101.1[From Fenn, iii. 314.] ‘The direction of this curious letter,’ says Fenn, ‘is obliterated, but it is plainly from Margaret Paston to her husband; and the paper is likewise so completely filled with writing, that she has not even either subscribed or dated it, but by the mentioning of Sir John Fastolf it must have been written before 1459.’ It appears to us most probably to belong to the year 1449, when Paston was making preparations to re-enter Gresham, which he actually did in October of that year.101.2Windacs are what we now call grappling irons, with which the bow-string is drawn home.—F.101.3Properlyquarreaux. They were square pyramids of iron shot out of crossbows.—Grose’sMilit. Antiq.i. 149.101.4John Partrich, one of Lord Molyns’s retainers.89WILLIAM COTYNG TO JOHN PASTON102.1To the right reverent sir my most worshipful maister, my maister John Paston.About 1449APRILRightreverent and my most worshipful maister, I recomaund me to yow. Please it yow to wete that the man whiche I wolde have hadde to a be youre fermour at Snaillewelle hath tolde me that he will not therof, and this he makith his excuse; he seythe that he shall dwelle with his wyffes fader and fynden hym for his good as longe as he levyth and he will no forther medill in the werde. I fele well by hym that he hath inquered of the maner, for he coude telle me well that olde Briggeman aught my maister, yourfader, whom God assoile, moche good, and how that he hadde al that was ther whanne Briggeman was ded; and that this Briggeman owith yow moche good at this tyme. I answered therto, as for olde Briggeman, I seide that it was his will that my maister shulde have his good, be cause he was a bonde man and hadde no childer. And as for this Briggeman, I seide that he hath bought a faire place sithe he was your fermour, and payed therfor; but for this I kan not turne hym. Wherfor, and it like yow to sende to me a bille of the value of the maner, I shall inquere if any other may happe to be gete, and sende yow worde therof; and in this and what ye will comaunde me ellys I shall do my parte by the grace of our Lord, Who ever have yow in His kepyng. Amen. Writen at Cambrigge the Sunday nexte before the fest of Seynt George.My maister your brother103.1recomaundeth hym to yow, as me semyth he is in right febill hele.hewill not telle me qwy, save he seyth he compleyned onys and hadde no remedy, and therfor he seythe he shall suffer for a seoson. Forsothe I suppose he is not intreted as he aught to be.—Your servaunt and bedeman,W. Cotyng.102.1[Add.MS.34,889, f. 164.] This letter must have been written about the year 1449, when William Paston, son of the Judge, was a student at Cambridge.103.1William Paston.he is in right febill hele. he will not telle me qwylower case in original90ROBERT WENYNGTON TO THOMAS DANIEL103.2To my Reverend Mayster, Thomas Danyell, Squier for the Kyngs Body, be thys letter delyverd in haste.1449MAY 25Mostreverend mayster, I recomaund me on to yowr graceus maystreschup, ever deseryng to her of yowr wurschupfull ustate, the whyche All myghte God mayntayne hyt, and encrese hyt on to hys plesans: Plesyngyow to know of my wellfare, and of all yowr men, at the makyng of thys letter, we wer in gode hele of body i blessyd be God.Mo over, mayster, I send yow word, by Rauly Pykeryng, of all maters, the whyche I be seche yow yeve hym credens, as he wyll enforme yow of all; so, sur, I beseche yow, in the reverens of God, that ye wyll enforme owr Soverayn Lord the Kyng of all maters that I send yow in thys letter, lyke as I have send a letter to my Lord Chaunseler and to all my Lordys by the sayd Pykeryng; the whyche letter I beseche yow that ye take and delyver to my Lord and all my Lordys by yowr awne handys, and lete the sayd Pykeryng declare all thyngs as he hath sayn and knoweth.Furst, I send yow word that when we went to see, we toke ij. schyppys of Brast comyng owte of Flaundrys; and then after, ther ys made a grete armyng in Brytayne to mete with me and my felyschyp, that ys to say, the grete schyp of Brast, the grete schyp of the Morleys, the grete schyp of Vanng, with other viij. schyppis, bargys, and balyngers, to the number of iij. mli[3000] men; and so we lay in the see to me[te] with them.And then we mette with a flotte of a c. [a hundred] grete schyppys of Pruse, Lubycke, Campe, Rastocke, Holond, Selond, and Flandres, betwyte Garnyse [Guernsey] and Portland; and then I cam abord the Admirall, and bade them stryke in the Kyngys name of Englond, and they bade me skyte in the Kyngs name of Englond; and then I and my feleschyp sayd, but [unless] he wyll streke don the sayle, that I wyld over sayle ham by the grace of God, and God wyll send me wynd and wether; and dey bade me do my wurst, by cause I had so fewe schyppys and so smale, that they scornyd with me. And as God wuld, on Fryday last was, we had a gode wynd, and then we armyd to the number of ij. ml.[2000] men in my felyschyp, and made us redy for to over sayle them; and then they lonchyd a bote, and sette up a stondert of truesse, and com and spake with me. And ther they were yolded all the hundret schyppys to go with me in what port that me lust and my felawys; but they faothe with me the daybefore, and schotte atte us a j. ml.[1000] gonnys, and quarell105.1owte of number, and have slayn meny of my felyschyp, and meymyd all soo. Wherfor me thyngkyt that they haye forfett bothe schypps and godys at our Soverayn Lord the Kyngys wyll. Besechyng yow that ye do yowr parte in thys mater, for thys I have wrytyn to my Lord Chaunseler105.2and all my Lordys of the Kyngys Counsell; and so I have brofte them, all the c. [hundred] shyppys, within Wyght, in spyte of them all.And ye myght gete leve of owr Soverayn Lord the Kyng to com hydder, hyt schall turne yow to grete wurschup and profett, to helpe make owr a poyntement in the Kyngs name, for ye sawe never suche a syght of schyppys take in to Englond this c. wynter; for we ly armyd nyght and day to kepe them, in to the tyme that we have tydengs of our Soverayn and hys counsell. For truly they have do harme to me, and to my feleschyp, and to yowr schyppys more [than] ij. ml.li.105.3worth harme; and therfor I am avesyd, and all my feleschyp, to droune them and slee them, withoute that we hafe tydyngs from owr Soverayn the Kyng and hys counsell. And therfor, in the reverens of God, come ye yowr self, and ye schall have a grete avayle and wurschup of yowr comyng to see a suche syght, for I der well sey that I have her at this tyme all the cheff schyppys of Duchelond, Holond, Selond, and Flaundrys, and now hyt wer tyme for to trete for a fynell pese as for that partyes.I writ no more to yow at this tyme, but All myghty Jesus have yow in hys kepyng. I writ in hast, within Wyght, on Soneday at nyght after the Ascencion of owr Lord.By yowr owne Servant,Robt. Wenyngton.103.2[From Fenn, i. 208.] On the 3rd April 1449 royal letters were issued in favour of Robert Wynnyngtone of Devonshire, who was bound by indenture to do the King service on the sea ‘for the cleansing of the same, and rebuking of the robbers and pirates thereof, which daily do all the noisance they can.’—Stevenson’sLetters and Papers illustrative of the Wars of the English in France, i. 489.105.1Seep. 101, Note 3.105.2John Stafford, Archbishop of Canterbury.105.3Fenn says the reading of the original is indistinct, and he could not determine whether £2000 or £3000 was meant.91WILLIAM PASTON TO JOHN PASTON106.1To myn most reverent and[w]urchepful broder, Jon Paston.About 1449Tomyn most reverent and wurchepful brodur, I recummend me hartely to zow, desiryng speciali to hare of zowre wellefare and prosperite, qweche Almyty God contenu to zowre gosteli hele and bodili welfare. And if it plase zowre goode broderod to here of myn wellefare, at the makyng of this bylle I was in good hele. And if it leke zowre good broderod to remembre the letter that I sent to zow of the noyse that was telde of zow, that ze schuld a be on of the capetayns of the ryserse in Norfolk, and how that j. scholere of Cambryg, qweche is parsone of Welle, schuld an utteryd ferthere to zowr grete schalndyr [slander]; besechyng zow to undyrstond that the seyde parsone of Welle was sone [after?]106.2that tyme at Lundon, were he harde sey of j. swyr of ij. c. marc be zere [of one squire of 200 marks by year] that ze and Master Thomas Wellys wolde sewe the seyd Parsone Welle for zowre schalndyr; and the seyde parsone come to Cambryg sothyn, and hathe pekyd a qwarell to on Mastyr Recheforthe, a knythys sone of Norforfolke,106.3and seyd to Rychechefor106.3that he had because that ze schuld sewe hym; and the seyd Parsone Welle thretyd Rycheferthe that wat some ever that ze causyd Parson Welle to lese be zowre sewtes, that Rycheferthe schul lese the same to the Parson of Welle. Werefor this jeltylmon Rycheforthe taketh grete thowt, and pray me to wrythe to zow that ze wulde sese zowre suthe tylle the tyme that ze wulde asyne that I mythe speke wythe zow, and odyr sundry have speke with zow of the same mater; for yt ware pithe that Rycheforthe chuld have ony hurthe thereby. I besechezow holde me excusyd, thow I wryt no better to zow at thys tyme, for in good feyth I had no leysere. The brynggar of thys letter can telle zow the same. God have zow in hys kepyng. Wretyn at Cambryg, on Fryday [sa]nyth107.1nexste before Mydsommer Evyn.In case ze come ba come [back home?] be Cambryg, I schal telle zow mo of it. I am sory I may wrythe no bettyr at this tyme, but I trust ze wylle [have] paciens.Be zowre pore Broder,W. Paston.106.1[From PastonMSS., B.M.] As it appears from Margaret Paston’s letter of the 2nd April 1449 that William Paston was a student at Cambridge in that year, the date of this must be about the same period.106.2Word omitted.106.3So inMS.107.1This is written ‘sanyth’ but there is a stroke through thea, which was perhaps intended to have been carried through thesalso.92SIR JOHN FASTOLF TO JOHN PASTON107.2To the Worshypful Sir, and my ryght well beloved cosen, John Paston.1449(?)JULY 10Worshypfulland ryghte welbelovyd cosyn, I comaund me to you. Please you to here that the Pryore and Convent of Norwyche have wythhalden certeyn rent for landes that they halden of me wythinne my maner of Haylysdon, and the ij. tapers of wax of ij. lbs. wyght, by the space of xviij. yere, that mountyth xxjs.107.3valued in money. And the lordes of the seyd maner beyng before me, and y yn my tyme, have been seised and possessed of the seyd rent. Prayng you to speke wyth the Pryore, or comaundyng me unto hym. And that ye lyke to move hym to make me payment as his dewtee ys, so as y have no cause to gowe further, and to do as justice requyreth. He hahyth xxx. acres lande or more by the seyd rent, and whyht ought to pay me othyr rent more by myn evidense. More over y pray you, cosen, that I may speke with you or [before] y ryde, and that on Thursday by the ferthest; and then y shall tell youtydyngs off the Parlement, and that ye fayle not, as my trust ys yn you. I pray God have you in Hys guidance.Wreten at Castor, the x. day off Julie 1449.108.1—Your Cosen,John Fastolfe.107.2[From Palmer’sFoundacion and Antiquitye of Great Yermouthe, p. 61.]107.3‘xxj.o,’ as printed by Palmer, but the ‘o’ no doubt should be ‘s.’108.1So the date is given in the book from which this letter is copied, but the year is certainly wrong, as the writer did not go to reside at Caister till 1454. The date indeed would have been suspicious apart from this, as the mode of dating is quite unusual in these letters. Probably in the originalMS.(which the Editor has not seen) ‘1449’ was inserted after ‘Julie’ in a later hand.93AGNES PASTON TO JOHN PASTON108.2To John Paston be this letter delyveryd.Not after 1449Soon, I grete zow wel with Goddis blyssyng and myn, and I latte zow wette that my cosyn Cler108.3wrytted to me that sche spake with Schrowpe108.4after that he had byen with me at Norwyche, and tolde her what cher that I had made hym, and he seyde to her he lyked wel by the cher I made hym.He had swyche wordys to my cosyn Cler that lesse than ze made hym good cher, and zaf hym wordys of conforth at London, he wolde no mor speke of the matyr.My cosyn Cler thynkyth that it were a foly to forsake hym lesse than ze knew of on owdyr as good or better; and I have assayde zowr suster,108.5and I fonde her never so wylly to noon as sche is to hym, zyf it be so that his londe stande cleer.I sent zow a letter by Brawnton for sylke, and for thismatyr befor my cosyn Cler wrote to me, the qwyche was wrytten on the Wednysday nexzt aftyr Mydsomer day.Sir Harry Ynglows is ryzth besy a bowt Schrowpe for one of his dozthers.I prey zow, for zette nozth to brynge me my mony fro Horwelbery, as ze com fro London, edyr all or a grete parte. The dew dette was at Crystemesse last paste, no thynge a lowyd, vijli.xiiijs.viijd., and at this Mydsomer it is vli.more; and thow I a low hym all his askyng, it is but xxvjs.vjd.less, but I am nozth so avysyth zytt. As for the Frer,109.1he hath byen at Sent Benetts, and at Norwyche, and made grete bowste of the sewte that he hath azens me, and bowzthe many boxes, to what intent I wett never. It is wel doen to be war at London, in drede gyf he bryng ony syse at Sent Margarets tyme.I kan no more, but Almyzty God be owr good lorde, who have zow ever in kepyng. Wryten at Oxnede in grete hast, on the Satyr next aftyr Mydsomer.By yowr Modyr, A. P.108.2[From Fenn, iii. 202.] This letter is dated by Fenn 1454, with some others relating to matches proposed for Elizabeth Paston; but the date of this cannot be later than 1451, as Sir Harry Inglos died that year. Moreover, it cannot be either 1451 or 1450, as ‘the Saturday next after Midsummer’ when this letter is dated, preceded ‘the Wednesday next after Midsummer day’ in both these years. Thus 1449 is the latest possible date.108.3Elizabeth, widow of Robert Clere of Ormesby, Esq.108.4Stephen Scrope, a son of Sir John Fastolf’s wife by a former husband.108.5Elizabeth Paston.109.1John Hawteyn.—SeeNos. 