The Paston Letters Volume Iii Part 64

[Sidenote: 1461 / JUNE 5]

Right reverent and worschipfull master, I lowly recomande me unto your good masterschip. Plesith you to witte that I have ben at Framelyngham, and spake Ric Sothwell to hafe hes advice in this mater; wherin he wolde geve me but litell councell, and seide ze were straungely disposed, for ye trusted no man, and had moche langage, weche the berer herof schal enforme your masterschip.

And as for the letters, they were delivered my Lorde[277.2] at the Logge, but I cowde not speke with hese Lordeschip. And suche tyme as they were delyvered Fitz William whas there, weche is now keper of Castre; and what tyme as my Lorde had sene the lettres, he comaunded hym to avoide, and so he did. And thanne my Lorde sent for Sothwell. And in the meene tyme my Lorde sent a man to me, and axed me where ye were, and I tolde hem ye were with the Kyng; and so he sent me worde that an answere schulde be made be Sothwel to the King, seyng that ii. or iij.

eyers [_heirs_] had ben with my Lorde, and shewed her [_i.e._ their]

evidence, and delyvered it to my Lorde, seyng they have had gret wrong, besechyng my Lorde that it myght be reformed. Wherfor he comaunded me that I shulde go hom, for other answer cowde I non have. So I aboude uppon Sothwel to a' know my Lordes answer to the Kyng; weche answere Sothwel tolde me was, that he writeth to the Kyng that certeine points in your lettres be untrew, and that he schal prove suche tyme as he cometh befor the Kyng, besechyng the Kyng to take it to no displesur; for he is advised to kepe it still unto the tyme that he hath spaken with his Highnesse, for he trusteth to G.o.d to schewe suche evidence to the Kyng and to the Lords, that he schulde have best right and t.i.till therto; and so he sent a man forthe to the Kyng this day. It were right wele don ye awayted upon hes man comyng, that ye myght knowe the redy entent of my Lordes writyng.

Berthelmew Elysse hathe ben with my Lorde, and made a relesse to my Lord; and Sir Will Chamberleine was ther ij. dayes afore I come thirder, I can thynke for the sam mater. And Thomas Fastolf whas there the same tyme that I was ther; and as I am enformed, they have delyvered my Lorde serteine evidence. Wherfore me semeth it were right wele don, savyng your better advice, to com hom and sele up your evidence, and have hem with you to London, to prove his t.i.till noght. Ther be but ii. or iij.

men with in the place, and if ye thynke it best to do it, send word, and I suppose a remedy schal be had.

Also I here no word of Master William, nor of the writts for the Parlament. Also it is tolde here that Tudenham[278.1] and Heydon have a pardon of the Kyng, and that they schal come up to London with the Lady of Suffolk to the Coronacion. Also as for the letter that ye sent to Thomas Wyngfeld, I have it still, for he is at London. Some men sey he meved my Lord for to entre, and some sey Fitz William is in defaute. So I can see ther is but fewe goode. Also my master Sir Thomas Howys schol send a letter to the person ye wote of, for to deliver you the gere at London the next week. My right wourschipfull and reverent master, Almyghti G.o.d preserve you.

Wreten at Norweche, on the morwe after Corpus Christi Day.

Your pore servant and bedman,

R. C.

[Footnote 277.1: [From Fenn, iv. 6.] The date of this letter, like that of the last, is shown by a reference to the approaching coronation of Edward IV.]

[Footnote 277.2: The Duke of Norfolk, who appears by this time to have taken possession of Caister, and appointed a keeper for it.]

[Footnote 278.1: Sir Thomas Tuddenham was beheaded in February following.]

459

ROBERT LETHUM TO JOHN PASTON[279.1]

_A tres reverent Sire, John Paston, Esquier, demouraunt ou lostell le Roy soit d[onne]._

[Sidenote: 1461 / JUNE 19]

Right wors.h.i.+pfull sir, I recomaund me to you. And, sir, yesterday I resceived of you a lettre from oure sovereign lord the Kyng directe to John Fulman, dyvers othir, and me, by the quych, for certeyn causes that meved hym, and for the well and save gard of his person and this his realme, he desired we chuld fynd men for kepyng of the see. I said to you that I hade beyn dyvers tymes spoled and robbed, as ye have herd, and also gretely vexed and sued to me [_my_] unportab[l]e [charges];[279.2] nevir the les, to my pouer, with my body and my G.o.de, I chall be redy to do hym servyce in resistyng his enmyse and rebelles.

Also I said I dwelled uppon the cost of the see here, and be langage hit were more necessare to with hold men here than take men from hit. The said the Kyng hade wreton to dyvers persones here quych hade promysed men, queruppon I promysed a man, quych chall be redy at such tyme I have knowelege quere the s.h.i.+ppyng chall be, to waite uppon yow, or quane the Kyng comaundes. I write to you of my promyse as ye comaund me, and pray you I may have a copy of the said lettre. And I pray G.o.dd kepe you.

Wrete at Plumsted on the Fest of Seynt Gervaise and Prothase.[279.3]

Your,

ROBT. LETHUM.

