[Sidenote: 1460 / APRIL 9]

Right worchepful sir, after my recommendation, like you to wete I wold yisterday have spoken with you if ye had be allone at good leiser, for my aquytaile to G.o.d and to you, and for the wele of my maister, G.o.d pardon hym. I have many thynges to remembre you if ye wol. Wherof diverse specialtes that I wold sey, I may not write. For I meved you at your chamber wyndow at Lammes homward from London some thynges of my good wil, and me thought ye toke it gretely to displeisur; the which caused me to sey the lesse of thynges that had be worchepfull to have be doon. But, Sir, as I remembred you late at Norwich of the variaunce by twix the worchepfull man and you, for G.o.ddes love and your most ease, folwe the meanes of his good wil by help of holsom gentilmen, and also the feithfull love of other that grucchen to you warde, as I fele moche thof thei speke litil therof to you, rettyng in you singuler fastnesse ageyns kyndenesse and reson; for with love and unyte ye shal do moost good for oure maister to your worchep. And with the contrary many mysse dispenses as han be and thanne moche lette in doyng of good dedis to the causers perill and slawnder G.o.d hath sent you wysdham grete that telleth you the best is to drede G.o.d. A man shal never have love of G.o.d nor love nor drede of good men for myskepyng of moche good thof it wer his owen, for it is dampnable; but wher it is truly delt with and G.o.dly disposed, thanne folwith bothe grete meryte and worchep. Pety it is that mo more is do for hym. At the gate is nowther mete, drynke nor money, _ut dicitur_, no man wele spekyng thof thacte above be not do necessary almesse to the nedy that peynen wold and myght be do dayly. And, Sir, be ware what ye talke to som men of the lordes your coexecutours, and what is spent for the man, and what he was worth. Thei reporten you unfavorabely and withoute credence, as men seyn, and some I have herd.

Also your entretyng and other for you with them that have entres with you for to have your entent sped, is tolde oute whow, and your iournay to lorde Beauchamp to Cambrig is taken as men like, and your a.s.sociacion is seid made by your witt to your purpos. As somme fer of and grete that may nor peraventur wiln not medle, somme ye wold thei left, somme havyng no conduyt, somme no stomak, and somme glosours and witnesses for lucre; this is not my seyyng, I have often herd it. Therfor to have such a post as the seid man is that ye be in variaunce; so he do wele, as I fully beleve, he shuld help you to bere moche, and cause eschuyng of moche of this noyse. This variaunce grew of mater of noght and j.a.pes; the soner may be accorde. And thynke not, Sir, that any persone hath stered me herto; for by the good Lorde I trist to receyve this holy tyme it is my owen steryng and good hert to you warde, for that I her and see, and moost of your wele willers, in eschuyng of inconvenyentz as right many talke must ensue to you ward. For I fonde you pleyn at Cristemesse, and I toke you that ye loved me, wher to fore, withoute cause truly, to my seid maister moch ye hyndred me, as parte he tolde me, and thanne I praied you in that your good maistership and amendement, and sith I have be pleyn and wol be. And I require you as ye arn a gentilman, kepe thees maters secrete by twix G.o.d, you and me; for by Almyghty Jhesu of me knoweth this non erthely creatur, nor shal knowe. Other thynges been that sounden not wele, but as I fele your wisdham take me in this, so herafter I wil demene me with you in maters. I am urke of variaunces, for parties waxen wrooth if men hold not with there oppynyons whan thei in angre trotte over fer by yon hem self. I may not come by you to London ward, I trow I must by Suffolk; elles I had not writen this. Oure Blissed Lorde have you in His governaunce and be your conduytour to His pleisur, Amen. This Wednesday, ix. day Aprill.

As ye arn a veray gentilman, be my true confessour as I am youres and take me as I mene, thof my termes been not discreet. Brenne this scrowe or kepe it pryvy, as ye like and I beseche you, if ye wil trist me, wil me pleyn, &c.--Your owen, &c., to my power.