46,50, and63.94ELIZABETH CLERE TO JOHN PASTON109.2To my Cosyn, John Paston, be thys letter delivered.Not after 1449Trustyand weel be loved cosyn, I comaunde me to zow, desyryng to here of zowre weelfare and good spede in zowre matere, the qwech I prey God send zow to his plesaunce and to zoure hertys ease.Cosyn, I lete zow wete that Scrope109.3hath be in this cuntre to se my cosyn zoure sustyr, and he hath spoken with my cosyn zoure moder, and sche desyreth of hym that he schuldschewe zow the endentures mad be twen the knyght that hath his dowter and hym, whethir that Skrop, if he were maried and fortuned to have children, if tho children schuld enheryte his lond, or his dowter, the wheche is maried.Cosyn, for this cause take gode hede to his endentures, for he is glad to schewe zow hem, or whom ze wol a sygne with zow; and he seith to me he is the last in the tayle of his lyflode, the qweche is CCCL. marke and better, as Watkyn Shipdam seith, for he hath take a compt of his liflode dyvers tymes; and Scrop seith to me if he be maried, and have a sone an eyre, his dowter that is maried schal have of his liflode L. marke and no more; and therfore, cosyn, me semeth he were good for my cosyn zowre sustyr, with[out] that ye myght gete her a bettyr. And if ze can gete a better, I wold avyse zow to labour it in as schort tyme as ze may goodly, for sche was never in so gret sorow as sche is now a dayes, for sche may not speke with no man, ho so ever come, ne not may se ne speke with my man, ne with servauntes of hir moderys but that sche bereth hire an hand110.1otherwyse than she menyth. And sche hath sen Esterne the most part be betyn onys in the weke or twyes, and som tyme twyes on o day, and hir hed broken in to or thre places. Wherfor, cosyn, sche hath sent to me by Frere Newton in gret counsell, and preyeth me that I wold send to zow a letter of hir hevynes, and prey yow to be hir good brothyr, as hir trost is in zow; and sche seith, if ze may se be his evydences that his childern and hire may enheryten, and sche to have resonable joynture, sche hath herd so mech of his birth and his condicions, that and ze will sche will have hym, whethyr that hir moder wil or wil not, not withstandyng it is tolde hir his persone is symple, for sche seyth men shull have the more deyute of hire if sche rewle hire to hym as sche awte to do.Cosyn, it is told me ther is a goodly man in yowre Inne, of the qweche the fadyr deyed litte, and if ze thynk that he were better for hir than Scroop, it wold be laboured, and yif Scroop a goodly answere that he be not put of tyl ze be sure of a bettyr; for he seid whan he was with me, but if [i.e.unless] hehave som counfortable answer of zow, he wil no more laboure in this mater, be cause he myght not se my cosyn zoure sustyr, and he seyth he myght a see hire and sche had be bettyr than she is; and that causeth hym to demyr that hir moder was not weel willyng, and so have I sent my cosyn zowre moder word. Wherfore, cosyn, thynk on this mateer, for sorow oftyn tyme causeth women to be set hem otherwyse than thei schuld do, and if sche where in that case, I wot weel ze wold be sory. Cosyn, I prey zow brenne this letter, that zoure men ne non other man se it; for and my cosyn zowre moder knew that I had sent yow this letter, sche shuld never love me. No more I wrighte to zow at this tyme, but Holy Gost have zow in kepyng. Wretyn in hast, on Seynt Peterys day,111.1be candel lyght.Be youre Cosyn,Elizabeth Clere.109.2[From Fenn, iii. 204.] This letter appears from the contents to be of the same year as the preceding.109.3Stephen Scrope.—Seep. 108, Note 4.110.1To bear one on hand, means to assert or insinuate something to a person.111.1June 29.95JOHN DAMME TO JOHN PASTON111.2To my ryght worshepfull master John Paston at London in the Inner Temple.1449NOV. 30Pleseit your good maistershep to knowe that my maisteresse your wyff recomaundeth here to yow and fareth well, blyssed be God, and all your menye faren well also and recomaunde hem to yaw, &c. I was with my lord of Oxenford and dede myn erand, and I found his good lordshep well disposed towardys yow, for he seid if he were sent to for to come to, &c., if it kepe faire weder he wold not tarye, and if it reygned he wold not spare. More over I spak with Pertrych as touchyng the letter sent to my lord Moleyns; he seyth that he was privy to the wrytyng and wele a vowe it by record of xx. persons, but he wold name to me no persone; and so he and I accorded not fully. And I bad hym remembrehym that he myght not abyde there if ye wold have hym owt. And he seid he knewe well that. But he seid, if ye put heem out, ye shuld be put owt sone after a geyn. And I seyd if it happe it so thei shuld not longer reste there. And Mariot stod by and seyd that were no merveyll whill thei were but ij. men, but it shuld not be best so. And I seyd that I lete them wete it shuld be so if ye wold, thow they made all the strenght which they coude make. And ther to Mariot seyd stately, that myght not be performed; and more langage ther was, to long to wryte at this leyser. Pertrych and his felaw bere gret visage and kepe gret junkeryes and dyneres, and seyn that my lord Moleynes hath wrytyn pleynly to hem that he is lord there and well be, and shall be, and ye not to have it; but I trust to Goddes ryghtwysenes of better purvyaunce. Lyke it yow to remembre what Heydon doth and mayde by colour of justice of the pees, beyng of my lordes councell and not your good frend nor weell wyller, and to comon with your sad councell what ye must suffre by the lawe, and where inne ye may resiste. On Sunday last passed Gunore and Mariot and John Davy and other dyned with Pertrych, &c.; and after eveson [evensong] Gonore spake to my maisteresse that she shuld make here men to leue here wyfeles and here jackes; and she answered that thei purposed to hurte no man of here owyn sykyng; but for it was seid that she shuld be plukkyd owt of here howse, she were loth to suffre that; and therfore she sayde thei shuld goo soo til ye come hom. And he seid stately, but if thei left here aray it shuld be plukked from them. I trust he must have a better warant, from his stately langage, or ells he shall not have it from hem esily. All this I remitte to your good remembraunce with Goddes help, to Whom I pray to gyde your ryght to his worshep and your hertes desire.Wrytyn at Sustede on Seynt Andrewe day, &c.—Yowres,J. Damme.Were but well, as me semyth, that ye myght ordeygne now a fetys jacke defensable for your self, for there con they do best and best chep, &c.111.2[Add. 34,888, f. 32.] This letter was evidently written in 1449, after John Paston had re-entered Gresham, and his wife was keeping it for him. SeeNo. 88.96JAMES GRESHAM TO [JOHN PASTON]113.11449(?)OCT. 16‘The King is now into the Marches of Wales, as it is said, to the intent he may be near the country if my Lord of Buckingham, which is commissioner now in Wales for divers offences done there to the Crown, would sue to have his commission to be enlarged, if he were repyned.’ It is not known when the King will be in London again, but he is expected here at the beginning of the Parliament. I have your writs of error, but can see nothing wrong. Thos. Denys asked me why you did not follow his suggestion about the removing of the strength at Gresham, and thinks it should be done yet. Francis Costard is not yet well at ease, for hisvenire faciasbetween Will. Prentys and him and Hen. Halman comes in very inopportunely. You had better come hither as soon as possible and get the favor of the sheriff that shall be next year.London, 16 Oct.113.1This abstract was made from one of the Roydon HallMSS.shown to the Editor in 1875. Since that date he has not seen the original.97SIR JOHN FASTOLF TO JOHN FASTOLF AND JOHN KIRTELING113.2To my ryght tristy and welbelovede Cosin and Frende, John Fastolf, and Sir John Kirtelinge, Parson of Arkesay.1449OCT. 31Trustyand welbeloved frendz, y grete yow wel. And for as moche as y have appointed with my sone, Stephen Scrope, lyke as y sende yow the appointement writen hereafter in this letter, the whiche appointement y woll ye fulfylle be the avys of my counsel in that at longeth to my party, like as hit ys writen.Thys ys the appointement made be twene Sir John Fastolf, Knight, and Stephen Scrope, Squier, in the maner as here after hit ys writen:—Fyrst, for as moche as the mariage of the saide Stephen Scrope was solde114.1to Sir William Gascoyng, the Chefe Justice of Englonde, for vc.[500] marke, with the whiche mariage was deliverd in hande to the sayde Gascoyng the maner of Wyghton on the Wolde, in Yorke schyre, with the apertenance of the saide maner; and whan the sayde Gascoyng hade hym, he wolde have solde hym agayn, or maried the saide Stephen Scrope ther [where] he schulde have byn despareiged: wherefore, at the request of the sayde Scrope and hys frendes, the saide Fastolf boght the ma[ri]age of the saide Scrope of the saide Sir William Gascoyng for vc.marke, wherby the saide Fastolf hath mariage of the saide Stephen Scrope, or elles to have the saide somme of vc.marke that he payde for hym, like as hit ys above sayde.Item, for as moche as the sayde Stephen Scrope ys comyn to the saide Fastolf, sayinge that he hath fownde wey to be maried at his lyst, and also for his worschippe and profyt, so that the saide Fastolf woll consent therto, that ys to say, to Fauconeris doughter of London, that Sir Reynalde Cobham114.2had weddid.Item, for as hit ys the saide Fastolf ys wille to forther and helpe the saide Scrope in any wize ther he may be fortherede, the sayde Fastolf consenteth that the sayde Scrope marie hym to the Fauconeris doughter, with that that the sayde Fauconer gyf to the sayde Fastolf the saide somme of vc.marke, the whiche he payde for the saide Scrope.Item, yf that the sayde Stephen Scrope pay or do pay the somme afore sayde of vc.marke sterling, than the sayde Sir John Fastolf and Dame Mylicent,114.3his wyf, schall make astate of the said maner of Wyghton on the Wolde in Yorke schyre,with the apertenaunce of the sayde maner, to the saide Stephen Scrope and to the woman, the whiche schalbe his wyf, and to here eyres of here bodyes begete be twix hem two.Item, yef the sayde Stephen dye with oute eyre of his body begeten, than the sayde maner of Wyghton, after the descece of the saide hys wyf, schall retourne agayne to the sayde Fastolf and Dame Mylicent, his wyf, and to the eyres of the sayde Mylicent.Item, yf so be that the sayde Fauconer wilnot pay the sayde somme of vc.marke, bot peraventure wolde gyf a lesse somme, then the sayde Fastolf wyl deliver to the mariage of the saide Scrope certayn londe, havynge rewarde to the somme that the sayde Fauconer wil gyf, havyng rewarde to the afferrant of xl. pounde worthe land and vc.mark of golde.Item, if that the sayde Fauconer wilnot gyf no somme of golde for the sayde mariage, the sayde Fastolf wyl take the mariage of the childe that ys eyre to the forsaide Sir Reynolde Cobham, and that the sayde Scrope forto conferme the estat hys moder has made to the saide Fastolf, yf so be that the consel of the saide Fastolf se by thaire avys that hit be for to do, and that the said mariage may be [as] moche worth to the said Fastolf as vc.mark.Item, ze sende me be Raufm[an an] answare o[f] the letters that y sende yow, that I may have ve[ray] knolage how that hit standys with me ther in al maner of thynges, and that I [h]ave an answare of every article that y wrote to yow.Item, for as moche as that I am bonden for my Lord Scales115.1to my Lord Cardnale115.2in vc.mark, the qu[ech] somme he kan not fynd no way to pay hit, on lese then that he sel a parcel of his land; quer fore he sendis ower a man of his called Pessemerche, with whom I wil that ze spek, and se bezore avis whech of the places of my said Lord Scales that standis most cler to be solde; and if the place that is beside W[a]lsyngham stand cler, I have hit lever then the tother; and therfore I pray [z]ow that ze make apointement with the said Pesemerche in the best wise that ze may, athir of the ton place or the tother, and or ze let take hit after xx. zere, havyn[g] rewarde to the verray val[u] therof, and as ze don send me worde be the next massager.Item, my Lord of Hungerford116.1has writen to me for to have the warde of Robert Monpyns[on]is sone, wher of I am agreed that he schal [have] hit like as I has wretyn to hym in a letter, of the whech I send zow a cope closed here in: wher fore I pray zow to enquere of the verray valu of the land that Monpynson haldis of me, and sendis me word in hast; for my said Lord Hungerford sais in his letter that hit is worth bot xls. a zere aboufe the rentis, as ze may se the letter that he sent me, the q[uec]h I send zow be my son Scrope. And I pray zow to demene zow to my said Lord as eesely as ze may in this mater and al other that I have to do with hym, as ze may se be the cope aforesaid. And or (sic) have zow in his kepyng. Wretyn at Roan (?)116.2the last day of October.J. Fastolfe.EndorsedAppunctuamentum factum pro Stephano Scroope anno xxviijº Regis H. vj. ad maritandum.113.2[From the CastlecombeMSS.in the B.M., Add.MS.28,212, No. 21.] According to the endorsement, this letter should have been written in the year 1449; but the reader will see by the footnotes that there are grounds for doubting the accuracy of this date.114.1The marriage of wards in those days used to be sold to men of property, who would compel them to marry their own sons or daughters, or whatever other persons suited them. The only restriction to this right was, that the ward might, on coming of age, have an action against his guardian in case ofdisparagement, that is to say, if he was married beneath his station.114.2Sir Reginald Cobham of Sterborough, in Surrey, who died in 1446. He was the father of the notorious Eleanor Cobham, the mistress, and afterwards wife, of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.—Brayley’sHist. of Surrey, iv. 159.114.3Milicent, wife of Sir John Fastolf, is known to have been alive in the 24th year of HenryVI.(1446). William Worcester says the allowance for her chamber was paid until that date; but as he says nothing more, it has been supposed she did not live longer. Mr. Poulett Scrope also believes her to have died in 1446, on the authority of a contemporaryMS., which says she and Fastolf lived together thirty-eight years.