The Paston Letters
Chapter 238 : Item, I pray yow sende me worde howe my moodre is dysposyd to hyr wardes, and iffe so

Item, I pray yow sende me worde howe my moodre is dysposyd to hyr wardes, and iffe so weer that a good mariage myght be had, what she wolde depart with.

Item, I praye yow that ye remembre hyr for the tombe off my fadr at Bromholme, and also the chapell at Mauteby, and sende me worde how she is dysposyd her in.

Item, iff I have Caster ageyn, whethyr she wolle dwelle ther or nott, and I wyll fynde hyr a prest towardes at my charge, and geve hyr the dovehowse and other comodytes ther; and if any horsekeper on myn lye ther, I wolle paye for hys borde also, as weell as for the prestes.

Item, iff my modre sholde have a new prest, I thynk that my brother Syr J. Goos weer a metly man to be ther. He wolde also doo, as ye wolde have hym nowe, ber the cuppe evyn, as What-calle-ye-hym seyde to Aslake.

Be war of Myneres fro hense forthe, and sende me worde how ye trist Doctor Pykenham. I wolde, if he wolde doo owght for my moodre, that he hastyd the soner to paye me the C_li._, so that I myght pledge owt Sporle.

Item, as for other tydynges, the Erle of Oxenforthe is stille besegyd.

Neverthelesse, onys he issued owt, and toke a jentylman, and hant [_dragged_] hym within; but now off late he was besye, and one espyed hym, and shott at hym and strake in the verry fase with an arowe. I sye thys daye the same man, and theere I leef hym.

Iff Arblaster come to yow, ye maye see hys letter sente to hym by me, wherin I have wretyn that he scholde take yowr advyce; but I praye you, above all thynges, that me make hast so that I heer from yow ageyn by thys day vij. nyght.

At London, the xxv. daye of Novembre.

JOHN PASTON, K.

[Footnote 200-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The year in which this letter was written is clearly shown, partly by the allusions made in it to several matters mentioned in previous letters, and more especially by what is said of the Earl of Oxford. That n.o.bleman was besieged in St. Michael's Mount, Cornwall, by Sir Henry Bodrugan during October and November 1473.]

[[... and hant [_dragged_] hym within _final italic "d" misprinted as "a"_]]

844

THE TENANTS OF SPORLE TO SIR JOHN PASTON[201-1]

_To oure specyall good lord and mayster, Syr John Paston, Knyght, be this delivered in hast._

[Sidenote: Date uncertain]

Right worchepfull and oure specyall good mayster and loord, after our dewe recomendacion with owre servyce. Please it yow to knowe that we arn grevously troubled, and not lyke to kepe oure tenourys, the whiche we holde of you, but yf ye helpe us; for we wer bete at the boordourys syde, and afterwarde our servauntes wer bete at the plowe in Spoorle felde, and somme of them be lyke to dey. And we redyn to Maister Shereve and to Mayster Southwell for remedye, and thei advysed us to ryde to Mayster Wyngfeld; and thenne we understode that Mayster Wyngfeld was reden to London, &c. And so we stonden withoute remedye, and in grete doute of our lyves, and losse of our goodys. Wherfor we beseche you to socoure us accordyng to your right and owres. And ellys we kan nott abyde it, &c. Cryst kepe your good lordshep.

Be your poore tenauntes of Spoorle.

[Footnote 201-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this letter is very uncertain, but as a good deal is said about this time of the manor and wood of Sporle, we insert it here for convenience.]

845

NOTE

[Sidenote: 1474 / FEB. 9]

It appears by the Early Chancery Proceedings printed by the Record Commission (vol. i. p. xc.), that a decree was given in Chancery in Hilary term, 13 Edw. IV. compelling William Paston and other trustees to fulfil a covenant between Richard, Duke of Gloucester and Elizabeth, Countess of Oxford. On the Close Roll, 13 Edw. IV. memb. 1, is a release by William, Bishop of Ely, Sir Thomas Montgomery, John Wentworth, clk., William Paston, Esq., Roger Townesend and Jas. Arblaster to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, of all their right in Ocle Magna and Parva, etc., in Ess.e.x, which they have by enfeoffment of Eliz., Countess of Oxford, and in other manors in Norfolk and Suffolk which they lately had of the gift of the same. This release is dated 9th Feb. 13 Edw. IV., and was acknowledged in Chancery on the 11th Feb. Below it are enrolled three other deeds by the Countess and her feoffees to the Duke, dated 9th June, 12 Edw. IV., and acknowledged in Chancery, 25th June, 14 Edw. IV.