[Footnote 279.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] As we find by the last letter that John Paston was with the King in the beginning of June 1461, this may with great probability be attributed to the same year.]

[Footnote 279.2: Omitted in MS.]

[Footnote 279.3: 19th June.]

460

JAMES GRESHAM TO JOHN PASTON[280.1]

_To my right wors.h.i.+pful maister, John Paston, at Heylesdon in Norfolk, in hast._

[Sidenote: 1461 / JUNE 21]

After due recomendacion hadde; please it your Maisters.h.i.+p to witte, that as for Plaiter he shall excuse the writte of the parlement, &c. As touchyng my maister Howard,[280.2] I cannot yet speke with hym, ne with Moungomerye[280.3] nether. But as for the day of Coronacion of the Kyng, it shall be certeynly the Moneday next after Mydsomer, and it is told me that ye among other ar named to be made knyght atte Coronacion, &c.

Item, it is seid that the Coronacion do, the Kyng wole in to the north part forthwith; and therfor shall not the parlement holde, but writtes shall goo in to every s.h.i.+re to gyve them, that ar chosyn knyghtes of the s.h.i.+re, day after Michelmesse; this is told me by suyche as arn right credible. Maister Brakle shall preche at Poules on Sunday next comyng as he tolde me, and he told me, that for cause Childermesse day[280.4] fal on the Sunday, the Coronacion shall on the Moneday, &c.

Wretyn in hast at London, the Sunday next tofore Mydsomer,

Your right pouere servant,

JAMES GRESHAM.

[Footnote 280.1: [From Fenn, i. 232.] Like Nos. 457 and 458, this letter refers to the approaching coronation of Edward IV.]

[Footnote 280.2: Sir John Howard.]

[Footnote 280.3: Sir Thomas Montgomery.]

[Footnote 280.4: Childermas, or Holy Innocents' Day, the 28th of December, fell on Sunday in the year 1460. The day of the week on which it fell used to be considered ominous or unlucky during the whole ensuing year. This superst.i.tion seems to have continued as late as the beginning of the eighteenth century, and is alluded to by Addison in the seventh number of the _Spectator_. It is not true, however, that Edward's coronation was put off till Monday. It took place on the Sunday which had been originally appointed for it, but the processions and pageantry were deferred till next day. The following is the account of the matter given in a contemporary chronicle in the Cottonian MS., Vitellius, A. xvi:--

'And upon the morn, Sunday, which was St. Peter's Even, and the 28th day of June, he was crowned at Westminster with great solemnity of bishops and other temporal lords. And upon the morn after, the King went crowned again in Westminster Abbey, in the wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d and St. Peter. And upon the next morn he went also crowned in St. Paul's in the wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d and St. Paul; and there the angel came down and censed him. At which time was as great a mult.i.tude of people in Paul's as ever was seen afore in any days.']

461

CLEMENT PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[281.1]

_To my rythe worchypfull broder, John Paston, be thys delyveryd in hast._

[Sidenote: 1461 / JUNE 26]

Broder, I recomawnde me to zow, desyeryng to here of yowre welfare, the qwyche I pray G.o.d mayntene. Plesse yow to wette that I have sent my moder a letter for mony for my swster;[281.2] and if ze wyll agre that I may have xx^{ti}_li._ [20], I xall zeve zow acowmpts ther of, and ze xall be payyd azen of the obligacyon that my moder hathe, or ellys I xall take a swerte of my suster. I wysse obligacion mwste nedes be swyd, and a doseyn accions more in her name, and sche doo well thys terme; and it wyll be doo with in fowertenyut. The Cowntas of Northumberlond[281.3]

and Robarde Fenus[281.4] ocupie all her lond, and that is a gret myscheffe. I prey zow spe[ke] to my moder her of, and lat me have a awnswer within this sevenyut. Also, broder, Wyndham is come to town, and he seyd to me he wyll goo gett hym a mayster, and me thowte by hym he wold be in the Kynges servise, and he saythe that he wyll have Felbryg azen or Myhelmes, or ther shal be v.^c. [500] heds broke ther fore.

Brodere, I pray zow delyver the mony that I xwld have in to swm prior of swm abbey to swm mayster of swm colage to be delyveryd qwan I can espy ony londe to be porchasyd. I pray zow send me word wyder ze wyll doo thus or no. No more, but owre Lord have zow in Hys kepyng. Wrytyn on Fryday nexst after Seynt John is day.

By zour broder,

CLEMENT PASTON.

[Footnote 281.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] Elizabeth Paston, who, as we have seen (No. 374), had been married to Robert Poynings by the beginning of the year 1459, became his widow in 1461, her husband having been killed in the second battle of St. Albans on the 17th February. It would appear by this letter that she was immediately after dispossessed of her husband's lands by Eleanor, Countess of Northumberland, who was Baroness Poynings in her own right.]

[Footnote 281.2: Elizabeth Paston, now widow of Robert Poynings.]

[Footnote 281.3: Eleanor, widow of Henry Percy, third Earl, who was slain at Towton in 1461.]