—Hist. Castlecombe, 263.115.1Thomas de Scales, 8th Lord.115.2John Kemp, Archbishop of York, afterwards of Canterbury; or, if this document be some years earlier, Cardinal Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester.116.1Walter, 1st Lord Hungerford, died in August 1449, and was succeeded in the title by his son Robert.116.2The name is a little indistinct from the decay of the paper, but the first and last letters are clear, and it is scarcely possible to doubt that Rouen was the place here intended. Yet if this be so, the letter must be much earlier than the date assigned to it in the endorsement.98RICHARD, EARL OF WARWICK, TO SIR THOMAS TODENHAM117.1To owr ryght trusty and welbelovyd Frend, Ser Thomas Todenham.1449(?)NOV. 2Ryghttrusty and welbelovyd frend, we grete you well, hertely desyryng to here of yowr welfare, which we pray God preserve to yowr herts desyr; and yf yt please yow to here of owr welfare, we wer in goud hale atte the makyng of this lettre, praying you hertely that ye wyll consider owr message, which owr Chapleyn Mayster Robert Hoppton shall enforme you of. For as God knowyth we have gret besynesse dayly, and has had here by for this tyme. Wherfor we pray you to consyder the purchas that we have made wyth one John Swyffhcotte, Squier of Lyncolnshyr, of lxxx. and viijli.by yer, whereuppon we must pay the last payment the Moneday nexte after Seynt Martyn’ day, which sum ys CCCC. and lviijli.; wherfor we pray you wyth all owr herte that ye wyll lend us xli., or twenty, or whet the seyd Maister Robert wants of hys payment, as we may do for you in tym for to com; and we shall send yt you ageyn afor Newyers day wyth the grace of God, as we ar trew knyght. For there is nonne in your cuntre that we myght wryght to for trust so well as unto you; for, as we be enformyd, ye be owr well wyller, and so we pray you of goud contynuaunce.Wherfore we pray you that ye consyder our entent of this mony, as ye wyll that we do for you in tym to com, as God knowyth, who have you in hys kepyng.Wreten atte London, on All Salwyn [All Souls’] day, wyth inne owr loggyng in the Grey Freys [Friars] wyth inne Newgate.Ric., Erle Warwyke.117.2117.1[From Fenn, i. 84.] Richard Nevill, Earl of Warwick, afterwards famous as the ‘King-maker,’ succeeded to the title in 1449, and this letter is not unlikely to have been written in that very year. Certainly it is not many years later. In 1449 and 1450 Warwick was probably in London to attend the Parliament.117.2‘The seal of this letter’ says Fenn, ‘is of red wax, on which is the Bear and Ragged Staff, the badge of this nobleman, with his motto,—the whole very fair and curious, and around it is a braid of twine.’99ABSTRACT118.11449DEC. 11Copy of a Grant from the Crown to John Bray for services against the King’s enemies. Caen, 11th December 14[4]9, 28 HenryVI.[This document is very mutilated and decayed. It is written in French, the spelling of which is very peculiar, and is probably a bad copy by some one who did not know the language.]118.1[From PastonMSS., B.M.]100WILLIAM TAILBOYS TO VISCOUNT BEAUMONT118.2To my right honorabull and right wurshipful Lord, my Lord Viscont Beaument.Before 1450Righthonorabull and my right wurshipfull Lord, I recomaund me unto your gode Lordship with all my service, evermore desireng to here of your prosperitie and welfare, the which I pray God encres and contynue to his plesur, and after your oone herts desire; thankyng you of the gode Lordship that ye have shewed me at all tymes, beseching you alway of gode contynuance.Plesid your gode Lordship to be remembred how afore this tyme Hugh Wythom hath said he wold be in rest and peese with me, and not to maligne agayn me otherwise than lawe and right wold; that notwithstandyng, upon Munday last past, he and iij. men with him come unto a servaunt hous of myn in Boston, cald William Shirref, and there, as he sete athis werke, stroke him upon the hede and in the body with a dagger, and wondet him sore, and pulled him out of his hous, and set him in prison without any cause resonabull, or without writ, or any other processe shewid unto him; and that me semes longs not for him to do, bot as he says he is endited, and as your gode Lordship knawes wele, I and all my servaunts are in like wise; bot and any man shuld have done hit, it longs either to the shirref or to your baliff as I conceyve, and other cause he had non to him as fer as I kan knawe, bot awnly for the malissiousness that he hath unto me, ne I kan think non other bot it is so. And now yistre nyght my Lord Welles119.1come to Boston with iiijxx[four score] horses, and in the mornyng foloyng toke hym out of prison, saying afore all peepll, ‘Fals thefe, you shall be hanged, and as mony of thy maistre men as may be goten’—as your servaunt John Abbot kan report unto your gode Lordship,—and hath taken him away with him to Tatessall, what to do with him I kan not say, bot as I suppose to have him to Lincoln Castell: wherfor I besech your gode Lordship in this matier to be my gode Lord, and it please your gode Lordship to write a letter to the kepere of the Castell of Lincoln, that it liked him to deliver him out of prison undre a sufficient seurety had for him, for and thai may kepe him still be this meyne, thai may take all the servaunts that I have, and so I may do agayn in like wise.And also, as I am enformed, without he be had out of prison in hast, it will be right gravewis to him to heile of his hurt, he is so sore streken; and if there be any service that your gode Lordship will comaund me to do in any cuntre, plesid you to send me word, and it shal be done to my power with the grace of God, which have you, my right honorabull and wurshipfull Lord, alway in his blessid kepyng. Writen at Kyme,119.2upon Wednesday next after our Ladi day the Assumpcion.119.3Also plesid your gode lordship to wit, after this letter wasmade, there come a man fro Tatessall into my fenne, which owght me gode will, and be cause he wold not be holden suspect, he speke with wemen which were mylkand kyne, and bad theme goo to a preest of myn to Dokdike, and bid him fast goo gif me warnyng how that my Lord Wilughby,120.1my Lord Cromwell,120.2and my Lord Welles120.3proposid theme to set a sessions, and hang the said William Shirref, and thai myght bryng ther entent abowte; and so, as I and your servaunt John Abbot stode to geder, the prest come and gaf me warnyng herof, which I trust for my worship your gode Lordship wold not shuld happen, for it wer to me the grettest shame that myght falle; bot and it plese your gode Lordship to write to all your servaunts in this cuntre, that thai will be redy upon a day warnyng to come when I send theme word, I trust to God thai shal not hang him agayn the lawe, bot I, with help of your gode Lordship, shall be abull to let hit.By your Servaunt,William Tailboys.120.4
101.1[From Fenn, iii. 314.] ‘The direction of this curious letter,’ says Fenn, ‘is obliterated, but it is plainly from Margaret Paston to her husband; and the paper is likewise so completely filled with writing, that she has not even either subscribed or dated it, but by the mentioning of Sir John Fastolf it must have been written before 1459.’ It appears to us most probably to belong to the year 1449, when Paston was making preparations to re-enter Gresham, which he actually did in October of that year.101.2Windacs are what we now call grappling irons, with which the bow-string is drawn home.—F.101.3Properlyquarreaux. They were square pyramids of iron shot out of crossbows.—Grose’sMilit. Antiq.i. 149.101.4John Partrich, one of Lord Molyns’s retainers.89WILLIAM COTYNG TO JOHN PASTON102.1To the right reverent sir my most worshipful maister, my maister John Paston.About 1449APRILRightreverent and my most worshipful maister, I recomaund me to yow. Please it yow to wete that the man whiche I wolde have hadde to a be youre fermour at Snaillewelle hath tolde me that he will not therof, and this he makith his excuse; he seythe that he shall dwelle with his wyffes fader and fynden hym for his good as longe as he levyth and he will no forther medill in the werde. I fele well by hym that he hath inquered of the maner, for he coude telle me well that olde Briggeman aught my maister, yourfader, whom God assoile, moche good, and how that he hadde al that was ther whanne Briggeman was ded; and that this Briggeman owith yow moche good at this tyme. I answered therto, as for olde Briggeman, I seide that it was his will that my maister shulde have his good, be cause he was a bonde man and hadde no childer. And as for this Briggeman, I seide that he hath bought a faire place sithe he was your fermour, and payed therfor; but for this I kan not turne hym. Wherfor, and it like yow to sende to me a bille of the value of the maner, I shall inquere if any other may happe to be gete, and sende yow worde therof; and in this and what ye will comaunde me ellys I shall do my parte by the grace of our Lord, Who ever have yow in His kepyng. Amen. Writen at Cambrigge the Sunday nexte before the fest of Seynt George.My maister your brother103.1recomaundeth hym to yow, as me semyth he is in right febill hele.hewill not telle me qwy, save he seyth he compleyned onys and hadde no remedy, and therfor he seythe he shall suffer for a seoson. Forsothe I suppose he is not intreted as he aught to be.—Your servaunt and bedeman,W. Cotyng.102.1[Add.MS.34,889, f. 164.] This letter must have been written about the year 1449, when William Paston, son of the Judge, was a student at Cambridge.103.1William Paston.he is in right febill hele. he will not telle me qwylower case in original90ROBERT WENYNGTON TO THOMAS DANIEL103.2To my Reverend Mayster, Thomas Danyell, Squier for the Kyngs Body, be thys letter delyverd in haste.1449MAY 25Mostreverend mayster, I recomaund me on to yowr graceus maystreschup, ever deseryng to her of yowr wurschupfull ustate, the whyche All myghte God mayntayne hyt, and encrese hyt on to hys plesans: Plesyngyow to know of my wellfare, and of all yowr men, at the makyng of thys letter, we wer in gode hele of body i blessyd be God.Mo over, mayster, I send yow word, by Rauly Pykeryng, of all maters, the whyche I be seche yow yeve hym credens, as he wyll enforme yow of all; so, sur, I beseche yow, in the reverens of God, that ye wyll enforme owr Soverayn Lord the Kyng of all maters that I send yow in thys letter, lyke as I have send a letter to my Lord Chaunseler and to all my Lordys by the sayd Pykeryng; the whyche letter I beseche yow that ye take and delyver to my Lord and all my Lordys by yowr awne handys, and lete the sayd Pykeryng declare all thyngs as he hath sayn and knoweth.Furst, I send yow word that when we went to see, we toke ij. schyppys of Brast comyng owte of Flaundrys; and then after, ther ys made a grete armyng in Brytayne to mete with me and my felyschyp, that ys to say, the grete schyp of Brast, the grete schyp of the Morleys, the grete schyp of Vanng, with other viij. schyppis, bargys, and balyngers, to the number of iij. mli[3000] men; and so we lay in the see to me[te] with them.And then we mette with a flotte of a c. [a hundred] grete schyppys of Pruse, Lubycke, Campe, Rastocke, Holond, Selond, and Flandres, betwyte Garnyse [Guernsey] and Portland; and then I cam abord the Admirall, and bade them stryke in the Kyngys name of Englond, and they bade me skyte in the Kyngs name of Englond; and then I and my feleschyp sayd, but [unless] he wyll streke don the sayle, that I wyld over sayle ham by the grace of God, and God wyll send me wynd and wether; and dey bade me do my wurst, by cause I had so fewe schyppys and so smale, that they scornyd with me. And as God wuld, on Fryday last was, we had a gode wynd, and then we armyd to the number of ij. ml.[2000] men in my felyschyp, and made us redy for to over sayle them; and then they lonchyd a bote, and sette up a stondert of truesse, and com and spake with me. And ther they were yolded all the hundret schyppys to go with me in what port that me lust and my felawys; but they faothe with me the daybefore, and schotte atte us a j. ml.[1000] gonnys, and quarell105.1owte of number, and have slayn meny of my felyschyp, and meymyd all soo. Wherfor me thyngkyt that they haye forfett bothe schypps and godys at our Soverayn Lord the Kyngys wyll. Besechyng yow that ye do yowr parte in thys mater, for thys I have wrytyn to my Lord Chaunseler105.2and all my Lordys of the Kyngys Counsell; and so I have brofte them, all the c. [hundred] shyppys, within Wyght, in spyte of them all.And ye myght gete leve of owr Soverayn Lord the Kyng to com hydder, hyt schall turne yow to grete wurschup and profett, to helpe make owr a poyntement in the Kyngs name, for ye sawe never suche a syght of schyppys take in to Englond this c. wynter; for we ly armyd nyght and day to kepe them, in to the tyme that we have tydengs of our Soverayn and hys counsell. For truly they have do harme to me, and to my feleschyp, and to yowr schyppys more [than] ij. ml.li.105.3worth harme; and therfor I am avesyd, and all my feleschyp, to droune them and slee them, withoute that we hafe tydyngs from owr Soverayn the Kyng and hys counsell. And therfor, in the reverens of God, come ye yowr self, and ye schall have a grete avayle and wurschup of yowr comyng to see a suche syght, for I der well sey that I have her at this tyme all the cheff schyppys of Duchelond, Holond, Selond, and Flaundrys, and now hyt wer tyme for to trete for a fynell pese as for that partyes.I writ no more to yow at this tyme, but All myghty Jesus have yow in hys kepyng. I writ in hast, within Wyght, on Soneday at nyght after the Ascencion of owr Lord.By yowr owne Servant,Robt. Wenyngton.103.2[From Fenn, i. 208.] On the 3rd April 1449 royal letters were issued in favour of Robert Wynnyngtone of Devonshire, who was bound by indenture to do the King service on the sea ‘for the cleansing of the same, and rebuking of the robbers and pirates thereof, which daily do all the noisance they can.’