The Paston Letters Volume V Part 3

'Lib. xi. p. 170, 21 March 1468. Mr. Joh'es Yetton, S.T.P. ad col. Ep'i. per laps'.']

[[Sidenote: 1469 / MARCH 17 _printed as shown, but text of letter says "xviij" (18)_]]

704

MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[14-1]

_To Sir John Paston._

[Sidenote: 1469 / APRIL 3]

I grete you wele, and send you G.o.dds blissyng and myn, thankyng you for my seall that ye sent me; but I am right sory that ye dede so grete cost ther up on, for on of xl_d._ should have served me right wele. Send me ward what it cost you, and I shall send you money therfor. I send you a letter be a man of Yarmoth; send me word if ye have it, for I marveyll ye sent me non answer ther of be Juddy.

I have non very knowleche of your ensuraunce [_engagement_], but if ye be ensured I pray G.o.d send you joy and wurchep to geder, and so I trost ye shull have, if it be as it is reported of her[15-1]; and a nemps G.o.d, ye arn as gretly bownd to her as ye were maried, and therfor I charge you up on my blissyng, that ye be as trew to her as she wer maried on to you in all degrees, and ye shall have the mor grace and the better spede in all other thyngs.

Also, I wuld that ye shuld not be to hasty to be maried til ye wer more suer of your lyvelode, for ye must remembr what charge ye shall have, and if ye have not to mayntene it, it wull be gret rebuke; and therfor labour that ye may have releses of the londs, and be in more suerte of your lond, or than ye be maried.

The d.u.c.h.esse of Suffolk[15-2] is at Ewhelm, in Oxford s.h.i.+r, and it is thought be your frends her that it is do that she myght be ferr and ought of the wey, and the rather feyne excuse be cause of age or sikenesse, and if that the Kyng wuld send for her for your maters.

Your elmyse [_enemies_] be as bold her as thei wer befor, wherfor I can not thynk but that thei have sume comfort. I sent to Cayster that thei shuld be war in kepyng of the place, as ye dede wright to me. Hast you to spede your maters as spedily ye can, that ye may have lesse felesshep at Cayster, for the expences and costs be grete, and ye have no nede therof and [_if_] ye remembre you wele what charges ye have beside, and how your liffelode is dispoyled and wasted by your adversaries.

Also I wuld ye shuld purvey for your suster[15-3] to be with my Lady of Oxford,[16-1] or with my Lady of Bedford,[16-2] or in sume other wurchepfull place, wher as ye thynk best, and I wull help to her fyndyng, for we be eyther of us werye of other. I shall tell you more whan I speke with you. I pray you do your devyr her in as ye wull my comfort and welefar, and your wurchep, for diverse causes which ye shall understand afterward, &c.

I spake with the Lord Skales at Norwich, and thanked hym for the good lordshep that he had shewed to you, and desired his Lords.h.i.+p to be your contynuall good lord; and he swore be his trought he wold do that he myght do for you; and he told me that Yelverton the Justice had spoke to hym in your maters, but he told me not what; but I trow, and ye desired hym to telle you, he wuld. Ye ar be holdyng to my Lord of his good report of you in this contre, for he reported better of you than I trow ye deserve. I felt be hym that ther hath be profered hym large proferes on your adversaries parte ageyn you.

Send me word as hastly as ye may after the begynnyng of the terme, how ye have sped in all your maters, for I shall thynk right long till I her sume good tidyngs.

Item, I pray you recomaund me to the good mayster[16-3] that ye gaffe to the chapell of Cayster, and thank hym for the gret cost that he dede on me at Norwych; and if I wer a grette lady he shuld understand that he shuld far the better for me, for me semyth be his demenyng he shuld be right a good man.

Item, I send you the nowche[16-4] with the dyamaunch, be the berer herof. I pray yow forgate not to send me a kersche[16-5] of Cr'melle for nekkerchys for your syster Anne, for I am schente of the good lady that sche is with, be cawse she hathe non, and I can non gette in all thys towne.

I xuld wrythe mor to yow but for lakke of leyser. G.o.d have yow in Hys kepyng, and send yow good spede in alle your maters. Wryten in haste on Eestern Munday.

Be your Moder.

[Footnote 14-1: [From Fenn, iv. 312.] Allusion is made in this and the next letter to the expected visit of Edward IV. to Norfolk in 1469. Owing to the proposed marriage of Sir John Paston with his kinswoman, Anne Haute, Lord Scales appears at this time to have interested himself in Sir John's behalf. On the back of this letter, as Fenn tells us, is a note: 'The L. Scales is now frend to Sr. J. Paston.' But the handwriting is not contemporaneous.]

[Footnote 15-1: The lady here referred to is Anne Haute.]

[Footnote 15-2: Alice, widow of William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk.]

[Footnote 15-3: This was most probably Margery Paston, with whom the whole family were, very soon after the writing of this letter, so much displeased for having without their consent contracted herself in marriage to Richard Calle.--F.]

[Footnote 16-1: Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir John Howard, Knight, and widow of John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who was beheaded in 1461-2.--F.]

[Footnote 16-2: _See_ vol. iv. p. 188, Note 3.]

