The Paston Letters
Chapter 224 : M. P.[Footnote 134-1: [From Fenn, iv. 424.] As antic.i.p.ated in the preceding letter

M. P.

[Footnote 134-1: [From Fenn, iv. 424.] As antic.i.p.ated in the preceding letter we here find that steps are being taken by one of the two women whose husbands were killed at the siege of Caister, to prosecute the appeal against Sir John for her husband's death.

The other woman, as will be seen by Letter 783, had married again during the year 1471, and was thus disqualified from pursuing the same course.]

[Footnote 134-2: Estreats delivered to the Sheriff out of the Exchequer, to be levied in his county under the Seal of that Court, made in green wax, were from thence called green wax.--F.]

[Footnote 135-1: Master Roger was, I suppose, some leech famous for his syrups, etc.--F.]

[[C. _s._ .... v. _s._ _anomalous s.p.a.cing unchanged_]]

798

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[135-2]

_A Johan Paston, Esquier, soit done._

[Sidenote: 1472 / FEB. 17]

Brother, I comande me to yow, and praye yow to loke uppe my _Temple of Gla.s.se_,[135-3] and send it me by the berer herof.

Item, as for tydyngs, I have spoken with Mestresse Anne Hault, at a praty leyser, and, blyssyd be G.o.d, we be as ffer fforthe as we weer toffoor, and so I hoope we schall contenew; and I promysed hyr, that at the next leyser that I kowd ffynde therto that I wolde come ageyn and see hyr; whyche wyll take a leyser as [I] deeme now; syn thys observance is over doon, I purpose nott to tempte G.o.d noo moor soo.

Yisterday the Kynge, the Qween, my Lordes of Claraunce and Glowcester, wente to Scheen to pardon; men sey, nott alle in cheryte; what wyll falle, men can nott seye.

The Kynge entretyth my Lorde off Clarance ffor my Lorde of Glowcester; and, as itt is seyde, he answerythe, that he may weell have my Ladye hys suster in lawe, b.u.t.t they schall parte no lyvelod, as he seythe; so what wyll falle can I nott seye.

Thys daye I purpose to see my Lady off Norffolk ageyn, in goode howr be it!

Ther is proferyd me marchaunts ffor Sporle woode. G.o.d sende me goode sale whan I be gynne; that poor woode is soor manashed and thrett.

Yitt woote I nott whether I come home beffoor Esterne or nott, I schall sende yow worde. No moor, &c.

Wretyn the ffyrst Tewesdaye off Lenton.

JOHN PASTON, K.

[Footnote 135-2: [From Fenn, ii. 90.] After the death of Prince Edward, the son of Henry VI., who is said to have been murdered just after the Battle of Tewkesbury in May 1471, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, married his widow Anne, who was the daughter of Warwick the Kingmaker. The reference to the proposed sale of Sporle wood goes further to fix the date. _See_ Letter 793, and Nos. 819 and 820 following.]

[Footnote 135-3: A poem of Lydgate's.]

799

ABSTRACT[136-1]

[Sidenote: 1472 / APRIL 10]

Norfolk and Suffolk Deeds, No. 38.--'Relaxatio Johannis Paston facta Willielmo Wainflet et aliis totius juris in manerio vocat' Pedham Hall in Beyton, etc., in omnibus terris, tenementis, redditibus, etc., in villis de Beyton, Akle, Birlingham, et Hykling, quae quondam fuerunt Johannis Fastolf.--April 10, Edw. IV., 12.'--There is a similar deed of the same date including the manor of t.i.tchwell, numbered 't.i.tchwell, 5,'

in the collection.

[Footnote 136-1: [From MS. Index in Magd. Coll., Oxford.]]

800

SIR JOHN PASTON TO HIS BROTHER, JOHN PASTON[136-2]

_To Master John Paston, or to my mestresse, hys Modre, be this letter delyveryd in hast._

[Sidenote: 1472 / APRIL 30]

Brother, I comand me to yow[136-3] . . . .

By Juddy I sende yow a letter by Corby with in iiij. dayes byffor thys; and ther with ij. potts off oyle for saladys, whyche oyle was goode as myght be when I delyveryd itt, and schall be goode at the reseyvynge, iff it be nott mysse handelyd, nor mysse karryd.

Item, as ffor tydyngs, the Erle of Northomberlonde is hoome in to the Northe, and my Lord off Glowcester schall afftr as to morow, men seye.

Also thys daye Robert of Racclyff weddyd the Lady Dymmok at my place in Fleet-street, and my Ladye and yowrs, Dame Elizbeth Bowghcher,[137-1] is weddyd to the Lorde Howards soon and heyr.[137-2] Also Sir Thomas Walgrave is ded off the syknesse that reygnyth, on Tewesday, now [_no_]

cheer ffor yowe. Also my Lorde Archebysshope[137-3] was browt to the Towr on Saterday at nyght, and on Mondaye, at mydnyght, he was conveyd to a schyppe, and so in to the see, and as yitt I can nott undrestande whedyr he is sent, ner whatt is fallyn off hym; men seye, that he hathe offendyd, but as John Forter seythe, some men sey naye; but all hys meny ar dysparblyd [_dispersed_], every man hys weye; and som that ar greete klerkys, and famous doctors of hys, goo now ageyn to Cambrygge to scoolle. As ffor any other tydyngs I heer noon. The Cowntesse off Oxenfford[137-4] is stylle in Seynt Martyns; I heer no word off hyr. The Qween hadde chylde, a dowghter, but late at Wyndesor; ther off I trow ye hadde worde. And as ffor me, I am in lyke case as I was. And as ffor my Lorde Chamberleyn,[137-5] he is nott yitt comen to town; when he comythe than schall I weete what to doo. Sir John of Parr is yowr ffrende and myn, and I gaffe hym a ffayr armyng sworde within this iij. dayes.

I harde somwhat by hym off a bakke ffreende off yowr; ye schall knowe moor her afftr.

Wretyn the last daye of Apryll.

[Footnote 136-2: [From Fenn, i. 288.] The date of this letter is ascertained by the fact that Sir Thomas Waldegrave died on the 28th April 1472.--_See_ Inquisition post mortem, 12 Edw. IV., No.

4.]

[Footnote 136-3: Here (according to Fenn) follows an order for making out an account and receiving some rents, etc.]

[Footnote 137-1: Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Sir Frederic Tilney, Knight, and widow of Sir Humphrey Bourchier, son of John, first Lord Berners. Her husband was slain at the battle of Barnet.]

[Footnote 137-2: Thomas Howard, afterwards created Duke of Norfolk, by Henry VIII., for his victory over the Scots at Flodden. He was son and heir of John, Lord Howard.]

[Footnote 137-3: George Nevill, Archbishop of York.]

[Footnote 137-4: Margaret, wife of John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, daughter of Richard Nevill, Earl of Salisbury, and sister of Warwick the Kingmaker.]

[Footnote 137-5: William, Lord Hastings.]

801

JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[138-1]

_To Mastyr Syr John Paston, Knyght, in hast._

[Sidenote: 1472 / MAY 14]