The Paston Letters
Chapter 138 : [Footnote 306.4: Arques, in Normandy, south of Dieppe.][Footnote 307.1: Edward, son of

[Footnote 306.4: Arques, in Normandy, south of Dieppe.]

[Footnote 307.1: Edward, son of Henry VI.]

[Footnote 307.2: Edward IV., whom the Lancastrians did not yet recognise as king.]

481

JOHN PAMPYNG TO JOHN PASTON, SENIOR[308.1]

_To my right wors.h.i.+pfull master John Paston, the older, Squier._

[Sidenote: 1461 / SEPT. 6]

Please your mastirs.h.i.+p to wete that I have be at Cotton, and spoke with Edward Dale, and he told me that Yelverton and Jenney were there on Friday,[308.2] and a toke distresse of xxvj. or more bullokks of the seid Edwards in the Park, and drofe hem to a town therby; and a neyghbore there undirstandyng the bests were Edward Dalis,[308.3] and bond hym to pay the ferme, or ellis to bryng in the bests be a day. And whan the seid Edward undirstod the takyng of the seid bests he went to Yelverton and Jenney, and bond hym in an obligacon of x_li._, to pay hem his ferme at Mighelmes; whech I told hym was not well do, for I told hym ye had be abill to save hym harmeles. And because of discharge of his neyghbour he seid he myght non other wise do. Nevirthelesse as for mony thei get none of hym redely, ner of the tenaunts nowthyr, as he can thynk yet. The seid Yelverton dyned on Friday at Cotton, and there chargid the tenaunts thei shuld pay no mony but to hym, and hath flaterid hem, and seith thei shall be restorid ayen of such wrongs as thei have had be Sir Philip Wentworth and other for Master Fastolff; and because of such tales, your tenaunts owe hym the bettir will. And I purposid to have gon to Cotton and spoke with the tenaunts, and Edward Dale told me he supposid thei wold be this day at Nakton. And because [I desired][308.4] to speke with hem as ye comaundid me, I terid not but rod to Ipwich to my bed, and there at the Sonne was the seid Yelverton and Jenney and Thomas Fastolff; and myn ost told me, that the same aftir none thei had be at Nakton, but what thei ded there I can not telle, and whan I was undirstand your man, Hogon, Jenneys man, askyd suerte of pes of me; and Jenney sent for an officer to have hed me to prison; and so myn ost undirtoke for me that nyght. And this day in the mornyng I wente to Sen Lauerauns Chirche; and there I spak to hem and told hem ye merveylid that thei wold take any distresse or warne any of your tenaunts that thei shuld pay yow no mony. And Yelverton seid ye had take a distresse falsly and ontrewly of hym that ought yow no mony ner hem nowther. And he seid he was infeffid as well as ye; and as for that I told hym he wost odre [_knew the contrary_], and thow he were it was but your use, and so I told hym that men were infeffid in his lond, and that he shuld be servid the same withinne fewe dayes. And he seid he wost well ye were not infeffid in his lond, and if ye toke upon yow to make any trobill in his lond ye shall repente it. And also he seid that he wold do in like wise in alle maners that were Sir John Fastolffs in Norfolk as thei have begonne, and other langage as I shall telle yow.

And so I am with the gayler, with a clogge upon myn hele for suerte of the pees; wherefore please your mastirs.h.i.+p to send me your avise.

Item, John Andrews was with hem at Cotton, and thei have set a man of the seid Andrews to kepe the plase.

Item, Wymondham, Debenham and Tympirle come to Yelverton this day at ma.s.se and speke with hym; and I speke to Tymperle in your name that he wold not comforte ner be with hem ayein in this mater; and he seid he undirstod no such thyng, ner it was not his comyng hedir. Wretyn at Ipwych the Sonday next before the Nativite of Owr Lady.

Yowr servaunt,

JOHN PAMPYNG.

The back is covered with some rough memoranda in Richard Calle's hand, of moneys received at different times of year by Richard Charlys, Thomas Howys, William Berton, baker, of Southwark, Ralph Lovel, John Prentyng, Richard Coomber, and John de Dorylot. Some of these payments are made through Dawbeney, John Paston, junior, and John Paston, senior (_per ma.n.u.s Johannis Paston Senioris_).

[Footnote 308.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] In the letter of James Gloys, which follows (No. 482), will be found an allusion to a recent 'revel done in Suffolk' by Yelverton and Jenney. That the affair alluded to was the same which is described in this letter will appear beyond doubt if the reader will refer to Letter 487.]

[Footnote 308.2: 4th September.]

[Footnote 308.3: Apparently the writer has omitted a word or more here.]

[Footnote 308.4: Omitted in MS.]

482

JAMES GLOYS TO JOHN PASTON[310.1]

_To the right reverent and wurchepfull Sir, and my G.o.de mayster, John Paston, Esquyer._

[Sidenote: 1461 / SEPT. 24]

Right reverent and wurchepfull sir, I recomand me to your G.o.de maystershep, prayng you to wete that I was at Blakkes, and spake with his wiffe; and she seth he was not at hame this iij. weks,--he ridith up the countre to take accompts of balys [_bailiffs_],--and that this day sevennyght he shuld have satyn in Caystr by you up on accounts, and fro thens he shuld have redyn to Lynne, and that he shall be at home un Monday at nyght next comyng. Wherfor I have left my heraund with her.

But she seth that he shall not mown comyn [_be able to come_] to you, for my Lady[310.2] have sent for hym in gret hast, bothyn be a letter and be a tokyn, to comyn to her as hastly as he may; notwithstandyng she shall do the herand to hym.

