_To my ryght honurabyll maister, John Paston._
[Sidenote: 1450 (written in 1465)]
Ryght honurabyll and my ryght enterly bylovyd maister, I recomaunde me
un to yow, with al maner of due reverence, in the moste louly wyse as we
ought to do, evermor desyryng to here of your worshipfull state,
prosperite, and welfar; the which I beseke God of his aboundant grace
encrece and mayntene to his moste plesaunce, and to your hartis dssyre.
Pleasyth it your gode and gracios maistershipp tendyrly to consedir the
grete losses and hurts that your por peticioner haeth, and haeth jhad
evyr seth the comons of Kent come to the Blakheth,[153.2] and that is at
xv. yer passed, whereas my maister Syr John Fastolf, Knyght, that is
youre testator,[153.3] commandyt your besecher to take a man, and ij. of
the beste orsse that wer in his stabyll, with hym to ryde to the comens
of Kent, to gete the articles that they come for. And so I dyd; and al
so sone as I come to the Blakheth, the capteyn[153.4] made the comens to
take me. And for the savacion of my maisters horse, I made my fellowe to
ryde a wey with the ij. horses; and I was brought forth with befor the
capteyn of Kent. And the capteyn demaundit me what was my cause of
comyng thedyr, and why that I made my fellowe to stele a wey with the
horse. And I seyd that I come thedyr to chere with my wyves brethren,
and other that were my alys and gossippes of myn that were present
there. And than was there oone there, and seid to the capteyn that I was
one of Syr John Fastolfes men, and the ij. horse were Syr John
Fastolfes; and then the capteyn lete cry treson upon me thorought all
the felde, and brought me at iiij. partes of the feld with a harrawd of
the Duke of Exetter[154.1] before me in the dukes cote of armes, makyng
iiij. _Oyes_ at iiij. partes of the feld; proclaymyng opynly by the seid
harrawd that I was sent thedyr for to espy theyre pusaunce, and theyre
abyllyments of werr, fro the grettyst traytor that was in Yngelond or in
Fraunce, as the seyd capteyn made proclaymacion at that tyme, fro oone
Syr John Fastolf, Knyght, the whech mynnysshed all the garrisons of
Normaundy, and Manns, and Mayn, the whech was the cause of the lesyng of
all the Kyngs tytyll and ryght of an herytaunce that he had by yonde
see. And morovyr he seid that the seid Sir John Fastolf had furnysshyd
his plase[154.2] with the olde sawdyors of Normaundy and abyllyments of
werr, to destroy the comens of Kent whan that they come to Southewerk;
and therfor he seyd playnly that I shulde lese my hede.
And so furthewith I was taken, and led to the capteyns tent, and j. ax
and j. blok was brought forth to have smetyn of myn hede; and than my
maister Ponyngs, your brodyr,[154.3] with other of my frendes, come and
lettyd the capteyn, and seyd pleynly that there shulde dye a C. or ij.
[_a hundred or two_], that in case be that I dyed; and so by that meane
my lyf was savyd at that tyme. And than I was sworen to the capteyn, and
to the comens, that I shulde go to Southewerk, and aray me in the best
wyse that I coude, and come ageyn to hem to helpe hem; and so I gote
th’articles, and brought hem to my maister, and that cost me more emongs
the comens that day than xxvij_s._
Wherupon I come to my maister Fastolf, and brought hym th’articles, and
enformed hym of all the mater, and counseyled hym to put a wey all his
abyllyments of werr and the olde sawdiors; and so he dyd, and went
hymself to the Tour, and all his meyny with hym but Betts and j. [_i.e._
one] Mathew Brayn; and had not I ben, the comens wolde have brennyd his
plase and all his tennuryes, wher thorough it cost me of my noune propr
godes at that tyme more than vj. merks in mate and drynke; and nought
withstondyng the capteyn that same tyme lete take me atte Whyte Harte in
Suthewerk, and there comandyt Lovelase to dispoyle me oute of myn aray,
and so he dyd. And there he toke a fyn gowne of muster dewyllers[155.1]
furryd with fyn bevers, and j. peyr of Bregandyrns[155.2] kevert with
blew fellewet [_velvet_] and gylt naile, with legharneyse, the vallew of
the gown and the bregardyns viij_li._
Item, the capteyn sent certeyn of his meyny to my chamber in your rents,
and there breke up my chest, and toke awey j. obligacion of myn that was
due unto me of xxxvj_li._ by a prest of Poules, and j. nother obligacion
of j. knyght of x_li._, and my purse with v. ryngs of golde, and
xvij_s._ vj_d._ of golde and sylver; and j. herneyse [_harness_]
complete of the touche of Milleyn;[155.3] and j. gowne of fyn
perse[155.4] blewe furryd with martens; and ij. gounes, one furryd with
bogey,[155.5] and j. nother lyned with fryse;[155.6] and ther wolde have
smetyn of myn hede, whan that they had dyspoyled me atte White Hart. And
there my Maister Ponyngs and my frends savyd me, and so I was put up
tyll at nyght that the batayle was at London Brygge;[155.7] and than
atte nyght the capteyn put me oute into the batayle atte Brygge, and
there I was woundyt, and hurt nere hand to deth; and there I was vj.
oures in the batayle, and myght nevyr come oute therof; and iiij. tymes
before that tyme I was caryd abought thorought Kent and Sousex, and ther
they wolde have smetyn of my hede.
And in Kent there as my wyfe dwellyd, they toke awey all oure godes
mevabyll that we had, and there wolde have hongyd my wyfe and v. of my
chyldren, and lefte her no more gode but her kyrtyll and her smook. And
a none aftyr that hurlyng, the Bysshop Roffe[156.1] apechyd me to the
Quene, and so I was arestyd by the Quenes commaundment in to the
Marchalsy, and there was in rygt grete durasse, and fere of myn lyf, and
was thretenyd to have ben hongyd, drawen, and quarteryd; and so wold
have made me to have pechyd my Maister Fastolf of treson. And by cause
that I wolde not, they had me up to Westminster, and there wolde have
sent me to the gole house at Wyndsor; but my wyves and j. coseyn of myn
noune that were yomen of the Croune, they went to the Kyng, and got
grase and j. chartyr of pardon.
Per le vostre,