The Paston Letters
Chapter 94 : [Footnote 118.3: Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury.][Footnote 118.4: John Nevi

[Footnote 118.3: Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury.]

[Footnote 118.4: John Neville, afterwards Marquis Montague, married Isabel, daughter and heir of Sir Edmund Ingoldesthorpe of Burgh Green, in Cambridges.h.i.+re, by his wife Jane, sister, and at length co-heir of John, Lord Tiptoft, first Earl of Worcester. He was slain in the battle of Barnet in 1471.]

[Footnote 118.5: John Tiptoft.]

[Footnote 118.6: Hereford.]

[Footnote 118.7: Humphrey Stafford.]

[Footnote 118.8: John Talbot, second Earl.]

[Footnote 118.9: Sir William Herbert, afterwards Earl of Pembroke, a steady Yorkist.]

357

SIR JOHN FASTOLF TO JOHN PASTON, ESQUIRE[119.1]

_To myne wors.h.i.+pfull cosyn, John Paston, Squier._

[Sidenote: About 1457 / AUG.]

Ryght wors.h.i.+pfull cosyn, I recomaunde me to yow, and thanke yow of youre greet peyn and labores that ye daylye take for me in alle myn causes, for wheche I am greetly holden to yow, G.o.d yelde hit yow. And, cosyn, hit is so, as I am enformed, that a fermore of myn maner in Saxthorp, called John Bennes, shuld come be fore yow for to appoynte for suche dewte as he oweth to me upon his ferme. I sende to yow the bokes of his accompt to th'entent that Spyrlyng may awayte upon yow at his comyng, and declare hym his dewte, wheche, as myn receyvore seyth, hit wole drawe to the summe of xlv_li._ [45], and more money at Michelma.s.se now next comyng. And the ferme is but xx_li._ [20] yerly, by wheche ye may understande that he hath hadde greet favore in his payementes to his weel and myn greet hurt, as I reporte me to youre greet wysdome.

Neverthelesse, sethe hit is so that he hath hadde this advayle upon me, I wold seen now that suche dewte as shal ben dewly founde upon hym by accompt to be made at this day, that I may ther of have payement in hande as reson wole, or of as moche as the day is ronne of; and for the resydewe to have greable sewerte, that is to sey, of xx_li._ growen at Mihelma.s.se next comyng, to have payement therof at the Festes of Seynt Andrew and the Annunciacion of our Lady next comyng by even porcions, as in his endenture made of the seyd lees more pleynerly is conteyned. And this don, I am content that he goo at large, and elles that Spyrlyng take a rekenyng of hym, so as I may be aunswered accordyng to the statute, &c. And, cosyn, that overe this ye lyke to yeve credence to the brynger her of of that he shal declare yow in this be half be mouth. And oure Lord kepe yow.

Wreten in hast, at myne manoir of Castre, the Saterday next after our Lady Day the a.s.sumpcion.

And, cosyn, I praye yow that he have none favore other wyse than lawe wole, seyng he is so contraryows for any fayer promyse of his behalf, &c.

Youre cosyn,

JOHN FASTOLF, Ch'r.

[Footnote 119.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This is a letter of pure business, and the date is uncertain; but as John Paston had been giving advice about money matters and the affairs of Fastolf's household in 1457, we may insert it here.]

358

ABSTRACT[120.1]

[Sidenote: 1457 / OCT. 2]

Copy of a charter granted by John Paston, [patron?] of the church of Gresham, and Robert Miller, ... . . allowing the prior and convent of St. Sepulchre of The[tford] to distrain for a pension on the vicarage.

2 Oct. 36 Hen. VI.

[This doc.u.ment is mutilated. In the margin is the following note in a modern hand: 'E. Coll. Fr. Blomefield, _Hist. Norf._ vol. i. fo.

436.']

[Footnote 120.1: [Add. Charter 17,245, B.M.]]

359

ABSTRACT[120.2]

SIR JOHN FASTOLF TO 'MY BROTHER' WILLIAM YELVERTON, JUSTICE.

[Sidenote: 1457 / OCT. 29]

Begs him to continue his kindness especially, now that the Parson, Sir Thomas, comes up to appear before him and other the King's judges 'by the cruel and hasty suit of Androus and his affinity.' Hopes the process sued by him so eagerly 'upon the unjust condemnation shall be reformed and holpen by the attaint in chastising of perjury that reigneth so much now a days.' It were a blessed deed if it were reformed by Yelverton.

Desires credence for 'my cousin Paston' and Sir Thomas in the matter.

(_Signature not Fastolf's own._)

Castre, 29 Oct.

[This letter is written in William Worcester's hand. The suit of Andrews against Howes appears to have been in 1457, as it is referred to afterwards in a writ of the 1st September 1458, which will be found noticed under that date.]

[Footnote 120.2: [From MS. Phillipps, 9735, No. 268.]]

360

SIR JOHN FASTOLF TO STEPHEN SCROOPE[120.3]

_A Stevyn Scrope._

[Sidenote: 1457 / OCT. 30]

Worschepeful and my right wel beloved Sone, I comaund me to yow, and hertily thank yow for your good avertismentys, and right well avysed lettres to me sent from tyme to tyme, and so pray yow of your good continuance.

Plese it yow to wete that, for as mech as the parson Sir Thomas Howes cometh up at this tyme by the grevous pursewte of John Andreus and Heydon, to apere be fore the right worschepeful Sir, my right wel be loved brother, your fadir,[121.1] and other the Kynges Juges of the Kynges Benche,--I pray zow hertily that ye wille have in remembraunce for to recomaund me to hym whan ye speke with hym, and for to thank hym for his rightful favour shewed in Sir Thomas matier, and in alle other maters that toucheth me, wheche ben attained in that hey courte; and so it lyke yow, pray hym of his good continuance, and I shall doo serve it unto hym to my symple power for his good wyl to me shewed, and to myne; and I trust to G.o.d that he shal hold hym plesid. And that it like yow to geve credence to the seid Sir Thomas of that he shal sey to zow for my worschepe and profyte, and that this lettre may recomaund me to my doghtir your wyf, be sechyng the blissed Trinite to sende yow the acomplyshment of your good desyre.

Wretyn at Castre, the x.x.x. day of Octobr.

J. F.

[Footnote 120.3: [From Fenn, iii. 42.] The date of this letter is clearly the same as that of the last, with only a day's difference.]

[Footnote 121.1: On comparing this letter with the last, the person here referred to would seem to be Justice Yelverton. Mr.

Poulett Scrope, however, in his privately printed _History of Castlecombe_ (p. 277), says it was Sir Richard Bingham, whose daughter Joan Stephen Scrope had by this time married. It is quite possible that Fastolf sent a similar message to Bingham by Scrope, and to Yelverton by Paston and Howes.]

361

RICHARD, EARL OF SALISBURY, TO VISCOUNT BEAUMONT[121.2]