Part 1
# The Paston Letters, A.D. 1422-1509. Volume 5 (of 6): New Complete Library Edition ### By Unknown
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Transcriber's note:
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The Gairdner edition of the Paston Letters was printed in six volumes. Each volume is a separate e-text; Volume VI is further divided into two e-texts, Letters and Index. Volume I, the General Introduction, will be released after all other volumes, matching the original publication order.
Except for footnotes and sidenotes, all brackets are in the original, as are parenthetical question marks and (_sic_) notations. Series of dots representing damaged text are shown as in the printed original.
The year was shown in a sidenote at the top of each page; this has been merged with the sidenote at the beginning of each Letter or Abstract.
A carat character is used to denote superscription. The character(s) following the carat is superscripted (example: vj^ti). Braces { } are used only when the superscripted text is immediately followed by non-superscripted letters or period (full stop). Subscripts rare) are shown with single lines _. Errata and other transcriber’s notes are shown in [[double brackets]].
Footnotes have their original numbering, with added page number to make them usable with the full Index. They are grouped at the end of each Letter or Abstract.
Typographical errors are listed at the end of each Letter, after the footnotes. In the primary text, errors were only corrected if they are clearly editorial, such as missing italics, or mechanical, such as u-for-n misprints. Italic “d” misprinted as “a” was a recurring problem, especially in Volume IV. The word “invisible” means that there is an appropriately sized blank space, but the letter or punctuation mark itself is missing. The form “corrected by author” refers to the Errata printed at the end of the Letters, in Volume VI.
Specifics: The spelling “Jhon” is not an error. Gresham and Tresham are different people. Conversely, the inconsistent spelling “Lipyate” or “Lipgate” in footnotes is unchanged. In this volume, the spelling “apostyle” for “apostille” is used consistently.
Note that the printed book used z to represent original yogh ȝ. This has not been changed for the e-text.
This edition, published by arrangement with Messrs. ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE AND COMPANY, LIMITED, is strictly limited to 650 copies for Great Britain and America, of which only 600 sets are for sale, and are numbered 1 to 600.
No. 47
[[The number 47 is handwritten.]]
* * * * * * * * *
THE PASTON LETTERS
A.D. 1422-1509
* * * * * * * * *
THE PASTON LETTERS A.D. 1422-1509
New Complete Library Edition
Edited with Notes and an Introduction
by
JAMES GAIRDNER of the Public Record Office
_VOLUME V_
London Chatto & Windus
[Decoration]
Exeter James G. Commin 1904
Edinburgh: T. and A. CONSTABLE, Printers to His Majesty
THE PASTON LETTERS
_Edward IV_
695
WILLIAM EBESHAM TO SIR JOHN PASTON[1-1]
_To my moost worshupfull maister, Sir John Paston, Knyght._
[Sidenote: 1469(?)]
My moost woorshupfull and moost speciall maister, with all my servyce moost lowly I recomande unto your gode maistirship, besechyng you most tendirly to see me sumwhat rewardid for my labour in the Grete Booke[1-2] which I wright unto your seide gode maistirship. I have often tymes writyn to Pampyng accordyng to your desire, to enforme you hou I have labourd in wrytyngs for you; and I see wele he speke not to your maistership of hit. And God knowith I ly in seint warye [_sanctuary_] at grete costs, and amongs right unresonable askers. I movid this mater to Sir Thomas[1-3] late, and he tolde me he wolde move your maistirship therein, which Sir Thomas desirid me to remembir wele what I have had in money at soondry tymes of hym.[2-1]
. . . . . . .
And in especiall I beseche you to sende me for almes oon of your olde gownes, which will countirvale much of the premysses I wote wele; and I shall be yours while I lyve, and at your comandement; I have grete myst of it, God knows, whom I beseche preserve you from all adversite. I am sumwhat acqueyntid with it. Your verry man,
W. EBSHAM.
Folowyng apperith, parcelly, dyvers and soondry maner of writyngs, which I William Ebesham have wreetyn for my gode and woorshupfull maistir, Sir John Paston, and what money I have resceyvid, and what is unpaide.