[Footnote 214.1: [Add. MS. 34,888, f. 143.] This letter is mysterious, but seems to have some bearing on Sir John Fastolf's will, and may be a.s.signed with tolerable certainty to the year 1460, as the 9th April, the day it was dated, was a Wednesday, and one expression in it shows that it was written immediately before Easter, which in that year fell on the 13th April.]

406

WILLIAM PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[216.1]

_To hys rythe wurchyp[full] broder, Jon Paston, [dwell]yng at Castre._

[Sidenote: 1460 / MAY 2]

Broder, I comand me to zow, certhefieng zow that Playter is redyn to Lundon ward this day abowthe ij. afternone. And he taryed here, and schulde abedyn styll till he had had an horse that Master Thomas Howys schuld have lent hym. And so I thowthe he schuld have taried to long; and so he hathe bowthe on off myn hors. And iff it nede, he schall send zow word be his man fro Lundon how he felythe the disposycyon off men ther, &c.; and he schall send his man hom be Newmarket wey. And I have infurmyd hym acording after the ententhe of zowr letter.

I spak this day with Bokkyng. He had but few wurdes, but I felt be hym he was rythe evyll disposyd to the parson and zow, but coverthe langgage he had. I wene he be a.s.sentid to the fyndyng of this offyce[217.1] takyn at Bokynham, and Recheman schall bryng zow the namys of the men that mad the verdythe on Soneday nexst comyng. I pray send to myn broder Clements fermor of Somerton for money for my broder Clement, for to have sent to hym to Lundon. I schuld have done it qwan I was at Caster; myn moder desyryd me, and I sent a letter after to the parson, and prayed hym to receve it, &c.

Item, I prayd the parson to wrythe a letter in his name to myn suster Ponyngges,[217.2] as ze and I comunyd onys togeder, cownsellyng her to take good avyse befor sche sold her wood at Wrenham; and he schuld knowe ther by weder Ponyngges wer in Kent ar nat, &c. I understond that this Bokkyng and Worceter have grett trust in ther awne lewd consaythe, wathe some ever it menythe, &c. Bokkyng told me this day that he stood as well in consaythe with myn Maister Fastolff iii. days befor he dyed as any man in Englond. I sayd I soposyd nay, ner iij. zere before he dyed.

I told hym that I had hard dyveres talkynges of hym as men sayd, qweche I soposyd schuld nat easly be browthe a bowthe, and he swore that he talkyd never with no man in no mater that schuld be a zen zow, &c. It is he that makythe William Wurceter so froward as he is.

I wold ze had a witnesse of Roberd Ingglows, thow he wittnessyd no more but that myn master had his witthe, becawse he was so lathe with myn master Fastolff. Worceter sayd at Castre it schuld be nessessary for zow to have good witnesse, as he saythe it schuld go streythe with zow wytheowt zowr witnesse were rythe sofycyent. Myn cosyn Berney can tell zow, &c.

Item, remenbre to make the parson to make an instrument up on his sayyng. I funde hym rythe good qwan I spak with hym at Caster; and remembre the newe evydens.

Item, Arblaster and I spakk togeder. I felle hym rythe feythefully disposyd to zow ward, and he schall mow do myche good and he go to Lundon, for he can labore will a monge Lordes. He and I comunyd to geder of myn Lord Awbre;[218.1] lethe hym tell zow qwat it was, for he will speke with zow to morow. It is full nessessary to mak zow strong be lord chep, and be oder menys. Myn Lord Awbry hathe weddit the Duke of Bokyngham dowter,[218.2] and he was lathe with Master Fastolff be fore he dyed, and he is gret with the Qwene.

G.o.d have zow in His kepeng. Wretyn at Norwyche the secund day of May.

Be zowr broder,

W. PASTON.

Omnya pro pecunya facta sunt.

[Footnote 216.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this letter is certainly in the year 1460, for it was written after the death of Sir John Fastolf, and before the deposition of Henry VI., Margaret of Anjou being still spoken of as 'the Queen.']

