The Paston Letters
Chapter 178 : That ye grete well Sir William Yelverton, letyng hym wete in our behalf we be informed

That ye grete well Sir William Yelverton, letyng hym wete in our behalf we be informed that certeyn persones, in the name of the right wors.h.i.+pfull our cosyn the Duc of Suffolk, have enterid in the manoir of Drayton that was Fastolffes, and have dreven from the seid manoir and other xiij^c. shep and other bestes pastured upon the seid manoir.

Notwithstandyng, we merveyle gretly that the seid Sir William, his sones and servauntes, as it is seid, a.s.siste and comfort the seid persones so entryng and withdrawyng the seid catell, seying that he is named both feffe and executour. And all be it so that there is variaunce bithwene hym and our welbelovid John Paston in our coort, consernyng as well the seid manoirs as other goodes that were Sir John Fastolffes, whom G.o.d a.s.soyle, yit it may not acorde with wors.h.i.+p and consiens for the seid Sir William to a.s.siste the distruccion of the seid manoirs and goodes in the meane tyme. Wherfore we desire hym that he woll do his devoir effectually to help to save the seid manoirs from all such pretense of t.i.tell, and to cause the seid catels to be restored to the manoirs aforeseid, and not to be withdrawen and distroyed as they be; and that he do his feithfull part in this behalf acordyng to the trust that he was put in, as we may do for hym in tyme to come.

[Footnote 208.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This appears to be a message from the King rebuking Judge Yelverton for partizans.h.i.+p in a.s.sisting the Duke of Suffolk against Paston in his entry into the manor of Drayton. The date is therefore 1465. The MS., however, is only a corrected draft, and it is not certain that such a message was actually sent.]

[[yit it may not acorde _text has "yit is"_]]

619

JOHN WYMONDHAM TO JOHN PASTON[209.1]

_To my worchipful cosyn, John Paston._

[Sidenote: 1465(?) / NOV. 10]

Rygth worchipful cosyn, I comaunde me to yow. And forasmoch as ther was a child ded at Asteles, and on other lik to be ded in the same place, what tyme that I rode oute aboute my litil livelod, my lady and I bothe thoughte pite on my mastres your wif to se her abide ther, and desirid here to com to my pore hous on to soch tyme as ye shuld a be othirwise avised, wyche, if it plese yow, I am right wel apaied.

Sythen, I undirstande be my lady that ye desire to knowe whedyr that I shulde abide here stille or nowe [_or no_]. As to that, I have non other place that I wold abide at, and my lady seith how she is avised to ende hir lif here. Also she seith how ye desire to have a stabil with inne my plas; and as to that, afeith, sir, I have none, but that must nedis serve for my wode. As for a chambre, ye shall have on for your men al redy, and as touching a stabil, Sir John Sparham and I have gote yow on ther [_where_] your hors stode the last tyme ye were in this town, and an hows to ley inne hey and straw, and cost yow not but making of a rak and a mangeour, and more to your ease there than here; and yf ye wyl that it be made redy for yow, send werd be the bringer of this letter.

And, cosyn, as towching to paiment, I can not sey how ye shal be pleasid with my pore fare, but aftir that ye arn com home, and arn aqweintid there with, we shal so acorde as shal be plesir to us bothe, with the grace of G.o.d, which have [you] in His blissid governaunce, and send yow your moderis blissing.

Wreten at Norwich, on Seint Martyn is Even.

Your poer cosyn and ffrend,

J. WYMONDHAM.

And how that ever ye do, hold up your mans.h.i.+p.

[Footnote 209.1: [From Fenn, iv. 240.] As to the date of this letter, we can only reproduce what is said of it by Sir John Fenn: 'John Wymondham, Esq., the writer of this letter, married Margery, the daughter of Sir Robert Clifton, Knight, of Denver, in Norfolk, and widow of Sir Edward Hastings, of Elsing, Knight. He therefore calls her "My Lady." He died in 1475.

'He purchased the manor and estate at Felbrigg, of the trustees of Sir Simon Felbrigg, where he had resided; but once in his absence Sir John Felbrigg made a forcible entry, and dragging out his Lady by the hair of her head, who had locked herself up in a chamber to keep possession, got into possession, and retained it till Wymondham obtained the King's order to Thomas Montgomery, Esq., High Sheriff of the county, to put him again into possession. The dispute was then settled with Sir John Felbrigg, and upon Wymondham's paying to him 200 marks [133 : 6 : 8] he released his claims, &c.

