The Paston Letters
Chapter 169 : [[To my ryght wyrs.h.i.+pfull husband _text has "husbana" (italic a for d)_]

[[To my ryght wyrs.h.i.+pfull husband _text has "husbana" (italic a for d)_]]

591

[JOHN PASTON] TO MARGARET PASTON AND OTHERS[156.2]

_To my cosyn Margret Paston and to John Dawbeney and Richard Calle._

[Sidenote: 1465 / JUNE 27]

I recomande me to yow, and have received a letter from yow and a nother for Richard Calle be John Colman, and . . be Roos; and I have received of Colman the plate and mony acording Richard Callis letteris. Item, I con yow thonk ye send me word the prise of corn. Item, as for yowr sone,[157.1] I lete yow wete I wold he dede wel, but I understand in hym no disposicion of policy, ne of governans as man of the werle owt to do, but only levith and ever hath as man disolut with owt any provision, ne that he besiith hym nothinge to understand swhech materis as a man of lyvelode must nedis understond; ne I understond nothing of what disposicion he porposith to be, but only I kan thynk he wold dwell ayeyn in yowr hows and myn, and ther ete and drinke and slepe.[157.2] Therfor I lete yow wete, I wold know hym or he know myn entent, and how wel he hath ocupiid his tym now he hath had leyser. Every pore man that hath browt up his chylder to the age of xij. yer waytyth than to be holp and profited be hes chylder, and every gentilman that hath discrecion wayt.i.th that his ken and servantis that levith be hym and at his coste shuld help hym forthward. As for yowr sone, ye knowe well he never stode yow ne me in profite, ese or help, to valew of on grote, savyng at Calkot Hall whane [he[157.3]] and hes brothir keptid on day ayeyns Debenham, and yet was it at iii. [times[157.3]] the coste that that ever Debenham sones put hym to. For be her police [_by their policy_] they kepe Cotton at my cost and with the[157.4] profitis of the same. Wherfor geff hem no favor tyle ye feel what he is and will be.

Item, Calle sendith me word that Master Phylip[157.5] hat entrid in Drayton in my Lord of Suffolk's name, and hat odir purpose to entre in Heylisdon, and he askith my avyse; whech is that ye confort my tenantis and help hem til I com hom, and lete hem wet I shall not lese it, and that the Dowk of Suffolk that last diid wold have bouth it of Fastolff, and, for he mygth not have it so, he claymyd the maner, seying it was on Polis [_one Pole's_], and, for his name was Poole, he claymed to be eyr.

He was ansueryed that he com nothing of that stok, and how somever[157.6] wer kyn to the Polis that owth[157.7] it it hurt not, for it was laufully bowth and sold, and he never kleymid it after. Item, I am in purpose to tak a.s.sise ageynse hem at this tyme, and elles I wold have sent thedir streyt be a letter of attorney to entre in my name; never the les ye be a gentilwoman, and it is worshep for you to confort yowr tennauntis; wherfor I wold ye myth ryd to Heylisdon and Drayton and Sparham, and tari at Drayton and speke with hem, and byd hem hold with ther old master til I com, and that ye have sent me word but late, wherfore ye may have none answer yet, and informe hem as I ha (_sic_) wrete to ye within; and sey oupinly it is a shame that any man shuld set anny lord on so ontrwe a mater, and speciall a preste; and lete hem wete, as sone as I am com hom I shall see hem. Item, that as for distreyn for rent of ferm, thow the Dewk had tytill, as he hath not, he may non ask til the next rent day after his entre, that is Michelmes, and seye that ye will be paiid everi peni and asken hem it. And make mech of men of Cossey, becawse they wer owr welwillers when we wer neyboris ther; and lete hem wete that the begyningis of shech mater had never worchip nor profite of me, ne shall, and desyr G.o.d will of yowr neyboris, &c., and suyn all othir menes that ye kan to plese the pepill.

And lete yowr tenaunts wete that the Dewke may never be lawe compel hem to torn from me; and do all so well as ye can, and if any entyr be made in Heylisdon shuff him owt and set sum man to kepe the place, if ned be, not withstandyng it longith not to the manere. Item, I wold fayn have sum man to be bayle of Heylisdon and Drayton, &c., that myth go amongis the tenauntis. And elles I wold han Richard Chyllins (?) to go amond [_q._ among?] hem tyl I com hom and also Richard Calle whan home. Item, he sent me word that the tenauntis of Drayton wold not come to the Dewkis cort and that they will be stefast to me and kepe hem straunge and froward from the Dewkis cowncell; all this mater shall turne to a j.a.pe and not hurt hem; ner, and if ye be wavering it shall hurt hem.

