Paston letters and papers of the fifteenth century, Part I

TO JOHN PASTON I 1460, 01, 28

to his right worshipfull brother John Paston be þis lettre delyuered.

After dewe recomendacion had, please you to wete that we cam to London vppon the Tewysday by non nexst after oure departour fro Norwich, and sent oure men to jnquyre after my lord Chaunceler and Maister John Stokys and Malmesbury. And as for my lord Chaunceler, he was departed fro London and was redyn to þe Kyng ij dayes or we were come to London; and as we vnderstand he hasted hym to þe Kyng by-cause of my Lord Ryuers takyng at Sandwyche, &c. And as for Maister John Stokys, he was at Mortelak, wheder we yede and spak wyth hym, and fond by hym by the begynnyng that he had ben labored a-yens you, but by whom we coude not knowyn for he wold not telle; but he sayd he was spoken to by on whiche he coude not remembre þat he schuld take good heed vppon the probat of my maisters wyll how his londys schuld be gyded by-cause there was a thyng ensealed as his wyll which was forged after my maisters decesse, &c. But or we had thus moche of his confessyon we were resonably well jn credens wyth hym; but it was long or we coude fynd hym feythfully dysposed in oure conceytys. and whan we had hym resonably after oure entent, we enfourmyd hym of Yeluerton nedeles wastyng of my maister godys and the mystrust that he had jn hem hom my maister most erthely trustyd, and how his desyre was synglerly to have had the kepyng of Castre and all stuffe wyth-jnne it, and there to have lodged hym-self; and also hou he dede meve my Lady Hevenyngham, &c. Wherfore he avyseth you, for ony wrytyng or citacion that cometh fro my lord of Caunterbury or fro hym, that ye your-self kepe the goodys stylle and lete hym a-lone for the purvyans of all suche wrytyngys or cytacions. We assked hym that, if Yeluerton wold not be refourmed, wheder for the dyscharge of all your concyens a mene mygth be found to a-voyde hym owte of the testament. And he sayd if he be fals to the dede it is a cause resonable, and per-juré is a-noþer cause; and if ye woll Maister Stokys com to Norwiche for the probat, &c., he woll com hym-self or make

a comyssyon to oþer persones as ye woll assigne, or ell as many as woll take charge wyth you to make a proxi,be it to me or to sum oþer,and send it hym and ye wyll ther-wyth, and it schall be proved by that mene. And all the fauour þat may be don for you schall be don. And to your bargeyn he woll owe and do all the fauour that he may wyth trouthe, and it schall not nede no wytnesse to youre bargeyn wyth- oute ther be a contradiccion; and if ther be a contradiccion iij or iiij wytnesse is j-now. And he hath no conceyte in Yeluerton as now, and also but lytyll jn Fenyngley for the seruyce that he oweth to my lord Tresorer, and oþer causes whiche we expresse not for cause of long wrytyng. And he avysed vs to go speke wyth my Lord Chaunceler and Lord Beauchamp to wete wheder they woll take ony charge or not, and to lete hym have knoweletch of ther dysposycion. And he geveth you leve wyth a-noþer executour, or wyth youre owyn clerk, to mynystre and geve almesse at his perill. And if he schuld com heder he had lever to com thes Fastegong tyde or after Esterne than jn Lenton, but jn Lenton he schall com if ye thynk it expedyent. And ther-for send vs word as ye woll we desyre hym jn that poynt if it lyke you.
Item, ser, William Worceter was com to London ij dayes or we were com, but we can not aspye openly that he maketh ony labour, nor prevely nouther, be no maner of harkenyng nor be no maner of talkyng; for I, Playter, have comonyd wyth hym and he seyth rygth not, savyng that he woll be rewarded for his long trewe seruice of my maisters good and lyke as my maister promyssed hym by his lyffe. And euer more whan I sey vn-to hym that it may not be gaynseyd but as touchyng to al my maister lond jn Norffolk and Suffolk it is his wyll and suffycyant prove ther-vppon that ye schuld have it, &c., and than he answereth and prayeth me no more to speke of that mater for he vnderstand no... covenaunt, &c.; and more can I not gete of hym. But for God I fele by hym jn my conceyte that he may help to save and gete a ml marc or to ml marc which wyth-oute his help may not be saved, as he seyth. And to fele hym wheder he lyed or seyd soth, I asked hym wheder he wold take that which mygth not be saved wyth-owte his help for his reward, and he sayd ya, wyth good wyll; and therfor wey ye all, &c.
Item, Ser Phelyp Wentworth acte is passed the Kyng, whiche I doute not mygth not a be with-oute my lord Chaunceler good wyll and assent; and William Worceter sueth to have a copy therof, whiche he mygth have had of me if he had lyst, &c.
Item, ser, I Playter speke wyth Maister Yeluerton, and he taketh it

