The Paston Letters
Chapter 177 : _Gere of John Wyks._ Item, a dobelet of blak fusteyn, a hers harnys, vj_s._ a gray her

_Gere of John Wyks._

Item, a dobelet of blak fusteyn, a hers harnys, vj_s._ a gray hers, pris xl_s._, ij. shertys, pris iiij_s._

_Will. Bedford._

Item, a Normandy byll and a bawe, pris of them both vj_s._

_John Boteler._

Item, a payr botys, a payr sporys, a shert, a cappe, a hatte, a dobelet, a payr hosyn, a brydell, ij. crepers, v. ston of wall, x.x.x. welfellys, a spere staff.

_Shepe._

Item, taken away uppon Draytun grounde at on tyme by the baylly of Cossey and others, CC. shepe callyd hoggys.

Item, at a nother tyme, uppon the same ground, iiij^xx. hoggys and xl.

theyves.

Item, at a nother tyme, at Haylesdon, by the baylly of Cossey and Bottesford and other, viij^cc. moder shype and CCCC. lambes.

Memorandum, a gowne of Richard Calle, pris ix_s._, j. peyr hosen, iij_s._, j. swerd, iij_s._, ij. bonets, ij_s._ ... . j. jakk, xxvj_s._ viij_d._, j. schert, iij_s._ iiij_d._

Memorandum, the pullyng downe of the place at Heylesden, to the hurts and skathes of ----

Item, the pullyng downe of the logge of Heylesden.

Item, the distroyng of the waryne at Heylesdon.

Item, ... . the maner and the warreyn.

Item, memorandum, the rydyngs and costs off suthe.

Memorandum, the a.s.saw made uppon Marg. Paston, Sir John Paston, at Heylysdon beeffor the place was ... ... .

Memorandum, the imprisonment off Sir John Paston in the Flet and in the Kyngs Benche.

[Footnote 201.2: [From a Bodl. MS.]]

[[Item, boke of Frensh, pris iij_s._ iiij_d._ _text has "iiij_a._" (italic a for d)_]]

616

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[204.1]

[Sidenote: 1465 / OCT. 17]

On Tuesday in the morwyn whas John Botiller, otherwyse callid John Palmer, and Davy Arnald your cook, and William Malthows of Aylsham, takyn at Heylesdon be the balyf of Ey callid Bottisforth, and led for to Cossey, and ther thei kepe hem yet with ought any warant or autoryte of Justice of Peas. And thei saye thei will carie hem forth to Ey preson, and as many as thei may gete more of your men and tenaunts, that thei may know that owe yow good wyll or hath be to you ward, thei be thret to be slayn or presoned. The Duke came to Norwich[204.2] on Tuesday at x.

of clok with the nombre of v. hundred men. And he sent after the Meyr and Alderman with the Sherefs desiryng hem in the Kyngs name that thei shuld take an enqueraunce of the constablys of every ward with in the cyte what men shuld a go on your party to have holpyn or socowryd your men at any tyme of thes gaderyngs, and if any thei cowde fynde, that thei shuld take and arest hym and correct hym, and also certifie hym the names on Wyndenesse day [_Wednesday_] be viij. of clok. Which the Meyr dede, and wull do anythyng that he may for hym and his. And her up on the Meyr hath arestid on that was with me callid Roberd Lovegold, braser, and threte hym that he shall be hanged be the nek; wherfor I wuld that ther myght come down a writ to remeve hym if ye thynk it be to do. He was not with me not save that Harleston and other mad the a.s.saught up on me and Lammesse; he is right good and feythfull on to you, and therfore I wuld he had help. I have non man at this tyme to avayte upon me that dare be avowyd but Litill John. William Nawton is here with me, but he dare not ben avowyd, for he is sore thret. It is told me the old Lady and the Duke is set fervently ageyn us be the enformacion of Harlesdon, the Bayly of Cossey and Andrewys and Doget the balys sone, and suych other fals shrewys the which wuld have thes mater born ought for ther owyn pleser; the which causith an[205.1] evyll noyse in this contre and other places. And as for Sir John Hevenyngham, Sir John Wyndefeld and other wurchepfull men ben mad but her doggeboldes;[205.2] the whiche I suppose wull turne hem to diswurchep here after. I spake with Sir John Hevenyngham and enformed hym with the trough of the mater, and of all owyr demenyng at Drayton, and he seid he wuld that all thyng wer wele, and that he wuld enforme my lord as I seid to hym, but Harleston had all the words and the rewle with the Duke here, and after his avyse and Doctor Aleynes he was avysed here at this tyme.

The logge and the remenaunte of your place was betyn down on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Duke rode on Wednysday to Drayton and so for to Cossey whille the logge at Heylesdon was in the betyng down. And this nyght at mydnyght Thomas Sleyforth, Grene Porter, and Joh. Botesforth the Baly of Eye, and other, had a cart and fetched awey fetherbeddes, and all the stuffe that was left at the parsones, and Thom Wateres hows to be kept of owrs. I shall send you billes er after, as ner as I may, what stuffe we have forborn. I pray you send me word how ye will that I be demened, wheder ye wull that [I][205.3] abide at Cayster or come to you to London. I have no leyser to write more. G.o.d have yow in His kepyng. Wretyn at Norwich on Sent Lukes Evyn.