—Stevenson’sLetters and Papers illustrative of the Wars of the English in France, i. 489.105.1Seep. 101, Note 3.105.2John Stafford, Archbishop of Canterbury.105.3Fenn says the reading of the original is indistinct, and he could not determine whether £2000 or £3000 was meant.91WILLIAM PASTON TO JOHN PASTON106.1To myn most reverent and[w]urchepful broder, Jon Paston.About 1449Tomyn most reverent and wurchepful brodur, I recummend me hartely to zow, desiryng speciali to hare of zowre wellefare and prosperite, qweche Almyty God contenu to zowre gosteli hele and bodili welfare. And if it plase zowre goode broderod to here of myn wellefare, at the makyng of this bylle I was in good hele. And if it leke zowre good broderod to remembre the letter that I sent to zow of the noyse that was telde of zow, that ze schuld a be on of the capetayns of the ryserse in Norfolk, and how that j. scholere of Cambryg, qweche is parsone of Welle, schuld an utteryd ferthere to zowr grete schalndyr [slander]; besechyng zow to undyrstond that the seyde parsone of Welle was sone [after?]106.2that tyme at Lundon, were he harde sey of j. swyr of ij. c. marc be zere [of one squire of 200 marks by year] that ze and Master Thomas Wellys wolde sewe the seyd Parsone Welle for zowre schalndyr; and the seyde parsone come to Cambryg sothyn, and hathe pekyd a qwarell to on Mastyr Recheforthe, a knythys sone of Norforfolke,106.3and seyd to Rychechefor106.3that he had because that ze schuld sewe hym; and the seyd Parsone Welle thretyd Rycheferthe that wat some ever that ze causyd Parson Welle to lese be zowre sewtes, that Rycheferthe schul lese the same to the Parson of Welle. Werefor this jeltylmon Rycheforthe taketh grete thowt, and pray me to wrythe to zow that ze wulde sese zowre suthe tylle the tyme that ze wulde asyne that I mythe speke wythe zow, and odyr sundry have speke with zow of the same mater; for yt ware pithe that Rycheforthe chuld have ony hurthe thereby. I besechezow holde me excusyd, thow I wryt no better to zow at thys tyme, for in good feyth I had no leysere. The brynggar of thys letter can telle zow the same. God have zow in hys kepyng. Wretyn at Cambryg, on Fryday [sa]nyth107.1nexste before Mydsommer Evyn.In case ze come ba come [back home?] be Cambryg, I schal telle zow mo of it. I am sory I may wrythe no bettyr at this tyme, but I trust ze wylle [have] paciens.Be zowre pore Broder,W. Paston.106.1[From PastonMSS., B.M.] As it appears from Margaret Paston’s letter of the 2nd April 1449 that William Paston was a student at Cambridge in that year, the date of this must be about the same period.106.2Word omitted.106.3So inMS.107.1This is written ‘sanyth’ but there is a stroke through thea, which was perhaps intended to have been carried through thesalso.92SIR JOHN FASTOLF TO JOHN PASTON107.2To the Worshypful Sir, and my ryght well beloved cosen, John Paston.1449(?)JULY 10Worshypfulland ryghte welbelovyd cosyn, I comaund me to you. Please you to here that the Pryore and Convent of Norwyche have wythhalden certeyn rent for landes that they halden of me wythinne my maner of Haylysdon, and the ij. tapers of wax of ij. lbs. wyght, by the space of xviij. yere, that mountyth xxjs.107.3valued in money. And the lordes of the seyd maner beyng before me, and y yn my tyme, have been seised and possessed of the seyd rent. Prayng you to speke wyth the Pryore, or comaundyng me unto hym. And that ye lyke to move hym to make me payment as his dewtee ys, so as y have no cause to gowe further, and to do as justice requyreth. He hahyth xxx. acres lande or more by the seyd rent, and whyht ought to pay me othyr rent more by myn evidense. More over y pray you, cosen, that I may speke with you or [before] y ryde, and that on Thursday by the ferthest; and then y shall tell youtydyngs off the Parlement, and that ye fayle not, as my trust ys yn you. I pray God have you in Hys guidance.Wreten at Castor, the x. day off Julie 1449.108.1—Your Cosen,John Fastolfe.107.2[From Palmer’sFoundacion and Antiquitye of Great Yermouthe, p. 61.]107.3‘xxj.o,’ as printed by Palmer, but the ‘o’ no doubt should be ‘s.’108.1So the date is given in the book from which this letter is copied, but the year is certainly wrong, as the writer did not go to reside at Caister till 1454. The date indeed would have been suspicious apart from this, as the mode of dating is quite unusual in these letters. Probably in the originalMS.(which the Editor has not seen) ‘1449’ was inserted after ‘Julie’ in a later hand.93AGNES PASTON TO JOHN PASTON108.2To John Paston be this letter delyveryd.Not after 1449Soon, I grete zow wel with Goddis blyssyng and myn, and I latte zow wette that my cosyn Cler108.3wrytted to me that sche spake with Schrowpe108.4after that he had byen with me at Norwyche, and tolde her what cher that I had made hym, and he seyde to her he lyked wel by the cher I made hym.He had swyche wordys to my cosyn Cler that lesse than ze made hym good cher, and zaf hym wordys of conforth at London, he wolde no mor speke of the matyr.My cosyn Cler thynkyth that it were a foly to forsake hym lesse than ze knew of on owdyr as good or better; and I have assayde zowr suster,108.5and I fonde her never so wylly to noon as sche is to hym, zyf it be so that his londe stande cleer.I sent zow a letter by Brawnton for sylke, and for thismatyr befor my cosyn Cler wrote to me, the qwyche was wrytten on the Wednysday nexzt aftyr Mydsomer day.Sir Harry Ynglows is ryzth besy a bowt Schrowpe for one of his dozthers.I prey zow, for zette nozth to brynge me my mony fro Horwelbery, as ze com fro London, edyr all or a grete parte. The dew dette was at Crystemesse last paste, no thynge a lowyd, vijli.xiiijs.viijd., and at this Mydsomer it is vli.more; and thow I a low hym all his askyng, it is but xxvjs.vjd.less, but I am nozth so avysyth zytt. As for the Frer,109.1he hath byen at Sent Benetts, and at Norwyche, and made grete bowste of the sewte that he hath azens me, and bowzthe many boxes, to what intent I wett never. It is wel doen to be war at London, in drede gyf he bryng ony syse at Sent Margarets tyme.I kan no more, but Almyzty God be owr good lorde, who have zow ever in kepyng. Wryten at Oxnede in grete hast, on the Satyr next aftyr Mydsomer.By yowr Modyr, A. P.108.2[From Fenn, iii. 202.] This letter is dated by Fenn 1454, with some others relating to matches proposed for Elizabeth Paston; but the date of this cannot be later than 1451, as Sir Harry Inglos died that year. Moreover, it cannot be either 1451 or 1450, as ‘the Saturday next after Midsummer’ when this letter is dated, preceded ‘the Wednesday next after Midsummer day’ in both these years. Thus 1449 is the latest possible date.108.3Elizabeth, widow of Robert Clere of Ormesby, Esq.108.4Stephen Scrope, a son of Sir John Fastolf’s wife by a former husband.108.5Elizabeth Paston.109.1John Hawteyn.—SeeNos. 46,50, and63.94ELIZABETH CLERE TO JOHN PASTON109.2To my Cosyn, John Paston, be thys letter delivered.Not after 1449Trustyand weel be loved cosyn, I comaunde me to zow, desyryng to here of zowre weelfare and good spede in zowre matere, the qwech I prey God send zow to his plesaunce and to zoure hertys ease.Cosyn, I lete zow wete that Scrope109.3hath be in this cuntre to se my cosyn zoure sustyr, and he hath spoken with my cosyn zoure moder, and sche desyreth of hym that he schuldschewe zow the endentures mad be twen the knyght that hath his dowter and hym, whethir that Skrop, if he were maried and fortuned to have children, if tho children schuld enheryte his lond, or his dowter, the wheche is maried.Cosyn, for this cause take gode hede to his endentures, for he is glad to schewe zow hem, or whom ze wol a sygne with zow; and he seith to me he is the last in the tayle of his lyflode, the qweche is CCCL. marke and better, as Watkyn Shipdam seith, for he hath take a compt of his liflode dyvers tymes; and Scrop seith to me if he be maried, and have a sone an eyre, his dowter that is maried schal have of his liflode L. marke and no more; and therfore, cosyn, me semeth he were good for my cosyn zowre sustyr, with[out] that ye myght gete her a bettyr. And if ze can gete a better, I wold avyse zow to labour it in as schort tyme as ze may goodly, for sche was never in so gret sorow as sche is now a dayes, for sche may not speke with no man, ho so ever come, ne not may se ne speke with my man, ne with servauntes of hir moderys but that sche bereth hire an hand110.1otherwyse than she menyth. And sche hath sen Esterne the most part be betyn onys in the weke or twyes, and som tyme twyes on o day, and hir hed broken in to or thre places. Wherfor, cosyn, sche hath sent to me by Frere Newton in gret counsell, and preyeth me that I wold send to zow a letter of hir hevynes, and prey yow to be hir good brothyr, as hir trost is in zow; and sche seith, if ze may se be his evydences that his childern and hire may enheryten, and sche to have resonable joynture, sche hath herd so mech of his birth and his condicions, that and ze will sche will have hym, whethyr that hir moder wil or wil not, not withstandyng it is tolde hir his persone is symple, for sche seyth men shull have the more deyute of hire if sche rewle hire to hym as sche awte to do.Cosyn, it is told me ther is a goodly man in yowre Inne, of the qweche the fadyr deyed litte, and if ze thynk that he were better for hir than Scroop, it wold be laboured, and yif Scroop a goodly answere that he be not put of tyl ze be sure of a bettyr; for he seid whan he was with me, but if [i.e.unless] hehave som counfortable answer of zow, he wil no more laboure in this mater, be cause he myght not se my cosyn zoure sustyr, and he seyth he myght a see hire and sche had be bettyr than she is; and that causeth hym to demyr that hir moder was not weel willyng, and so have I sent my cosyn zowre moder word. Wherfore, cosyn, thynk on this mateer, for sorow oftyn tyme causeth women to be set hem otherwyse than thei schuld do, and if sche where in that case, I wot weel ze wold be sory. Cosyn, I prey zow brenne this letter, that zoure men ne non other man se it; for and my cosyn zowre moder knew that I had sent yow this letter, sche shuld never love me. No more I wrighte to zow at this tyme, but Holy Gost have zow in kepyng. Wretyn in hast, on Seynt Peterys day,111.1be candel lyght.Be youre Cosyn,Elizabeth Clere.109.2[From Fenn, iii. 204.] This letter appears from the contents to be of the same year as the preceding.109.3Stephen Scrope.—Seep. 108, Note 4.110.1To bear one on hand, means to assert or insinuate something to a person.111.1June 29.95JOHN DAMME TO JOHN PASTON111.2To my ryght worshepfull master John Paston at London in the Inner Temple.1449NOV. 30Pleseit your good maistershep to knowe that my maisteresse your wyff recomaundeth here to yow and fareth well, blyssed be God, and all your menye faren well also and recomaunde hem to yaw, &c. I was with my lord of Oxenford and dede myn erand, and I found his good lordshep well disposed towardys yow, for he seid if he were sent to for to come to, &c., if it kepe faire weder he wold not tarye, and if it reygned he wold not spare. More over I spak with Pertrych as touchyng the letter sent to my lord Moleyns; he seyth that he was privy to the wrytyng and wele a vowe it by record of xx. persons, but he wold name to me no persone; and so he and I accorded not fully. And I bad hym remembrehym that he myght not abyde there if ye wold have hym owt. And he seid he knewe well that. But he seid, if ye put heem out, ye shuld be put owt sone after a geyn. And I seyd if it happe it so thei shuld not longer reste there. And Mariot stod by and seyd that were no merveyll whill thei were but ij. men, but it shuld not be best so. And I seyd that I lete them wete it shuld be so if ye wold, thow they made all the strenght which they coude make. And ther to Mariot seyd stately, that myght not be performed; and more langage ther was, to long to wryte at this leyser. Pertrych and his felaw bere gret visage and kepe gret junkeryes and dyneres, and seyn that my lord Moleynes hath wrytyn pleynly to hem that he is lord there and well be, and shall be, and ye not to have it; but I trust to Goddes ryghtwysenes of better purvyaunce. Lyke it yow to remembre what Heydon doth and mayde by colour of justice of the pees, beyng of my lordes councell and not your good frend nor weell wyller, and to comon with your sad councell what ye must suffre by the lawe, and where inne ye may resiste. On Sunday last passed Gunore and Mariot and John Davy and other dyned with Pertrych, &c.; and after eveson [evensong] Gonore spake to my maisteresse that she shuld make here men to leue here wyfeles and here jackes; and she answered that thei purposed to hurte no man of here owyn sykyng; but for it was seid that she shuld be plukkyd owt of here howse, she were loth to suffre that; and therfore she sayde thei shuld goo soo til ye come hom. And he seid stately, but if thei left here aray it shuld be plukked from them. I trust he must have a better warant, from his stately langage, or ells he shall not have it from hem esily. All this I remitte to your good remembraunce with Goddes help, to Whom I pray to gyde your ryght to his worshep and your hertes desire.Wrytyn at Sustede on Seynt Andrewe day, &c.—Yowres,J. Damme.Were but well, as me semyth, that ye myght ordeygne now a fetys jacke defensable for your self, for there con they do best and best chep, &c.111.2[Add. 34,888, f. 32.] This letter was evidently written in 1449, after John Paston had re-entered Gresham, and his wife was keeping it for him. SeeNo. 88.96JAMES GRESHAM TO [JOHN PASTON]113.11449(?)OCT. 16‘The King is now into the Marches of Wales, as it is said, to the intent he may be near the country if my Lord of Buckingham, which is commissioner now in Wales for divers offences done there to the Crown, would sue to have his commission to be enlarged, if he were repyned.’ It is not known when the King will be in London again, but he is expected here at the beginning of the Parliament. I have your writs of error, but can see nothing wrong. Thos. Denys asked me why you did not follow his suggestion about the removing of the strength at Gresham, and thinks it should be done yet. Francis Costard is not yet well at ease, for hisvenire faciasbetween Will. Prentys and him and Hen. Halman comes in very inopportunely. You had better come hither as soon as possible and get the favor of the sheriff that shall be next year.London, 16 Oct.113.1This abstract was made from one of the Roydon HallMSS.shown to the Editor in 1875. Since that date he has not seen the original.97SIR JOHN FASTOLF TO JOHN FASTOLF AND JOHN KIRTELING113.2To my ryght tristy and welbelovede Cosin and Frende, John Fastolf, and Sir John Kirtelinge, Parson of Arkesay.1449OCT. 31Trustyand welbeloved frendz, y grete yow wel. And for as moche as y have appointed with my sone, Stephen Scrope, lyke as y sende yow the appointement writen hereafter in this letter, the whiche appointement y woll ye fulfylle be the avys of my counsel in that at longeth to my party, like as hit ys writen.Thys ys the appointement made be twene Sir John Fastolf, Knight, and Stephen Scrope, Squier, in the maner as here after hit ys writen:—Fyrst, for as moche as the mariage of the saide Stephen Scrope was solde114.1to Sir William Gascoyng, the Chefe Justice of Englonde, for vc.[500] marke, with the whiche mariage was deliverd in hande to the sayde Gascoyng the maner of Wyghton on the Wolde, in Yorke schyre, with the apertenance of the saide maner; and whan the sayde Gascoyng hade hym, he wolde have solde hym agayn, or maried the saide Stephen Scrope ther [where] he schulde have byn despareiged: wherefore, at the request of the sayde Scrope and hys frendes, the saide Fastolf boght the ma[ri]age of the saide Scrope of the saide Sir William Gascoyng for vc.marke, wherby the saide Fastolf hath mariage of the saide Stephen Scrope, or elles to have the saide somme of vc.marke that he payde for hym, like as hit ys above sayde.Item, for as moche as the sayde Stephen Scrope ys comyn to the saide Fastolf, sayinge that he hath fownde wey to be maried at his lyst, and also for his worschippe and profyt, so that the saide Fastolf woll consent therto, that ys to say, to Fauconeris doughter of London, that Sir Reynalde Cobham114.2had weddid.Item, for as hit ys the saide Fastolf ys wille to forther and helpe the saide Scrope in any wize ther he may be fortherede, the sayde Fastolf consenteth that the sayde Scrope marie hym to the Fauconeris doughter, with that that the sayde Fauconer gyf to the sayde Fastolf the saide somme of vc.marke, the whiche he payde for the saide Scrope.Item, yf that the sayde Stephen Scrope pay or do pay the somme afore sayde of vc.marke sterling, than the sayde Sir John Fastolf and Dame Mylicent,114.3his wyf, schall make astate of the said maner of Wyghton on the Wolde in Yorke schyre,with the apertenaunce of the sayde maner, to the saide Stephen Scrope and to the woman, the whiche schalbe his wyf, and to here eyres of here bodyes begete be twix hem two.Item, yef the sayde Stephen dye with oute eyre of his body begeten, than the sayde maner of Wyghton, after the descece of the saide hys wyf, schall retourne agayne to the sayde Fastolf and Dame Mylicent, his wyf, and to the eyres of the sayde Mylicent.Item, yf so be that the sayde Fauconer wilnot pay the sayde somme of vc.marke, bot peraventure wolde gyf a lesse somme, then the sayde Fastolf wyl deliver to the mariage of the saide Scrope certayn londe, havynge rewarde to the somme that the sayde Fauconer wil gyf, havyng rewarde to the afferrant of xl. pounde worthe land and vc.mark of golde.Item, if that the sayde Fauconer wilnot gyf no somme of golde for the sayde mariage, the sayde Fastolf wyl take the mariage of the childe that ys eyre to the forsaide Sir Reynolde Cobham, and that the sayde Scrope forto conferme the estat hys moder has made to the saide Fastolf, yf so be that the consel of the saide Fastolf se by thaire avys that hit be for to do, and that the said mariage may be [as] moche worth to the said Fastolf as vc.mark.Item, ze sende me be Raufm[an an] answare o[f] the letters that y sende yow, that I may have ve[ray] knolage how that hit standys with me ther in al maner of thynges, and that I [h]ave an answare of every article that y wrote to yow.Item, for as moche as that I am bonden for my Lord Scales115.1to my Lord Cardnale115.2in vc.mark, the qu[ech] somme he kan not fynd no way to pay hit, on lese then that he sel a parcel of his land; quer fore he sendis ower a man of his called Pessemerche, with whom I wil that ze spek, and se bezore avis whech of the places of my said Lord Scales that standis most cler to be solde; and if the place that is beside W[a]lsyngham stand cler, I have hit lever then the tother; and therfore I pray [z]ow that ze make apointement with the said Pesemerche in the best wise that ze may, athir of the ton place or the tother, and or ze let take hit after xx. zere, havyn[g] rewarde to the verray val[u] therof, and as ze don send me worde be the next massager.Item, my Lord of Hungerford116.1has writen to me for to have the warde of Robert Monpyns[on]is sone, wher of I am agreed that he schal [have] hit like as I has wretyn to hym in a letter, of the whech I send zow a cope closed here in: wher fore I pray zow to enquere of the verray valu of the land that Monpynson haldis of me, and sendis me word in hast; for my said Lord Hungerford sais in his letter that hit is worth bot xls. a zere aboufe the rentis, as ze may se the letter that he sent me, the q[uec]h I send zow be my son Scrope. And I pray zow to demene zow to my said Lord as eesely as ze may in this mater and al other that I have to do with hym, as ze may se be the cope aforesaid. And or (sic) have zow in his kepyng. Wretyn at Roan (?)116.2the last day of October.J. Fastolfe.EndorsedAppunctuamentum factum pro Stephano Scroope anno xxviijº Regis H. vj. ad maritandum.113.2[From the CastlecombeMSS.in the B.M., Add.MS.28,212, No. 21.] According to the endorsement, this letter should have been written in the year 1449; but the reader will see by the footnotes that there are grounds for doubting the accuracy of this date.114.1The marriage of wards in those days used to be sold to men of property, who would compel them to marry their own sons or daughters, or whatever other persons suited them. The only restriction to this right was, that the ward might, on coming of age, have an action against his guardian in case ofdisparagement, that is to say, if he was married beneath his station.114.2Sir Reginald Cobham of Sterborough, in Surrey, who died in 1446. He was the father of the notorious Eleanor Cobham, the mistress, and afterwards wife, of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.—Brayley’sHist. of Surrey, iv. 159.114.3Milicent, wife of Sir John Fastolf, is known to have been alive in the 24th year of HenryVI.(1446). William Worcester says the allowance for her chamber was paid until that date; but as he says nothing more, it has been supposed she did not live longer. Mr. Poulett Scrope also believes her to have died in 1446, on the authority of a contemporaryMS., which says she and Fastolf lived together thirty-eight years.—Hist. Castlecombe, 263.115.1Thomas de Scales, 8th Lord.115.2John Kemp, Archbishop of York, afterwards of Canterbury; or, if this document be some years earlier, Cardinal Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester.116.1Walter, 1st Lord Hungerford, died in August 1449, and was succeeded in the title by his son Robert.116.2The name is a little indistinct from the decay of the paper, but the first and last letters are clear, and it is scarcely possible to doubt that Rouen was the place here intended. Yet if this be so, the letter must be much earlier than the date assigned to it in the endorsement.98RICHARD, EARL OF WARWICK, TO SIR THOMAS TODENHAM117.1To owr ryght trusty and welbelovyd Frend, Ser Thomas Todenham.1449(?)NOV. 2Ryghttrusty and welbelovyd frend, we grete you well, hertely desyryng to here of yowr welfare, which we pray God preserve to yowr herts desyr; and yf yt please yow to here of owr welfare, we wer in goud hale atte the makyng of this lettre, praying you hertely that ye wyll consider owr message, which owr Chapleyn Mayster Robert Hoppton shall enforme you of. For as God knowyth we have gret besynesse dayly, and has had here by for this tyme. Wherfor we pray you to consyder the purchas that we have made wyth one John Swyffhcotte, Squier of Lyncolnshyr, of lxxx. and viijli.by yer, whereuppon we must pay the last payment the Moneday nexte after Seynt Martyn’ day, which sum ys CCCC. and lviijli.; wherfor we pray you wyth all owr herte that ye wyll lend us xli., or twenty, or whet the seyd Maister Robert wants of hys payment, as we may do for you in tym for to com; and we shall send yt you ageyn afor Newyers day wyth the grace of God, as we ar trew knyght. For there is nonne in your cuntre that we myght wryght to for trust so well as unto you; for, as we be enformyd, ye be owr well wyller, and so we pray you of goud contynuaunce.Wherfore we pray you that ye consyder our entent of this mony, as ye wyll that we do for you in tym to com, as God knowyth, who have you in hys kepyng.Wreten atte London, on All Salwyn [All Souls’] day, wyth inne owr loggyng in the Grey Freys [Friars] wyth inne Newgate.Ric., Erle Warwyke.117.2117.1[From Fenn, i. 84.] Richard Nevill, Earl of Warwick, afterwards famous as the ‘King-maker,’ succeeded to the title in 1449, and this letter is not unlikely to have been written in that very year. Certainly it is not many years later. In 1449 and 1450 Warwick was probably in London to attend the Parliament.117.2‘The seal of this letter’ says Fenn, ‘is of red wax, on which is the Bear and Ragged Staff, the badge of this nobleman, with his motto,—the whole very fair and curious, and around it is a braid of twine.’99ABSTRACT118.11449DEC. 11Copy of a Grant from the Crown to John Bray for services against the King’s enemies. Caen, 11th December 14[4]9, 28 HenryVI.[This document is very mutilated and decayed. It is written in French, the spelling of which is very peculiar, and is probably a bad copy by some one who did not know the language.]118.1[From PastonMSS., B.M.]100WILLIAM TAILBOYS TO VISCOUNT BEAUMONT118.2To my right honorabull and right wurshipful Lord, my Lord Viscont Beaument.Before 1450Righthonorabull and my right wurshipfull Lord, I recomaund me unto your gode Lordship with all my service, evermore desireng to here of your prosperitie and welfare, the which I pray God encres and contynue to his plesur, and after your oone herts desire; thankyng you of the gode Lordship that ye have shewed me at all tymes, beseching you alway of gode contynuance.Plesid your gode Lordship to be remembred how afore this tyme Hugh Wythom hath said he wold be in rest and peese with me, and not to maligne agayn me otherwise than lawe and right wold; that notwithstandyng, upon Munday last past, he and iij. men with him come unto a servaunt hous of myn in Boston, cald William Shirref, and there, as he sete athis werke, stroke him upon the hede and in the body with a dagger, and wondet him sore, and pulled him out of his hous, and set him in prison without any cause resonabull, or without writ, or any other processe shewid unto him; and that me semes longs not for him to do, bot as he says he is endited, and as your gode Lordship knawes wele, I and all my servaunts are in like wise; bot and any man shuld have done hit, it longs either to the shirref or to your baliff as I conceyve, and other cause he had non to him as fer as I kan knawe, bot awnly for the malissiousness that he hath unto me, ne I kan think non other bot it is so. And now yistre nyght my Lord Welles119.1come to Boston with iiijxx[four score] horses, and in the mornyng foloyng toke hym out of prison, saying afore all peepll, ‘Fals thefe, you shall be hanged, and as mony of thy maistre men as may be goten’—as your servaunt John Abbot kan report unto your gode Lordship,—and hath taken him away with him to Tatessall, what to do with him I kan not say, bot as I suppose to have him to Lincoln Castell: wherfor I besech your gode Lordship in this matier to be my gode Lord, and it please your gode Lordship to write a letter to the kepere of the Castell of Lincoln, that it liked him to deliver him out of prison undre a sufficient seurety had for him, for and thai may kepe him still be this meyne, thai may take all the servaunts that I have, and so I may do agayn in like wise.And also, as I am enformed, without he be had out of prison in hast, it will be right gravewis to him to heile of his hurt, he is so sore streken; and if there be any service that your gode Lordship will comaund me to do in any cuntre, plesid you to send me word, and it shal be done to my power with the grace of God, which have you, my right honorabull and wurshipfull Lord, alway in his blessid kepyng. Writen at Kyme,119.2upon Wednesday next after our Ladi day the Assumpcion.119.3Also plesid your gode lordship to wit, after this letter wasmade, there come a man fro Tatessall into my fenne, which owght me gode will, and be cause he wold not be holden suspect, he speke with wemen which were mylkand kyne, and bad theme goo to a preest of myn to Dokdike, and bid him fast goo gif me warnyng how that my Lord Wilughby,120.1my Lord Cromwell,120.2and my Lord Welles120.3proposid theme to set a sessions, and hang the said William Shirref, and thai myght bryng ther entent abowte; and so, as I and your servaunt John Abbot stode to geder, the prest come and gaf me warnyng herof, which I trust for my worship your gode Lordship wold not shuld happen, for it wer to me the grettest shame that myght falle; bot and it plese your gode Lordship to write to all your servaunts in this cuntre, that thai will be redy upon a day warnyng to come when I send theme word, I trust to God thai shal not hang him agayn the lawe, bot I, with help of your gode Lordship, shall be abull to let hit.By your Servaunt,William Tailboys.120.4
101.1[From Fenn, iii. 314.] ‘The direction of this curious letter,’ says Fenn, ‘is obliterated, but it is plainly from Margaret Paston to her husband; and the paper is likewise so completely filled with writing, that she has not even either subscribed or dated it, but by the mentioning of Sir John Fastolf it must have been written before 1459.’ It appears to us most probably to belong to the year 1449, when Paston was making preparations to re-enter Gresham, which he actually did in October of that year.101.2Windacs are what we now call grappling irons, with which the bow-string is drawn home.—F.101.3Properlyquarreaux. They were square pyramids of iron shot out of crossbows.—Grose’sMilit. Antiq.i. 149.101.4John Partrich, one of Lord Molyns’s retainers.
