The Paston Letters
Chapter 298 : WYLLIAM PASTON.[Footnote 143-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter refers to Henry V

WYLLIAM PASTON.

[Footnote 143-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter refers to Henry VII.'s proposed invasion of France, which, after long preparation, actually took place in October 1492.]

[Footnote 143-3: William Yelverton, the grandson of the Judge, who married Anne Paston, the writer's sister.]

[Footnote 144-1: The Earl of Oxford.]

[Footnote 145-1: William Paston the elder.]

[[Hys Grace for hors, harnese, tents, _text reads "or hors": corrected from Fenn_]]

1054

ROGER L'ESTRANGE TO SIR JOHN PASTON[145-2]

_To the ryth worchypfull Syr John Paston, Knyth, be thys delyveryd._

[Sidenote: 1492 / APRIL 16]

Mastyr Paston, I recomawnd me to yow. Syr, so it is that I am not yet purveyd of men to my nowmbyr of archers, suych as chold go hovyr see with me; wer for, syr, I be ceche yow that it wold plese yow at thys tyme to do so mych for me as to a purveyd me of ij. or iij., such as ye thynk chold be for me.

Syr, I undyrstond Syr Tery Robstertt lyth but lyttyll from yow, were, as I trow, he myde help me of j. by yowyr menys, and as for ther wages, they xall have the Kynges wages and some what elles, so that I trost that they xall be plessyd. Syr, I be cech yow to tak the peyne for me at thys tyme, and I xall do yow that servys that lyth in me, by the grace of Jesu, Ho preserve you.

On Monday next aftyr Palme Sonday, by yowyr howne to hys pouyr,

ROGER LESTRAUNGE.

Syr, I be sech yow that thys byll may recomawnd me on to my lady,[146-1]

and I trost I xall a wayt on you sone on Estyr.

[Footnote 145-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is probably of the year 1492, when the King was going over to France. But there are other occasions, both earlier and later, on one of which it might have been written.]

[Footnote 146-1: Probably Margaret, first wife of the Earl of Oxford.]

1055

WILLIAM BARNARD TO WILLIAM PASTON[146-2]

_To his right wurchipfull master, William Paston, and Mr. Deryk dwellyng with my Lord of Oxinford, this lettir be delyvered in hast._

[Sidenote: About 1492]

Right wurchipfull Maister William Paston, with myn good Lord of Oxinford, and myn welbelovyd Mr. Deryk, I recomaund me on to you. And it is soo that I kepe a prisoner of my lordis to answer to William Greve, maryner of Gret Yermouth, the wiche he brought hym to me by my lordis auctorite of a warand from Bell Key; and the seid William Greve chargid me with his prisoner, named Phillyp Barbour, and chargid me with hym for x_li._, and so I kepe hym, and have kept hym this ij. yer and an half.

And I have aftyr and many tymes askyd and requyred of the seid William Greve of mony for his bord, for he promysid and appoynted with me for every weke ij_s._, and I to take charge for to answer hym of hys prysoner aforseid; and so I have be chargith with hym ij. yeris and an half to my gret cost and charge, and nowh the seid William Greve intendith to pay me noon mony, b.u.t.t he is a bowght to remeve the prysoner by a pryvy seall to abarre me from myn mony. Wher I am enformyd that noon prysoner of my lordis shuld nat be remevyd out of my lordis pryson, nor crafftid so out of pryson till he had answerd ther to seche causes as he lyth fore, and specially for alle suche costis and chargis as his kepar is charged for hym for his costis of exspensis; and that doon, I woll be redy to delyver hym to the seid William Greve [to] pay me for his costis as it shalbe demyd with reason. Besechynd and prayeng you bothen too to be so good ma[istris unto] me that ye woll shewe this mater on to my lord, and to knowe my lordis meend whedyr it shall please hym that I shall delyver hym by a pryvy seall in this causis or nay, for the bryngar herof is the prysoner. And if it be my lordis mend that the prysoner shall appere to that pryvy seall, that it woll plese my lord to be so good and gracyous lord on to the prysoner to send hym to his councell to London, to tendyr this mater for the pore prysoner, and to consydre the gret losse that the seid William Greve intendith to putto his servaunt William Barnard, marchall and kepar of [my] lordis gayle in Yermouth, and servaunt [to?] Robert Crowmer, depute for my lord in the partyes of Norffolk and Suffolk. I shuld a browte up my silf, but we be now in gret besynes in kepyng of my lordis honorabyll courtis in Norffolk and Suffolk.

Wretyn the last day of Aprill.

By your,

WILLIAM BARNARD,

that I can or may.

[Footnote 146-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this letter is very uncertain, but it is probably about the year 1492, as William Paston does not seem to have been in the Earl of Oxford's service many years before or after that date.]