M. P.

[Footnote 204.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is not addressed, but seems undoubtedly to have been intended for the writer's husband. The attack upon the lodge at h.e.l.lesden here referred to was in 1465, as appears by the letter immediately following.]

[Footnote 204.2: 'Norwich.' --This word is interlined, the writer having originally written 'this town,' and afterwards struck out the word 'town.']

[Footnote 205.1: _an_--&, MS.]

[Footnote 205.2: The old word 'dogbolt' seems to have meant a servile follower, or one bound to wait the commands of another.

Thus in Lilly's _Tragicall Comedie of Alexander and Campaspe_, where Manes complains that he serves a master whose house is a tub, Granichus remarks 'That Diogenes that dog should have Manes that dogbolt it grieveth nature and spiteth art.']

[Footnote 205.3: Omitted in MS.]

617

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[206.1]

_To my ryght wyrshypfull hosbond, John Paston, be thys delyveryd in hast._

[Sidenote: 1465 / OCT. 27]

Ryght wyrshypfull hosbond, I recomand me to you. Please it you to wyte that I was at Haylesden uppon Thersday laste pa.s.syd, and sey the place ther, and in G.o.de feyth ther wyll no cryatur thynke how fowle and orubelly it ys arayed but yf they sey it. Ther comyth moch pepyll dayly to wonder ther uppon, both of Norwych and of other placys, and they speke shamfully therof. The Duck had be beter then a m^{l}._li._ that it had never be don; and ye have the more G.o.de wyll of the pepyll that it ys so foylle don. And they made youre tenauntys of Haylesdon and Drayton, with other, to help to breke down the wallys of the place and the logge both,--G.o.d knowyth full evyll ayenst ther wyllys, but that they derst no notherwysse don for ferre. I have spoken with your tenauntys of Haylesdon and Drayton both, and putte hem in comfort as well as I canne. The Duck ys men rensackyd the church, and bare a way all the G.o.de that was lefte ther, both of ours and of the tenaunts, and lefte not so moch but that they stode uppon the hey awter, and ransackyd the images, and toke a way such as they myght fynd, and put a way the parson owte of the church till they had don, and ransackyd every mans hous in the towne v. or vj. tymys. And the chyff maysters of robbyng was the Baylly of Ey, the Baylly of Stradbroke, Thomas Slyford, and Porter; and Slyford was the chyff robber of the cherch, and he hath most of the robbery next the Baylly of Ey. And as for lede, bras, pewter, yren, dorys, gatys, and other stuffe of the hous, men of Coshay and Causton have it, and that thay myght not cary, thay have hewen it a sonder in the most dysspytuose wyse. Yf it myght be, I wold som men of wyrshop myght be send from the Kyng to see how it ys both ther and at the logge, or than any snowys[207.1] com, that they may make report of the troth, ellys it shall not mo be seyn so playnly as it may now.

And at the reverens of G.o.d, spyde your maters nowe, for it ys to orybell a cost and trobell that we have now dayly, and most have tyll it be other wyse; and your men dar not goo abowte to geder uppe your lyfflode, and we kype here dayly more than x.x.x. persons for savacyon of us and the place, for, in very trowght, and the place had not be kypyd strong, the Duck had come hether. Arblaster thynketh verely that Hugh a Fen may do moch in your maters, and he thynkyth that he wole do for you faythfully, yf ye wyll, &c.

At the reverens of G.o.d, yf any wyrshypfull and profetabile mene may be take yn your maters, for sake it not in eschuyng of our trobell and gret costs and charges that we have, and may growe here after. It ys thoght here that yf my Lord of Norffolk wolld take uppon hym for you, and that he may have a comyssyon for to enquer of such ryotts and robberyes as hath be don to you and other in thys contray, that then all the contray wyll a wayte uppon hym, and serve your entent; for the pepyll lovyth and dredyth hym more then any other lord except the Kyng and my Lord of Warwyk, &c.

G.o.d have you in Hys kypyng, and send ous G.o.de tydyngs from you. Wryten in haste, uppon the Sonday Seynt Symon and Jude ys Evyn.

By yours,

M. P.

[Footnote 206.1: [From Fenn, iv. 226.] The Eve of St. Simon and Jude is the 27th October. It fell on Sunday in the year 1465.]

[Footnote 207.1: Fenn remarks that if we may judge from the mention of snow in this place, the winters began earlier in those days than they do now. But perhaps Margaret was only urging the necessity of timely action, taking into consideration the ordinary delays of suitors. We have seen, however, from Letter 609 that in the year 1465 there must have been unusually cold weather even in the beginning of September.]

618

MESSAGE TO SIR WILLIAM YELVERTON[208.1]

_This is the Instruccion for the Messenger._