1049

THE EARL OF OXFORD TO SIR JOHN PASTON[140-1]

_To the right worshipfull and my right intierly welbelovyd counceillor, Sir John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: About 1491(?) / OCT. 20]

Right worshipfull and right intierly welbelovyd counceillor, I comaund me to you. And where as I late have receyved your writing, wherby I ... ... the demeanyng of Richard Barkeley and his shipp as other, I have ta ... ... . . of hym to be redy at all tymes to answer to all suche thynges as can be l ... ... ... he demeanyng. I woll therfor that ye suffre hym, his men and shippys, ... ... . . d as for a last of hering and an half, whiche I undirstond by hy ... ...

of his, I woll that ye delyver hit to the countroller of my howshold. A ... ... . o put undyr suertie all suche hering so takyn or revid by the carveyll of ... ... . any other. And G.o.d kepe you.

Wretin at Melford, the xx. day of Octobre.

And where as I am enformyd that ye take hym nat for my servaunt, and so he ys noysed in the contrey ther, I woll that hit be knowin that I take hym as my servaunt, and so will do as long as I know no cause of the contrary.

OXYNFORD.

[Footnote 140-1: [From a MS. in the Bodleian Library.] The MS. of this letter is mutilated, but it is perfectly intelligible, as it is the first of three relating to the same subject, of which Fenn has printed the second in his fifth volume. The date of the matter referred to is, however, uncertain, and I follow the example of Fenn in a.s.signing the correspondence conjecturally to the year 1491, in which we have other letters from the Earl, as Admiral, to Sir John, as his Vice-Admiral.]

1050

THE EARL OF OXFORD TO SIR JOHN PASTON[141-1]

_To the right worshipfull and my right intierly welbelovyd councellour, Sir John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: About 1491(?) / OCT.]

Right worshipfull and right intierly welbeloved councellour, I comaund me to you. And where as I undirstond, by your writing to me delyverid by this berar, the roborye and dispoyling of certayn Corvers of Holond and Selond, done by the shipp callyd _the Foole_, wherof Robert Spenser was maister, aswell in herryng, vitayle, and takelyng, as ye be enfourmyd by iij. personnys of the same shippe, and of th'entent and disposicion of the master and feleshyp of the same, whiche shewe, as ye write, that Barkeley, aswell with that shipp as with a prise that he hathe bought, late takyn of the Frenchemen, were disposid and determenyd to do myche harme, wherupon ye have indevorid you to breke the same; how be hit that the seid Barkeley hath be late with me, and found suertie in a C_li._ to answer to all suche demeanyng, when he shall be callyd; and therupon I wrote to you to suffre hym, his men, and shippis to departe at libertie; yet nevyrtheless, concidering your large writing, I can nat be content in my mynde to suche tyme as I may here bothe you and Barkeley to geder; willing therf[or that ye do] kepe the shippys and goodes in suertie, and to be with me your selfe ... ... . . well may, bringyng with you suche iij. personnys as have ... ... ... certaynte of this mater; and so I have wretin to Barkeley ... . . se to answer to the same. And G.o.d kepe you.

Wretin ... ... . of Octobre.

Also yf the be eny of the d.u.c.h.emen ... ... . . any sute for ther G.o.de, that ye then cause one of ... ... . to shewe and clayme ther owne.

OXYNFORD.

[Footnote 141-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] _See_ preliminary note to last letter.]

1051

THE EARL OF OXFORD TO SIR JOHN PASTON[142-1]

_To the right worshipfull and my right welbeloved counceilour, Sir John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: About 1491(?) / OCT. 28]

Right worshipfull and right welbeloved counceilour, I comaunde me to you. Certifieint you that I wolde have be right glad to have had you, the iij. persones that enformed you of Berkeleys demenyng, and Berkeley togeder, to th'entent that I myght have had ripe knowleche of their demenyng, to have shewed the Kynge at my comyng unto His Grace.

Nevertheles, sith I understand by your late wrytyng, to me brought by the seid Berkeley the xxviij. day of this present monthe, beryng date the Monday next before Seynt Symond Day and Jude, that ther is nat so grete defaute in the same Berkeley as ye by your former writinges to me sent wend [_thought_] ther had be, and that the defaute, if eny be, is in one Spenser, maister of the shippe belongyng to the seid Berkeley, and that ye thynke also that such suretee as I have take of the same Berkeley is sufficient inogh, better or more than nedeth for that cause, and that in your mynde ye thynke he woll be of G.o.de guydyng and demenyng in tyme comyng; I woll and desire you that ye delyver hym his shippes, men, and goodes, accordyng to my first wrytyng to you sent in that behalve. And Almyghty G.o.d kepe you.

Writen at my castell of Hedingham, the xxviij. day of Octobre.

OXYNFORD.

[Footnote 142-1: [Douce MS. 393, f. 90.] _See_ preliminary note to Letter 1049.]

