The Paston Letters
Chapter 170 : The Duk of Suffolk and both the d.u.c.h.essys shal com to Claxton thys day, as I am in

The Duk of Suffolk and both the d.u.c.h.essys shal com to Claxton thys day, as I am informyd, and thys next weke he shal be at Cossey; whether he wol com ferther hyddyr ward or not, I wot not yit. It is seyd that he schold com hyddyr, and yet hys men seyd her on Monday that he cleymyd no tytyl to thys place; they seyd ther comyng was but to take out such ryotus peple as was her within thys place, and suche as wer the Kyngys felonys, and indytyd and outlawyd men. Neverthe lesse they wold schew no warauntys wherby to take non such, thow ther had suche her; I suppose if they myght have com in pesably, they wold have made an other cause of ther comyng.

Whan alle was doo and they scholde departe, Harlyston and other desyryd me that I schold com and se myn olde Lady, and sewe to my Lorde, and if any thyng wer amysse it schold be amendyd. I said if I scholde sewe for any remedye, that I scholde sewe ferther, and lete the Kynge and alle the Lordys of thys lond to have knowlech what hathe be don to us, if so wer that the Deuk wolde meynten that hathe be don to us by hys servauntys, if ye wolde geve me leve.

I pray yow sende me worde if ye wyl that I make any compleynt to the Duke or the d.u.c.h.esse; for as it is tolde me, they know not the pleynesse that hathe ben don in such thyngys as hathe ben don in her [_their_]

namys.

I schold wryght muche mor to yow but for lak of leyser.

I comaundyd my Mayster Tom thys day to have com ageyn by me from Norwych, when he had spokyn with Rychard Calle, but he cam not. I wolde he wer qwyte of hys indytments, so that he wer qwyte of yowr servyce; for by my trowthe, I holde the place the mor ongracyous that he is in, for hys dysposycion in dyverce thyngys, the whych ye schal be informed of her after.

The Trynyte have yow in kepyng. Wretyn the Fryday next after Seynt Thomas.

By yowr,

M. P.

[Footnote 162.1: [From Fenn, iv. 218.] It is needless to point out that this letter must have been written in the same year as the last.]

[[as I am informyd _text has "I an": corrected from Fenn_]]

595

JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[164.1]

_To my cosyn, Margaret Paston._

[Sidenote: 1465 / JULY 13]

I rec.u.mmand me to yow, I thank of yow of yowr labour and besynes with the unruly felechep that cam befor yow on Monday last past, wherof I herd report be John Hobbis. And in G.o.d feyth ye aquyt yow rygth wel and discretly and hertyly to yowr wurchep and myn, and to the shame of your adversarijs, and I am wel content that ye avowid that ye kept possession at Drayton and so wold doo. Wherfor I pray yow, make yowr word G.o.d if ye may, and at the lest, let myn adversarijs not have it in pees if ye may.

Jon Hobbys tellith me that ye be seekly, whech me lekith not to here; praying yow hartyly that ye take what may do yowr eese and spar not, and in any wyse take no thowth no to moch labor for thes maters, ne set it not so to yowr hert that ye fare the wers for it. And as for the mater, so they overcome yow not with fors ne bosting, I shall have the maner sewrlyer to me and myn, than the Dewk shall have Cossey, dowt ye not.

And in cas I come not home within thre wekis, I pray you com to me, and Wykes hath promisid to kepe the plase in yowr absens. Nevertheles whan ye come set it in seche rewle as ye seme best and most suer, bothe for Castre and Heylisdon if the werr hold. In cas ye have pees send me word.

As for that it is desyrid I shuld show my tytill and evydens to the Dewk, me thynkyth he had evyll cowncell to entre in opon me, trusting I shuld shew hym evydens. And [_if_] ye seme it may do yow G.o.d or eese, lete my Lord of Norwich wet that the maner of Drayton was a marchants of London callid Jon Heylisdon longe er any of the Polis that the seyd Dewk comyth of wer borne to any lond in Norfolk or Suffolk; and if they wer at that tyme born to no lond, how may the seyd Dewk klaym Drayton be that pedegre? As for the seyd John Heylisdon, he was a por man born, and from hym the seyd maner dessended to Alice his dowtyr, hos estat I have, and I soppose the seyd Dewk comyth not of hem.

Item, as for the pedegre of the seyd Dewk, he is sone to William Pool, Dewk of Suffolk, sone to Mych.e.l.l Pool, Erl of Suffolk, sone to Mychel Pool, the furst Erl of Suffolk of the Polis, mad be King Richard seth my fader was born; and the seyd furst Mych.e.l.l was sone to on William Pool of Hull, whech was a wurchepfull man grow be fortwne of the werld. And he was furst a marchant, and after a knygth, and after he was mad baneret; and if any of thees hadde the maner of Drayton I will los C_li._ so that any persone for the Dewk will be bond in as moch to prove the contrary; and I wot weel the seyd Dewkis Cowncell wil not claym the seyd maner be the tytill of the fader of the seyd William Pool. And what the fader of the seyd William was, as be the pedegre mad in the seyd last Dewkis fadirs daijs I know rygt weell; wherof I informyd Herry Boteler to tell my old Lady of Suffolk, becawse he is of her cowncell; and more will I not tell in thes mater, but if [_unless_] I be desyrid or compellid.