101.1[From Fenn, iii. 314.] ‘The direction of this curious letter,’ says Fenn, ‘is obliterated, but it is plainly from Margaret Paston to her husband; and the paper is likewise so completely filled with writing, that she has not even either subscribed or dated it, but by the mentioning of Sir John Fastolf it must have been written before 1459.’ It appears to us most probably to belong to the year 1449, when Paston was making preparations to re-enter Gresham, which he actually did in October of that year.
101.2Windacs are what we now call grappling irons, with which the bow-string is drawn home.—F.
101.3Properlyquarreaux. They were square pyramids of iron shot out of crossbows.—Grose’sMilit. Antiq.i. 149.
101.4John Partrich, one of Lord Molyns’s retainers.
To the right reverent sir my most worshipful maister, my maister John Paston.
About 1449APRIL
Rightreverent and my most worshipful maister, I recomaund me to yow. Please it yow to wete that the man whiche I wolde have hadde to a be youre fermour at Snaillewelle hath tolde me that he will not therof, and this he makith his excuse; he seythe that he shall dwelle with his wyffes fader and fynden hym for his good as longe as he levyth and he will no forther medill in the werde. I fele well by hym that he hath inquered of the maner, for he coude telle me well that olde Briggeman aught my maister, yourfader, whom God assoile, moche good, and how that he hadde al that was ther whanne Briggeman was ded; and that this Briggeman owith yow moche good at this tyme. I answered therto, as for olde Briggeman, I seide that it was his will that my maister shulde have his good, be cause he was a bonde man and hadde no childer. And as for this Briggeman, I seide that he hath bought a faire place sithe he was your fermour, and payed therfor; but for this I kan not turne hym. Wherfor, and it like yow to sende to me a bille of the value of the maner, I shall inquere if any other may happe to be gete, and sende yow worde therof; and in this and what ye will comaunde me ellys I shall do my parte by the grace of our Lord, Who ever have yow in His kepyng. Amen. Writen at Cambrigge the Sunday nexte before the fest of Seynt George.
My maister your brother103.1recomaundeth hym to yow, as me semyth he is in right febill hele.hewill not telle me qwy, save he seyth he compleyned onys and hadde no remedy, and therfor he seythe he shall suffer for a seoson. Forsothe I suppose he is not intreted as he aught to be.—Your servaunt and bedeman,W. Cotyng.
102.1[Add.MS.34,889, f. 164.] This letter must have been written about the year 1449, when William Paston, son of the Judge, was a student at Cambridge.103.1William Paston.
102.1[Add.MS.34,889, f. 164.] This letter must have been written about the year 1449, when William Paston, son of the Judge, was a student at Cambridge.
103.1William Paston.
he is in right febill hele. he will not telle me qwylower case in original
To my Reverend Mayster, Thomas Danyell, Squier for the Kyngs Body, be thys letter delyverd in haste.
1449MAY 25
Mostreverend mayster, I recomaund me on to yowr graceus maystreschup, ever deseryng to her of yowr wurschupfull ustate, the whyche All myghte God mayntayne hyt, and encrese hyt on to hys plesans: Plesyngyow to know of my wellfare, and of all yowr men, at the makyng of thys letter, we wer in gode hele of body i blessyd be God.
Mo over, mayster, I send yow word, by Rauly Pykeryng, of all maters, the whyche I be seche yow yeve hym credens, as he wyll enforme yow of all; so, sur, I beseche yow, in the reverens of God, that ye wyll enforme owr Soverayn Lord the Kyng of all maters that I send yow in thys letter, lyke as I have send a letter to my Lord Chaunseler and to all my Lordys by the sayd Pykeryng; the whyche letter I beseche yow that ye take and delyver to my Lord and all my Lordys by yowr awne handys, and lete the sayd Pykeryng declare all thyngs as he hath sayn and knoweth.
Furst, I send yow word that when we went to see, we toke ij. schyppys of Brast comyng owte of Flaundrys; and then after, ther ys made a grete armyng in Brytayne to mete with me and my felyschyp, that ys to say, the grete schyp of Brast, the grete schyp of the Morleys, the grete schyp of Vanng, with other viij. schyppis, bargys, and balyngers, to the number of iij. mli[3000] men; and so we lay in the see to me[te] with them.
And then we mette with a flotte of a c. [a hundred] grete schyppys of Pruse, Lubycke, Campe, Rastocke, Holond, Selond, and Flandres, betwyte Garnyse [Guernsey] and Portland; and then I cam abord the Admirall, and bade them stryke in the Kyngys name of Englond, and they bade me skyte in the Kyngs name of Englond; and then I and my feleschyp sayd, but [unless] he wyll streke don the sayle, that I wyld over sayle ham by the grace of God, and God wyll send me wynd and wether; and dey bade me do my wurst, by cause I had so fewe schyppys and so smale, that they scornyd with me. And as God wuld, on Fryday last was, we had a gode wynd, and then we armyd to the number of ij. ml.[2000] men in my felyschyp, and made us redy for to over sayle them; and then they lonchyd a bote, and sette up a stondert of truesse, and com and spake with me. And ther they were yolded all the hundret schyppys to go with me in what port that me lust and my felawys; but they faothe with me the daybefore, and schotte atte us a j. ml.[1000] gonnys, and quarell105.1owte of number, and have slayn meny of my felyschyp, and meymyd all soo. Wherfor me thyngkyt that they haye forfett bothe schypps and godys at our Soverayn Lord the Kyngys wyll. Besechyng yow that ye do yowr parte in thys mater, for thys I have wrytyn to my Lord Chaunseler105.2and all my Lordys of the Kyngys Counsell; and so I have brofte them, all the c. [hundred] shyppys, within Wyght, in spyte of them all.
And ye myght gete leve of owr Soverayn Lord the Kyng to com hydder, hyt schall turne yow to grete wurschup and profett, to helpe make owr a poyntement in the Kyngs name, for ye sawe never suche a syght of schyppys take in to Englond this c. wynter; for we ly armyd nyght and day to kepe them, in to the tyme that we have tydengs of our Soverayn and hys counsell. For truly they have do harme to me, and to my feleschyp, and to yowr schyppys more [than] ij. ml.li.105.3worth harme; and therfor I am avesyd, and all my feleschyp, to droune them and slee them, withoute that we hafe tydyngs from owr Soverayn the Kyng and hys counsell. And therfor, in the reverens of God, come ye yowr self, and ye schall have a grete avayle and wurschup of yowr comyng to see a suche syght, for I der well sey that I have her at this tyme all the cheff schyppys of Duchelond, Holond, Selond, and Flaundrys, and now hyt wer tyme for to trete for a fynell pese as for that partyes.
I writ no more to yow at this tyme, but All myghty Jesus have yow in hys kepyng. I writ in hast, within Wyght, on Soneday at nyght after the Ascencion of owr Lord.By yowr owne Servant,Robt. Wenyngton.
103.2[From Fenn, i. 208.] On the 3rd April 1449 royal letters were issued in favour of Robert Wynnyngtone of Devonshire, who was bound by indenture to do the King service on the sea ‘for the cleansing of the same, and rebuking of the robbers and pirates thereof, which daily do all the noisance they can.’—Stevenson’sLetters and Papers illustrative of the Wars of the English in France, i. 489.105.1Seep. 101, Note 3.105.2John Stafford, Archbishop of Canterbury.105.3Fenn says the reading of the original is indistinct, and he could not determine whether £2000 or £3000 was meant.
103.2[From Fenn, i. 208.] On the 3rd April 1449 royal letters were issued in favour of Robert Wynnyngtone of Devonshire, who was bound by indenture to do the King service on the sea ‘for the cleansing of the same, and rebuking of the robbers and pirates thereof, which daily do all the noisance they can.’—Stevenson’sLetters and Papers illustrative of the Wars of the English in France, i. 489.
105.1Seep. 101, Note 3.
105.2John Stafford, Archbishop of Canterbury.
105.3Fenn says the reading of the original is indistinct, and he could not determine whether £2000 or £3000 was meant.
To myn most reverent and[w]urchepful broder, Jon Paston.
About 1449
Tomyn most reverent and wurchepful brodur, I recummend me hartely to zow, desiryng speciali to hare of zowre wellefare and prosperite, qweche Almyty God contenu to zowre gosteli hele and bodili welfare. And if it plase zowre goode broderod to here of myn wellefare, at the makyng of this bylle I was in good hele. And if it leke zowre good broderod to remembre the letter that I sent to zow of the noyse that was telde of zow, that ze schuld a be on of the capetayns of the ryserse in Norfolk, and how that j. scholere of Cambryg, qweche is parsone of Welle, schuld an utteryd ferthere to zowr grete schalndyr [slander]; besechyng zow to undyrstond that the seyde parsone of Welle was sone [after?]106.2that tyme at Lundon, were he harde sey of j. swyr of ij. c. marc be zere [of one squire of 200 marks by year] that ze and Master Thomas Wellys wolde sewe the seyd Parsone Welle for zowre schalndyr; and the seyde parsone come to Cambryg sothyn, and hathe pekyd a qwarell to on Mastyr Recheforthe, a knythys sone of Norforfolke,106.3and seyd to Rychechefor106.3that he had because that ze schuld sewe hym; and the seyd Parsone Welle thretyd Rycheferthe that wat some ever that ze causyd Parson Welle to lese be zowre sewtes, that Rycheferthe schul lese the same to the Parson of Welle. Werefor this jeltylmon Rycheforthe taketh grete thowt, and pray me to wrythe to zow that ze wulde sese zowre suthe tylle the tyme that ze wulde asyne that I mythe speke wythe zow, and odyr sundry have speke with zow of the same mater; for yt ware pithe that Rycheforthe chuld have ony hurthe thereby. I besechezow holde me excusyd, thow I wryt no better to zow at thys tyme, for in good feyth I had no leysere. The brynggar of thys letter can telle zow the same. God have zow in hys kepyng. Wretyn at Cambryg, on Fryday [sa]nyth107.1nexste before Mydsommer Evyn.
In case ze come ba come [back home?] be Cambryg, I schal telle zow mo of it. I am sory I may wrythe no bettyr at this tyme, but I trust ze wylle [have] paciens.Be zowre pore Broder,W. Paston.
106.1[From PastonMSS., B.M.] As it appears from Margaret Paston’s letter of the 2nd April 1449 that William Paston was a student at Cambridge in that year, the date of this must be about the same period.106.2Word omitted.106.3So inMS.107.1This is written ‘sanyth’ but there is a stroke through thea, which was perhaps intended to have been carried through thesalso.
106.1[From PastonMSS., B.M.] As it appears from Margaret Paston’s letter of the 2nd April 1449 that William Paston was a student at Cambridge in that year, the date of this must be about the same period.
106.2Word omitted.
106.3So inMS.
107.1This is written ‘sanyth’ but there is a stroke through thea, which was perhaps intended to have been carried through thesalso.
To the Worshypful Sir, and my ryght well beloved cosen, John Paston.
1449(?)JULY 10
Worshypfulland ryghte welbelovyd cosyn, I comaund me to you. Please you to here that the Pryore and Convent of Norwyche have wythhalden certeyn rent for landes that they halden of me wythinne my maner of Haylysdon, and the ij. tapers of wax of ij. lbs. wyght, by the space of xviij. yere, that mountyth xxjs.107.3valued in money. And the lordes of the seyd maner beyng before me, and y yn my tyme, have been seised and possessed of the seyd rent. Prayng you to speke wyth the Pryore, or comaundyng me unto hym. And that ye lyke to move hym to make me payment as his dewtee ys, so as y have no cause to gowe further, and to do as justice requyreth. He hahyth xxx. acres lande or more by the seyd rent, and whyht ought to pay me othyr rent more by myn evidense. More over y pray you, cosen, that I may speke with you or [before] y ryde, and that on Thursday by the ferthest; and then y shall tell youtydyngs off the Parlement, and that ye fayle not, as my trust ys yn you. I pray God have you in Hys guidance.
