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All my brethir wenyth that I schyd no forthir goo than to the Byschope, and undir that colour schal I weel go forthe to the Courte. I haf gret stody til I haf tydings fro zow. Avyr mor All mythi Good haf zow in kepyng, bodi and soule.
Writtin in hast, the Wednesday in the fyrst week of clen Lent.[97.2]
Your Orator,
ROBT., P. OF B.
I sent zow a letter, bod I hade non answer ageyn.
[Footnote 96.1: [From Fenn, iii. 80.] There is no distinct clue to the date of this letter; but Fenn throws out a conjecture which, in default of any better guide, may be accepted as not improbable, that 'the Bishop of the other side of the sea' was Walter Lyhert, Bishop of Norwich, who in the beginning of 1449 must have been in Savoy, having been sent thither by the King to persuade the anti-pope Felix V. to renounce his claim to Nicholas V. for the peace of the Church. This Felix actually did in the beginning of this year, and Wharton considers Bishop Lyhert to have been the cause of his doing so (Angl. Sac. i.
418). Fenn, however, dates this letter 1450, on the supposition that the Bishop would have been still abroad in the beginning of that year, which is a mistake, as his name appears in the Rolls of Parliament as a trier of pet.i.tions as early as February.]
[Footnote 96.2: Robert Rogers was parson of Thorpe from 1445 to 1476.]
[Footnote 96.3: Court of Rome.]
[Footnote 97.1: Deceive.]
[Footnote 97.2: The first week in Clean Lent means the first _entire_ week in Lent beginning on a Sunday.]
85
NUNCUPATIVE WILL OF EDMUND PASTON[98.1]
[Sidenote: 1449 / MARCH 21]
Omnibus Christi fidelibus ad quos praesens scriptum pervenerit, Nos, Willelmus May, Magister Novi Templi, London', Johannes Bakton gentilman, Thomas Parker, civis et cissor Londoni, et Johannes...o...b..rn, salutem in Domino sempiternam. Sciatis quod xxj. die Martij Anno Domini mccccxlviij.[98.2] Edmundus Paston de comitatu Norff., armiger, in bona memoria ac sana mente existens, languens in extremis, in nostra praesentia, condidit et declaravit testamentum suum nuncupativum in hunc modum:--In primis, legavit animam suam Deo Omnipotenti, Beatae Mariae Virgini et omnibus Sanctis, corpusque suum ad sepeliendum in ecclesia Templi praedicti, sive in ecclesia Fratrum Carmelitarum London' [ad electionem sui confessoris[98.3]]. Item dictus Edmundus, pro eo quod noluit circa bona sive negocia temporalia mentem sive animam suam affligere seu occupare, set ad aeternam felicitatem se praeparare, dedit, legavit ac commisit omnia bona et catalla sua praedilecto fratri suo Johanni Paston, ex magna confidencia in ipso habita ut ea disponeret pro bono animae suae, prout melius videret Deo placere ac animae suae prodesse.
Et dictum Johannem Paston ordinavit et const.i.tuit executorem suum. In cujus rei testimonum praesentibus sigilla nostra apposuimus.
_Endorsed_--Copia ultimae voluntatis Edmundi Paston.
_Endorsed in a later hand_--Testamentum Edmundi Paston secundi filii Willelmi Paston Justiciarii.
[Footnote 98.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]
[Footnote 98.2: This is 1449 according to the modern computation, which begins the year on the 1st of January instead of the 25th March.]
[Footnote 98.3: These words are erased.]
86
LORD MOLYNS TO THE TENANTS OF GRESHAM[99.1]
_To my trusty and wel belovyd, the Vycary and Tenaunts of my Lordschepe of Gressham._
[Sidenote: 1449 / MARCH 24]
Trusty and welbeloved frendys, I grete yowe well, and putte yowe all owte of doute for all that ye have doon for me; and the money that ye pay to my welbeloved servaunt, John Partrich, I will be your warant as for your discharge, and save yowe harmeles ayenst all thoo that wold greve yowe, to my power. And, as hertly as I can, I thanke yow of the gud wyl ye have had, and have, toward me. And as to the tytyll of rigth that I have to the Lords.h.i.+p of Gressam schal with in short tyme be knoweyn, and be the lawe so determynyd, that ye schall all be glad that hathe ought me youre gud wyll therin.
