The Paston Letters
Chapter 146 : Right wors.h.i.+pfull sir, and my right honourable maistir, I recomaunde me to you in

Right wors.h.i.+pfull sir, and my right honourable maistir, I recomaunde me to you in my most humble wise. And plese it youre good maistirshyp to wete that it is seyd here that my Lord Worcestre is lyk to be Tresorer, with whom I truste ye stonde right wel in conseit, with whiche G.o.d contynwe. Wherfor I beseke youre maistirs.h.i.+pp that if my seid Lord have the seid office, that it lyke you to desyre the nomynacion of on of the officez, eythyr of the countroller or serchors.h.i.+p of Jernemuth, for a servaunt of yowrez, and I shuld so gyde me in the office as I truste shuld be most profit to my seyd Lord. And if youre maistirshyp lyked to gete graunt thereof, that than it plesyd you to lycense on of youre servaunts to take out the patent of the seyd office; and if it cost v.

or vj. or viij. marke, I shal trewly contente it ageyn; and yeerly as longe as I myght have the officez, or any of hem, I shal geve my maister youre sone v. marke toward an haukeney.

It shuld be to me right a good mean to stondyn as well in the trust as in the conseyt amongs marchaunts, with whom and with alle men I calle myself a servaunt of yourez, and soo wil do, if it plese you, which boldyth me the more to calle upon youre right wurs.h.i.+pful maistyrshyp in this mater, where in I beseke you to forgeve me my boldneyse in thys behalve. And if I knew that my Lord shuld have the office in sertayn, than I wold wayte upon youre good maystyrshyp there to opteyne the patent, if it plesyd youre good maystirs.h.i.+p to gete me the graunt, &c.

No more on to you, my right honourable maister, at thys tyme, but Jesu I beseke sende you a good conclucyon in all yore maters, and graunt you ever youre herts desyre.

Yore contynwal servaunt and bedeman,

JOHN RUSSE.

[Footnote 37.1: [From Fenn, iv. 112.] This letter must have been written before the 14th of April 1462, on which day the Earl of Worcester was appointed Treasurer of the Exchequer (_Patent Roll_, 2 Edw. IV., p. 1, m. 19).]

516

W. C. TO JOHN PASTON[39.1]

_To myn ryght wors.h.i.+pfull and ryght singler good mayster, myn Mayster John Paston._

[Sidenote: 1462 / MAY 4]

Myn ryght wors.h.i.+pfull mayster, I recomaunde me to yow in myn ryght homble wyse. And please your maysters.h.i.+p that I have ben at Wetyng and there hald the court and lete on Hokmonday[39.2] as. .h.i.t hath bene of olde tyme accostomed; and the tenauntes have attorned and bene full gladde that myn lady shuld rejoyse hit and kepe here possession. The priour of Bromhill that was fermoure his terme is expired, and wole sewe to myn lady and hir councell to have a newe terme; but lete myn lady be ware, for, as I here seyn, he bydeth but a tyme that he myght gete a summe of money to geders of myn ladyes lyflode, and to gone ther with[39.3] a love of his sojornyng as yette in Hokehold. She hath bene dreven fro town to town for his sake. Hit is wele done ye advertyse myn lady, if she be in that cas that she hath governaunce of hir owen londes, that she do no thyng to that lyflode ner non other in Norffolk, with ought advyse of theym that have vysyted and overseen theym; for there hath bene straunge rewle, bothe in woodsales and sale of londes helde at wylle for fre rent, as ye shal knowe here after. Th.o.r.esby, a man that was generall attorney for myn Lord Oxenford that was, told me that the Kynge hadde made Keche generall receyvoure by priveseale of alle londes that were the Erle of Oxenford and Dame Elyzabet, ecept tho that Howard hadde entered and Lanham and an other graunted to Wykes, and certeyn lyflode in Kent that was a.s.signed to the tresorer of howshold of the Kynges hows; and she shuld have be Keches hande v.^c. [500] mark, ij.^c. and l. [250] mark to bene payed at this Estern and the remulant at Mihelma.s.se. And of the remulant the Kyng shuld be answered. Ye shal sone understande how it is; and if hit be so, hit [is][39.4] but foly to laboure any ferther. I wold fayn knowe, for the courtes for the half yere wold bene holde for nede. And our Lord be with youre maysters.h.i.+p and sende yow th'accomplyshement of youre n.o.ble desyres. Wreten hastely at Norwyche, the iiij^te day of May.

Youre servaunt to his power,

W. C.

And whan ye comon with myn ryght wors.h.i.+pfull lady I beseche yow remembre myn pore maters in whiche is greet concyens, &c.

[Footnote 39.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The manor of Weeting, in Norfolk, came to John Vere, twelfth Earl of Oxford, by his marriage with Elizabeth, daughter and heir of John Howard, Esquire, son and heir of Sir John Howard, Knight. This Earl was beheaded in February 1462, for treason against Edward IV., and the present letter seems to have been written in May following.]

[Footnote 39.2: Hock Monday was a fortnight after Easter Monday.