'This letter seems to have been written during the time that he was dispossessed of Felbrigg, and which must have been either before the year 1461 or 1466, those being the years in which Sir Thomas Montgomery was Sheriff of Norfolk, and as J. Paston at this time seems to have been under misfortunes, it was probably near the latter year. I have therefore ventured, though doubtfully, to date the letter in 1465.']

620

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[210.1]

_To my Rightwurs.h.i.+pfull hosbond, John Paston, be this delyveryd in hast._

[Sidenote: 1441-65 / NOV.]

Riht worchipfull hosbond, I recomand me to yow, praying yow to wete that I have receyvid the mony that Mayster Brakle had of yow, wherof he hath ageyn v. marc. uppon pledgis of the too basonys that ye had of hym tyll ye come hom. As for cloth for my gowne, I can non gete in this town better than that is that I send yow an exsample of, whiche me thynkith to symple bothe of colour and of cloth. Wherfor I pray yow that ye woll vouchesauf to do bey for me iij. yerdis and j. quarter of seche as it pleasith yow that I shuld have, and what colour that pleaset yow, for in G.o.de feyth I have do sowte all the draperis schopis in this town, and her is right febill cheys. Also I pray yow that ye woll do bey a loff of G.o.de sugour and di. j. lb. [_half one pound_] of holl synamun, for ther is non G.o.de in this town; and as for mony, ther is non of your tenantis ne fermouris bryngith non as yett. As for tydyngis in this countre, Herry Ingloses men have slayn ij. men of Tonsted on Thursday last past, as it is seyd, and all that countre is sore trobelid therwith; and if he had abedyn at home he had be lyke to have be fechid owte of his owyn hows, for the peple ther abowght is sor meved with hym. And on Saterday last past he come ryding thorow this town toward Framyngham; and if he had abedyn in this town he shuld have ben arestyd; for men of Tonsted and of the countre pusewid after hym in to this town, and made agrett noyse of hym, and required the mayre and sheryves that he ne his men shuld not pas the town, but that they shuld do as it longed to here parte to do, and told hem the cause why; and as it is seyd the sergeantis were fals, and lete hym have knowleche ther of, and he hythid hym hens in hast, &c. The blyssyd Trynyte have yow in His keping. Wreten att Norwyche on the Weddenesday next after Seynt Martyn.

Be yowris,

M. P.

[Footnote 210.1: [Add. MS. 33,597, f. 2.] The year in which this letter was written is altogether uncertain.]

621

NOTE

The letter of John Payn to John Paston (No. 126 in vol. ii.), which, on account of the circ.u.mstances to which it refers, we have placed in the year 1450, was written, as appears by the contents, fifteen years later, _i.e._ in 1465. We therefore call the reader's attention to it in this place.

622

FUNERAL OF LADY KATHARINE HOWARD[211.1]

[Sidenote: 1465]

This wrytenge, made at Stokeneylond the v^th yer of Kynge Edward the iiii^th and the morowe next affter Sowlemesse day, wytnesseth that this day and yer a bove said my lady, dame Kateren Howard, departed to G.o.d, and my master spent uppon her at this day a bove wreten at her beryinge, and also at her vij^th day, more than

xx_li._

Also my master spent uppon her at her x.x.x^ti day, in almesse and in odre costes, in primis to v.M^{l}. and ccc. of pore folke every pece takenge i_d._ Summa xxij_li._ v_s._

Item, my master gaff to vi^{xx}ix. prestes and clerkes every pece vj_d._ Summa iij_li._ iiij_s._ vj_d._

Item, my master gaff to lxviii. cheldren in the quere every pece ii_d._ Summa x_s._ iiij_d._

Item, my master paid for blakke cloth for gownes for his men vij^xx yerdes prise of every yerde iii_s._ iiii_d._ Summa xxj_li._

Item, my master bout as myche waxe for torches and taprys as cost hym viij. markis. iij_s._ ij_d._

Item, my master paid for xiij. pore mennes gownes for the clothe and for the makengs lij_s._

Item, my master spent in all maner of spyces as myche as drew liij_s._ xj_d._

Item, my master spent in wyne at the said day iij. pypes.

Item, my master spent in maltt for brewenge viij. seme.

Item, my master spent in bere at the same day x.x.xij. barelles.

Item, my master spent in whete to make brede and odre bakenge xiij. seme.

Item, my master spent at the said day in brawne ij. gret bores.

Item, in beff xij. gret oxsen.

Item, in moton xl. shepe.

Item, in porke xij. hogges.