The Paston Letters
Chapter 203 : [Sidenote: 1469 / JULY 9]_These iij. letteres undirwreten, the Kyng of his own hand wr

[Sidenote: 1469 / JULY 9]

_These iij. letteres undirwreten, the Kyng of his own hand wrote unto my Lords Clarence, Warrewyke, and Archbishop of York. The credence wherof in substaunce was, that every of them shulde in suech pesibil wise, as thei have be accustumed to ryde, come unto his Highness._

R. E.

_To our Brother of Clarence._

Brodir, we pray you to yeve feight [_faith_] and credence to our welbeloved Sir Thomas Montgomery and Morice Berkly, in that on our behalf thei shal declare to you. And we truste ye wole dispose you accordyng to our pleser and comaundement. And ye shal be to us right welcome. At Notyngham the ix. day of Jull.

_To our Cosyn Th'erl of Warr'._

Cosyn, we grete you well, and pray you to yeve feight and credence to Sir Thomas Mongomery and Morice Berkley, &c. And we ne trust that ye shulde be of any suech disposicion towards us, as the rumour here renneth, consederyng the trust and affeccion we bere in yow. At Notyngham the ix. day of Jull. And, cosyn, ne thynk but ye shalbe to us welcome.

_To our Cosyn Th'archbyshop of Yorke._

Cosyn, we pray you that ye wul, accordyng to the promyse ye made us, to come to us as sone as ye goodely may. And that [ye] yeve credence to Sir Thomas Mongomery and Morice Berkly, in that un our behalve thei shal sey to you; and ye shalbe to us welcome. At Notyngham the ix. day of Jul.

[Footnote 35-1: [From Fenn, ii. 40.] The dates of Edward the Fourth's privy seals show that he was at Nottingham in July 1469.

He was not there in 1470, the year to which Fenn a.s.signs these letters; and both Clarence and Warwick were then in France. It would appear, therefore, that these letters were written at the time of Robin of Redesdale's rebellion, which the King was going northwards to suppress.]

720

MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[36-1]

_To Sir John Paston, be this delivered in hast._

[Sidenote: 1469 / AUG. 31]

I grete you wele, and send you G.o.dds blyssyng and myn, letyng you wete that Sir John Hevenyngham was at Norwich this day, and spake with me at my moders, but he wuld not that it shuld be understand, for my Lord hath mad hym on of the capteynes at Caystre of the pepill that shuld kepe the wetche abaught the place, that no mann shuld socour them, if my Lord departed. I desired hym to favour them, if any man shuld come to them fro me or you, and he wuld not graunte it, but he desired me to write to you to understand if that my Lord myght be mevyd to fynde suerte to recompense you all wrongs, and ye wuld suffre hym to entre pesibilly, and the lawe after his entre wuld deme it you. Be ye avysed what answer ye wuld yeve.

Item, sith that that I spake with hym, and the same day a feythfull frende of owrs came on to me and mevyd me if that my Lord myght be entreted to suffre endifferent men to kepe the place, and take the profites for bothe parties till the right be determyned be the lawe; and my Lord for his parte, and ye for your parte, to fynde sufficient suerte that you nowther shuld vex, lette, ner trobilled the seid endifferent men to kepe pesibiley the possession of the seid place, and to take the profights on to the tyme to be determyned be the lawe, to his behowe that the lawe demeth it. And the seid persones that so endifferently kepe possession befor ther entre into the seid place, to fynde also sufficient suerte to answer the parte that the lawe demeth it to, of the profits duryng ther possession, and to suffre hym pessibilly to entre, or any in his name, whan so ever thei be required be the parte to whom the right is demyd of all thes premyses. Send werd how ye will be demened be as good advyse as ye can gete, and make no longer delay, for thei must neds have hasty socour that be in the place, for thei be sore hurt, and have non help. And if thei have hasty help it shall be the grettest wurchip that ever ye had, and if thei be not holpen it shall be to you a gret diswurchep; and loke never to have favour of your neybors and frends but if this spede wele; therfor pretend it in your mend, and purvey therfor in hast. How so ever ye do, G.o.d kepe you, and send yow the vittory of your elmyse, and geve yow and us al grace to leve in peas. Wretyn on Sent Gyles Evyn,[37-1] at ix. of the belle at nyght.

Robyn came home yester evyn, and he brought me nowther writyng from you, ner good answer of this mater, which grevyth me right ill that I have sent you so many messangers, and have so febill answers ageyn.

Be your Moder.

[Footnote 36-1: [From Fenn, iv. 366.] This letter was written after the Duke of Norfolk had begun to besiege Caister, which he did in the year 1469.]

