On the morrow came a letter bidding John join the Earl at Calais.
Shortly thereafter Blanche left St. Albans to visit her father and
sisters.
Among the Paston Letters is one from John Jernyngan to his cousin,
Margaret Paston, which is here reproduced with all the quaint spelling
of those days:
Unto my ryght wurchipfell Cosyn, Marget Paston, this lettre be
delyvered in haste.
Ryght wurchipful and my moste beste beloved maystres and cosyn,
I recommaund me unto you as lowly as I may, evermor desyring to
here of your gode welfar; the whiche I beseche Almyzthy Jesus to
preserve you and kepe you to his plesur, and to your gracious
herts desyre.
And yf it plese you to here of my welfar, I was in gode hele at
the makyng of this lettre, blessed be God.
Praying you that it plese you for to send me word yf my fadyr
wer at Norwiche with you at this Trenite Masse or no, and how
the matyr doth betwene my Maystres Blawnche Wychynham and me,
and yf ze supose that it shall be brought a bowte or no; and how
ze fele my fadyr, yf he be wele wyllyng thereto or no; praying
you lowly that I may be recomaund lowly unto my maystres
Arblastres wyfe, and unto my Maystres Blawnche, her dowzther,
specially.
Ryght wurchipfull cosyn, yf it please you for to her of suche
tydings as we have her, the basset [_embassay_] of Burgoyne
schall come to Calleys the Saturday[2] eftyr Corpus Christi day,
as men say v. hondred horse of hem. Moreover on Trenite
Sonday,[3] in the mornyng, came tydings unto my Lord of Warwyke
that ther were xxviij^{te} sayle of Spanyards on the se, and
wherof ther was xvj. grete schippis of forecastell; and then my
Lord went and manned fyve schippis of forecastell, and iii.
carvells, and iiij. spynnes [_pinnaces_], and on the Monday,[4]
on the mornyng eftyr Trenite Sonday, we met to gedyr afore
Caleis, at iiij. at the clokke in the mornyng, and fawz thet
gedyr till x. at the clokke; and ther we toke vj. of her
[_their_] schippis, and they slowe of oure men about iiij^{xx}
[_four score_] and hurt a ij. hondred of us ryght sore; and ther
wer slayne on theyr parte abowte xij^{xx} [_twelve score_], and
hurt a v. hondred of them.
And haped me, at the fyrste abordyng of us, we toke a schippe of
iij^c [300] ton, and I was lefte therin and xxiij. men with me;
and thei fawzthe so sor[5] that our men wer fayne to leve
hem,[6] and then come they and aborded the schippe that I was
in, and ther I was taken, and was a prisoner with them vj
houris, and was delyvered agayne for theyr men that wer taken
beforne. And as men sayne, ther was not so gret a batayle upon
the se this xl. wyntyr. And for sothe, we wer wele and trewly
bette; and my Lord hathe sent for mor scheppis, and lyke to
fyzthe to gedyr agayne in haste.
Nomor I write unto you at this time, but that it please you for
to recomaund me unto my ryght reverent and wurchipfull cosyn
your husband, and myn ownkll Gournay, and to myn awnte his wyfe,
and to alle gode maysters and frends where it schall plese yow;
and eftyr the writyng I have from you, I schall be at you in
alle haste.
Wretyn on Corpus Christi day in gret haste, be your owne umble
servant and cosyn,