[Footnote 217.1: _See_ p. 199, Note 2.]

[Footnote 217.2: Elizabeth Paston, now wife of Robert Poynings.]

[Footnote 218.1: Aubrey de Vere, son of the Earl of Oxford, who suffered death, with his father, in February 1462.]

[Footnote 218.2: Anne, eldest daughter of Humphry, Duke of Buckingham.]

407

THE ABBOT OF LANGLEY TO JOHN STOKES[218.3]

_To the ryght worchepfull Sere, Mayster John Stokes._

[Sidenote: 1460 / MAY 8]

Ryght worshypfull Sere, I recomaund me to yow; and for asmyche as it is informyd me that it was appoynted that alle the executors of the worshepfull knyght, Sere John Fastolf, whos soule G.o.d asoyle, shuld be at London as on Monday next comyng, of wheche executors I am namyd for on, as I ondyrstond; wherfore, in as myche as ye be ordenary and on of the same executors, I prey yow tendre my laboure, withoute my comyng, be youre dyscrecion, myght be more profyt to the dede; for I conseyve it shuld be but charge to the dede, and lytell avayleable, consyderyng that John Paston, Squyere, and Thomas Howys, parson of Blofeeld, schall come up at this time, wheche were[218.4] the persones above all other that the seyd Sere John Fastolf put in hys most sengulere love and trust, and wold they shuld have the kepyng and dysposicion of hys goods, as wele in hys lyve as after hys deseas, to dyspose for the well of hys soule; and that non other namyd hys executors, but only they tweyn, shuld have ony kepyng or dysposyng of ony part of hese goods duryng ther lyves; and that alle other namyd executors shuld supporte them and geve them to the seyd John Paston and Thomas Howys here good avyse in performyng of hys desyre in that behalve. Wherfor that it lekyth yow in ony thyng ye desyre me to do in thys cause or matere to geve yowre feyth and credence to the seyd John Paston and Thomas Howys; and so desyred me the seyd Knyght feythefully to do, that knowyth G.o.d, whom I be seke preserve yow from alle adversyte.

Wretyn in the Abbey of Langeley, the viij. day of the monyth of May, the yeere of oure Lord m^{l.}cccc.lx.

Youre preest,

ABBOT OF LANGELEY.[219.1]

[Footnote 218.3: [From Fenn, iii. 398.]]

[Footnote 218.4: This word is omitted in the literal transcript in Fenn.]

[Footnote 219.1: His name was Nicholas.]

408

JOHN PASTON TO MARGARET PASTON[219.2]

_To my trusty cosyn, Margaret Paston, at Norwich, be this delyvered._[219.3]

[Sidenote: 1460 / JUNE 19]

I recomaunde me to you, letyng you witte that I sent a letter to John Russe and Richard Kalle that thei, by th'advyse of Watkyn Shipdam and William Barker shuld send me word of whom alle the maneres, londes, and tenementes that were Sir John Fastolffes wern holde, preyng you that ye wold do them spede them in that matier; and if my feodaryes, whiche lye in the tye of my gret cofyr, may ought wisse therin, lete them se it.

Item, I wolde that William Barker shulde send me a copye of the olde traverse of Tychewell and Beyton. And lete Richard Kalle spede hym hidderward, and come by Snaylwel, and take suyche mony as may be getyn there, and that he suffre not the mony that the tenauntes owe to come in the fermours handes.

Item, that he come by Cambrigge and bryng with hym Maister Brakkeles licence from the provynciall of the Grey Freres. I prey you recomaunde me to my modir.

Wretyn at London the Thursday next to fore Middesomer.

JOHN PASTON.

[Footnote 219.2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter appears to have been written the year after Fastolf's death.]

[Footnote 219.3: Below this address is written, in another hand, 'To Richard Calle, at Caster, be this deliverid in hast.']

409

FRIAR BRACKLEY TO JOHN PASTON[220.1]