The Paston Letters
Chapter 9 : 32 ABSTRACT[43.1][Sidenote: 1438 / AUG. 18]Sir H. Inglose notifies his agreement with Jo

32

ABSTRACT[43.1]

[Sidenote: 1438 / AUG. 18]

Sir H. Inglose notifies his agreement with John Topy of Wyndham, jun., in an action for trespa.s.s done to him at Stalham. Dilhams, Monday after the a.s.sumption of Our Lady, 16 Henry VI.

[Footnote 43.1: [Add. Charter 17,232, B.M.]]

33

JOHN WILLOUGHBY TO LORD BEAUMONT[44.1]

_To my ryght n.o.ble and ryght [dra]dde lord, my Lord Beaumont._

[Sidenote: 1432-40]

Ryght wurss.h.i.+pfull sire, my ryghte n.o.ble, and ryghte dradde lorde, after dyw recommendacion to yowr reverens, please hit yow to know that yowr lordess.h.i.+p l.u.s.te to empointe me to abyde yowr n.o.ble avys touching the landis of Latemer, which my Lorde Latemer holdith ate this day. My lord, I muste, and owe of dywte, abyde yowre empoyntement, and shall; how be hit I have be confortid to complaine me to my lordis and yow of the grete wronge that I have. But, sir, y have soe verray truste one yowre lordess.h.i.+p that I refuse all counsaille, abyding yowre empointemente and rewell, as my diwte is to doo; byseching yow, my lord, to remembre yow and compa.s.se of yowre servaunt, and that ye l.u.s.t of yowr grace to comyne with my Lord of Salisbury, and to fele him in the mater, and as ye fele him, hit please yowre lordess.h.i.+p I may have knowlege; and whate yowre pore bedman may do to yowre plesire, I ame redy ate yowre comaundement ate all howris, which knowith G.o.d, Hoe have yow, my ryghte n.o.ble lord, in His blessid gouvernauns.

Write ate Broke, the v. day of Marche.

Your pore bedman and servant,

JOHN WYLUGHBY.

[Footnote 44.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The writer of this letter was the father of Robert, first Lord Willoughby de Broke, who afterwards laid claim to the barony of Latimer, as being descended from Elizabeth, sister and sole heir of John Nevill, fifth Lord Latimer, who died in 1430. He was, however, unsuccessful, as the t.i.tle had been revived in 1432 by a writ of summons to George Nevill, a son of Ralph, first Earl of Westmoreland. This George died in 1469, and was succeeded by his grandson, Richard Neville, then an infant of two years old, who had summons to Parliament as Lord Latimer in 1492. The Lord Latimer here spoken of seems to be George Nevill, and it is probable that the letter was written between 1432 and 1440, as John, Lord Beaumont, was created Viscount in the latter year, while he is not so addressed here.]

34

AGNES PASTON TO WILLIAM PASTON[45.1]

_To my worshepefull housbond, W. Paston, be this letter takyn_

[Sidenote: 1440(?)]

Dere housbond, I recomaunde me to yow, &c. Blessyd be G.o.d I sende yow G.o.de tydynggs of the comyng, and the brynggyn hoom, of the gentylwomman[45.2] that ye wetyn of fro Redham, this same nyght, acordyng to poyntmen [_appointment_] that ye made ther for yowr self.

And as for the furste aqweyntaunce be twhen John Paston[45.3] and the seyde gentylwomman, she made hym gentil cher in gyntyl wise, and seyde, he was verrayly your son. And so I hope ther shall nede no gret trete be twyxe hym.

The parson of Stocton[45.4] toold me, yif ye wolde byin her a goune, here moder wolde yeve ther to a G.o.dely furre. The goune nedyth for to be had; and of colour it wolde be a G.o.dely blew, or erlys a bryghte sangueyn.

I prey yow do byen for me ij. pypys of gold.[45.5] Your stewes[45.6] do weel.

The Holy Trinite have you in governaunce.

Wretyn at Paston, in hast, the Wednesday next after _Deus qui errantibus_,[45.7] for defaute of a good secretarye. Yowres,

AGN. PASTON.

[Footnote 45.1: [From Fenn, i. 2.] This letter must have been written some little time before the marriage of John Paston and Margaret Mauteby, which seems to have been about 1440.]

[Footnote 45.2: Margaret, daughter and heir of John Mauteby, shortly afterwards married to John Paston, Esq.]

[Footnote 45.3: Son of William and Agnes Paston.]

[Footnote 45.4: Laurence Baldware was rector of Stockton 'about 1440.' --Blomefield, viii. 49.]

[Footnote 45.5: Gold thread on pipes or rolls, for needlework or embroidery.--F.]