In 1462 it fell on the 3rd May, the day before this letter was written.]

[Footnote 39.3: _With_ repeated in MS.]

[Footnote 39.4: Omitted in MS.]

517

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[40.1]

_To my ryght wurschipful maister, John Paston._

[Sidenote: 1462 / MAY 18]

I recomaunde me unto you. Plesith it you to witte that I have spoken with Furbuschour and other of the matre that ye spake to me off, and they have promysed me to be as feythefull in it as it where for hem selfe. Also I have spoken with my modre and seide to here as ye desired me to doo, and sche seide sche knewe the ma.s.sache weele inowe before be other persones in like wice as ye comaunded hem to sey to her; and sche seide she wode fayne that ye dede weele what so ever ye sey and fille forthe in other talkyng. Me semethe che is displesed that ye came not to her or than ye roode foorthe. I schall telle you more whan that ye come home. Thomas Denys wyff whas at me, and desired me that I schulde sende to you and desire you that che myght have knowleche from you how ye woll that sche schall doo with her matre; sche seithe her brother and other of her frendes thynke that she schulde up to London and calle uppon her matre there, but she seithe pleynly sche woll nought doo therin withoute your advice. It whas toolde me that Bacon and Gonnor whas here to speke with me for the matre that Bacon spake to you of, and at that tyme I whas at Norweche and I herde no more of hem sethen. And as for my brother William, he is not purposed to come to London tyll aftre Pentecost; but my brother Clement is purposed to come forward on Monday or on Twesday next comyng at the ferthest. No more at this tyme but the blissed Trinite preserve you. Wreten the xviij. day of May.

Your MARGARET PASTON.

I prey yow that ye woll wete safe to remembre Johane Gayne matre, and that ye woll take John Paston that he remembre you of it, for Dawbeney and Pampyng woll sone for gete it.

[Footnote 40.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is evidently not far removed in date from No. 489, in which 'Joan Gayne's matter' is also mentioned. The year, however, cannot be 1461, as William Paston was in London that year as early as the 4th April.

It seems also from this letter that John Paston had recently left home, which could not have been the case in 1461 if No. 453 be of that year. We have therefore little doubt that the true date is 1462, and that the substance of the letter relates to proceedings taken by the widow of Thomas Denys against her husband's murderers.]

518

JOHN PASTON, JUNIOR, TO HIS FATHER[41.1]

_To my ryght wurschipfull fadre, John Paston._

[Sidenote: 1462 / MAY]

Plesit you to wete that I am at Leyn, and under stande be dyvers personys, as I am in formed, that the Mayster of Carbroke[41.2] wold take a rewle in the _Mare Talbot_ as for capteyn, and to yeve jaketes of his levery to dyvers personis qwych be waged be oder men, and nouth be hym, beyng in the said shep. Qwerfor in as moch as I have but few sowdeors in myn levery her, to strenketh me in that qwych is the Kynges commandement, I kepe with me yowr too men, Dawbenney and Calle, qwich I purpose shall seyle with me to Yermeth; for I have purveyed harneyse for hem. And ye shall well understande, be the grace of G.o.d, that the said Mayster of Carbroke shall have non rewle in the sheppes, as I had purposid he shuld have had, because of his besynesse, and for this is on of the specyall causes I kepe yowr said men with me, besechyng you ye takyt to non dysplesur of ther taryng with me. Nat withstanding, ther herden[42.1] at Wyggenalle shall be don this day be the grace of G.o.d, Whoo have you in kepyng.

Wreten at Leynn, the morow after my departyng from you.

Item, as far such tydynges as be here, Th. shall in forme you.

JOHN PASTON.

[Footnote 41.1: [From Fenn, iv. 100.] On the 29th May 1462 a commission was granted to Sir John Howard and Sir Thomas Walgrave to arrest the s.h.i.+ps, the _Mary Talbot_ and the _Mary Thomson_, both of Lynn, and other vessels in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Ess.e.x, for a fleet which the King was fitting out (see _Patent Roll_, 2 Edw. IV., p. 1, m. 14, _in dorso_). Sir Thomas Walgrave may perhaps have been the person designated in this letter as the Master of Carbrooke. At all events, the date is clearly about this time.]

[Footnote 41.2: At Carbrooke, in Norfolk, was a commandry formerly belonging to the Knights Templars, which, like most of the possessions of the order, when it was suppressed in Edward II.'s time, was given to the Knights of St. John.]

[Footnote 42.1: I do not understand the meaning of the word 'herden.' --F.]

519

ABSTRACT[42.2]

[Sidenote: 1462 / JUNE 6]

Inventory of household stuff remaining at Castre, 6 June 2 Edward IV., viz. of robes, jewels, arras, etc.

[Footnote 42.2: [From MS. Phillipps, 9735, No. 354.]]

520

NOTE

[Sidenote: 1462]

Among some MSS., which seem formerly to have belonged to the Paston Collection in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, is one endorsed-- 'A Pedigree showing how the manor of Caister was divided,' tracing its descent from earlier owners to Sir John Fastolf.