First, I did write to his maistership a litill booke of Pheesyk, for which I had paide by Sir Thomas Leevys[2-2] in Westminster xx_d._
Item, I had for the wrytyng of half the prevy seale of Pampyng viij_d._
Item, for the wrytynge of the seid hole prevy seale of Sir Thomas ij_s._
Item, I wrote viij. of the Witnessis in parchement, but aftir xiiij^d. a peece, for which I was paide of Sir Thomas x_s._
Item, while my seide maister was over the see in Midsomerterme
Calle sett me a warke to wryte two tymes the prevy seale in papir, and then after cleerely in parchement iiij_s._ viij_d._
And also wrote the same tyme oon mo of the lengist witnessis, and other dyvers and necessary wrytyngs, for which he promisid me x^s. whereof I had of Calle but iiij^s. viij^d. car. v^s. iiij^d. v_s._ iiij_d._
I resceyvid of Sir Thomas at Westminster, penultimo die Oct., anno viij. iij_s._ iiij_d._
Item, I did write to quairs of papir of witnessis, every quair conteynyng xiiij. leves after ij^d. a leff iiij_s._ viij_d._
Item, as to the Grete Booke--First, for wrytyng of the Coronacion, and other tretys of Knyghthode, in that quaire which conteyneth a xiij. levis and more, ij^d. a lef ij_s._ ii_d._
Item, for the tretys of Werre in iiij. books, which conteyneth lx. levis aftir ij^d. a leaff x_s._
Item, for _Othea_[3-1] pistill, which conteyneth xliij. leves vii_s._ ij_d._
Item, for the Chalengs, and the Acts of Armes which is xxviij^ti lefs iiij_s._ viij_d._
Item, for _De Regimine Principum_, which conteyneth xlv^ti leves, aftir a peny a leef, which is right wele worth iij_s._ ix_d._
Item, for Rubrissheyng of all the booke iii_s._ iiij_d._
Summa rest’ xxij_s._ iiij_d._
Summa non solut’ xlj_s._ j_d._, unde pro magno[4-1] libro scripto xxvij^s cum diu’ chal.[4-2]
Summa Totalis iij_li._ iij_s._ v_d._
WILLIAM EBESHAM.
In further illustration of the payments made in that age for writing, etc., Sir John Fenn gives the following extracts from an original quarto MS. then in his possession, containing--
The various expences of Sir John Howard, Knight, of Stoke by Neyland, in Suffolk (afterwards Duke of Norfolk), page 136.
Item, the vij^th yere of Kynge Edward the iiij^th, and the xxviij. day of July (1467). My master rekened with Thomas Lympnour of Bury, and my master peid hym--
For viij. hole vynets . . . prise the vynett, xii_d._, viij_s._
Item, for xxj. demi vynets . . . prise the demi vynett, iiij_d._ vij_s._
Item, for Psalmes lettres xv^c. and di’ . . . the prise of C. iiij_d._ v_s._ ij_d._
Item, for p’ms letters lxiij^c. . . . prise of a C., j_d._ v iij_d._
Item, for wrytynge of a quare and demi . . . prise the quayr, xx_d._ ij_s._ vj_d._
Item, for wrytenge of a calender, xij_d._
Item, for iij. quayres of velym, prise the quayr, xx_d._ v_s._
Item, for notynge of v. quayres and ij. leves, prise of the quayr, viij[_d._] iij_s._ vij_d._
Item, for capital drawynge iij^c. and di’, the prise, iij_d._
Item, for floryshynge of capytalls, v^c. v_d._
Item, for byndynge of the boke, xij_s._
c_s._ ij_d._
The wyche parcellis my master paid hym this day, and he is content.
This is an account of a limner or illuminator of manuscripts, who resided at Bury.
[Footnote 1-1: [From Fenn, ii. 10.] By the date of one item in the account subjoined to this letter it must have been written after the year 1468, probably in the year following.]
[Footnote 1-2: This ‘great book’ has been identified, on evidence which at first sight seems conclusive, with MS. 285 in the Lansdowne library in the British Museum. But probably this latter is only another transcript by Ebesham of a very similar volume. _See_ Account of this MS. in ‘Sailing Directions for the Circumnavigation of England,’ published by the Hakluyt Society in 1889.]
