_A Lettre to Sir John Fastoff from Justice Yelverton._[189.3]
[Sidenote: 1450 / NOV.]
My moste worshypfull and best betrusted maister, I recommaund me to yow,
thankyng yow for manye grete gentlenesse and kyndnesse that ye hafe
showed unto me, and for the grete ease that I had of your man and your
horsys also.
As for tydyngs owte of thys contree, here ys a marveyllous disposed
contree, and manye evylle wylled peple to Sir Thomas Tuddenham and
Heydon, and but yff they been putt in comfort there by the meene of a
good shyreve and undreshyreve, they may hafe remedye now by the ordre of
lawe, and ellys grete inconvenices arn lyke for to folowe ther off.
Therfor, Sir, for the weele of all our gode contree, mewyth the Kyng, my
Lord Chaunceller,[190.1] and all othyr Lordes as ye thynk best for thys
matier on thys behalf.
Also, Sir, yff they noysse me by thee meene of my Lord Scalys, or by
anye othyr meene, or by onye bylle sewed by Brygg, or by onye othyr man
by her [_i.e. their_] craft, that it please yow to sey for me yn
savacion of my pore worshyp, whych I wote well they may not hurt but
they doo me wrongs, to the Kyng, my Lord Chaunceller, my Lord of
Wynchester,[190.2] my Lord Cromewell, and in othyr places, as ye semyth,
that no credence be goven to myne hurt yn myne absence.
Also, Sir, that William Geney and Brayn, the clerks of the Sessions, ben
hastyed hedreward as well as they may; and, Sir, my cousyn Paston and my
brothyr Cleere can tell yow moch more thyng that I shuld wryte off to
yow, and I had leyser; but I shall wythynne short tyme sende yow more
tydyngs owte of thys contree, by the grace of God, whych hafe yow yn hys
holye kepyng.
By your old Servaunt,
WILLIAM YELVERTON, Justice.
[Footnote 189.2: [From Fenn, iii. 50.] This would appear to have
been written in 1450, just after Yelverton’s arrival in Norfolk,
whither, it will be seen by the last two letters, he was going
in November. The nomination of sheriffs had not yet taken place,
and was anxiously expected by many, in the hope that it would
lessen the influence of Sir Thomas Tuddenham and Heydon, who had
hitherto been very powerful in Norfolk.]
[Footnote 189.3: This is only an endorsement on the MS., and is
not even contemporaneous. The MS. itself is not addressed,
being, as shown in the margin, only a copy, marked ‘Copia’ in
the same hand as the document.]
[Footnote 190.1: Cardinal Kemp.]
[Footnote 190.2: The celebrated William de Waynflete, Bishop of
Winchester.]
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