The Paston Letters
Chapter 166 : [Sidenote: Episcopus Norwic'.]Skypwith went with me to the Byshop of Norwych, and

[Sidenote: Episcopus Norwic'.]

Skypwith went with me to the Byshop of Norwych, and I lyte hym have knowlych of the ryotous and evyll dysposicyon of Master Phylyp, desyryng hys Lordshyp that he wold see a mene tha[t] a correccyon myzt be hadde, in as moch as he was chef Justic of the Peas and hys ordynare, and inasmoch as he was a prest[139.1] and under hys correccyon that he shold have understondyng of hys dysposicyon; and I made Dabeney to tell hym all the mater howt it was; and he seyd he wold send for hym and speke with hym. And he told me of dyvers thyngs of the demenyng of hym, wherby I understode he lykyd not by hys dysposicyon nor demenyng in thys mater nor in no nothyr; for it symyd he had provyd hym what he ys in other maters.

[Sidenote: Episcopus Norwic'.]

My lord seyd to me that he wold ryght fayn that ye had a G.o.de conclusyon in your maters, and seyd by hys trouth, that he ought you ryght G.o.de wyll, and wold ryght fayn that ye wer com home, and seyd to me that it shold be a grete comfort to your frends and neghbors, and that your presens shold do more amongs hem, than a C. of your men shold do in your absens, and more, your enmys wold ferr to do ayens you yf ye myght be at home, and steryng amonges hem, and seyd full playnly in meny other thyngs it wer to long to wryte at thys tyme, as Skypwith shall tell you when he comyzt to you.

[Sidenote: Skipwith.]

I pray you thanke Skypwith of hys G.o.de wyll, for he was ryght well wyllyd to go with me and yeve me hys avyse, me thynkyth he ys ryzt well wyllyd to you.

[Sidenote: Per' Heyl'd.[139.2]]

Item, I pray you send hastely word how that ye wyll that we be gydyd with thys place, for as it ys told me, it ys lyke to stond in as grete jupardy in hast as othere don. On Thursday al day there were kept in Draton logge in to lx. persons, and yet as it ys told me, ther be within dayly and nyztly in to a xvj. or xx. persons.

[Sidenote: Elys.]

Item, it ys told me that Thomas Elys of Norwych, whych nowe ys chosyn Mayer, seyd at Drayton that yf my Lord of Suffolk nede a C. men he wold purvey hym therof, and yf any men of the town wold go to Paston he wold do lay hem faste in prison.

[Sidenote: Supersedeas.]

I wold youre men mygh have a _supersedias_[139.3] owte of the chauncere, and be owte of the danger of ther men here;

[Sidenote: Naunton.]

and I pray you let not Wyll Naunton be foryete therin. Ric. Calle and other can tell you of hys demenyng; and I pray you that ye be not dysplesyd for his abydyng with me, for in G.o.de feth he hath ben a grete comfort to me syn ye departyd hens, as I wyll lete you wyte hereafter.

I pray you yf hys brother com to you for a relesse of hys londe, lette him non have on to the tyme that ye see hys faderes wyll, the whych I wote wher it ys, and that it like you to desyre hym to be G.o.de brother to him.

[Sidenote: J. Paston at Castre. M. P. at Heylisdon.]

Item, I have left John Paston the older at Caster, to kype the place there, as Ric. can tell you; for I had lever, and it pleasyd you, to be captensse here then at Caster; yet I was nothyng purposyd to abyde here when [I] come from home but for a day or ij., but I shall abyde here tyll I here tydyngs from you.

[Sidenote: Brightled.]

Item, it ys told me that the Duck of Suffolk hath boght or shal by in hast the ryzt that on Bryghtylhed hath in Haylesdon, &c.

[Sidenote: Evidens. Pekering.]

Item, as for the evydens that Watkyn Shypdam hadd, he delivered to hys wyffe a box enselyd with hys owyn seall by hys lyffe for to be delyveryd to you, whych box she delyveryd to Ric. Call under the same seall after hys dessesse. Ric. can tell you of the gydyng of the cofere with other boks that were at Shypdams.

[Sidenote: Evidens. Norwic'.]

And as for all your other evydens ye ther not feer as for the syzt of hem, for ther hath nor shall no man sen hem tyll ye com hom. I can not fynd that ye send to me fore to have oute of the rolle.

[Sidenote: Colt. Malt.]

Item, I here no word of Colte of New Castell, nor of no nother from you that shold have your malte, but I have spoken to the Viker, John Rus and Robert Boteler, to help for to sell your malte, and as we can do therein, we shall send you word.

[Sidenote: Praepositus de [Cantab].[140.1]]

The Provest of Cambrygge ys com into thys contry and Dabeney shall receve of hym that longyth to you on Monday or Tewysday, and he shall have hys delyveryd accordyng to your wrytyng.

[Sidenote: Mater. Clere.]

