The Paston Letters Volume Iv Part 57

And asfor any wryghtyng fro the Kyng, he hathe promysyd that there schall come non; and if ther do his unwarys [_without his knowledge_], yowr answer may be thys, how the Kyng hathe seyd, and so to delay them tyll I may have worde, and I schall sone purvey a remedy.

I understond that ye have ben with my Lorde of Norfolke now of late.

What ze have done I wete not; we se that he shal be her ageyn thys daye.

Mor ovyr, I trow John Alforde schall not longe abyde with my Lorde; I schall sende yow tydyng of other thyngys in haste, with the grace of G.o.d, who, &c. Wretyn on Wednysday nexte befor Seynt Martyn.

JOHN PASTON.

I fer that Dawbeney is not alther best storyd to contenew howsold longe; lete hym send me worde in hast, and I wyll releve hym to my power, and or longe to I hope to be with yow.

Roger Ree is scheryff of Norfolke, and he schall be good jnow.

Th'excheter I am not yit a.s.sertaynyd of.

Also, that thes men be at the begynnyng entretyd as corteysly as ye can.

Also, I pray yow to sende me my flowr[307.1] be the next ma.s.sanger that comyth.

Also, as for my Lorde Fytz Waters oblygacion, I know non suche in myn adward as yit.

Also, the obligacion of the Bisshop of Norwychys oblygacion, I never sye it that I remembre; wherfor I wolde and prey my modre to loke it up.

Also, as for the Byble[307.2] that the master hath, I wend the uttermost pryse had not pa.s.syd v. mark, and so I trowe he wyl geve it: wet, I pray yow.

Also, as for Syr Wylliam Barber and Syr Wylliam Falyate, I wolde, if they kan purvey for them selfe, folfayne be dyschargyd of them.

[Footnote 306.1: [From Fenn, iv. 302.] The original of this letter, Fenn informs us, was written upon a whole sheet of paper, of which a quarter was cut away before the letter was finished, so that the bottom part of it was only half the width of the upper.

Roger Ree was made Sheriff of Norfolk in 1468, which fixes the date.]

[Footnote 307.1: This may mean flour for household use; or it may signify his flower, his device or cognisance.--F.]

[Footnote 307.2: This must mean some MS. copy, for at this time there was only one printed edition of the Bible, which would have sold even then for a much greater sum than is here mentioned.

I mean 'Biblia Latina Mogunt. per J. Fust et P. Schoiffer, 1462.' --F.]

692

ELIZABETH POYNINGS TO SIR JOHN PASTON[308.1]

_To the wors.h.i.+pful Sir John Paston, Knyght, be thys delveryd in hast._

[Sidenote: 1468(?) / DEC. 15]

Wors.h.i.+pfull and with all myn hert interly wilbeloved nevoue, I recomaunde me to yow, desyryng to here of your prosperite and wilefayr, which I pray All mighti G.o.d maynteyn and encres to His plesour and your herts desir, thankyng G.o.d of your amendyng and helth; furthermore, certefying yow that Sir Robert Fenys hath doon grete hurte in the lyvelode whiche perteyned to my husbond and me in the s.h.i.+re of Kent, wherein William Kene and other persones arn enfeffid, and gretly troubleth hit, and receyveth the issuez and profitez of gret part of theym. And as of my seid husbonds lyvelode, aswell in the same s.h.i.+re as in other s.h.i.+rez, besyde myn jounter, my seid husbond, whan he departyd towarde the feld of Saint Albons, made and ordeyned his wille, that I shuld have the rewell of all his lyvelode, and of Edwarde his soon and myn, and to take the issuez and profitez of the seid lyvelode, to the fyndyng of his and myn seid son, to paie his dettez, and to kepe the right and t.i.tle of the same lyvelode, which I myght nat accordyng occupie for Sir Edwarde Ponyngs, myn seid husbonds brother; and so sith myn seid husbonds departyng, I a.s.signed that the seid Sir Edwarde for certeyn yereez shuld have and take the revenuez of the maners of Westwode, Estwell, Levelond, Horsmonden, Totyndon, Eccles, Staundon, and Combesdon, parcell of the seid lyvelode, which arn clerely yerely worth lxxvj_li._ xiij_s._ iiij_d._, to the entent that the seid Sir Edwarde shuld paye myn husbonds dettez, for he wold not suffer me to be in rest without that he myght have a rewell in the lyvelode; and after the seid a.s.signement made, the seid Robert Fenes, contrary to trowth, and withoute cause of right, interupted me and the seid Sir Edwarde, aswell of and in the seid maners as of other maners undirwretyn; wher uppon the same Sir Edwarde suet unto the Kyngs Highnesse, and hade the Kyngez honorable lettres undir his signet, directed to the said Sir Robert Fenys, the tenour wherof I send unto yow herin inclosid; and as for residue of the lyvelode of myn seid husbonds and myn, within the same s.h.i.+re of Kent, wherin the said William Kene and other arn enfeffed, that is to say, the maner of Tyrlyngham, Wolverton, Halton, Newyngton, Bastram, Rokesley, and Northcray, with th'appurtenauncez, I of them, by myn seid husbonds wille, shuld have residue, and take the issuez and profitez of theym, contrarye to right and conciens, takyng away my ryght, and brekyng my said husbonds wille, the seid Robert Fenys hath doon gret wast and hurte ther, and long tym hath take upe the revenuez and profitez of the same, wher thorough I have not my ryght, and the seid wille may not be performed.

