The Paston Letters Volume Ii Part 33

[Footnote 153.2: Jack Cade and his followers encamped on Blackheath on the 11th June 1450, and again from the 29th of June to the 1st July. Payn refers to the latter occasion.]

[Footnote 153.3: Sir John Fastolf (who is dead at the date of this letter) left Paston his executor, as will be seen hereafter.]

[Footnote 153.4: Jack Cade.]

[Footnote 154.1: Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter. During the civil war which followed, he adhered to the House of Lancaster, though he married Edward IV.'s sister. His herald had probably been seized by Cade's followers, and pressed into their service.]

[Footnote 154.2: Sir John Fastolf had a residence in Southwark.]

[Footnote 154.3: Robert Poynings, who, some years before this letter was written, had married Elizabeth, the sister of John Paston, was sword-bearer and carver to Cade, and was accused of creating disturbances on more than one occasion afterwards.

He was slain at the second battle of St. Albans on the 17th Feb.

1461.]

[Footnote 155.1: 'A kind of mixed grey woollen cloth, which continued in use to Elizabeth's reign.' --Halliwell.]

[Footnote 155.2: A brigandine was a coat of leather or quilted linen, with small iron plates sewed on. --_See_ Grose's _Antient Armour_. The back and breast of this coat were sometimes made separately, and called a pair.--Meyrick.]

[Footnote 155.3: Milan was famous for its manufacture of arms and armour.]

[Footnote 155.4: 'Skye or bluish grey. There was a kind of cloth so called.' --Halliwell.]

[Footnote 155.5: Budge fur.]

[Footnote 155.6: 'Frieze. A coa.r.s.e narrow cloth, formerly much in use' -- Halliwell.]

[Footnote 155.7: The battle on London Bridge was on the 5th July.]

[Footnote 156.1: Fenn gives this name 'Rosse' with two long s's, but translates it Rochester, from which I presume it was written 'Roffe' for _Roffensis_. The Bishop of Rochester's name was John Lowe.]

[[Footnote 154.3: He was slain...

_final sentence added by editor in Errata; see also note 135.1 in Volume III._]]

127

JAMES GRESHAM TO JOHN PASTON[156.2]

_To my right wors.h.i.+pfull [mai]ster John Paston at Wynchestre be this delyuered._

[Sidenote: 1450 / JULY 3]

After al due recomendacion had, I recomaunde me to yow and prey yow to wete that Heydon seweth in his accion a geynst Osebern x. _tales_ retournable xv^a. Johannis. _Ideo mittetur vel loquatur Vicecomiti Norffolk_, &c. And I suppose that as for Costardis accions thei wole have _nisi prius_, &c. As touchyng the matier of Oxened the frere[156.3]

leveth his delagacie a abideth up on our plee of profession by as meche as we sey that long to fore the writte purchaced he was professed a frere and sey not and yet is professed, &c. And Sotyll and other of your counseill thynk the law is on our syde. Brampton brought me a lettre and a clowt sowed clos with thynggis therin, and a letter endorsed to yow from my maistresse your moder, whiche I sende yow with this. The lord Moleyns man brought ij. writtes to the s.h.i.+rrefis depute of Norfolk, oon a geynst yow, myn eme[157.1] and James Gloys _quare clausum suum apud Gresham fregerunt_, &c., the othir writte a geynst yow and J. Gloys _quare vi et armis in hominis et servientes ipsius apud Gresham insultum fecerunt_, &c. And whanne the seid lord Moleyns man delyvered these wrettys, Lomnour stode be side and aspied it. And thanne the seid man desired to have ageyn the writtis, and toke hem a geyn; and whanne he had theym he seid they shuld not come in their handes a vii. nyght after. And so he kepeth theym stille. And Caly and Yates also have promysed me that ther shall no writte be retourned a geyn yow but that ye shall have copies ther of at reasonable tyme to make your avantage as the law wole, &c., to caste your esson[157.2] or suyche other, &c. Sir, I prey G.o.d yeld yow for your letter ye sent me by Lethom, whiche I receyved yistereuyn right late. Wherby I hope and conceyve that ye be in good cas for your maner of Gr[esham], for truly I was right weel comforted therof. As touchyng Skyner and his borwys the attachementes may not be wretyn but by the recordes of the reconysance, and alle the recordes of Chauncerye be at Wynchestre. _Ideo_, &c. I prey G.o.d be your good speed in all your matiers, Amen. Wretyn in hast at London the Friday next after seint Petir day.