[Footnote 1-3: Sir Thomas Lewis, a priest.]
[Footnote 2-1: Here (according to Fenn) follows the account as stated more at large in the subjoined Bill.]
[Footnote 2-2: Fenn’s modern transcript reads Lewis. Is ‘Leevys’ in the other a misprint for ‘Lewys’?]
[Footnote 3-1: _Othea_ means a treatise on Wisdom.--F. The name is derived from the Greek Ὠ θεὰ, but was used in the Middle Ages as a proper name. See a poem beginning
‘Othea of prudence named godesse,’
mentioned in the Third Report of the Historical MSS. Commission, p. 188.]
[Footnote 4-1: _magno_, ‘m^o’ in Fenn.]
[Footnote 4-2: So in Fenn. Qu. _cum diurnali challengiorum_? Fenn omits the whole of this clause, unde . . . . chal’, but notices its occurrence in a footnote.]
[[_In this section, many italic “d”s were misprinted as “a”. They have not been individually noted._
... the Chalengs, and the Acts of Armes which is xxviij^ti lefs _text has “less”; corrected from Fenn (“lefs” with “f” misread as “leſs” with long “s”)_
... prise the vynett, xii_d._, _anomalous final comma in original_
Item, for p’ms letters lxiij^c. . . . prise of a C., j_d._ v iij_d._ _text unchanged: _s._ after “v” missing_]]
696
THE EARL OF OXFORD TO SIR JOHN PASTON[5-1]
_To the worshipfull, and with alle myn hert right entierly bilovyd Sir John Paston, Knyght, this lettre be delivered._
TH’ERLE OF OXINFORD.
[Sidenote: 1469(?) / JAN. 7]
Right hertly welbilovyd, I grete you wele. And where I am for trowth enformyd that the Duchesse of Suffolk wolle hold a court on Monday next commyng at Coton, to th’entent that she wolle fynde the maner of Thempnals holde of hir by knyghts service and they that ben possessioners of the same shulde payle certeine of the Parke of Weverston; and by cause this is nat performyd nor don, thoo that ben possessioners shall at the said court be amersid. And it is agreed that Sir William Yelverton, Sir Thomas Hoo, shalle be at the said court and wolle pay the amercyment, and to delyver the said Duchesse possession of the said service and palyng, and so by this meane to be come tenauntes to the said Duchesse. And what wolle be falle more herof I kan nat sey. Wherfor me thinkith it were welle don ye were at the said court with your councell, and to do therin as they wolle avise you. Also as ye come to the said court take your wey by the said Duchesse to th’entent that ye come to se hir welfare, &c. Do herin as your councell wolle avyse you. I wolde ye dud welle. And to my power I wolle help you. And our Lorde kepe yow. Writyn at Tatyngston the vij. day of Januer.
_Endorsed_: Th’Erle off Oxenfford.
[Footnote 5-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] It will be seen by No. 690, that in October 1468 the Duchess of Suffolk had a design of suddenly entering the manor of Cotton and dispossessing Sir John Paston. This letter, in which it is said she proposes to hold a court there, was probably written in the beginning of the following year.]
697
ABSTRACT[6-1]
[Sidenote: 1469 / JAN. 9]
W. COTING to JOHN COOK, draper of Norwich, ‘and that he deliver or send this bill to Richard Kalle in all goodly haste, for the matter is of substance.’
This day in the grey morning three men of my Lord of Norfolk with long spears carried off three good horses from John Poleyn, ‘one of your farmers at Tichewell,’ telling him to treat with my Lord of Norfolk. Wishes to know what to do, ‘for such an open wrong unremedied knew I never.’ Saturday after Epiphany.
‘Anno viij^o’ is written below.
[The signature of this letter is written in an abbreviated form, ‘W. Cot.’ According to Blomefield, W. Cotyng was rector of Titchwell from 1450 to 1457, and he had been previously rector of Swainsthorp, to which he was presented by Judge Paston in 1444. This letter is twelve years later than the date at which his incumbency of Titchwell is said to have terminated; but doubtless he is the writer. He is referred to as living even in the year 1485, in a letter written by Dame Elizabeth Browne, who says that he and James Gresham were clerks to her father Judge Paston.]