[Footnote 16-3: Dr. John Yotton. _See_ No. 703.]

[Footnote 16-4: An ouch is a collar of gold, formerly worn by women; a gold b.u.t.ton, set with some jewel, is likewise so called, and that most probably was the ornament here mentioned to be sent to Sir John by his mother; we may suppose it was intended as a present to his betrothed bride.--F.]

[Footnote 16-5: A kersche of Cr'melle, perhaps means a kerchief of Cremell, crewel or worsted, to be made into neck-handkerchiefs for her daughter Anne, who appears to have been for education and board with some lady of consequence.--F.]

705

JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[17-1]

_To Master Syr John Paston._

[Sidenote: 1469 / APRIL 7]

Syr, I pray yow recomand me to my Lord Scalys good lordshep, and to let hym weet that, in lyek wyse as hys Lordshep gave me in comandement, I have enqweryd what the gentyllmanys answer was that my Lord of Norffolk sent to to awayte up on hym at the Kyngs comyng in to thys contre. Hys answer was to my Lord of Norfolks messenger, that he had promysyd my Lord Scalys to awayte up on hym at the same seson, and in as myche as he had promysyd my Lord Scalys, he wold not false hys promesse for no man on lyve. I fond the menys that the seyd gentylemanys wyfe mevyd hyr husbend with the same mater as thow she had axyd hym of hyr awne hed, and he told hyr that he had gevyn thys answer. Thys gentylman is Sir William Calthorp;[17-2] but I pray yow tell my Lord Scalys that ye undyrstand not who it is, for he preyid me to be secret ther in.

I pray with all my hart, hye yow hom in hast, for we thynk longe tyll ye coome. And I pray yow send me woord whedyr ye shall be mad a Crysten man or ye com home, or nowt; and if so be that ye send eny man hom hastly, I pray yow send me an hat and a bonet by the same man, and let hym bryng the hat upon hys hid for mysfacyonyng of it. I have ned to bothe, for I may not ryd nor goo owt at the doorys with non that I have, they be so lewde [_shabby_]. A murry bonet, and a blak or a tawny hat. And G.o.d send yow your desyr. Wretyn at Caster, the viij. day of Apryll.

Your J. PASTON.

[Footnote 17-1: [From Fenn, iv. 318.] For the date of this letter see preliminary note to the last (p. 14, Note 1).]

[Footnote 17-2: Sir William Calthorpe, Knight, had been High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, both in this and the preceding reign, and died very old in 1494. His second wife was Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of Sir Miles Stapleton, Knight, of Ingham.--F.]

[[Sidenote: 1469 / APRIL 7 _printed as shown, but text of letter says "viij" (8)_]]

706

LORD SCALES TO THE COUNCIL OF THE DUKE OF NORFOLK[18-1]

Ih's.

[Sidenote: 1469 / APRIL 10]

Wyrshypfull and my ryght G.o.de frend, I comaund me to you. And where as I am enformed that my Lorde of Norffolk pretendeth t.i.tle to serteyn londys of Sir John Pastons whych were late of Sir John Fastolf, it is sayd that by the comaundement and supportacyon of my sayd Lord, sertayn hys servaunts felleth wode, maketh grete wast, and destrayned the tenants of the seyd lands, to the grete damage of the seyd Sir John Paston and hys sayd tenants; and also that my sayd Lord entendyth to entre sertayn places of the same. And for asmoch as maryage ys fully concluded by twyx the seyd Sir John Paston and on of my nerrest kynneswomen, I dout not that your reason wele conceyveth that nature must compelle me the rather to shewe my G.o.de wylle, a.s.systens, and favour unto the seyd Sir John in such thyngs as concerne hys enherytans. And because I am on of my said Lordys councayll, and must and will tendre hys honour, I hertely pray you that it may lyke you to advertyse and avyse my sayd Lord and yourys, that all such entres, fellyng of wode, destraynyngs of tenants, and all such maters lyke touchyng the sayd londes or any part of them, be cessyd unto such tyme as a resonabell meane may be founde by my sayd Lords counsayll, my Lord my faders[19-1] and other cousyns and frendes of my seyd kynneswoman thys next terme, as may be to my sayd Lordys honour, and to the savyng of the ryght tytle of the seyd Sir John Paston.

Over thys I pray you that ye wille enforme my G.o.de frend James Hobard of the premysses, that he may advertyse my seyd Lord in lyke wyse; and that ye will yeve credens unto William Paston, and I shal be welwilled to do that may be to your plesur, with G.o.dds mercy.

Fro Westmynstre, the x. day of Apryll.

[Footnote 18-1: [From Fenn, iv. 322.] This and the following letter were printed by Fenn from contemporaneous copies, written on the same paper without signature or address. On the back, however, is the following memorandum:--'Copea literz Dni de Scales;' to which has been added in a later handwriting: 'ad Conciliu Duc' Norff' et aliis (_sic_) in favore J. Paston mil. eo quod maritaret cognata suam Anna Hawte.' The date is clearly in the year 1469, when the Duke of Norfolk laid claim to Caister.]

[Footnote 19-1: Richard Woodville, Earl Rivers.]

707

LORD SCALES TO ----[19-2]