1

116. TO JOHN PASTON I

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1461, 25 AUGUST

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TO HIJS RYTHE REUERENT AND WORCHYPFWLL BRODER JOHN PASTON

4
5    Rythe reuerent and worchypfwll broder, I recomawnde me to ȝowre good
6broderhood, desieryng to herre of ȝoure welfare and good prosperite,
7the qwyche I pray God encresse to his pleswre and ȝowre hertys hesse;
8certyfyyng ȝow þat I haue spok wyth John Rwsse, and Playter spak wyth
9him bothe, on Fryday be-fore Seynt Barthelmw. And he told vs of
10Howardys gydyng, qwyche mad vs rythe sory tyl we harde þe conclusion
11þat ȝe hadde non harme. Also I vnderstond by W. Pekok þat my nevew
12hadde knowlache þere-of also vp-on Saterday nexst be-fore Seynt
13Barthelmwe, in þe Kyngys howse. Not wyth-standyng vp-on þe sam day
14Playter and I wryte letterys on-to him rehersyng al the mater, fore cause if
15þere were ony questionys mevyd to hym þere-of þat he xwlde telle þe
16trowthe, in cas þat þe qwestions were meuyd by ony worchypfwll man,
17and namyd my Lord Bowchere, fore my Lord Bowchere was wyth þe
18Kyng at þat tym.
19    I fele by W. Pekok þat my nevew is not ȝet verily aqweyntyd in þe
20Kyngys howse, nore wyth þe officerys of þe Kyngys howse. He is not

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21takyn as non of þat howse, fore þe cokys be not charged to serue hym
22nore þe sewere to gyue hym no dyche, fore þe sewere wyll not tak no men
23no dischys till þey be comawndyd by þe cownterrollere. Also, he is not
24aqueyntyd wyth no body but wyth Wekys, and Wekys ad told hym þat he
25wold bryng hym to þe Kyng; but he hathe not ȝet do soo. Were-fore it
26were best fore hym to tak hijs leve and cum hom, till ȝe hadd spok wyth
27swm body to helpe hym forthe, fore he is not bold y-now to put forthe
28hym-selfe.
29    But þan I consyderyd þat if he xwld now cum hom þe Kyng wold thyng
30þat wan he xwld doo hym ony seruice sum were, þat þan ȝe wold haue
31hym hom, þe qwyche xwld cause hym not to be hadde in fauore; and
32also men wold thynke þat he were put owte of seruice. Also W. Pekok
33tellythe me þat hijs mony is spent, and not ryotesly but wysly and discretly,
34fore þe costys is gretter in þe Kyngys howse qwen he rydythe þan
35ȝe wend it hadde be, as Wyllam Pekok can tell ȝow. And þere wee mwst
36gett hym i c s. at þe lest, as by Wyllam Pekokys seyyng, and ȝet þat will
37be to lytill. And I wot well we kan not get xl d. of Cristofyre Hanswm, so
38I xall be fayn to lend it him of myn owne siluer. If I knew verily ȝour entent
39were þat he xwld cum hom I wold send hym non. There I wyll doo as me
40thynkithe ȝe xwld be best plesyd, and þat, me thynkythe, is to send him
41þe siluer. Þere-fore I pray ȝow as hastely as ȝe may send me a-ȝen v
42mark, and þe remnawnte I trow I xall gett vp-on Cristofire Hanswm and
43Lwket. I pray ȝow send me it as hastely as ȝe may, fore I xall leue my-selfe
44rythe bare; and I pray ȝow send me a letter how ȝe woll þat he xall be
45demenyd.
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49

TO JOHN PASTON I: COPY

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1461, 11 OCTOBER

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52    Brother, I recommende me to you, after all dewe recommendacions, &c.
53Sir, it was tolde me by rythe a worshipfull man that loveth you rythe well,
54and ye him, and ye xall knowe his name here-after, but put all things out
55of doubt he is such a man as will not lye. On the xj^th day of October the
56Kinge seid, 'We have sent two privy sealys to Paston by two yeomen of
57our chamber, and he disobeyeth þem; but we will send him a-noder tomorrowe,
58and by Gods mercye and if he come not then he xall dye for it.
59We will make all oder men beware by him how they xall disobey our
60writinge. A servant of our hath made a complainte of him. I cannot thinke
61that he hath informed us all truely, yet not for that we will not suffer
62him to disobey our writinge; but sithen he disobeyeth our writinge we
63may beleve the better his gydinge is as we be informed.' And þerwith he
64made a gret a-vowe that if ye come not at the third commandement ye
65xulde dye therefore.
66    This man that tolde me this is as well learned a man as any is in England.
67And the same xj^th day of October he advised me to send a man to yow
68in all the hast that might be to lett yow have knowlache, and that ye
69xulde not lett for none excuse, but that ye xulde make the man good cheere
70and come as hastily ye might to the Kinge, for he understandeth so much
71that the Kinge will kepe his promise. Notwithstanding, by mine advice,
72if ye have this letter or the messenger come to you, come to the Kinge
73wards or ye meete with him, and when ye come ye must be suer of a great
74excuse. Also, if ye doe well, come right stronge, for Howards wife made her
75bost that if any of her husbands men might come to yow þer xulde goe noe
76penny for your life; and Howard hath with the Kinge a great felloweship.