1052

THE EARL OF OXFORD TO SIR JOHN PASTON[143-1]

_To my righte trusty and righte welbelovyd counceillours, Sir Rauff Shelton and Sir John Paston, Knyghtes._

[Sidenote: Year uncertain]

Righte trusty and righte welbelovyd counceillours, I comaunde me to you.

And ffor as moche as one Thomas Charlys of Norwiche late hathe presentid unto me a bille of complaynte agaynste Symonde White, gentylman, dwellyng in Shotesham, shewing by the same suche wrongis as the saide Symonde hathe done and daily dothe to the saide Thomas, as by the saide bille, whiche I sende you with this, more playnely apperith; I therfor desire and pray you that ye woll do calle the saide parties byfore you, and upon due examinacion had upon the mater conteyned in the saide bille, ye take suche direction as may acorde with righte and G.o.de consciens, so as the saide Thomas Charlis heraftur have no cause to resorte to me complaynyng. And Almightie G.o.d kepe you.

Writen at my castelle of Hedingham, the xv. daye of Septembre.

OXYNFORD.

[Footnote 143-1: [Douce MS. 393, f. 89.] This letter is quite uncertain in point of date, except that it must have been written between 1487 and 1503. We place it, therefore, for convenience, after other letters of the Earl of Oxford.]

1053

WILLIAM PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[143-2]

_To the ryght worchepfull Sir John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: 1492 / FEB. 18]

Aftyr all dew recomendacion, lyke it yow to undyrstond that Syr Herry Heydon schewyd me that it is agreyd be Syr Edmond Bedyngfeld, that the mater betwyx hym and my brodyr Yelverton[143-3] schalbe comynd at Norwyche, and there a dyreccion to be takyn in the same mater, mete for them bothe.

Syr, the Kyng sendythe ordynaunce dayly to the see syde, and hys tentes and alys [_pavilions_] be a makyng faste, and many of them be made; and there is also grete provysyon made be gentylmen that scholde goo wythe Hys Grace for hors, harnese, tents, halys, gardyvyans [_knapsacks_], cartes, and othyr thynges that scholde serve them for thys jurney that the Kynge entendythe to take on hand, soo that belykelyod Hys Grace wolbe goyng sone upon Ester. And so I entende, aftyr that I here heaftyr, to goo to Caleys to purvey me of harneys, and suche thynges as I schall nede besydes hors, undyr that forme that my costes schalbe payd fore.

Syr, I am as yet no bettyr horsyd than I was whan I was wythe yow, nor I wote not where to have none, for hors flesche is of suche a price here that my purce is schante [_scarce_] able to bye one hors; wherfor I beseche yow to herkyn [_hearken_] for some in yowre contre. Syr, my cosyn, John Heydon, tolde me that the Prior of Waburnes horse was rially amendyd, and that the Abott of Seynt Benetes schewed hym there was a bay hors of a persons nyght onto Seynt Benetis, and that the abot wolde gete hym for my cosyn Heydon at a resonable price. Syr, my cosyn, John Heydon, woll geve me hys entrest in that hors, if the abot have bowght hym, and so ye may lete the abot have knowlege; and if he have not bowght hym, I beseche yow sende to see hym, for I wote not how to do withowt yowre helpe aswell in horsyng of me as in other thynges.

At the makyng of thys lettyr, I cannot acerteyn yow what person it is that owythe thys hors. If I can know, I wolle send yow worde in a bylle I sende to Thomas Jullys be the berer herof.

Syr, as towardes my jurney to Caleys, the whyche I entende [_intended_]

to have tane at my laste beyng with yow, it was so, I was dysapoyntyd of Thomas Dey and an other man I scholde have had be hys menys, as ye have had knowlege of or now; and also I had went [_thought_] to have had folkys a mette with me at Hedyngham, whyche ded nott. My lorde,[144-1]

seyng me dysesyd, and also none otherwyse purveyd, wyllyd me in ony wyse to tary on tyl hys comyng to London, and sent myn excuse to my Lorde Dawbeney undyr thys forme how that I was sore disesyd; notwythestondyng I was welewyllyd to have come to fulfyll my promesse, but he cowde not sofyr me, seyng me soo dysesyd; and so my Lord Dawbeney was sory of my dysese and content that I taryd.

Syr, I beseche yow to holde me excusyd for kepyng of Thomas Lynsted, yowr servaunt, and hym bothe. It is soo that he and I bothe have ben in hand with my unkyll[145-1] for hys mater, and yett wee have hym at noo good poynt; but I troste we schall have. Syr, if I take thys jurney to Caleys, I moste beseche yow to forbere hym lenger, and if I goo not to Caleys, thow I be lothe to forbere hym, yet I schall brynge hym with me schortly in to Norfolke, ye to have hym, if ye lyste, with the grace of G.o.d, Who have yow in kepyng.

Wretyn at London, the xviij. day of February, with the hande of yowre pore brodyr,