[Footnote 37-1: St. Giles' Day is the 1st September; St. Giles'

Eve the 31st August.]

721

MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[37-2]

[Sidenote: 1469]

I grete zow wel, and send zow G.o.dds blyssyng and myn, letyng zow wete that on Thurysday last was my moder and I wer with my Lord of Norwych,[37-3] and desyerd hym that he woold no mor do in the mater towscheyng zowr syster, tyl that ze and my brother and other that wern executors to zowr fader mythe beyn her to geder, for they had the rule of her as weel as I; and he sayde playnly that he had be requeryd so oftyn for to exameyn her, that he mythe not nor woold no longar delay yt, and schargyd me, in peyn of cursyng, that sche schuld not be deferred, but that she xuld a per beforn hym the nexte day; and I sayd pleynly that I woold nowder bryng her nor send her; and than he sayd that he woold send for her hym sylfe, and schargyd that she schuld be at her lyberte to c.u.me wan he sent for her; and he seyd be hys trowthe that he woold be as sory for her and [_if_] sche ded not welle, as he wold be and sche wer ryth ner of hys kyn, bothe for my moder ys sake and myn, and other of her frendds, for he woost welle that her demenyng had stekyd soor at our harts.

My moder and I in formyd hym that we kowd never onderstond be her sayyng, be no language that ever sche had to hym, that neyther of hem wer bownd to other, but that they myth schese bothe. Than he seyd that he woold sey to her as wele as he kowde, before that he exameynd her; and so that was told me be dyverse persones that he ded as welle and as pleynly as sche had be rythe ner to hym, wych wer to long to wrythe at thys tyme: her aftyr ye xalle wete, and hoo wer laberers ther in. The schanseler[38-1] was not so gylty her in as I wend he had ben.

On Fryday the Bysschope he sent for her be a.s.schefeld and other that arn ryth sory of her demenyng. And the Bysschop seyd to her ryth pleynly, and put her in rememberawns how she was born, wat kyn and frendds that sche had, and xuld have mo yf sche wer rulyd and gydyd aftyr hem; and yf she ded not, wat rebuke, and schame, and los yt xuld be to her, yf sche wer not gydyd be them, and cause of forsakyng of her for any good, or helpe, or kownfort that sche xuld have of hem; and seyd that he had hard sey, that sche loved schecheon [_such one_] that her frend[es] wer not plesyd with that sche xuld have, and therfor he had her be ryth weel avysyd how sche ded, and seyd that he woold undyrstand the woords that sche had seyd to hym, wheyther that mad matrimony or not. And sche rehersyd wat sche had seyd, and seyd, yf thoo wordds mad yt not suher, she seyd boldly that sche wold make that suerher or than sche went thens, for sche seyd sche thowgthe in her conschens sche was bownd, wat so ever the wordds wern. Thes leud wordds greveth me and her grandam as myche as alle the remnawnte. And than the Bysschop and the Schawnseler bothe seyd that ther was neyther I ner no frend of hers wold reseyve [her].

And than Calle was exameynd aparte be hym sylfe, that her wordds and hys acordyd, and the tyme, and wher yt xuld a be don. And than the Bysschop sayd that he supposyd that ther xuld be fownd other thynggs ageyns hym that mythe cause the lettyng ther of; and ther for he say he wold not be to hasty to geve sentens ther upon, and sayd that he wold geve overe day tyl the Wednsday or Thursday aftyr Mykylmes, and so yt tys delayyd. They woold an had her wyl performyd in haste, but the Bysschope seyd he woold non other wyse than he had seyd.