Wherfor I hertely pray yow that ze will labour unto the Kynges Highnes, at yt lyketh hym addres his honorable lettres to be directed to the seid Robert Fenys, dischargyng hym utterly of the menuraunce, occupacion, and receyt of the revenuez of the said maners of Tyrlyngham and other, accordyng to the tenour of the lettres labored by Sir Edwarde, for the maners a.s.signed to hym from the Kyngs Highnes, directyd to the same Robert Fynes, or strayter if hit may be, and that I and myn a.s.signez may pea.s.seble rejoie theym; and if eny person wold attempt to do the contrarye, that a comaundement, yf it ples the Kyngs Hignes, by hym myght be yevyn to my Lorde Chaunceller to seall writtyngs sufficiaunt with his gret seall, in eydyng and a.s.sisting me and myn a.s.signez in this same.

And as for the maners of Esthall, Faukham, a.s.slie, and Chelsfeld, with th'appurtenauntez in the seid schire of Kent, whereof my hysbond at his departur was sea.s.sed, and my son sethens, unto the tyme that the Erle of Kent[310.1] without eny inquission or t.i.tle of right for the Kyng, by colour of the Kynges lettres patentes, entret into theym, and hym therof put owte, and now my Lorde of Ess.e.x[310.2] occupieth them in lyke maner and forme; yf eny remedy therin wilbe hade, I pray yow attempt hit.

Also, forther more, I hertely pray yow that if eny generall pardon be grauntyd, that I may have on for John Dane my servaunt, whom the said Robert Fenys of gret malice hath endyted of felonye, and that ze secretly labour this, and send me an aunswer in writtyng in as G.o.dly hast as ze may. As soon as that may ples yow to send me pa.s.sels of costes and expences ze bere and pay for the said causez, I will truely content yow hit of the same, and over that rewarde yow to your plessour by the grace of Jesu, quo have yow in His blessed keping. Wrettyn in Suthwerk the xv^th daie of Decembyr.

Be your awnt,

ELIZABETH PONYNGS.

[Footnote 308.1: [From Fenn, iv. 266.] Elizabeth Paston, as we have seen (No. 374), had married Robert Poynings by the beginning of January 1459. We must, however, correct a slight inaccuracy in the preliminary note to that letter, where it is said that by the year 1470 they must have been married several years. Their union, in fact, lasted little more than two years; for Robert Poynings was slain at the second battle of St. Albans on the 17th February 1461. The inquisition _post mortem_, taken some years afterwards (9 and 10 Edw. IV., No. 49), gives that day as the date of his death. His son and heir, Edward, named in this letter (who was afterwards Lord-Deputy of Ireland in the reign of Henry VII.), was probably born towards the close of the year 1459, for he is mentioned at the date of the inquisition (31st Jan. 49 and 1 Hen.

VI., _i.e._ 1471) as eleven years old and over. Elizabeth Poynings must have remained a widow some years; but before 1472 she had married Sir George Browne of Betchworth, Surrey. This letter is certainly of later date than No. 627, for the lands which she was then endeavouring to recover from the Earl of Kent were now occupied by the Earl of Ess.e.x. It may perhaps have been a year or two after 1466, but it was probably not later than 1469, as in 1470 Henry VI. was restored, and Ess.e.x, being a Yorkist, would not have been so powerful. The year 1468 must be a tolerable approximation to the true date.]

[Footnote 310.1: Edmund Grey, Lord Grey of Ruthin, and Baron Hastings, who was created Earl of Kent in 1465.]

[Footnote 310.2: Henry, Viscount Bourchier, created Earl of Ess.e.x in 1461.]

693

ABSTRACT[311.1]

THE KING TO SIR ROBERT FYNYS

[Sidenote: 1468]

Commanding him not to levy the rents of Westwode, Estwell, Levelond, Horsmonden, Totyngdon, Eccles, Stondon, and Comebesdane in Kent.

[This was evidently the copy of the writ obtained by Sir Edward Poynings referred to in the preceding letter. Below is written, 'The copie of the lettre myssyve endossid by the Kynges awn handes.']

[Footnote 311.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

694

SIR GEORGE BROWNE TO JOHN PASTON[311.2]

_To my trusty and welbelowyd cosyn, Jhon Paston, Esquyer, in haste._

[Sidenote: Date uncertain]

Loyawlte Ayme.

Be zowr howne

G. BROWNE.

Hyt schal newyr c.u.m howt for me.

[Footnote 311.2: [From Fenn, iv. 100.] The writer of this brief and enigmatical letter was the second husband of Elizabeth Paston, as mentioned in the preliminary note to No. 692 preceding. If the John Paston, Esquire, to whom it is addressed be the first of that name, that is to say, Elizabeth Paston's brother, the date is not later than 1466; but as it was certainly some years later before the writer became connected with the Pastons by marriage, the person addressed is more probably John Paston the youngest, brother of Sir John. The date of this communication, however, is unimportant. Its purport, of which Fenn has suggested rather a complicated explanation, appears to me simply a promise of secrecy on some subject: '_Loyaute, aime_ (_i.e._ Honour bright, my dear friend). It shall never come out for me.']

END OF VOLUME IV