Item, I let yow wete this is do to cause me to loose my labor ayens hym for Dedham, which I wil not for it. G.o.d kepe yow. Wret the Thursday befor Sent Petres day.

Item, tel Richard Calle to have wittenses redy. I wol spede this mater spirituall befor Estern.

[Footnote 156.2: [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 9.] This letter, which is in the handwriting of John Paston, refers to the proceedings of the Duke of Suffolk to enforce his claim to Drayton and h.e.l.lesden, and was clearly written in the summer of 1465 on Thursday before St.

Peter's Day, _i.e._ before the feast of SS. Peter and Paul (29th June).]

[Footnote 157.1: Sir John Paston.]

[Footnote 157.2: A later hand has here written in the margin: 'Hic postea fuit Sir John Paston senior, miles.' But the _postea_ is wrong.]

[Footnote 157.3: These words omitted in MS.]

[Footnote 157.4: _the_ repeated in MS.]

[Footnote 157.5: Philip Lipgate, the Duke of Suffolk's bailiff.]

[Footnote 157.6: 'How somever' for 'whosomever,' or 'whoever.']

[Footnote 157.7: 'Owth' for 'ought,' _i.e._ owned.]

592

MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[159.1]

[Sidenote: 1465 / JULY 6 (?)]

I grete yow wele, letyng yow wetyn that I am informyd for certeyn the Duc of Suffolk reysyth grete pepyl bothe in Norffolk and Suffolk to comyn doune with hym to putte us to a rebeuc and thei may; querfor I wold in ony wyse that ze make yow as strong as ze can wyth inne [_in the_] place, for I and other moo suppose that zyff they fynd zow not here they wyl seke yow there ze arn. I wold John Paston the zonger schuld ryde azyn to my Lady of Norffolk and be wyth hyr stylle tyl we haff other tydyngs, and ther may he do sum good, after that he heryth tydyngs, in goyng forth to hys fadyr or in to sum other place quere we may hafe remedy; for yt [is] told me that there ar come to Cossay onward more than ij. hundred, and ther ys comyng, as yt ys seyd, more than a thowsand. I wold that ze sende hyder Lytyl John that I mygth sende hym abowte on myn errandys. Sende me worde how that ze doo by summe of the tenantes that be not knowyn.

Item, byd Richard Calle send me word in a bylle, of how many materys that he hath sent myn husbond an answere of, the quych he sendt hom in divers letters for to be sped here and of the fermours of Tychwelle.

Item, zyf Sir Jamys Gloys may come to Norwych to Adam Taylours how I wold he come on Munday bytymys, and I schal sende to hym thyder. G.o.d kepe yow alle. Wretyn in hast on Satyrday.

BY YOUR MODYR.

Item, yt ys told me that zong Heydon reysyth mych pepyl in the sokyn and in other place.

Item, I wold ze schuld do Rychard Calle hye hym of makeng of alle the acountes and, zyf nede, lete hym gete help and kepe Thomas Hunnworth stille wyth yow, and be war of of Pykyng [_Pickering ?_]

[Footnote 159.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is not addressed on the back, nor is the handwriting that of Margaret Paston, but from the subscription it would appear to have been written by her to one of her sons; and as John Paston the younger is mentioned in the body of the letter, the person addressed was evidently his elder brother. The letter seems to have been written shortly before the Duke of Suffolk's attempt on h.e.l.lesden mentioned in the next No., probably on the Sat.u.r.day preceding it.]

593

RICHARD CALLE TO JOHN PASTON[160.1]

_To my mastre, John Paston, in hast._

[Sidenote: 1465 / JULY 10]

Plesith it youre maysterschip to witte of the rwle and disposicion of the Master Philip and the Balyf of Cossey, with others of my Lorde of Suffolkes men. On Monday last past, at aftrenoon, [they] wer at Heylesdon, with the nombre of CCC. men, for to have entred, notwithstandyng they seyde they come not for to entre; but withoute dought, and they had been strong inough for us, they wolde have entred, and that we undrestonde nough, but we knowyng of ther comyng and purveyed so for hem, that we wer strong j nough. We had lx. men withinne the place, and gonnes, and suche ordynauns, so that if they had satte uppon us, they had be distroyed. And ther my mastres was withine, and my mastre, Sir John, and hathe gate hym as grete worschip for that day as any gentleman myght doo, and so is it reported of the partye and in all Norwiche. And my Lorde of Norwiche sent theder Master John Salett and Master John Bulleman for to trete, and so they ded; and the Duc men seide they had a warant for to attache John Dawbeney, Wyks, Calle, Hunewrthe, and Bliclyng and other, weche they wuld have; and my master, Sir John, answerd them, and seide that they were not withine, and though we had ben, they shuld not have had hem; and so they desired oon of our men. And so Naunton stede by my mastres and haxed hem whom they wold have, and seyde if they wold have hem he wold go with hem, and so he ded. And on the next day they caryed hym forthe to my Lord of Suffolk to Claxton, through Norwich; and ther we had founde a remedy for hym for to heve lette hym; and he wold not, but nedys go forthe with hem; but like a jentelman he was entreated amongs hem. And Harleston desyred at Heylesdon to speke with my mastre, Sir John, and so he ded, and seyde to hym it were ryght weele don that he rode to my Lord of Suffolk and desired hym in any wice that he schulde do so, and seyde that it was hes dwte so for to do, in asmoche as my Lorde was come to contre, and that he wolde ryde with hym, and brynge hym to my Lorde; and he answerd and seide to hym, whan that he undrestode that my Lord were hes fathers goode Lord and hes, that thanne he wolde se hes Lords.h.i.+p, and [ell]es he had non aronde to hym; and so they departed. And thanne appoyntement was taken that they shull sende home ther men, and we schuld send home oure.

