The Paston Letters
Chapter 266 : WYLL'M PASTON, Jun^{r}.[Footnote 7-2: [From Fenn, i. 296.] This letter was writte

WYLL'M PASTON, Jun^{r}.

[Footnote 7-2: [From Fenn, i. 296.] This letter was written on the 23rd of February, and the Monday following the date was the first Monday of Lent. These particulars prove the letter to have been written in 1479, when William Paston was between nineteen and twenty years of age.]

[Footnote 8-1: I am favoured by Lady Beatrice Pretyman with a facsimile of this Latin theme and distich from the original MS. My reading of the contracted words differs from that printed originally by Fenn.]

[[but hyr moder and sche come to a place of hyrs _text has "sch come": corrected from Fenn_]]

943

PARSONAGE OF OXNEAD[9-1]

[Sidenote: 1479]

Memorandum.--The day that the lapse went out, which is such day vj.

monethes as the seid parson died, was on Tewesday, Our Lady Day, the Nativite, the viij^te day of Septembre last past, anno xviij^o.

The day of vj. monethes affter Our seide Lady Day, the Nativite was on Seint Mathes Day[9-2] the Apostell, last past, whiche was the xxiiij.

day of Februare, and so I deme eyther the Bisshoppe of Norwiche hath presented or els it is in the gifft of my Lord Cardinall[9-3] nowe.

Inquere this mater, for the Bisshoppe of Norwich lythe in London, and shall doo till Our Ladys Day this Lenton, as it is said here.

My moder delivered Sir William Holle his presentacion the xiij. day of August, anno xviij^o, which was nere a monethe or the day of the vj.

monethes went out and past. Wherfore the Bisshoppe ought to present my moders clarke. Neverthelesse the Bisshoppys officeres aunsware this sayng, that if sondry persones deliver ij. sondrye presentacions for to diverse clarkes to the Bisshoppes officers for one benefice, that then the seid partyes shuld sue to the Bisshop at ther cost to have out an inquerre to inquere _de vero patrono_, sayng forther more, that if they sue nat out this inquerre with affect, and that the lapse fall, than it is lefull for the Bisshop to present, and it is told me that the lawe is this, that the Bisshoppe, be his office with out any sute of the parties, shall call an inquerre afore hym to inquere _de vero patrono_, and he shall a.s.sign them a day to bryng in a verdett, and he shall warne bothe partyes to be ther at, and he shall amytte his clarke that is founde patron.

Yet the Bisshopp useth nat to do this, but there as bothe partyes that present are myghty [and wher as he thynketh it were a jopardy to hym][10-1] to sue the Bisshoppe if he did them any wrong, and wher as ther is a doubtable mater; but in this case the prest that troubleth my moder is but a simple felowe, and he is _appostata_, for he was somtyme a White Frere, and of simple repetacyon, and of litill substans, as my moder can tell, wherfore Bisshoppys use nat in suche litill casys to take so streyte an inquerre, and specyally wher as one hath contynued patron with out interupcion so long as my moder hath done, for she hath contynued more than l. wynter; wherfore I pray yow shewe my cousyn Lovell this bill, and fynde some meanes to intrete the Bisshopp by the meane of James Hobard,[10-2] which is grete with the Bisshopp, and is nowe Reder of Lyncoln Inne this Lent. And late my lady speke to James Hobard in the mater. If it please my moder ther is a prest callde Sir ----[10-3] which is thought by the tenauntes of Oxned a metely man to be parson ther; the most thyng that I dowte, bicause Sir William Holle, whom my moder presented, is ronne away, and if the Bisshop will nat present my moders clarke in her t.i.tle, than I wold that the labour myght be made to the Bisshopp, that he myght present my moders clarke, suche on as shoe will name, in his one t.i.tle.

Ric. Lee, like as ze may understand be this writing, where as I understod that the Bisshopp myght have kept the benefice but vj.

monethes after the patrons vj. monethes war worn out, now I understand the contrary, for I understand he may kepe it a twelmo[nethe] and a day ... . [_several lines lost_] ... ...

Also, if ze knew any yong preste in London that setteth billis upon Powlys dorr per aventure wold be glad to have it, and woll be glad also to serve my lady and my moder for it for a season, I can no more say but purvay a mean to the Bisshopp, that som mon may be put in by my moders t.i.tle.

... . . of the consistore in Norwich, and he hath a broder in the Tower, is master of the Mynt under Brice, called Bartilmew Rede, and a nother broder is a goold smyth dwellyng in the Chepe Side called ------[11-1] Reede. And he is eyther loged with on of these, his breder, or els at the Jorge in Lumbard Strete, or els at the c.o.k and the Bell at Billinges gate, a brue hous, for the sei[d] gold smyth hath maried a bruewyf, and kepeth the brue hous, (?) and he can good skylle to helpe in this mater of the benefice of Oxned.

