my Lord to asyne men to here the mater indefferently, make labore to my Lord that the men be nat namyd till we come, for we can inffurme hym soche as be parciall be ther dedis here affore, qweche peraventure my Lord wold thynk wer indefferent i now till he be infurmyd; it may be answerid be my Lord that he will nat prosede no ferther in the mater till Arblasters comyng and myn for we can best infurme the mater.

Item, send a letter to Richard Kalle and to Sir Jamys Gloys to come up to London in any wyse. For ther is no man can do in dyvers materis that they can do in answeryng suche mater as Zelverton wyll ley a zen zow.

And also they can best mak the bill that ze schuld put a zens hem; and ther for remembre.

Item, wrythe a letter to myn suster for the C. marcs for my Lady Soffolk, for we have no verry dyrect answer of her weder sche wyll send it ar nat.

Item, speke to zowr atorney in the Kyngis benche that he take hed to all maner indytamentis both old and new and to all oder materis that hangyng ther.

Item, do Pampyng comyn with owr sperituall concell suche mater as nedyn ther. And have newe wretyn the attestacion that lakkyn. The same man that wrott the oder may wrythe that. For Zelverton mad gret avawnt that ye schuld be hyndrid in that.

Wrythe a letter to myn nevew John zonger to come up to prove the wyll.

Speke with Sir Gilberd Debenham qwill he is in cownt to leve uper Cotton.

Item, Zelverton, Howys and Worceter make meche that we have put them owt off possescyon of the lond; qweche they sey is contrary to my Lord Chanseler comandement, and in trowth Sir Jamys and Calle meche spokyn to the tenantis in my lordys name; For Zelverton thynketh that he may now breke the trete. Qwer for, take a vyse her in off M^r Tresham and of Master Staneley, and informe my Lord how my broder[274.1] qwas all way in possescion till he was put owt for the mater of bondage, and how ze fynd the colage, and qwat an hurt it wer to zow in noyse off contre iff any oder man schuld now receyve any proffitis off the londis. They will labor that indefferent men schuld receyve, and that wer nat good. My Lord may say that he will end the mater, but as for the possescyon, he will nat put zow owt. Labor this in all hast posible.

I pray yow send me an answer of all such thyngis as requirith an answere in this contre, for Arblaster purposeth to be with yow on Sonday sevenygth and I purpose to be with yow ij. dayes afore.

[Footnote 273.1: [Add. MS. 33,597, f. 8.] This is not a formal letter but a set of memoranda on a long slip of paper. It is in the handwriting of William Paston, son of the judge, and addressed to his nephew, Sir John. The date may be about April 1467. _See_ No. 663.]

[Footnote 273.2: This must be his brother John's widow, Margaret, who was in London in the spring of 1467. _See_ No. 662, p. 271.]

[Footnote 273.3: James Arblaster, a confidential friend of the family.]

[Footnote 273.4: Easter term began on the 15th April in 1467.]

[Footnote 274.1: John Paston, son of the judge. Dead in 1466.]

665

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[275.1]

[Sidenote: 1467 / APRIL]

My hand was hurte at the torney at Eltham upon Wednesday last. I would that you had been there and seen it, for it was the goodliest sight that was sene in Inglande this forty yeares of so fewe men. There was upon the one side, within, the Kinge, my Lord Scalles, myselfe, and Sellenger; and without, my Lord Chamberlyn, Sir John Woodvyle, Sir Thomas Mountgomery, and John Aparre, &c.

By your brother,

JOHN PASTON, Mil.

[Footnote 275.1: This extract from a letter of Sir John Paston to his brother is quoted in Sandford's MS. Genealogy of the Paston family, and is here reprinted from Mr. Wors.h.i.+p's article on that genealogy in the _Norfolk Archaeology_. The original letter I have not been able to find. The tournament here referred to probably took place shortly after Easter. The next letter is evidently written in reply to this.]

666

JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[275.2]

[Sidenote: 1467]

Syr, plesyth yow to weet that my modyr and I comonyd this day with Freyr Mowght to undyrstand what hys seying shall be in the coort when he cometh up to London, wheche is in this wyse:-- He seyth at syche tyme as he had shrevyn Master Brakley, and howsyllyd hym bothe, he let hym wet that he was enformyd by dyvers personys that the seyd Master Brakley owt for to be in gret consyens for syche thyngys as he had doone and seyd, and causyd my fadyr, whom G.o.d asoyle, for to do and seye also, in proving of Sir John Fastolfys wyll. To whom the seyd Mastyr Brakley answerd thus agayne: 'I am ryght glad that it comyth to yow in mynd for to meve me with thys mater in dyschargyng of my consyens ayenst G.o.d,'

seying ferther mor to the seyd Freyr Mowght, be the wey that hys sowle shold to, that the wyll that my fadyr put into the coort was as veryly Syr John Fastolfys wyll as it was trew that he shold onys deye. This was seyd on the Sonday when the seyd Brakley wend to have deyid then. On the Monday he revyvyd a yen, and was well amendyd tyll on the Wednysday, and on the Wednysday he sekyned a yen, supposyng to have dyeyd forthe with.

And in hys syknes he callyd Freyr Mowght, whyche was confessor on to hym, of hys owne mosyon, seyng on to hym in thys wyse:-- 'Syr, wher as of your owne mosyon ye mevyd me the last day to tell you aftyr my consyens of Sir John Fastolfys wyll lyek wyse as I knew, and now of myn owne mocyon, and in dischargyng of my sowle, for I know well that I may not askape, but that I must dye in hast, wharfor I desyr you that wyll report after my dethe, that I took it upon my sowle at my dying that that wyll that John Paston put in to be provyd was Syr John Fastolfys wyll.' And the seyd Brakley dyid the same Wednesdaye.

And wher as ye wold have had Rychard Calle to yow as on Sonday last past, it was thys Twyisday or I had your lettyr; and wher as it plesyth yow for to wyshe me at Eltam, at the tornay, for the good syth that was ther, by trowththe I had lever se yow onys in Caster Hall then to se as many Kyngs tornay as myght be betwyx Eltam and London.

And, syr, whar as it lyekyth yow to desyir to have knowlage how that I have don with the Lady Boleyn,[276.1] by my feythe I have don nor spokyn nowght in that mater, nor not wyll do tyll tyme that ye com hom, and ye com not thys vij. yer. Not withstandyng, the Lady Boleyn was in Norwyche in the week aftyr Estern, fro the Saterday tyll the Wednysday, and Heydons wyfe[276.2] and Mastras Alys[276.3] bothe, and I was at Caster, and wyst not of it. Hyr men seyd that she had non othyr erend to the towne but for to sport hyr; bot so G.o.d help me, I suppose that she wend I wold have ben in Norwyche for to have sen hyr dowghter. I beseche yow with all my hart hye yow hom, thow ye shold tery but a day; for I promyse yow your folk thynk that ye have forgetyn hem, and the most part of them must depart at Whytsontyd at the ferthest, they wyll no lenger abyd. And as for R. Calle, we can not get half a quarter the mony that we pay for the bare housold, besyd menys wagys. Daube nor I may no mor with owt coynage.

Your,

J. PASTON.

[Footnote 275.2: [From Fenn, iv. 330.] This letter appears by the contents to have been written more than a week after Easter. The year must be 1467, as the dispute with Yelverton touching Sir John Fastolf's will seems to have come to an end before the January following (_see_ No. 680). In 1467 Easter Day fell on 29th March.]

[Footnote 276.1: _See_ Note 2, p. 270.]

[Footnote 276.2: Anne, second daughter of Sir Geoffrey Boleyn.]