Item, let my Lord of Norwich wete that it is not profitabe ner the comen well of gentilmen that any jentilman shuld be compellid be an entre of a lord to shew his evidens or tytill to his lond, ner I wil not begine that example ne thralldam of gentilmen ner of other; it is G.o.d a lord take sad cowncell, or he begyne any sech mater.

And as for the Pools that owth Drayton, if ther wer C. of hem levyng, as ther is non, yet have they no tytill to the seyd maner. G.o.d kepe yow.

Wret the Satirday, &c.

Yowr JON PASTON.

I pray yow be as mery with yowr felachep as ye kan.

Item, I send hom writt and prasens for yowr servaunts and myn.

Item, I may sell you woll for xl_d._ the ston, redi mony, as Arblaster can tell yow, and malt for iiij_s._ the quarter at days xxj. for xx.

delivered of Yermouth mesur. If ye fayle mony ye most make it of yowr wole or malt.

I send you hom writts of replevin for the shep and the horses that wer take, and avise yow lete the writtis be delivered be fore my Lord of Norwich, and G.o.d rekord; and if ye may make men with fors to take the catell agey[n] be waran of replevyn, spar not rather than fayle.

On the back of the letter is the following memorandum in a different hand:--

Md. there lefte behynde of Heylesdon folde of my mastre schepe xlj.

modreschep. Item of lambes x.x.xiiij. Item of my mastres xij.

modreschep. Item of her lambes xij.

[Footnote 164.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] As this letter is dated on a Sat.u.r.day, and refers to the Duke of Suffolk's attempt on h.e.l.lesden as having been made on the Monday preceding, there can be no difficulty in fixing the precise date, both of day and year.]

596

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[166.1]

[Sidenote: 1465 / [JULY?]]

Right worchepful hosbond, I recommand me to yow, and pray yow hertely at the reverence of G.o.d that ye be of good comfort, and trost veryly be the grase of G.o.d that ye shall overcome your enemys and your trobelows maters ryght welle, yf ye wolle be of good comfort, and not take your maters to hevely that ye apeyr not your self, and thynk veryly that ye be strong inowe for alle your enemys be the grace of G.o.d. My moder is your good moder, and takyth your maters ryght hertely. And zif ye thynnk that I may do good in your maters yf I come up to you, after I have knowlage of your entent it shall not be longe or I be with you be the grace of G.o.d. And as for any othyr thyngs of sharge that be in this contre, I hope I shall so ordeyn therfore that it shall be safe. I have delyveryd your older sonne xx. mark that I have received of Ric. Calle, and I kowd no more of hym syn ye departyd. [And I send yow another bage of mony that was in your square cofyr.[167.1]] And I pray G.o.d hertely send us good tydyngs of yow, and send the victory of your enemys. Wretyn in hast on Saterday.

Your M. P.

Item, I take your sonne of your faders oode mony, that was in the lytyll trussyng cofyr x. mark, for my broder Clement seythe that xx. mark was to lytyll for hym.

[Footnote 166.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] Margaret Paston, as will be seen by subsequent letters, was in London with her husband in September 1465. This letter seems to have been written not long before, when she first entertained the thought of going thither.]

[Footnote 167.1: This sentence is struck out.]

597

[MARGARET PASTON?] TO ----[167.2]

[Sidenote: 1465(?)]

Cosyn, I recommaunde me to yow, letyng yow wete that I am informid that the parson of Brandeston is take be yowr sowdiors and led forth with hem, and they have ryfelid his G.o.dis, and summe of myne husbondes also, and of his ballyes, weche were left with the seyd parson to kepe.

Wherfore I avyse yow, and praye that he maye be lete go agayn, and to have ower G.o.des as were take fro hym; for and yowr sowdioris be of sweche disposicion that they wyll take that they may gete, it shall no wurchip be to you, nor profite in tyme to come; and therof wolde I be sory. And if the seyd parson be othirwyse disposid thanne he owth to be, I wyll helpe that he shall be chaysteysid as conciens and lawe requerith. I wolde ye shulde remembre that ye have bore blame for sweche thynges before this tyme that hath be do othirwise thanne lawe hath requerid. And G.o.d have yow in His kepyng. Wrete at Norwiche.

[Footnote 167.2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The MS. of this letter seems to be a draft in a hand like that of James Gresham. It is anonymous and without address. Even the writer is very uncertain.

But it may not unlikely be a draft letter from Margaret Paston to some neighbour who, while the Duke of Suffolk was laying claim to h.e.l.lesden and Drayton, was not too mindful of John Paston's rights. Brandeston is about eleven miles from Norwich, eight miles beyond Drayton. Thomas Hoop was parson of Brandeston from 1448 to 1475. He was presented to the living by Sir John Fastolf.]

598

JOHN WYKE TO SIR JOHN PASTON[168.1]

_To my ryght wyrshypfull mayster, Sir John Paston, be thys letter delyveryd._

[Sidenote: 1465 / JULY 30]