Also, Ric. Lee, who so ever shalbe [presented to the] benefice of Oxned, he muste tell hym, I must pay xiiij. marc to the frutes, and ther for shall he have [da]yes of payment to pay a marc azey[n] if he d[o] gete hym frendschip. And also, Richard, at the makyng of this letter I mend (?) to have ben sure (?) ... ... and now I in na ... . . for if it please my moder, me thynke it was well done, Sir William Storor had ... .

[_The rest unintelligible._]

[Footnote 9-1: [Add. Charter 17,251, B.M.] It is sufficiently evident that the date of this paper must be later than the 24th February, 1479. It appears to be a set of memoranda or instructions by William Paston, addressed to his servant Richard Lee. The MS. is a small roll of paper very mutilated and partly illegible from the effect of damp.]

[Footnote 9-2: St. Matthias' Day (not St. Matthew's) is meant.]

[Footnote 9-3: Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury.]

[Footnote 10-1: Crossed out in MS.]

[Footnote 10-2: Afterwards Attorney-General to Henry VII. He was Reader of Lincoln's Inn in Lent, 18 Edward IV.]

[Footnote 10-3: Blank in MS.]

[Footnote 11-1: Blank in original.]

944

EDMUND ALYARD TO MARGARET PASTON[11-2]

_To his worshepful mastres, Mastres Margaret Paston._

[Sidenote: 1479 / MARCH 4]

Right worshepful mastres, I recommande me unto yow as lowly as I kan, thankyng yow for your goodnes at all tymis; G.o.d graunt me to deserve it, and do that may plese yow.

As for your son Water, his labor and lernyng hathe be, and is, yn the Faculte of Art, and is well sped there yn, and may be Bacheler at soche tyme as shall lyke yow, and then to go to lawe. I kan thynk it to his preferryng, but it is not good he know it on to the tyme he shal chaunge; and as I conceyve ther shal non have that exibeshyon to the Faculte of Lawe. Therfore meve ze the executores that at soche tyme as he shal leve it, ye may put a nother yn his place, soche as shal lyke you to prefer. If he shal go to law, and be made Bacheler of Art be fore, and ye wolle have hym hom this yere, then may he be Bacheler at Mydsomor, and be with yow yn the vacacion, and go to lawe at Mihelmas.

Qwhat it shal lyke yow to commande me yn this or eny odir, ye shal have myn service redy.

I pray yow be the next masenger to send me your entent, that swech as shal be necessary may be purveyid yn seson. And Jesu preserve yow.

At Oxinforth, the iiij. day of March.

Your scoler,

EDMUND ALYARD.

[Footnote 11-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] It appears by subsequent letters that Walter Paston actually took a degree at Oxford at Midsummer, and it will be seen by next letter, which is dated by its endors.e.m.e.nt, that he must have done so in 1479--the year of his death.]

945

WALTER PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[12-1]

_To hys ryth reverend broder, Sir John Paston, at Caster Hall, in Norfolk._

[Sidenote: 1479 / MAY 22]

After all dw reverens and recomendacions, likyth yt yow to understond that I reseyvyd a letter fro my broder John, where by I understod that my moder and yow wold know what the costes of my procedyng schold be.

I sent a letter to my broder John, certyfyyng my costes, and the causys why that I wold procede; but as I have sent word to my moder, I purpose to tary now tyll yt be Mychylmas, for yf I tary tyll than, sum of my costys schall be payyd; for I supposed, whan that I sent the letter to my broder John, that the Qwenys broder[12-2] schold have procedyd at Mydsomer, but he woll tary now tyll Michylmas; but as I send word to my moder, I wold be Inceptor be fore Mydsomer, and there fore I besechyd her to send me sum mony, for yt woll be sum cost to me, but not mych.

And, syr, I besech yow to send me word what answer ye have of the Buschopp of Wynchester for that mater whych ye spak to hym of for me whan I was with yow at London. I thowth for to have had word there of or thys tyme. I wold yt wold come, for owr fyndyng of the Buschopp of Norwych begynnyth to be slake in payment. And yf ye know not whath thys term menyth, 'Inceptor,' Master Edmund, that was my rewler at Oxforth, berar here of, kan tell yow, or ellys any oder gradwat.

Also I pray yow send me word what ys do with the hors I left at Totnam, and whyder the man be content that I had yt of, or nat. Jesu preserve yow to Hys pleswre and to yowr most hartys desyyr.

Wretyn at Oxforth, the Sat.u.r.day next after Ascensyon of Yowr Lord.

WALTER PASTON.

[Footnote 12-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is endorsed in a contemporary hand, apparently Sir John Paston's own, 'anno xix^o,' showing that it was written in the nineteenth year of Edward IV.]

[Footnote 12-2: Lionel Woodville, afterwards Bishop of Salisbury.]