gretely to dysplesour that it was noysed that he and William Wayte schuld have labored to an endyted Maister Th. Howys; for he seyth for ony anger he wold not do so, and if he mygth wete that W. Wayte labored it he schuld neuer do hym seruice. And as touchyng to the provokyng that my Lady Hevenyngham schuld sewe forth for Castre, he seyth he neuer thougth it, but the sendyng to my seyd lady was by a man of his, and removea-noþer of Fenyngley, to wete if sche hard ony tydyngys fro Coventré, and no oþer maner of langage. How be it I vnderstand he woll not be straunge to falle jn wyth you a-geyn, and also that he woll not hurte you jn your bargeyn if ye coude be frendely dysposed to hym ward as ye have ben; for wyth-oute a frendelyhood of your parte hym semeth he schuld not gretely help you jn your bargeyn, so I fele hym. He leueth sum-qwhat a-loffe, and not vtterly malycyous a-yens you. The cyrcumstans of oure talkyng were to long to wryte, and ther-for I expresse the substauns as I conceyve, &c. As for my lord Fortescu, we comond wyth hym seuerally, and for to wryte all thyng of oure comonyng it were to long; but jn conclusyon we vnderstand his good lordschip to you wardys, and all his fauour wyth trouth, for that is his seyng. I desyred William Jeney to calle vppon the maters jn lawe for the ward, &c., and he avyseth me to leve this terme and to take avysement a-yens the nexst terme, &c., and also I thynk it so best whyll my lord Chaunceler hath take it jn rewle, &c., to whom we purpose to ryde and comon wyth jn all maters, &c. As for tydyngys, my Lord Ryuers was brought to Caleys and by-for the lordys wyth viij xx torches, and there my lord of Salesbury reheted hym, callyng hym knaves son that he schuld be so rude to calle hym and these oþer lordys traytours, for they schull be found the Kyngys treue liege men whan he schuld be found a traytour, &c. And my lord of Warrewyk reheted hym and seyd that his fader was but a squyer and broute vp wyth Kyng Herry the vte, and sethen hym-self made by maryage and also made lord, and that it was not his parte to have swyche langage of lordys beyng of the Kyngys blood. And my lord of Marche reheted hym jn lyke wyse, and Ser Antony was reheted for his langage of all iij lordys jn lyke wyse.
Item, the Kyng cometh to London ward, and as it is seyd rereth the pepyll as he com; but þis is certayn, ther be comyssyons made jn-to dyuers schyres that euery man be redy jn his best aray to com whan the Kyng send for hem. plus jn tergo.
Item, my Lord Roos is com fro Gynes. No more, but we pray to Jesu

have you jn his most mercyfull kepyng, amen. Wretyn at London the Monday next after Seynt Powle Day. ȝwre broder Willyam Paston Thomas Playter
Item, send us heder a letter be-tymys, þat it may be heremovere be that tyme we come a-ȝen, for to-morwe we ryde toward myn lord Chancelere. Lethe us haue a letter be that we come a-ȝen, and that will removebe v days fore he is at Leyseter. ȝeluerton wold be glad to fall in to ȝow be soposyng, for Master Markam hathe sayd playnneley j-now to hym.