[Footnote 45.6: Ponds to keep fish alive for present use.--F.]

[Footnote 45.7: The Collect for the Third Sunday after Easter.]

35

ABSTRACT[46.1]

[Sidenote: About 1440]

Draft Lease by Sir Simon Felbrygge; Oliver Groos, Esq.; John Berney of Redham, Esq.; William Paston of Paston; Thomas Stodhagh; Roger Taillour of Stafford Bernyngham; and Thomas Newport of Runham, executors of Robert Mawteby and John his son, to Margery, widow of the said John, of 'two parts of manors, &c.' and the reversion, &c., which they lately held along with Sir Miles Stapleton, Sir William Argenten, Sir John Hevenyngham, Sir John Carbonell, Sir William Calthorpe, John Boys, Esq., and William Caston, Esq., now deceased, by deed of Robert Mawteby. The remainder, after Margery's death, is to go to Margaret, daughter of the said John and Margery, and the heirs of her body; then to Peter Mauteby, son of Robert and uncle of Margaret; then to Alianora, widow of Robert; then to Alianora, widow of William Calthorp and sister of Robert Mawteby, with reversion to the trustees to fulfil the will.

[This paper is addressed to John Berney of Reedham, and appears, by an endors.e.m.e.nt, to have been transmitted along with a letter of William Paston. The date is fixed by the contents within pretty narrow limits, for it is after the death of John Boys, Esq., which was in August 1439 (Inquis. _post mortem_, 18 Hen. VI., No. 2), and before that of Sir Simon Felbrigg in 1442 (Inquis. _p. m._, 21 Hen.

VI., No. 33). It is easy to see, in fact, that the doc.u.ment had something to do with the marriage settlement of John Paston and Margaret Mauteby, which was about 1440.]

36

ROBERT REPPS TO JOHN PASTON[46.2]

_A mon tresreverent et treshonerable Maister John Paston soit done._

[Sidenote: 1440 / NOV. 1]

Salvete, &c. Tytyngs, the Duk of Orlyawnce[46.3] hath made his oath upon the Sacrement, and usyd it, never for to bere armes ayenst Englond, in the presence of the Kyng and all the Lordes, except my Lord of Gloucestre.[46.4] And proving my seyde Lord of Gloucestre agreyd never to hys delyveraunce, qwan the ma.s.se began he toke his barge, &c.

G.o.d yef grace the seide Lord of Orlyaunce be trewe, for this same weke shall he to ward Fraunce.

Also Freynchmen and Pykardes, a gret nowmbre, kome to Arfleet,[47.1] for to arescuyd [_have rescued_] it; and our Lordes wyth here smal pusaunce manly bytte [_beat_] them, and pytte hem to flyte, and, blyssyd be our Lord, have take the seide cite of Arflet; the qwych is a great juell to all Englond, and in especiall to our c.u.n.tre.

Moreover there is j. [_i.e._ one] kome in to Englond, a Knyght out of Spayne, wyth a kercheff of plesaunce i wrapped aboute hys arme; the qwych Knyght wyl renne a cours wyth a sharpe spere for his sovereyn lady sake; qwom other [_either_] Sir Richard Wodvyle[47.2] or Sir Christofore Talbot[47.3] shall delyver, to the wyrchip of Englond and of hem selff, be G.o.ddes grace.

Ferthermore, ye be remembryd that an esquyer of Suffolk, callyd John Lyston, recoveryd _in a.s.sisa novae disseisinae_[47.4] vij^c [700] marc in damages ayenst Sir Robert Wyngfeld, &c. In avoydyng of the payement of the seid vij. c. marc, the seide Sir Robert Wyngfeld sotylly hath outlaywed the seide John Lyston in Notyngham s.h.i.+r, be the vertue of qwch outlagare, all maner of chattell to the seide John Lyston apperteynyng, arn acruwyd on to the Kyng, &c. And anon as the seide utlagare was certyfyed, my Lord Tresorer[47.5] graunted the seid vij. c. marc to my Lord of Norffolk, for the arrerag of hys sowde [_pay_] qwyl he was in Scotland; and, acordyng to this a.s.signement forseide, taylles [_tallies_] delyvered. And my Lord of Norffolk hath relesyd the same vij. c. marc to Sir Robert Wyngfeld. And here is greet hevyng an shovyng be my Lord of Suffolk and all his counsell for to aspye hough this mater kam aboute, &c.

Sir, I beseche recomende me on to my mastres your modyr, to my mastres your wyff, and to my mastres your suster, _et omnibus alijs quorum interest_, &c.

Sir, I pray you, wyth all myn hert, hold me excusyd that I wryte thus homly and briefly on to you, for truly convenable s.p.a.ce suffycyd me nowt.