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77    This letter was written the same day that the Kinge said these words,
78and the same day that it was told me, and that day was the xj^th day of
79October as abovesaid; and on the next morning send I forth a man to yow
80with this letter, and on the same day send the Kinge the third privye seale
81to you.
82    Alsoe he þat tolde me this seid that it were better for yow to come upp
83then to be fotte out of your house with streingth, and to abide the Kings
84judgement þerin, for he will take your contumacy to great displeasure.
85Also, as I understand, the Duke of Norffolk hath made a great complaint
86of yow to the Kinge, and my Lord of Suffolk and Howard and Wyngfelde
87helpe well to every day and call upon the Kinge against yow.
88    The Kinge is at this day at Grenewich, and þer will be still till the
89Parliament beginne. Some say he will goe to Walsingham, but Master
90Sotyll seid in the Aulle in the Temple that he harde no worde of any such
91pilgrimage.

parameters for this division: #cpaston_classification_1

96

TO JOHN PASTON I

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1464, 18 APRIL

98

TO MY RYGTH WORCHYPFULL BRODER JOHN PASTON, SQWYERE

99
100    Ryght worshypfull brothyre, I recomawnde me to ȝow after all dew recomendacions,
101&c. Plesse it ȝow to wett þat after þat I harde say þat þe
102parson of Blowfelde wasse com to town I went to hym to hys jn, and he
103bade þe masenger say þat he wasse not wyth-in. And I bad hym say
104a-gayn þat I com thyder to hym fore hijs own worchype and auayle, and
105þat I wasse sory þat I com so fere fore hym. And after þat he sent fore
106me and he cowde not fynde me, and I harde say there-of; and þan I wrott
107a letter resytyng how þat he wasse sworn ȝesterday fore to say þe trowthe
108of al maner of materis consernyng Sire John Fastolfe, auysyd hym to
109remembere qwat hijs wytnesse hadde sayd fore hijs sake and wat schame
110it xwlde be to hym to say þe contrary, and also if he sayde þe contrary ȝe
111wold here-after proue þe trowthe and contrary to hys sayyng, and proue

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112hym in a periuri. And also I badde hym remembere wyth wat maner of men
113he delt wythe, and I rehersyd how vntrwly they hadde don. And not
114wyth-stondyng thys, after I met wyth hym in þe strett and spak wyth hym,
115and I fownde hym passyng strawngely disposyd, and sor meuyd wyth
116consiens þat ȝe xwld haue þe lond and fownd þe colage but wyth an c
117marc. not wyth-stondyng he myth fynde in hijs consiens rythe well þat
118þe colage xwld be fowndyd in a-noder plasse but wyth an c marc., and þe
119remnaunt of þe lylode sold so þat he myth pwrce þe mony. So I felt
120by hym þat all hijs strawngenes from ȝow is fore he demythe þat ȝe wold
121parte from no thyng, and I told hym þe contrary there-of to be trwe. Az
122thys day he is exayminid vp-on a bok to sey þe trowthe of all thyngys as
123þe juge wyll aske hym fore þe jugeis jnformacion, wych I trowe wyll not
124be good.
125    Also they haue pwt jn testes aȝens ȝow iij^xx ore iiij^xx men. Mayster
126Robard Kent wold fayn þat ȝe xwld gett ȝow ij lycens of þe prioris of
127ȝowre wytnes Mayster Clement and þe monke, wyth on a datt beyng
128be-fore þe comyng vp, fore þat must ȝe nedis haue. Also he wold fayn þat
129ȝe xwld com to thys towne. Me thowte by Sire Thomas þat they haue a
130swerte in maner þat ȝe xall haue no lycens fore ȝour fundacion, and they
131be abowte to gett a lycens to fownde þe colage in a-noder place. Me
132thynkythe þat wold hurte. Here colour is fore cause ȝe can gett no lycens
133to fownde it at Castere, werfore, thow ȝour wyll were trwe, they myth
134lawfully fownde it in a-noder place.
135    My lord Chawncelere is gone to Ȝork and wyll not be here of all thys
136term. Wrytyn on Wednisday nexst be-for Saynt George.