I was with my moder at her plase whan sche was exameynd, and wan I hard sey what her demenyng was, I schargyd my servaunts that sche xuld not be reseyved in my hows. I had zeve hir warnyng, sche mythe a be war a for, yf sche had a be grasyows; and I sent to on or ij. mor that they xuld not reseyve her yf sche cam; sche was browthe a geyn to my place for to a be reseyved, and Sir Jamys[39-1] tolde them that browthe her that I had schargyd hem alle and sche xuld not be reseyved; and soo my Lord of Norwych hath set her at Roger Bests, to be ther tyle the day befor sayd, G.o.d knowyth fule evel ageyn hys wyle and hys wyvys, yf they durst do other wyse. I am sory that they arn a c.u.myrd with her, but zet I am better payed that sche isther for the whyle, that sche had ben in other place be cause of the sadnes and good dysposysion of hys sylfe and hys wyfe, for sche xal not be sou'd [_suffered ?_] ther to pleye the brethele.[39-2] I pray zow and requer zow that ye take yt not pensyly, for I wot wele yt gothe ryth ner zowr hart, and so doth yt to myn and to other; but remembyr zow, and so do I, that we have lost of her but a brethele,[39-2] and set yt the les to hart, for and sche had be good, wherso ever sche had be, yt xuld not aben as it is, for and he wer ded at thys owyr, she xuld never be at myn hart as sche was. As for the devors [_divorce_] that ze write to me of, I supose wat ze ment, but I scharge zow upon my blyssyng that ze do not, ner cause non other to do, that xuld offend G.o.d and zour conschens, for and ze do, or cause for to be do, G.o.d wul take vengawns ther upon, [and] ye xuld put zour sylfe and other in gret joparte; for wettyt wele, sche xal ful sor repent her leudnes her aftyr, and I pray G.o.d sche mute soo. I pray zow for myn hard ys hese [_heart's ease_], be ze of a good cownfort in alle thynggs; I trust G.o.d xal helpe ryth wele, and I pray G.o.d so do in alle our maters. I wuld ze toke hed yf ther weher any labor mad in the kort of Cawntrybery for the leud mater forsayd.

But yf [_i.e._ unless] the Duke[40-1] be purveyd for, he and hys wyse kow[n]sel xalle lefe thys c.u.n.tre; yt is told me that he seythe that he wul not spar to do that he is purposyd, for no Duke in Ynglond. G.o.d helpe at nede.

[Footnote 37-2: [From Fenn, iv. 358.] This letter has reference to the contract of marriage between Richard Calle and Margery Paston in 1469. _See_ No. 710, preceding. The last paragraph seems to have reference to the propositions mentioned in the preceding letter.]

[Footnote 37-3: Walter Lyhert.]

[Footnote 38-1: Fenn thinks this was Dr. John Saresson, otherwise Wigenhale, who, he tells us, was Chancellor to the Bishop from 1435 to 1471, and had other Church preferment in the Diocese. But I am a little doubtful whether he lived so long, as it does not appear that he kept any other of his preferments to so late a date. We know that Dr. William Pykenham was Chancellor in 1471.]

[Footnote 39-1: Sir James Gloys.]

[Footnote 39-2: _Brethele_ or _brethelyng_ signified a worthless person.]

[Footnote 40-1: The Duke of Norfolk.]

722

SIR JOHN PASTON TO MASTER WRITTILL[40-2]

_To Mastyr Wryttyll._

[Sidenote: 1469 / [SEPT.]]

Master Wrytyll, I recomande me to yow, besechyng yow hertely, as myn holl trust is in yow, that ye doo yowr devoyr to contynew trews tyll Fryday or Sat.u.r.day in the mornyng, by whych tyme I hope the ma.s.sanger shall come, and that ye be not dryven to take an appoyntment if ye kan undrestand by any lyklyed that itt be able to be abydyn and recystyd, and that ye fele my brotherys dysposycion therin, as my trust is in yow, prayng yow to remembre that it restythe, as G.o.d helpe me, on all my well. For as G.o.d helpe me, I hadd levyr the place wer brennyd, my brother and servants savyd, than the best appoyntment that evyr ye and I comonyd of scholde be my goode wyll be takyn, if this ma.s.sage from the Kynge may reskwe it. And if it be so, that my Lorde be remevyd by the Kynges comandement, whyche restythe with hys honour, I may in tyme to kome do hym servyse, as schall recompence any grodge or dysplesur that he evyr had, or hathe to me or myn; and ye, if it the rather by your wysdam and polesye the moene above wryten may be hadd, schall be as sewr of the servyce of my trewe brother and servantys, and me, as ye kan devyse by my trowthe; for in goode feythe thys mater stykyth mor nyghe myn hart and me than I kan wryght on to yow, and to my brother and servaunts mor ner than as G.o.d knowyth they wot off. Wherfor, Master Wryttyll, all owre welfare restyth in yow, besechyng yow to remembre it.

For thys mater is to all usse eyther makyng or marryng.

Item, asfor Arblaster or Lovell, I kan not thynke that they or any of them may be with yow. Wherfor in yow is all, and G.o.d have yow in kepyng.

Wretyn at London, the day next affor yowr departyng. I schall sende yow mor knowleche to morrow, with G.o.dds grace.

Yowrs,

JOHN PASTON, K.

[Footnote 40-2: [From Fenn, iv. 370.] Master Writtill, to whom this and the next letter are addressed, is mentioned later as a servant of the Duke of Clarence, by whose means Sir John was endeavouring to arrange a suspension of hostilities with the Duke of Norfolk, who was now besieging Caister.]