846

SIR JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[203-1]

_Mestresse Margrett Paston, at Norwyche._

[Sidenote: 1474 / FEB. 20]

Ryght honorable and most tendr good moodr, I recomand me to yowe, besechyng yow to have, as my tryst is that I have, yowr dayly blessyng; and thanke yow off yowr good moderhood, kyndenesse, cheer, charge, and costes, whyche I had, and putte yow to, att my last beyng with yow, whyche G.o.d gyffe me grace her afftr to deserve!

Please it yow to weet, that I thynge longe that I heer nott ffrom yow or ffrom Pekok yowr servaunt, ffor the knowlege howe he hathe doon in the sale off my fferme barlye, ner whatt is made theroff; wherffor I beseche yowe, if it be not answeryd by that tyme that thys bylle cormythe to yowe, to hast hym and itt hyddre wards; ffor iff that had nott taryed me, I deme I had been at Caleys by thys daye; ffor it is soo, as men seye, that the Frense Kynge with a gret hoste is at Amyans, but iij^xx.

myle from Caleys; and iff he, or hys, roode byffor Caleys, and I nott theer, I wolde be sorye.

Item, men seye that the Erle of Oxenfford hathe ben constreynyd to sewe ffor hys pardon only off hys lyffe; and hys body, goodes, londes, with all the remenaunt, at the Kynges wyll, and soo sholde in all haste nowe come in to the Kyng; and some men seye that he is goon owt off the Mounte,[203-2] men wot not to what plase, and yit lefte a greet garnyson theer, weell ffornysshyd in vytayll, and all other thynge.

Item, as ffor the havyng ageyn off Castre, I trust to have good tydyngs theroff hastelye.

Item, my brother John ffarethe weell, and hathe doon ryght delygentlye in my cosyn Elizabet Berneys mater, wheroff hastely I trust he shall sende hyr tydyngs that schall please hyr; and as to morow he purposyth to take hys jurneye to Walys warde to the Lorde Ryverse. No mor at thys tyme, but Jeswe have yow in Hys kepyng.

Wretyn at London the xx. daye off Feverer, Anno E. iiij^ti xiij^{o}.

Yowr sone,

J. PASTON, K.

[Footnote 203-1: [From Fenn, ii. 154.]]

[Footnote 203-2: St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall.]

847

LORD HASTINGS TO JOHN PASTON[204-1]

_To my right trusty and welbeloved servaunt, John Paston, Squier._

[Sidenote: 1474(?) / APRIL 26]

John Paston, I recommaunde me unto you. And whereas I appointed and desired you to goo over unto Guysnes to yeve youre attendaunce and a.s.sistaunce upon my brother Sir Rauf Hastings in all suche things as concerne the suretie and defense of the Castell of Guysnes during his infirmyties; it is shewed unto me that ye have full truely and diligently acquyted you unto my saide brother, in all his besynesses sithe your comyng thider. Whereof I thanke you hertly. And as I conceive to my grete comfort and gladnesse, my saide brother is wele recovered and amended, thanked be G.o.d. And soo I truste he may nowe spare you.

Wherupon I have writen unto him, if he may soo doo, to licence you to come over unto me ayen. Wherefore I woll and desire you, th'a.s.sent of my saide brother had, to dispose you to come over in all goodly haste, as well for suche grete maters, as I fele by youre ffrends, ye have to doo here, as to yeve youre attendaunce upon me. And your retourne ye shall be to my welcome.

From London, the xxvj. day of Avrill.

[204-2]I pray you in no wise to depart as yet without my brother Roaf asent and agrement; and recommaund me to my syster, all my nieces, to the constabyll, and to all Ryves [_reeves_].

Your tru frend,

HASTYNGES.

[Footnote 204-1: [From Fenn, ii. 296.] I cannot discover in what year John Paston could have been staying at Guisnes during the month of April at the request of Lord Hastings, unless it was in the year 1474. There seems no other probable year in which we have not distinct evidence of his being elsewhere.]

[Footnote 204-2: This postscript is in the writer's own hand, the preceding part of the letter being in that of a clerk. A fac-simile of the postscript is given by Fenn.]