The Paston Letters
Chapter 79 : Also there is gret varyance bytwene the Erll of Devens.h.i.+re and the Lord Bonvyle, as

Also there is gret varyance bytwene the Erll of Devens.h.i.+re and the Lord Bonvyle, as hath be many day, and meche debat is like to growe therby; for on Thursday at nyght last pa.s.sed, the Erll of Denshyres sone and heir come with lx. men of armes to Radford's[49.1] place in Devens.h.i.+re, whiche was of counseil with my Lord Bonvyle; and they sette an hous on fyer at Radfords gate, and cryed and mad an noyse as though they had be sory for the fyer; and by that cause Radfords men set opyn the gats and yede owt to se the fyer; and for with th'erll sone forseid entred into the place and intreted Radford to come doun of his chambre to sp[e]ke with them, promyttyng hym that he shuld no bodyly harm have; up on whiche promysse he come doun, and spak with the seid Erll sone.

In the mene tyme his menye robbe his chambre, and ryfled his huches,[49.2] and trussed suyche as they coude gete to gydder, and caryed it awey on his own hors. Thanne th'erll sone seid, 'Radford, thou must come to my lord my fadir.' He seid he wold, and bad oon of his men make redy his hors to ride with hem, whiche answerd hym that alle his hors wern take awey; thanne he seid to th'erll sone, 'Sir, your men have robbed my chambre, and thei have myn hors, that I may not ride with you to my lord your fadir, wherfor, I pray you, lete me ride, for I am old, and may not go.'

It was answerid hym ageyn, that he shuld walke forth with them on his feete; and so he dede till he was a flyte[49.3] shote or more from his place, and thanne he was ... softly, for cawse he myght not go fast.

And whanne thei were thus departed, he turned ... oon; forwith come ix. men ageyn up on hym, and smot hym in the hed, and fellid ... . of them kyt his throte.

This was told to my Lord Chaunceler[49.4] this fornoon ... ...

messengers as come of purpos owt of the same c.u.n.tre. This matier is take gretly ... ... pa.s.sed at ij. after mydnyght rod owt of London, as it is seid, more thanne ... . . the best wyse. Summe seyne it was to ride toward my Lord of York, and summe ... . . k, so meche rumor is here; what it menyth I wot not, G.o.d turne it ... ... at Hertford,[50.1]

and summe men ar a ferd that he is seek ageyn. I pray G.o.d ... ... my Lords of York, Warwyk, Salesbury and other arn in purpos to conveye hym ... ... ... &c. The seid N. Crome, berer her of, shall telle you suche tydynggs ... ... ... in hast, at London, on Seint Simon day and Jude.

Yowr poer

J. GR.

[Footnote 48.1: [From Fenn, i. 114.] This letter was written in 1455, at the time of the King's second attack of illness, which happened while he was under the control of the Duke of York and the Earls of Warwick and Salisbury, as mentioned at the end of the letter. In the latter part of the letter some words are lost by the decay of the original MS.]

[Footnote 48.2: Here, says Fenn, follows an account of some law business, etc.]

[Footnote 48.3: Fought in 1403 between King Henry IV. and the rebel Percies.]

[Footnote 49.1: 'Nicolas Radford,' says Fenn in a note, 'was an eminent lawyer, and resided at Poghill, near Kyrton.' In Pole's _Description of Devons.h.i.+re_, p. 219, we find that one Nicolas Radford dwelled at Upcot in Henry VI.'s time, 'after whose death controversy arose betwixt John Radford of Okeford and Thomazin, sister of the said Nicholas,' who had married Roger Prous.]

[Footnote 49.2: A hutch was a coffer or chest standing on legs.]

[Footnote 49.3: A flight was 'a light arrow formed for very long and straight shots.' --Halliwell.]

[Footnote 49.4: Archbishop Bourchier.]

[Footnote 50.1: The King was at Hertford, as appears by the Privy Seals, in August and September 1455, and not improbably in October also.]

304

ABSTRACT[50.2]

SIR JOHN FASTOLF 'TO MY RIGHT TRUSTY BROTHER, NICHOLAS MOLYNEUX.'

[Sidenote: 1455 / OCT. 30]

As I come not to London this winter, I beg you to see to my Lord's matters, and labour to my Lord of Canterbury and Master John Stokys for the recovering of my Lord's[50.3] [good]s. No man can say more in the matter than you where his goods are, 'and where they be disposed,'

especially those that Sir Rob. Whytynham[50.4] had. Also the Lord Cromwell had 'a certain number of plate.' Your costs shall be paid out of the first money received. Hears from John de Leawe, one of Lord Willoughby's executors, that they will labour to my Lord Beaumont to advance the process for recovery of his part of the reward for the taking of the Duke of Alencon. Fend.y.k.es, a learned man of the Temple, will help with his advice. Commend me to my sister your wife.

Castre, 30 Oct.

_In Worcester's hand, and endorsed by him._-- 'A John Paston et John Bokkyng.'

[During the winter of 1455-56 we find several allusions to this claim put forward by Fastolf to the goods of the late Duke of Bedford. Unless we are to infer from the manner in which Lord Cromwell is mentioned that he was dead when this letter was written, it is probably of the year 1455.]