Item, my moder told me that she thynkyth ryght strange that she may not have the profects of Clyre ys place in peasabyll wyse for you, she seyt it ys hers and she hath payd most therfore yet, and she sayth she wyll have the profects therof, or ells she wyll make more folk to speke therof. She seyth she knowyt not what ryght ne t.i.tell that ye have therin but yf ye l.u.s.te to trobell with herre, and that shold be no wyrshep to you; and she sayth she wylbe ther thys somer and repayre the housyng ther. In G.o.de feyth I hyre moch langage of the demenyng betwene you and herre. I wold ryght fayn, and so wold many moo of youre frendes, that it were otherwyse bytwene you then it ys, and yf it were I hope ye shold have the beter spyde in all other maters. I pray G.o.d be your G.o.de spyde in all your maters, and yef yow grace to have a G.o.de conclusyon of hem in haste for thys ys to wyry a lyffe to a byde for you and all youre. Wryten in haste at Haylysdon the x. day of May.

The cause that I send to you this hastely ys to have an awnswer in haste from you.

Your M. P.

[Footnote 136.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this letter is rendered certain by the mention of Thomas Ellis as having been elected Mayor of Norwich. He was so elected for the second time in 1465. He had been Mayor before in 1460-61, and was again after this in 1474-75; but neither of these latter dates will suit the other contents of this letter. Like some others of this year, this letter is apostyled by John Paston.]

[Footnote 138.1: Thomas Hert, perhaps a relation of the Bishop of Norwich, was presented to the rectory of h.e.l.lesden by Sir John Fastolf in 1448, but how long he held it is uncertain, as the list of rectors is very defective, and the next name that appears on it is George Gardiner in 1579.]

[Footnote 139.1: Philip Lepeyate was presented to the rectory of Salle in Norfolk, in 1460, by Thomas Brewse, Esq., afterwards father-in-law of John Paston, the youngest.]

[Footnote 139.2: _i.e._ Periculum Heylesdon.]

[Footnote 139.3: So in MS.]

[Footnote 140.1: This word is left blank by Paston.]

[[be thys delyveryd in hast. _text has "delyveryd. in hast."_]]

[[to put hem in comfort _text has "iu comfort"_]]

582

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[141.1]

_To my ryght wyrshypfull mayster, John Paston the oldest, be this delyveryd in haste._

[Sidenote: 1465 / MAY 13]

I recomaund me, &c.

Yf it pleasyd you, I wold ryght fayn that John Jenney werre putte oute of the Comyssyon of the Peas, and that my brother Wyll. Lumner wer set yn hys stede, for me thynkyth it wer ryght necessere that ther were such a man in that county that oght you G.o.de wyll, and I knowe verely he owyth you ryght G.o.de wyll; he was with me at Caster but late. Yf ther be made any labour for Doctour Alyn to be Justice of the Peas, I pray you for G.o.ds sake let it be lettyd yf ye may, for he wyll take to moch upon hym yf he werr. I wold not that he wer remembyrd of your parte but yf [_unless_] he be spokyn of of other parts: he ys ryght grete with Master Phylyp Lypzate and the Baylyf of Coshay.

Yf it please yow to wyte that Wyks dyde a reste one Wyll. Dylmyn of Norwych, as Pampyng can enforme you of, for sertyn harnys wych he delyveryd hym at New Castell for to cary to Yarmoth by water, and ther to delyver it to hym ayen; whych harnys he kypt styll, and may not be delyveryd; and now ther ys com down an _habeas corpus_ for hym, and most appyr at the Comyn Place [_Common Pleas_] on Fryday next comyng. Wherfor yf it pleased you that ther myght be taken an accyon in Wyks name of trespas under such forme as ther may be a _capias_ a wardyd a yenst hys comyng; for after that he was arestyd he dyde Daubeney to be arestyd for mayntenyng; and as for the harnys Wyks delyveryd it to hym the x. day of Januar, the ij. yer of Kyng E.[142.1] in Pylgryme strete, at New Castell: Inprimis, a peyr brygandyrs, a salet, a boresper, a bawe, xviij. arwys, ij. payr polronds [_shoulder pieces_], a standard of mayle, a payr slyvys of plate, to the valew of v. marc. And at the reverens of G.o.d, slowth not your maters nowe, and make any end of hem, other purvey you to make hym or to marre hem in haste, for thys ys to orybyll a coste and trobell that ye have and have had, for to endur any whyle, and it ys grete hevenys to your frends and welwyllers, and grete joy and comfort to your ennemyes. My Lord of Norwych seyd to me that he wold noth abyde the sorow and trobell that ye have abyden, to wyn all Sir John Fastolf ys G.o.de. And G.o.d be your spede in all yor maters.

Wryten at Haylesdon the xiij. day of May.

I thynk ryght long to hyr tydyngs tyll I have tydyngs from you.

Your

M. P.

[Footnote 141.1: [From Fenn, iv. 164.] There can be little doubt this letter was written in the year 1465, when Margaret was troubled by Mr. Philip Lipgate and the Duke of Suffolk's bailiff of Cossey. It may be observed also that Margaret here dates from h.e.l.lesden, and speaks of having been recently at Caister. Compare Nos. 579 and 581. Further, the name of John Jenney is found on the Commission of the Peace for Norfolk, dated the 1st April 1465 (Patent, 5 Edward IV., p. 1, m. 32), but it is not on the commission issued on the 20th February following (_ib._, m. 27); so that John Paston seems to have acted on his wife's suggestion and been successful in getting him removed.]