And All Myghty G.o.d kepe yow; and, be His grace, I schall be with yowe son aftyr the Parlement es endyd.
Wrytten atte London, on Oure Lady evyn last past.
R. H., LORD MOLYNS.
[Footnote 99.1: [From Fenn, i. 192.] Lord Molyns took possession of Gresham, as already shown--see page 94, note 1,--on the 17th of February 1448; but the reference to Parliament as sitting at the date of this letter proves it to belong either to 1449 or 1450. The latter date, however, is not very probable.]
87
MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[99.2]
_To my rytz wurschipful Mayster, Jon Paston, be this delyverid in hast, dwelling in the Inner Tempill._
[Sidenote: 1449 / APRIL 2]
Rytz wurschipful hosbond, I recommawnd me to zu, praying zu to wete that my kosyn Cler[99.3] dynyd with me this day; and sche told me that Heydon was with her yister evyn late, and he told her that he had a letter from the Lord Moleynys, and schewyd her the same letter, praying hym that he wold seyn to his frends and wele willerres in this contre that he thanketh hem of her G.o.dewill, and for that thei have done for hym; and also praying Heydon that he wold sey to Rychard Ernold of Crowmer that he was sory and evyl payd that his men maden the afray up on hym, for he seyd it was not be his will that his men xuld make afray on noman in this contre with owth rytz grett cause. And as for that was don to zu if it mytz ben prevyd that he had don otherwise to zu than rytz wold as for the mevabyl G.o.dis, ze xuld ben content, so that ze xuld have cawse to kon hym thank; and he prayd Heydon in the letter that it xuld ben reportid in this kontre that he wold don so, if he had don otherwyse than he owth to don.
The frere[100.1] that cleymyth Oxned was in this town zastyrday and this day, and was ledgid att Beris, and this afternon he rod, but qhedder I wote not. He seyd pleynly in this town that he xal have Oxnede, and that he hath my lord of Suffolkes[100.2] good lordschip, and he wol ben his good lord in that mater. There was a persone warnyd my moder with in this to days that sche xuld ben ware, for thei seyd pleynly sche was lyk to ben servyd as ze were servyd at Gressam with in rytz schort tyme.
Also the Lord Moleyns wrott in his forseyd letter that he wold mytyly, with his body and with his G.o.dis, stand be all tho that had ben his frends and his wel willers in the mater towching Gressam, and preyd Heydon that he wold sey to them that thei xuld not ben aferd in non wyse, for that was don it xuld ben abedyn by.
My moder prayith zu that ze wil send my brother w.i.l.l.yam to Kawmbrege anomynale[100.3] and abok of sofystre of my brother Emundes[100.4], the qheche my seyd brother be hestid my moder the last tyme he spak with her, that he xuld asent [_should have sent_] to my brother w.i.l.l.yam.
The blisseful Trinyte have zu in his keping.
Wretyn at Norwyche in hast, on the Wodenysday next be for Palm Sonday.
Zowres,
M. P.
[Footnote 99.2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this letter is evidently both after Paston's expulsion from Gresham by Lord Molyns in February 1448, and after the death of Edmund Paston in 1449. It cannot, however, be so late as 1450, else Hauteyn would not have expected to obtain possession of Oxnead through the Duke of Suffolk's influence.]
[Footnote 99.3: Elizabeth, widow of Robert Clere of Ormesby.]
[Footnote 100.1: John Hawteyn. --_See_ Nos. 46 and 50.]
[Footnote 100.2: William De la Pole, Duke of Suffolk.]
[Footnote 100.3: A _nominale_.]
[Footnote 100.4: Edmund Paston, who must have died very shortly after declaring his will on the 21st of March 1449.]
88
[MARGARET PASTON] TO [JOHN PASTON][101.1]