[Footnote 50.2: [From MS. Phillipps, 9735, No. 228.]]

[Footnote 50.3: The Duke of Bedford.]

[Footnote 50.4: Sir Robert Whityngham died on the 4th November 1452.--_Inq. post mortem_, 31 Hen. VI., No. 47.]

305

WILLIAM WORCESTER TO JOHN PASTON AND JOHN BOCKING[51.1]

_To the ryght worshypfull Sir, John Paston, and to my brothyr, John Bokkyng._

[Sidenote: 1455 / NOV. 13]

Please it yow to have yn knowlege that y veele well my maister takyth gretely to hert the materes whych he hath wryt to you uppon the execucion of my Lord of Bedford ys G.o.des, and in especiall for the recuveryng of hem, as well as of Sir Andreu O.[51.2] executors as of Sir Robert Whytyngham, &c. to th'entent that it myght be opynly knowe yn hys lyve tyme that they be not yn his gouvernaunce no part of it, and that hys factors after hym shuld not be troubled ne charged for it. And seth the seyd mater ys of so grete wyght and charge, and that he takyth it so gretely to hert, puttyng hys grettist trust yn yow, to remembre thys seyd mater by avyse of hys councell lerned, both spirituell as temporell, that ye wolle not delay it, but wyth all your entencion remembred there, as ye by your wysdoms shall thynk it moste expedient, that som fruyt may grow of it.

There ys ynowgh whereoff, and it myght be recuvered, John Bokkyng, ye know ryght moch yn thys mater, and mooste of my maister ys entent hereynne. And therfor, for myne acquytaille, y wryte to you to shew the chieff wrytynges of the copy of endentures of Sir Robert Whytyngham, and of othyr wrytynges concernyng that to Maister Paston, that he may be more rypelyer grounded yn the seyd mater when he shall comyn wyth my Lordz of Caunterburye, Cromewell, and with onye of my maister councell.

And our Lord kepe you.

My maister carpyth so oft on it dayly, and that meovyth me to wryte to yow both. Att Castre, xiij. day of November.

Your,

W. WOR-H.R.-CESTRE.

[Footnote 51.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] On the 11th November 1454 Sir John Fastolf wrote to Paston about the goods of the Duke of Bedford, but the subject recurred to his thoughts for more than a year afterwards, and particularly in January 1456, when all the other executors of the Duke were dead. This letter is certainly before the death of Lord Cromwell, and therefore not later than 1455; but it seems to indicate much greater solicitude on the subject than Fastolf showed in the preceding year.]

[Footnote 51.2: Sir Andrew Ogard, who died on the 13th October 1454.--_Inq. post mortem_, 33 Hen. VI., No. 25.]

306

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[52.1]

_To my right wurs.h.i.+pfull husbonde, John Paston, be this delivered, in hast._

[Sidenote: 1455 / NOV. 25]

Right wurs.h.i.+pfull husbonde, I recomaunde me unto you. Plesith you to witte that myn aunt Mondeforthe[52.2] hath desiryd me to write to you, besechyng you that ye wol wochesafe to chevesshe for her at London xx^ti marke for to be payed to Mastre Ponyngs, outher on Saterday or Sonday, weche schalbe Seint Andrwes Daye, in discharchyng of them that be bounden to Mastre Ponyngs of the s[ei]de xx^ti marke for the wardes.h.i.+p of her doughter, the weche xx^ti marke she hath delyvered to me in golde for you to have at your comyn home, for she dare not aventure her money to be brought up to London for feere of robbyng; for it is seide heere that there goothe many thefys be twyx this and London, weche causeth her to beseche you to content the seide money in dischargyng of the matre, and of them that be bounden, for she wolde for no goude that the day were broken. And she thankyth you hertely for the greet labour and besynesse that ye have had in that matre, and in all others touchyng her and hers, wherfore she seithe she is ever bounden to be your bed-woman, and ever wolle be whyle she levethe.

My cosyn, her sone, and hese wife recomaundethe them unto you, besechyng you that ye woll weche safe to be her goode mastre, as ye have ben a fore tyme; for they be enformed that Danyell is comen to Rysyng Castell, and hes men make her bost that her mastre shal be a yene at Brayston withinne shorte tyme.

Ferthermore, as for the matre that my sone wrote to me for the boxe wheron wreten _Falce Carte Sproute_ that I shulde enquer of William Wurcestre wher it were, the seide William was not at home sen that I had hes letter; but as sone as he comethe home, I shall enquere of hym, and sende you an answer.

As towchyng for your leveryes, ther can noon be gete here of that coloure that ye wulde have of, nouther murrey, nor blwe, nor goode russets, undrenethe iij_s._ the yerde at the lowest price, and yet is ther not j nough of on clothe and coloure to serve you. And as for to be purveid in Suffolk, it wul not be purveide nought now a yenst this tyme, with oute they had had warnyng at Michelmesse, as I am enformed. And the blissed Trenyte have you in his kepyng.

Wreten at Norweche, on Seint Kateryn Day.

Be your,