Wreten at Castor, the x. day off Julie 1449.108.1—Your Cosen,John Fastolfe.
107.2[From Palmer’sFoundacion and Antiquitye of Great Yermouthe, p. 61.]107.3‘xxj.o,’ as printed by Palmer, but the ‘o’ no doubt should be ‘s.’108.1So the date is given in the book from which this letter is copied, but the year is certainly wrong, as the writer did not go to reside at Caister till 1454. The date indeed would have been suspicious apart from this, as the mode of dating is quite unusual in these letters. Probably in the originalMS.(which the Editor has not seen) ‘1449’ was inserted after ‘Julie’ in a later hand.
107.2[From Palmer’sFoundacion and Antiquitye of Great Yermouthe, p. 61.]
107.3‘xxj.o,’ as printed by Palmer, but the ‘o’ no doubt should be ‘s.’
108.1So the date is given in the book from which this letter is copied, but the year is certainly wrong, as the writer did not go to reside at Caister till 1454. The date indeed would have been suspicious apart from this, as the mode of dating is quite unusual in these letters. Probably in the originalMS.(which the Editor has not seen) ‘1449’ was inserted after ‘Julie’ in a later hand.
To John Paston be this letter delyveryd.
Not after 1449
Soon, I grete zow wel with Goddis blyssyng and myn, and I latte zow wette that my cosyn Cler108.3wrytted to me that sche spake with Schrowpe108.4after that he had byen with me at Norwyche, and tolde her what cher that I had made hym, and he seyde to her he lyked wel by the cher I made hym.
He had swyche wordys to my cosyn Cler that lesse than ze made hym good cher, and zaf hym wordys of conforth at London, he wolde no mor speke of the matyr.
My cosyn Cler thynkyth that it were a foly to forsake hym lesse than ze knew of on owdyr as good or better; and I have assayde zowr suster,108.5and I fonde her never so wylly to noon as sche is to hym, zyf it be so that his londe stande cleer.
I sent zow a letter by Brawnton for sylke, and for thismatyr befor my cosyn Cler wrote to me, the qwyche was wrytten on the Wednysday nexzt aftyr Mydsomer day.
Sir Harry Ynglows is ryzth besy a bowt Schrowpe for one of his dozthers.
I prey zow, for zette nozth to brynge me my mony fro Horwelbery, as ze com fro London, edyr all or a grete parte. The dew dette was at Crystemesse last paste, no thynge a lowyd, vijli.xiiijs.viijd., and at this Mydsomer it is vli.more; and thow I a low hym all his askyng, it is but xxvjs.vjd.less, but I am nozth so avysyth zytt. As for the Frer,109.1he hath byen at Sent Benetts, and at Norwyche, and made grete bowste of the sewte that he hath azens me, and bowzthe many boxes, to what intent I wett never. It is wel doen to be war at London, in drede gyf he bryng ony syse at Sent Margarets tyme.
I kan no more, but Almyzty God be owr good lorde, who have zow ever in kepyng. Wryten at Oxnede in grete hast, on the Satyr next aftyr Mydsomer.By yowr Modyr, A. P.
108.2[From Fenn, iii. 202.] This letter is dated by Fenn 1454, with some others relating to matches proposed for Elizabeth Paston; but the date of this cannot be later than 1451, as Sir Harry Inglos died that year. Moreover, it cannot be either 1451 or 1450, as ‘the Saturday next after Midsummer’ when this letter is dated, preceded ‘the Wednesday next after Midsummer day’ in both these years. Thus 1449 is the latest possible date.108.3Elizabeth, widow of Robert Clere of Ormesby, Esq.108.4Stephen Scrope, a son of Sir John Fastolf’s wife by a former husband.108.5Elizabeth Paston.109.1John Hawteyn.—SeeNos. 46,50, and63.
108.2[From Fenn, iii. 202.] This letter is dated by Fenn 1454, with some others relating to matches proposed for Elizabeth Paston; but the date of this cannot be later than 1451, as Sir Harry Inglos died that year. Moreover, it cannot be either 1451 or 1450, as ‘the Saturday next after Midsummer’ when this letter is dated, preceded ‘the Wednesday next after Midsummer day’ in both these years. Thus 1449 is the latest possible date.
108.3Elizabeth, widow of Robert Clere of Ormesby, Esq.
108.4Stephen Scrope, a son of Sir John Fastolf’s wife by a former husband.
108.5Elizabeth Paston.
109.1John Hawteyn.—SeeNos. 46,50, and63.
To my Cosyn, John Paston, be thys letter delivered.
Not after 1449
Trustyand weel be loved cosyn, I comaunde me to zow, desyryng to here of zowre weelfare and good spede in zowre matere, the qwech I prey God send zow to his plesaunce and to zoure hertys ease.
Cosyn, I lete zow wete that Scrope109.3hath be in this cuntre to se my cosyn zoure sustyr, and he hath spoken with my cosyn zoure moder, and sche desyreth of hym that he schuldschewe zow the endentures mad be twen the knyght that hath his dowter and hym, whethir that Skrop, if he were maried and fortuned to have children, if tho children schuld enheryte his lond, or his dowter, the wheche is maried.
Cosyn, for this cause take gode hede to his endentures, for he is glad to schewe zow hem, or whom ze wol a sygne with zow; and he seith to me he is the last in the tayle of his lyflode, the qweche is CCCL. marke and better, as Watkyn Shipdam seith, for he hath take a compt of his liflode dyvers tymes; and Scrop seith to me if he be maried, and have a sone an eyre, his dowter that is maried schal have of his liflode L. marke and no more; and therfore, cosyn, me semeth he were good for my cosyn zowre sustyr, with[out] that ye myght gete her a bettyr. And if ze can gete a better, I wold avyse zow to labour it in as schort tyme as ze may goodly, for sche was never in so gret sorow as sche is now a dayes, for sche may not speke with no man, ho so ever come, ne not may se ne speke with my man, ne with servauntes of hir moderys but that sche bereth hire an hand110.1otherwyse than she menyth. And sche hath sen Esterne the most part be betyn onys in the weke or twyes, and som tyme twyes on o day, and hir hed broken in to or thre places. Wherfor, cosyn, sche hath sent to me by Frere Newton in gret counsell, and preyeth me that I wold send to zow a letter of hir hevynes, and prey yow to be hir good brothyr, as hir trost is in zow; and sche seith, if ze may se be his evydences that his childern and hire may enheryten, and sche to have resonable joynture, sche hath herd so mech of his birth and his condicions, that and ze will sche will have hym, whethyr that hir moder wil or wil not, not withstandyng it is tolde hir his persone is symple, for sche seyth men shull have the more deyute of hire if sche rewle hire to hym as sche awte to do.
Cosyn, it is told me ther is a goodly man in yowre Inne, of the qweche the fadyr deyed litte, and if ze thynk that he were better for hir than Scroop, it wold be laboured, and yif Scroop a goodly answere that he be not put of tyl ze be sure of a bettyr; for he seid whan he was with me, but if [i.e.unless] hehave som counfortable answer of zow, he wil no more laboure in this mater, be cause he myght not se my cosyn zoure sustyr, and he seyth he myght a see hire and sche had be bettyr than she is; and that causeth hym to demyr that hir moder was not weel willyng, and so have I sent my cosyn zowre moder word. Wherfore, cosyn, thynk on this mateer, for sorow oftyn tyme causeth women to be set hem otherwyse than thei schuld do, and if sche where in that case, I wot weel ze wold be sory. Cosyn, I prey zow brenne this letter, that zoure men ne non other man se it; for and my cosyn zowre moder knew that I had sent yow this letter, sche shuld never love me. No more I wrighte to zow at this tyme, but Holy Gost have zow in kepyng. Wretyn in hast, on Seynt Peterys day,111.1be candel lyght.Be youre Cosyn,Elizabeth Clere.
109.2[From Fenn, iii. 204.] This letter appears from the contents to be of the same year as the preceding.109.3Stephen Scrope.—Seep. 108, Note 4.110.1To bear one on hand, means to assert or insinuate something to a person.111.1June 29.
109.2[From Fenn, iii. 204.] This letter appears from the contents to be of the same year as the preceding.
109.3Stephen Scrope.—Seep. 108, Note 4.
110.1To bear one on hand, means to assert or insinuate something to a person.
111.1June 29.
To my ryght worshepfull master John Paston at London in the Inner Temple.
1449NOV. 30
Pleseit your good maistershep to knowe that my maisteresse your wyff recomaundeth here to yow and fareth well, blyssed be God, and all your menye faren well also and recomaunde hem to yaw, &c. I was with my lord of Oxenford and dede myn erand, and I found his good lordshep well disposed towardys yow, for he seid if he were sent to for to come to, &c., if it kepe faire weder he wold not tarye, and if it reygned he wold not spare. More over I spak with Pertrych as touchyng the letter sent to my lord Moleyns; he seyth that he was privy to the wrytyng and wele a vowe it by record of xx. persons, but he wold name to me no persone; and so he and I accorded not fully. And I bad hym remembrehym that he myght not abyde there if ye wold have hym owt. And he seid he knewe well that. But he seid, if ye put heem out, ye shuld be put owt sone after a geyn. And I seyd if it happe it so thei shuld not longer reste there. And Mariot stod by and seyd that were no merveyll whill thei were but ij. men, but it shuld not be best so. And I seyd that I lete them wete it shuld be so if ye wold, thow they made all the strenght which they coude make. And ther to Mariot seyd stately, that myght not be performed; and more langage ther was, to long to wryte at this leyser. Pertrych and his felaw bere gret visage and kepe gret junkeryes and dyneres, and seyn that my lord Moleynes hath wrytyn pleynly to hem that he is lord there and well be, and shall be, and ye not to have it; but I trust to Goddes ryghtwysenes of better purvyaunce. Lyke it yow to remembre what Heydon doth and mayde by colour of justice of the pees, beyng of my lordes councell and not your good frend nor weell wyller, and to comon with your sad councell what ye must suffre by the lawe, and where inne ye may resiste. On Sunday last passed Gunore and Mariot and John Davy and other dyned with Pertrych, &c.; and after eveson [evensong] Gonore spake to my maisteresse that she shuld make here men to leue here wyfeles and here jackes; and she answered that thei purposed to hurte no man of here owyn sykyng; but for it was seid that she shuld be plukkyd owt of here howse, she were loth to suffre that; and therfore she sayde thei shuld goo soo til ye come hom. And he seid stately, but if thei left here aray it shuld be plukked from them. I trust he must have a better warant, from his stately langage, or ells he shall not have it from hem esily. All this I remitte to your good remembraunce with Goddes help, to Whom I pray to gyde your ryght to his worshep and your hertes desire.
Wrytyn at Sustede on Seynt Andrewe day, &c.—Yowres,J. Damme.
Were but well, as me semyth, that ye myght ordeygne now a fetys jacke defensable for your self, for there con they do best and best chep, &c.
111.2[Add. 34,888, f. 32.] This letter was evidently written in 1449, after John Paston had re-entered Gresham, and his wife was keeping it for him. SeeNo. 88.
1449(?)OCT. 16
‘The King is now into the Marches of Wales, as it is said, to the intent he may be near the country if my Lord of Buckingham, which is commissioner now in Wales for divers offences done there to the Crown, would sue to have his commission to be enlarged, if he were repyned.’ It is not known when the King will be in London again, but he is expected here at the beginning of the Parliament. I have your writs of error, but can see nothing wrong. Thos. Denys asked me why you did not follow his suggestion about the removing of the strength at Gresham, and thinks it should be done yet. Francis Costard is not yet well at ease, for hisvenire faciasbetween Will. Prentys and him and Hen. Halman comes in very inopportunely. You had better come hither as soon as possible and get the favor of the sheriff that shall be next year.
London, 16 Oct.
113.1This abstract was made from one of the Roydon HallMSS.shown to the Editor in 1875. Since that date he has not seen the original.
To my ryght tristy and welbelovede Cosin and Frende, John Fastolf, and Sir John Kirtelinge, Parson of Arkesay.
1449OCT. 31
Trustyand welbeloved frendz, y grete yow wel. And for as moche as y have appointed with my sone, Stephen Scrope, lyke as y sende yow the appointement writen hereafter in this letter, the whiche appointement y woll ye fulfylle be the avys of my counsel in that at longeth to my party, like as hit ys writen.
Thys ys the appointement made be twene Sir John Fastolf, Knight, and Stephen Scrope, Squier, in the maner as here after hit ys writen:—
Fyrst, for as moche as the mariage of the saide Stephen Scrope was solde114.1to Sir William Gascoyng, the Chefe Justice of Englonde, for vc.[500] marke, with the whiche mariage was deliverd in hande to the sayde Gascoyng the maner of Wyghton on the Wolde, in Yorke schyre, with the apertenance of the saide maner; and whan the sayde Gascoyng hade hym, he wolde have solde hym agayn, or maried the saide Stephen Scrope ther [where] he schulde have byn despareiged: wherefore, at the request of the sayde Scrope and hys frendes, the saide Fastolf boght the ma[ri]age of the saide Scrope of the saide Sir William Gascoyng for vc.marke, wherby the saide Fastolf hath mariage of the saide Stephen Scrope, or elles to have the saide somme of vc.marke that he payde for hym, like as hit ys above sayde.