[Footnote 6-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]
698
EDWARD IV. TO SIR JOHN PASTON[6-2]
_To our trusty and welbeloved Sir John Paston, Knight._
BY THE KINGE.
[Sidenote: 1469 / JAN. 18]
Trusty and welbeloved, we grete yow well. And how be it that we late addressed unto yow our letters, and commanded yow by the same, for the consideracions in them conteined, to have ceased of makinge any assemblye of our people for the matter of variance dependinge betwixt yow on that one partie, and our right trustie and right entirely beloved cosin the Duke of Norffolk on that other, and to have appeared before the Lords of our Councell at our Palleys of Westminster at a certeine day in our said letters specified; yett nevertheless we understonde not as yet if ye have conformed yow to the performinge of our said commandement or not. We therefore eftsones write unto yow, willing and straitly charging yow to cease of the said ryotts and assemblies; and that incontinent upon the sight of these our letters that ye dispose yow personally to appear afore the said Lords of our Councell at our said Pallis, there to answere to such thinges as in that behalfe by them shall be laid and objected against yow, not failinge hereof, all excuses laid aparte, as ye will avoide our displeasure. Yeven under our signet at our citye of Salesbury, the xviij. day of January.
[Footnote 6-2: This letter is reprinted from the Paston Genealogy in the _Norfolk Archæology_, to which we have already several times referred (_see_ Nos. 484, 641, 643, etc.). Edward IV. was at Salisbury in January 1469, one of his privy seals being dated there on the 16th of the month.]
699
SIR JOHN PASTON TO ROGER TOWNSEND[7-1]
_To the ryght worshypfull and hys best betrustyd Frende, Roger Townesende._
[Sidenote: 1467-9 / FEB. 12]
Right worshipfull sir, I comaunde me to yow, praying yow hertly to remembre that by the award made bytwen yow and me by Roger Townesend for a tenement in Stratton in Norfolk callid Rees, I shuld delyver yow all the evydens apperteynyng to the said plase, and not from thens forth to chalenge nor interupte my lady your wife ner yow of the said tenement; And that for thes said causes ye shuld and therto were agreyd to geve me an horse and x_li._ to an harneys. And moreovir before Cristemasse in the kynges chambre ye ther ageyn promysed me that ye wold such tyme as I send to yow home to yowre plase by any servant of myne er any man from me, that ye wold delyver it hym and send it to me by hym. My brothir John hath send me word that he remembird yow therof on my behalfe and that you answerid hym that ye wold gyfe hym or me a fayre harneys at your comyng to London. I deme in yow that ye thynke par case to bye a fayre harneys here for x. markz; but, cosyn, as God help me, I bowte an harneys syn that tyme for my self, which cost me xx_li._ But I con not desire of yow so moch. Wherfore, cosyn, with all myn hert I pray yow accordyng to yowre promyse that it like yow to send me by my servaunt, berer herof, the said somme of x_li._, as my trust is in yow, and as I wolde in like case have don to yow, and as in the premysses I delt feithfully with yow and evir so shall dele, with the grase of God, Who have yow in Hys kepyng. Wretyn at London the xii. day of Feveryer.--Youris,
JOHN PASTON, K.
[Footnote 7-1: [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 186.] This letter was probably written after the death of John Paston, the writer’s father, but the precise year is uncertain.]
[[John Paston, k. _printed with anomalous small “k.”_]]
700
JOHN PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[8-1]
_To my mastyr, Sir John Paston, knyght, in Flet stret._
[Sidenote: 1468-9(?)]