And nough my Lord of Suffolks men come from Claxton to Norwich, and face us and fray uppon us, this dayly. Ther fylle uppon me befor Sevayne dore xij. of hes men, viij. of them in harneys, and ther they wold have myscheved me and the Scheryf letted hem and other, and they make ther awaunte were that I may be goten I schul dye; and so they lye in a wayte for to myscheve me, Dawbeney, and Wyks; and so I dare not ryde out alone withoute a man with me. And I undrestonde ther is comyn an Heyre Determyner[161.1] to enquer of all ryots, and my Lord of Suffolk and Yelverton be Comyscioners; and so they sey as money of us as can be taken shal be endyted and hanged forth with; and so the people here are dysmayed with ther rwle. Wherfore that it like you to sende werd how my mastres schal do at Heylesdon, and we in all other maters; and wether ye wol that we feche a yene the flok of Heylesdon, for they are nough dreven to Causton, and there go they on the heyth; and my Lord of Suffolk wolbe at Drayton on Lames Daye, and kepe the Coort ther; wherefor ye must seke an remedy for it, or ell[es] it woll not do weele.

If my Lord of Norffolk wold come, he schulde make all weele, for they feere hym above all thyngs, for it is noyced here that my Lord of Norffolk hathe taken partye in thes mater, and all the c.u.n.tre is cladde of it, seyng that if he come they wooll hooly go with hym.

And me senethe it were wele don to meve my Lord in it, though ye schuld geve hym the profyghts of Heylesdon and Drayton for the kepyng, and som money be side; for ye must seke som other remedy than ye do, or ell[es]

in my conseyte it schull go to the Divell, and be distroyed, and that in ryght schort tyme. And therfore at the reverence of G.o.d take som appoyntement with Master Yelverton, suche as ye thynke schuld most hurt.

I beseche you to pardon me of my writyng, for I have pitte to se the trybulacion that my mastres hathe here, and all your frends, &c.

Almyghty Jesu preserve and kepe you. Wreten the Wednesday next Seint Thomas Daye.

Your pore servaunt and bedman,

RIC. CALLE.

[Footnote 160.1: [From Fenn, iv. 212.] From what has been already said about the Duke of Suffolk's claim to the manor of h.e.l.lesden, it is clear that this letter is of the year 1465. Later it cannot be, as John Paston was dead before July 1466.]

[Footnote 161.1: An Oyer and Terminer, or Special Commission.]

594

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[162.1]

_To my right worschipfull husbond, John Paston, in hast._

[Sidenote: 1465 / JULY 12]

Ryght worshypful husbond, I recomaund me to yow, preyeng you hertyly that ye wyl seke a meen that yowr servauntys may be in pees, for they be dayly in fer of ther lyvys. The Duke Suffolks men thretyn dayly Dawbeney, Wykys, and Richard Calle, that wher so ever they may gete them they schold dye; and affrayes have ben made on Rychard Calle this weke, so that he was in gret jupperte at Norwych among them; and gret affrayes have ben made uppon me and my felashep her on Monday last pa.s.syd, of whych Rychard Calle tellyth me that he hath sent yow word of in wryghtyng, mor pleynly than I may doo at thys tyme, but I shal informe yow mor pleynly heraftyr.

I suppose ther shal be gret labor ageyn yow and yowr servaunts at the a.s.sysis and Cescions her; wherfor me semyth, savyng your better advyce, it wer wele do that ye shold speke with the Justicys or they com her; and yf ye wol that I compleyn to them or to any other, if Good fortune me lyfe and helth, I wol do as ye advyse me to do, for in good feyth I have ben symply intretid among them; and what with syknesse, and troble that I have had, I am browte ryght lowe and weyke, but to my power I wyl do as I can or may in your maters.