Item, for as moche as the sayde Stephen Scrope ys comyn to the saide Fastolf, sayinge that he hath fownde wey to be maried at his lyst, and also for his worschippe and profyt, so that the saide Fastolf woll consent therto, that ys to say, to Fauconeris doughter of London, that Sir Reynalde Cobham114.2had weddid.
Item, for as hit ys the saide Fastolf ys wille to forther and helpe the saide Scrope in any wize ther he may be fortherede, the sayde Fastolf consenteth that the sayde Scrope marie hym to the Fauconeris doughter, with that that the sayde Fauconer gyf to the sayde Fastolf the saide somme of vc.marke, the whiche he payde for the saide Scrope.
Item, yf that the sayde Stephen Scrope pay or do pay the somme afore sayde of vc.marke sterling, than the sayde Sir John Fastolf and Dame Mylicent,114.3his wyf, schall make astate of the said maner of Wyghton on the Wolde in Yorke schyre,with the apertenaunce of the sayde maner, to the saide Stephen Scrope and to the woman, the whiche schalbe his wyf, and to here eyres of here bodyes begete be twix hem two.
Item, yef the sayde Stephen dye with oute eyre of his body begeten, than the sayde maner of Wyghton, after the descece of the saide hys wyf, schall retourne agayne to the sayde Fastolf and Dame Mylicent, his wyf, and to the eyres of the sayde Mylicent.
Item, yf so be that the sayde Fauconer wilnot pay the sayde somme of vc.marke, bot peraventure wolde gyf a lesse somme, then the sayde Fastolf wyl deliver to the mariage of the saide Scrope certayn londe, havynge rewarde to the somme that the sayde Fauconer wil gyf, havyng rewarde to the afferrant of xl. pounde worthe land and vc.mark of golde.
Item, if that the sayde Fauconer wilnot gyf no somme of golde for the sayde mariage, the sayde Fastolf wyl take the mariage of the childe that ys eyre to the forsaide Sir Reynolde Cobham, and that the sayde Scrope forto conferme the estat hys moder has made to the saide Fastolf, yf so be that the consel of the saide Fastolf se by thaire avys that hit be for to do, and that the said mariage may be [as] moche worth to the said Fastolf as vc.mark.
Item, ze sende me be Raufm[an an] answare o[f] the letters that y sende yow, that I may have ve[ray] knolage how that hit standys with me ther in al maner of thynges, and that I [h]ave an answare of every article that y wrote to yow.
Item, for as moche as that I am bonden for my Lord Scales115.1to my Lord Cardnale115.2in vc.mark, the qu[ech] somme he kan not fynd no way to pay hit, on lese then that he sel a parcel of his land; quer fore he sendis ower a man of his called Pessemerche, with whom I wil that ze spek, and se bezore avis whech of the places of my said Lord Scales that standis most cler to be solde; and if the place that is beside W[a]lsyngham stand cler, I have hit lever then the tother; and therfore I pray [z]ow that ze make apointement with the said Pesemerche in the best wise that ze may, athir of the ton place or the tother, and or ze let take hit after xx. zere, havyn[g] rewarde to the verray val[u] therof, and as ze don send me worde be the next massager.
Item, my Lord of Hungerford116.1has writen to me for to have the warde of Robert Monpyns[on]is sone, wher of I am agreed that he schal [have] hit like as I has wretyn to hym in a letter, of the whech I send zow a cope closed here in: wher fore I pray zow to enquere of the verray valu of the land that Monpynson haldis of me, and sendis me word in hast; for my said Lord Hungerford sais in his letter that hit is worth bot xls. a zere aboufe the rentis, as ze may se the letter that he sent me, the q[uec]h I send zow be my son Scrope. And I pray zow to demene zow to my said Lord as eesely as ze may in this mater and al other that I have to do with hym, as ze may se be the cope aforesaid. And or (sic) have zow in his kepyng. Wretyn at Roan (?)116.2the last day of October.J. Fastolfe.
EndorsedAppunctuamentum factum pro Stephano Scroope anno xxviijº Regis H. vj. ad maritandum.
113.2[From the CastlecombeMSS.in the B.M., Add.MS.28,212, No. 21.] According to the endorsement, this letter should have been written in the year 1449; but the reader will see by the footnotes that there are grounds for doubting the accuracy of this date.114.1The marriage of wards in those days used to be sold to men of property, who would compel them to marry their own sons or daughters, or whatever other persons suited them. The only restriction to this right was, that the ward might, on coming of age, have an action against his guardian in case ofdisparagement, that is to say, if he was married beneath his station.114.2Sir Reginald Cobham of Sterborough, in Surrey, who died in 1446. He was the father of the notorious Eleanor Cobham, the mistress, and afterwards wife, of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.—Brayley’sHist. of Surrey, iv. 159.114.3Milicent, wife of Sir John Fastolf, is known to have been alive in the 24th year of HenryVI.(1446). William Worcester says the allowance for her chamber was paid until that date; but as he says nothing more, it has been supposed she did not live longer. Mr. Poulett Scrope also believes her to have died in 1446, on the authority of a contemporaryMS., which says she and Fastolf lived together thirty-eight years.—Hist. Castlecombe, 263.115.1Thomas de Scales, 8th Lord.115.2John Kemp, Archbishop of York, afterwards of Canterbury; or, if this document be some years earlier, Cardinal Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester.116.1Walter, 1st Lord Hungerford, died in August 1449, and was succeeded in the title by his son Robert.116.2The name is a little indistinct from the decay of the paper, but the first and last letters are clear, and it is scarcely possible to doubt that Rouen was the place here intended. Yet if this be so, the letter must be much earlier than the date assigned to it in the endorsement.
113.2[From the CastlecombeMSS.in the B.M., Add.MS.28,212, No. 21.] According to the endorsement, this letter should have been written in the year 1449; but the reader will see by the footnotes that there are grounds for doubting the accuracy of this date.
114.1The marriage of wards in those days used to be sold to men of property, who would compel them to marry their own sons or daughters, or whatever other persons suited them. The only restriction to this right was, that the ward might, on coming of age, have an action against his guardian in case ofdisparagement, that is to say, if he was married beneath his station.
114.2Sir Reginald Cobham of Sterborough, in Surrey, who died in 1446. He was the father of the notorious Eleanor Cobham, the mistress, and afterwards wife, of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.—Brayley’sHist. of Surrey, iv. 159.
114.3Milicent, wife of Sir John Fastolf, is known to have been alive in the 24th year of HenryVI.(1446). William Worcester says the allowance for her chamber was paid until that date; but as he says nothing more, it has been supposed she did not live longer. Mr. Poulett Scrope also believes her to have died in 1446, on the authority of a contemporaryMS., which says she and Fastolf lived together thirty-eight years.—Hist. Castlecombe, 263.
115.1Thomas de Scales, 8th Lord.
115.2John Kemp, Archbishop of York, afterwards of Canterbury; or, if this document be some years earlier, Cardinal Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester.
116.1Walter, 1st Lord Hungerford, died in August 1449, and was succeeded in the title by his son Robert.
116.2The name is a little indistinct from the decay of the paper, but the first and last letters are clear, and it is scarcely possible to doubt that Rouen was the place here intended. Yet if this be so, the letter must be much earlier than the date assigned to it in the endorsement.
To owr ryght trusty and welbelovyd Frend, Ser Thomas Todenham.
1449(?)NOV. 2
Ryghttrusty and welbelovyd frend, we grete you well, hertely desyryng to here of yowr welfare, which we pray God preserve to yowr herts desyr; and yf yt please yow to here of owr welfare, we wer in goud hale atte the makyng of this lettre, praying you hertely that ye wyll consider owr message, which owr Chapleyn Mayster Robert Hoppton shall enforme you of. For as God knowyth we have gret besynesse dayly, and has had here by for this tyme. Wherfor we pray you to consyder the purchas that we have made wyth one John Swyffhcotte, Squier of Lyncolnshyr, of lxxx. and viijli.by yer, whereuppon we must pay the last payment the Moneday nexte after Seynt Martyn’ day, which sum ys CCCC. and lviijli.; wherfor we pray you wyth all owr herte that ye wyll lend us xli., or twenty, or whet the seyd Maister Robert wants of hys payment, as we may do for you in tym for to com; and we shall send yt you ageyn afor Newyers day wyth the grace of God, as we ar trew knyght. For there is nonne in your cuntre that we myght wryght to for trust so well as unto you; for, as we be enformyd, ye be owr well wyller, and so we pray you of goud contynuaunce.
Wherfore we pray you that ye consyder our entent of this mony, as ye wyll that we do for you in tym to com, as God knowyth, who have you in hys kepyng.
Wreten atte London, on All Salwyn [All Souls’] day, wyth inne owr loggyng in the Grey Freys [Friars] wyth inne Newgate.Ric., Erle Warwyke.117.2
117.1[From Fenn, i. 84.] Richard Nevill, Earl of Warwick, afterwards famous as the ‘King-maker,’ succeeded to the title in 1449, and this letter is not unlikely to have been written in that very year. Certainly it is not many years later. In 1449 and 1450 Warwick was probably in London to attend the Parliament.117.2‘The seal of this letter’ says Fenn, ‘is of red wax, on which is the Bear and Ragged Staff, the badge of this nobleman, with his motto,—the whole very fair and curious, and around it is a braid of twine.’
117.1[From Fenn, i. 84.] Richard Nevill, Earl of Warwick, afterwards famous as the ‘King-maker,’ succeeded to the title in 1449, and this letter is not unlikely to have been written in that very year. Certainly it is not many years later. In 1449 and 1450 Warwick was probably in London to attend the Parliament.
117.2‘The seal of this letter’ says Fenn, ‘is of red wax, on which is the Bear and Ragged Staff, the badge of this nobleman, with his motto,—the whole very fair and curious, and around it is a braid of twine.’
1449DEC. 11
Copy of a Grant from the Crown to John Bray for services against the King’s enemies. Caen, 11th December 14[4]9, 28 HenryVI.
[This document is very mutilated and decayed. It is written in French, the spelling of which is very peculiar, and is probably a bad copy by some one who did not know the language.]
118.1[From PastonMSS., B.M.]
To my right honorabull and right wurshipful Lord, my Lord Viscont Beaument.
Before 1450
Righthonorabull and my right wurshipfull Lord, I recomaund me unto your gode Lordship with all my service, evermore desireng to here of your prosperitie and welfare, the which I pray God encres and contynue to his plesur, and after your oone herts desire; thankyng you of the gode Lordship that ye have shewed me at all tymes, beseching you alway of gode contynuance.
Plesid your gode Lordship to be remembred how afore this tyme Hugh Wythom hath said he wold be in rest and peese with me, and not to maligne agayn me otherwise than lawe and right wold; that notwithstandyng, upon Munday last past, he and iij. men with him come unto a servaunt hous of myn in Boston, cald William Shirref, and there, as he sete athis werke, stroke him upon the hede and in the body with a dagger, and wondet him sore, and pulled him out of his hous, and set him in prison without any cause resonabull, or without writ, or any other processe shewid unto him; and that me semes longs not for him to do, bot as he says he is endited, and as your gode Lordship knawes wele, I and all my servaunts are in like wise; bot and any man shuld have done hit, it longs either to the shirref or to your baliff as I conceyve, and other cause he had non to him as fer as I kan knawe, bot awnly for the malissiousness that he hath unto me, ne I kan think non other bot it is so. And now yistre nyght my Lord Welles119.1come to Boston with iiijxx[four score] horses, and in the mornyng foloyng toke hym out of prison, saying afore all peepll, ‘Fals thefe, you shall be hanged, and as mony of thy maistre men as may be goten’—as your servaunt John Abbot kan report unto your gode Lordship,—and hath taken him away with him to Tatessall, what to do with him I kan not say, bot as I suppose to have him to Lincoln Castell: wherfor I besech your gode Lordship in this matier to be my gode Lord, and it please your gode Lordship to write a letter to the kepere of the Castell of Lincoln, that it liked him to deliver him out of prison undre a sufficient seurety had for him, for and thai may kepe him still be this meyne, thai may take all the servaunts that I have, and so I may do agayn in like wise.
And also, as I am enformed, without he be had out of prison in hast, it will be right gravewis to him to heile of his hurt, he is so sore streken; and if there be any service that your gode Lordship will comaund me to do in any cuntre, plesid you to send me word, and it shal be done to my power with the grace of God, which have you, my right honorabull and wurshipfull Lord, alway in his blessid kepyng. Writen at Kyme,119.2upon Wednesday next after our Ladi day the Assumpcion.119.3
Also plesid your gode lordship to wit, after this letter wasmade, there come a man fro Tatessall into my fenne, which owght me gode will, and be cause he wold not be holden suspect, he speke with wemen which were mylkand kyne, and bad theme goo to a preest of myn to Dokdike, and bid him fast goo gif me warnyng how that my Lord Wilughby,120.1my Lord Cromwell,120.2and my Lord Welles120.3proposid theme to set a sessions, and hang the said William Shirref, and thai myght bryng ther entent abowte; and so, as I and your servaunt John Abbot stode to geder, the prest come and gaf me warnyng herof, which I trust for my worship your gode Lordship wold not shuld happen, for it wer to me the grettest shame that myght falle; bot and it plese your gode Lordship to write to all your servaunts in this cuntre, that thai will be redy upon a day warnyng to come when I send theme word, I trust to God thai shal not hang him agayn the lawe, bot I, with help of your gode Lordship, shall be abull to let hit.By your Servaunt,William Tailboys.120.4