Syr, &c. It is so that, with owght ye have hasty reparacyon doon at Caster, ye be lyek to have doubyll cost in hast, for the reyn hathe so moystyd the wallys in many plasys that they may not tylle the howsys tyll the wallys be reparyd; or ellys ye shall have doubyll cost for to untylle your howsys ayen at syche tyme as ye shall amend the wallys. And if it be not do thys yer, many of the wallys wyll lye in the moot or longe to; ye knowe the febyllnesse of the utter coort of old. John Pampyng hathe had hame to Caster as good as x^ml. tylle fyr the plase at Yermeuthe, and it wer pete that the tyll wer lost; and the lenger that it lythe unleyd the wers it wyll be. I have thys day bespok as myche lyme as wyll serve for the tyll. Wherfor I prey yow remembyr the cost of the werkmanschep and purvey the money by oo mean or othyr, what shefte so evyr ye make. And, for your owne profyte, remembyr to goo thorow with Hwghe of Fen; for by my trowthe ye wyll ellys repent yow er owght longe. For bothe ye shall loose hys good wyll and lett peraventure that avantage that he myght do yow in your lond recoveryng; wher as he may do yow harme and [_if_] he wyll and then, to late wyse. Item, that ye remembyr your relesys and gounys of my Lord of Norffolk er ye com hom. Item, I send yow by the berer herof a lettyr dyrect to yow that a man of my Lord of Oxenfortheys delyverd me; whych lettyr comyth fro the Kyng. Item, that ye remembyr in eny wyse to serche for the fyne in syche plasys as my modyr sent you woord of in a lettyr; for myn oncyll and my grauntdam report that they have serchyd in all plasys thar as it shold be, but they can not fynd no thyng of it. Also that ye look whedyr the fyne was reryd to eny feeffeys mor then to my grauntfadyr and my grauntdam and ther issu; for and ther wer eny feoffeys namyd in the fyn, it is the bettyr for yow. My Lady and my grauntdam be com to London for the same mater; wherfor it wer well do that the jwgys wer enformyd of your mater befor they spok with theym. I prey yow hye yow hom hastyly and se your owne profyte your sylf. Pampyng and I shall clowt up your howsys as we may with the money that we have tyll more come, but ye shold do bettyr your sylf. I prey red thys byll onys on a day tyll ye have sped thes maters wretyn her in; thowe it be to your peyne to labore theym, remembyr your profyt. Nomor, &c., but God kep yow thys Lent fro lollardy of fleshe. Wretyn at Norwyche the Twysday next aftyr that I departyd fro yow.
J. P.
[Footnote 8-1: [Add. MS. 33,597, f. 4.] The year in which this letter was written is doubtful, but it was most probably either 1468 or 1469, at the beginning of Lent.]
701
MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[10-1]
_To Sir John Paston, knyght, be this delivered in hast._
[Sidenote: 1469 / MARCH 12]
I grete you wele and send you Goddes blyssyng and myn, desiryng you to recomaund me to my brother William, and to comune with hym and your councell in such materis as I wryght to you, that ther may be purveyd be some writyng fro the Kyng that my Lord of Norffolk and his councell seas [_cease_] of the wast that thei done in your lordsheps, and in especiall at Heynford; for thei have felled all the wood, and this weke thei wull carie it a wey, and lete renne the wateris and take all the fyssh. And Sir William Yelverton and his sone William, John Grey and Burgeys, William Yelvertons men, have ben at Guton and takyn distresses, and with ought that [_unless_] thei wull pay them thei shall not set ought no plow to till there lande; thei byd them lete there land lye on tilled but if [_unless_] thei pay them. So that if the tenauntes have no remedy that thei may pesibily, with ought assaught or distresse takyng, be the seid Yelverton or his men, or of any other in there names, at there liberte herye there landis, with in this vij. days there tylth in the feldis be lost for all this yere and thei shall be on doon; and though ye shuld kepe it here after pesibilly ye shuld lese the ferme of this yere, for thei may not pay you but if [_unless_] thei may occupie there landis; thei set not so sone a plow ought at ther gatis but ther is a felesship redy to take it. And thei ride with speris and launyegays, like men of werre, so that the seid tenauntis arn a ferd to kepe there owyn howses. Therfore purvey an redy remedy, or ellis ye lese the tenauntis hertis and ye gretly hurt; for it is gret pety to here the swemefull[10-2] and petowse compleyntis of the pore tenauntis that come to me for comfort and socour sometime vi. or vij. to geder. Therfore, for Goddis love, se that thei ben helpyn, and desire my brothere William to geve you good concell here.