1056

EDMUND PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[148-1]

_To the ryght wurshupfull Sir John Paston, Knyght, be this delyvered._

[Sidenote: Before 1493]

Ryght wurshypfull Sir, I recomawnd me to zow. As zesterday I was with my cosyn Clere;[148-2] he lythe at Borow, and my mastres hys wyveffe,[148-3] be cause the plage reygnyth at Ormysby. And so of hys own mocyon he mevyd to me of the maryage of my nevew zour soon, and as glad foolkes woold be to bargayn as ever ze wyste, and soo hathe shewyd me that ze shuld have as myche as Sir E. Bedyngfelld, whyche was v. C.

marke. Moore over he shewyd that he woold depart with it to Sir Roger T.[148-4] or to Harry Colett, whyche he shewyd ze woold not of, but to have the mony at zour dysposyssyon; and me semys be hys report that he knowyth well that yf ze delle with Sir H. H.,[148-5] he wyll be in a suerte that the mony that he shuld depart with shuld goo to the redemyng of zour landes, and other zowr dawngeres. More over he shewyd me that the mony whyche ze skyftyd of H. Colett was th[oug]ht be Sir Harry H.

that Sir R. Townesend shuld have ben contentte with it, whyche is knowyn the contrary, and causyd hym to geve delay in that be halffe to zow.

I know well this jantylman berythe zow as good mynde as any man alyve, my mastres hys mother,[148-7] and allso my mastres hys wyve in lyeke wyesse; and me semys he makys not the dowghttes to delyver zow hys mony that other men do of the delyverye of thers. Foor trowthe, he shewythe me hys mynde, whyche is thus: yf ze wyll putt lande in feffement for zeres, to the full contentacyon of Townesend, Colett, and of my uncle, whyche he and all men thynke ze muste be charged to, or ever ze goo thorow, and that zour next frendes have the receyte of it tyll it be full contente and payed, thus, or suche a suer weye to be had for the well of all parteys, I darre say he is not alyve wyll indevour hym with better wyll to deele with zow, and, as my mynde servys me, streytte hymsylffe, as it may be booryn, be syde my mastes hys modyrs v. C. My mastres hys wyffe, on my feythe I darr say, the moste harty body to zow wordes in this be halffe that is alyve, and the fayneeste body woold be to have it accomplyshyd.

Syr, I thenke ze be to wardes London, and well I woot zowre mynde is to ease zour sylffe as hastely as ze may; I pray G.o.d ze do to zour honur, and to zour moste well to gederys.

Marchandes or new jantylmen I deme wyll proferr large; noon other dyspreysed, ze know the contynewance of this man, and how he is alyed.

Well I woott yf ze depart to London, ze shall have proferes large; yf zour jornay be not but to ease yow in that be halfe, be my poor avyce slake for iij. or iiij. days, for ever me semys I shuld not have ben brokyn to so largely, but that they entende it hastely to say to zow.

Sythe I was ther, I undyr stande yf it had not happyd me to have seyne them as zester day, she wold this day have made her cowntenance to have seyn her nes, Bothas (?) dowter, wyche is at Pallynges for fere of the plage, and have comyn seyne [_come and seen_] my wyffve, and specyally to have de syrid us to meve zow towardes them, and in trowthe so she ha.s.se.

I pray G.o.d ze do as well to zour honur as I woold do my sylfe. Yf ze wyll tery thys lytell season be foor rehersyd, yf ze lyste, I woott well ze may have the mater moor largely comyned; and yf ze tary tyll Monday, I wyll awayte on zow to Hynengham, with G.o.des grace, Who ever preserve zow and zours.

Your,

E. PASTON.

[Footnote 148-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter cannot be later than the year 1493, as Sir Roger Townsend died on the 9th December in that year (Inq. p. m. 10 Hen. VII., No. 170). Moreover the will of Elizabeth Clere of Ormesby was proved, according to Blomefield, on the 6th March 1492-3. But as Sir John Paston's eldest son was only born in 1478, the date is not likely to be many years earlier.]

[Footnote 148-2: Sir Robert Clere of Ormesby.]

[Footnote 148-3: Probably his first wife Anne, daughter of Sir William Hopton. His second was Alice, daughter of Sir William Boleyn.]

[Footnote 148-4: Townsend.]

[Footnote 148-5: Sir Henry Heydon.]

[Footnote 148-7: Elizabeth, widow of Robert Clere of Ormesby, the father of Sir Robert. She was the daughter of Thomas Owydale, Uvedale, or Dovedale, of Tacolneston, in Norfolk.]

[[Footnote and tag 148-7 _there is no note 148-6: numbering retained for cross-references_]]

1057