As for Yelverton, I dede a G.o.de fele to enquer of Yemmys Skynner whan the seid Yelverton shuld go to London. He seid not this sevynnyght. He cowde not tell what day till he had spokyn with his son. His sone shuld come to hym or his master shuld ridyn. I shall enquer mor at Walsyngham.

And for G.o.dds love be not to longe fro London, for men seyn ther, as I have be [told], that my Lord of Glowcetir[310.3] shuld have Cayster, and ther is gret noyse of this revell that was don in Suffolk be Yelverton and Jeney; and your wele willers thynkyn that if thei myght prevayle in this, thei wold attempt you in other. But seas ther pore and malyce, and preserve you from all evill. And at the reverence of G.o.d lete sum interposicion go a twix you and my mastres your moder or ye go to London, and all that ye do shall spede the better; for she is set on gret malyce, and every man that she spekith with knowith her hert, and it is like to be a fowle noyse [over] all the countre with aught it be sone sesid.

Also, sir, it is told me that my Lord of Norfolk is comyn to Framlyngham, and that ye be gretly comendyd in his howshold. Therfor it wer wele do, me semyth, that ye spake with hym. The Holy Trynyte kepe you.

Wretyn at Norwich, the Thursday next after Sent Mathewe.

Your pore prest,

JAMES GLOYS.

[Footnote 310.1: [From Fenn, iv. 58.] On the back of this letter is the following memorandum in a contemporaneous hand:-- 'De Ric'o Calle pro ordio (_i.e._ hordeo) ibidem pro ij. annis terminatis ad Mic' anno primo regni Regis E. iiij., xxvj_s._ viij_d._' This shows that the letter itself could not have been written later than 1461, and as there was no 'Lord of Gloucester' before that year, it could not have been earlier.]

[Footnote 310.2: Alice, d.u.c.h.ess of Suffolk.]

[Footnote 310.3: Richard, the King's brother, afterwards Richard III.]

483

HENRY WYNDESORE TO JOHN PASTON[311.1]

_To my full wors.h.i.+pfull, speciall G.o.de maister, John Paston, Squyer, abidyng at Norwich._

[Sidenote: 1461 / OCT. 4]

Right wors.h.i.+pfull sir, and some tyme my moost speciall G.o.de master, I recommaunde me unto your G.o.de maisters.h.i.+p, with all my pour service, if it may in any wise suffice; and farthermore, sir, I beseche you, nowe beyng in your countre, where ye may deily call unto you my maister Sir Thomas Howys, ones to remembre my pour mater, and by your discretions to take such a direction theryn, and so to conclude, as may be to your discharge and to my furtherance, accordyng to the will of hym that is pa.s.sed unto G.o.de, whose saull I pray Jesu pardone! for truly, sir, ther was in hym no faute, but in me onely; yf it be not as I have remembred your maisters.h.i.+p affore thy[s] tyme. For truly, sir, I der say I shuld have had as speciall and as G.o.de a maister of you, as any pour man, as I am, withyn England shuld have hadd of a wors.h.i.+pfull man, as ye ar, yf ye had never medulled the G.o.des of my maister F., and as moche ye wold have done, and labored fore me, in my right, if it hadde byn in the handes of any oder man than of your self anely. But, I truste in G.o.de, at your next comyng to have an answere, such as I shalbe content with. And yf it may be so, I am and shalbe your servaunt in that I can or may, that knoith our Lord Jesu, whom I besech save and sende you a G.o.de ende in all your maters, to your pleiser and wors.h.i.+p everlastyng. Amen. Writton at London, iiij^to die Octobris.

As fore tidyngs, the Kyng wolbe at London withyn iij. deies next comyng; and all the castelles and holdes in South Wales, and in North Wales, ar gyfen and yelden up into the Kynges hand. And the Duc of Excestre[312.1]

and th'erle of Pembrok[312.2] ar floon and taken the mounteyns, and dyvers Lordes with gret puissans ar after them; and the moost part of gentilmen and men of wors.h.i.+p ar comen yn to the Kyng, and have grace, of all Wales.

The Duc of Somerset, the Lord Hungerford, Robert Whityngham, and oder iiij. or v. Squyers are comen into Normandy out of Scotland, and as yette they stand strete under arest; and as merchauntes that ar comen late thens sey, they ar like to be demed and jugged prisoners. My Lord Wenlok, Sir John Cley, and the Dean of Seynt Severyens, have abiden at Cales thise iij. wikes, and yette ar there, abidyng a saufconduit, goyng uppon an amba.s.sate to the Frenshe Kyng; and Sir Wauter Blount, Tresorer of Cales, with a grete feles.h.i.+p of souldeours of Cales, and many oder men of the Marches, have leyn, and yette doo, at a seege afore the Castell of Hampmes, by side Cales, and deily make gret werre, either parte toother.

Item, I send unto you a copy of a letter that was taken uppon the see, made by the Lord Hungerford and Whytyngham.

Item, we shall have a gret amba.s.sate out of Scotland in all hast of Lordes.

At your comaundement, and Servaunt,

HENRY WYNDESORE.

[Footnote 311.1: [From Fenn, i. 240.] For the date of this letter, compare No. 480.]

[Footnote 312.1: Henry Holland. He married Anne, sister of King Edward IV., but remained a steady Lancastrian, and was attainted this year in Parliament.]

[Footnote 312.2: Jasper Tudor, half-brother of Henry VI.]

484

CLEMENT PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[313.1]