Your servant,

J. GRESHAM.

[Footnote 156.2: [Add. MS. 34,888, f. 73.] The legal proceedings mentioned in this letter show that the year is the same as that of Gresham's other letter immediately following (No. 128).]

[Footnote 156.3: John Hauteyn.]

[Footnote 157.1: 'eme,' _i.e._ uncle.]

[Footnote 157.2: _Essoin_, a legal expression, meaning an excuse admitted for non-appearance in Court.]

128

JAMES GRESHAM TO MASTER WHITE[158.1]

_To my Maister Whyte, Esquyer, with my Lord Cardynall,[158.2] for to take to John Paston._

[Sidenote: 1450 / JULY 8]

After al due recomendacion, I recomaund me to yow, and do yow wete that this same Wednesseday I receyved your lettre whiche was wretyn on Saterday last pa.s.sed, wherby ye willed me to send yow worde of your matiers, &c. As touchyng the frere,[158.3] he abydeth in lawe up on our plee of profession, like as I sent yow word by wrytyng, whiche I sent yow in a box with other stuf by a man of the Archedeken of Rychemond.

I endorsed it thus, 'To William Plumstede, with my Lord of Winchestre,[158.4] or to John Paston.'

We shuld have amendet our plee of profession, but thanne your counseyll fereth he wolde take an issue that he is not professed, and that shuld[158.5] be tried by the certificat of the Dean of Poulys, _sede vacante_; and therfore we abide in lawe, and wole not amende our plee.

The day of th'a.s.sises in Norffolk is _die Veneris proximo post Festum Nativitatis Beatae Mariae apud Norwic.u.m_, and Costards _nisi prius_ is take owt ageynst that day, and Prentis _nisi prius_ ageynst Halman also.

As touchyng the sute ageyns Osebern and Foke, he hath geve day xv.

Johannis with x. _tales_, as I have wretyn to yow to fore this tyme; and I suppose that he wole have a _nisi prius_ of the same atte seid a.s.sises. As touchynge the fyn in the Kyngs Benche for Osebern and Foke, the fyne were cessed this terme, but I hadde no leyser to talke with Croxton ther of yet, &c. Your bedfelawe seigh bothe my other writynge and this, and he recomaundeth hym to yow, and shuld have wretyn to yow, if he had not be prevy to my writyng. Ye ar meche hold to hym, for he is diligent for yow, &c.

As touchyng Drewe Barantyn, I myght not yet speke with hym, &c.

_Circ.u.mspecte agatis_, and be war of lordis promysses, for it is tolde me in counseil ther is a writte of forcyble entre[159.1] in framyng ageynst yow.

Almyghty G.o.d be your gyde. Wretyn in hast with inne an hour after the resceyte of your lettre, at Wesminster, the Wednesseday next after Seint Thomas day.[159.2]

Yours JAMES GRE.

[Footnote 158.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter appears to have been written in the year 1450, when Gresham was in London looking after John Paston's interests in various lawsuits. Mr. White, to whom it is directed for the purpose of being conveyed to Paston, was a servant of Cardinal Kemp, who had been made Lord Chancellor in the beginning of the year. It is evident from other letters that John Paston took counsel of the Lord Chancellor's servant in his causes.]

[Footnote 158.2: Cardinal Kemp.]

[Footnote 158.3: John Hawteyn. --_See_ Nos. 46 and 63.]

[Footnote 158.4: William of Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester.]

[Footnote 158.5: The word 'it' is interlined in the original after 'shuld,' but is clearly superfluous.]

[Footnote 159.1: For Gresham?]

[Footnote 159.2: The translation of St. Thomas was on the 3rd July.]

[[die Veneris proximo _text has "aie" (Italic a for d)_]]