_To my right reverente and wurchepfull Mayster, John Paston, Esquyer,
be this delivered in hast._
[Sidenote: 1451 / MARCH 1]
Right reverent and wurchepfull Sir, I recomand me to you, besechyng you
to wete that Wharles told me that Partrych seid that his lord[219.2]
knewe wele that ye were entred pesibilly in the maner of Gresham; where
fore, he seid, thow the tenauntes and fermors pay you the rents and
fermes the tyme that ye be in possession, his seid lord, thow he entre
ageyn, wuld never aske it them. Item, the seid Partrych seid to Wharles
that his lord wull come down hym self and entre in the seid maner within
short tyme. Wharles wull not discharge your baly of xvvj_s._ and
viij_d._, which he toke the seid baly enseled in a purs. The seid
Wharles told my mayster, John of Berney, at the court, that he repented
hym that he payd you any peny till he had be distreyned; and he seid
than pleynly that he wull nomore pay till he were distreyned. I have be
there divers tymes for to distreyn hym, and I cowde never do it but if
[_unless_] I wuld a distreyned hym in his moders hous, and there I durst
not for her cursyng. The baly of the hundred told me that Wharles spake
to hym in cas he had be distreyned that he wold have gete hym a replevy;
and the baly bad hym kete a replevy of his mayster and he wold serve it.
Item, the maner londs at Gresham, with othre tenaunts londs that be
fallyn in your hands ben letyn to ferme. I can gete no tenaunte to dwell
in the maner hous. And if the rede shuld be caryed thens, the tenaunts
shuld thynk that ye fered sum new entre, and it shuld sore discomfort
hem, for thei whisshed whan it was caried to the maner that it had be
leyd ther thus pesibly ij. yer afore. Asfor the obligacyon that ye shuld
have of the parson of Cressyngham, he seth he cam never at Cressyngham
syth he spake with you, and that he be heste it you not till
Fastyngong.[220.1] His hors ben stolyn, and therfore he may not ryde.
Item, Gonnore kept a court at Routon the Thursday[220.2] next after
Seynt Mathy[220.3] the Appostell, and it was told me that Bettes was
ther with hym; wherefore I rode theder. And be cause that it was a
fraunchised town and within the Duchye,[220.4] and also that Gonnor had
gret rewle in the seid town, I toke with me the baly of the hundred and
set hym with me in my Lord of Norffolks warant, and than yede in to the
court ther as Gonnor and Bettes wern. The seid baly told Gonnor of this
warant, and Gonnor rebuked hym so that he durst not a rest the seid
Bettes. Than I toke it up on me and arested hym myself as he sate be
Gonnor. Gonnor desired than to se my warant, and I shewed it hym, and he
seid he wold obey it as the lawe wold. And he proferyd me suerte, men of
the seid town of Routon. Than I told hym, and [_i.e._ if] he wold be
bownd hym self with othre I would agre ther to, but I wuld have no
shipmen that had nought, ner such men that rought [_cared_] never, and
thei were onys on the see, wheder thei come ageyn or noght. Than Bettes
toke Gonnor a _supersedias_ that he had of Wychyngham twelmoneth ago for
anothre man that asked suerte of the seid Bettes. I wold have had it,
and he wold not lete me have it, ner shewe it me but in his hands. Than
I told hym that it was noght, and he seid it was gode i nowe. I bad hym
take it me for my discharge, and he seid pleynly I shuld not have it.
Than I told hym I wold have my prisoner. The seid Gonnor seid I shuld
not have hym, and dede set alle the tenaunts up on me and made a gret
noyse, and seydyn alle pleynly I shuld not have hym yf he wold abyde
with hem. Than I told Gonnor that I shuld certifie a rescuse, and prayd
the baly of the hundred that he wold record the same. Item, the seid
Gonnor seid I myght have favoryd the seid Bettes the more be cause the
seid Bettes was my mayster Stapylton man, and that his men shuld not be
bownd and I shuld go lose. He seid I shuld be tyed or aght longe and
alle my feleshep bothyn; but, God yeld hym, he hath yovyn me iiij. days
respyte. Than I told hym it shuld never ly in his power to bynde me, ner
non of my feleshep so fast but that it shuld be in your power to make
hym to losyn us, and if that he abode in Norffolk he shuld be made to
seke the skyrts of his sadill or Esterne. And if he had kept his wey
that nyght I shuld have kept hym trewe covenaunte, for I lay on wayte up
on hym on the heth as he shuld have comen humward, and if I myght have
met with hym I shuld have had Bettes from hym; but he had leyd such
wetche that he had aspied us or he cam fully at us; and he remembered
Wyndhams manhood, that iiij. swyft fete were better than ij. hands, and
he toke his hors with the spores and rode to Felbrygge Hall as fast as
he myght rydyn, and I suppose he lay ther all that nyght.
Item, the seid Gonnor manased and thret John of Beston for he wuld not
warn hym her of; and he dede sease alle his lond in Routon, and warned
hym that he shuld not occupy his lyme kyll ner no lond that he had in
Routon; and he mad his avaunte whan I was gon, if that I had not brought
the baly of the hundred with me I shuld never have go thens; and yet,
not withstandyng that I brought the baly with me, and thei had wust
where myn hors had stond I shuld have be wele betyn. All this language
had thei whan that I was gon.
Item, the seid Gonnor seid after that I was gon to the tenaunts of the
seid town, that his _supersedias_ was noght, and as for the rescuse, he
shuld purvey a mene to excuse it. Where fore and it pleasyd you to send
my mastres word how that I shuld be demened with the seid Bettes, and
wheder that ye wuld I shuld a rest hym ageyn or nought, and to purvey
such a mene for Gonnor that he myght ley his bost, it shuld be gret
comfort to all yowr frendes and tenauntes ther abowtyn.
Item, I have be at my mayster Stapilton with your writtes, and he made
it right straunge for to ensele hem. He seid that he knew of nown such
inquiscion takyn at Swafham beforn hym; he seid if it were presented
ther, it was presented in his absens, whill that he was in his inne;
wherfore he seid he wold not ensele hem till he sey the bokes. Whan I
had answeryd hym ther to, than he seid he wold comown with my mayster
Yelverton her of whan he come home, and til he had spok with hym he wold
not ensele hem. I told hym my mayster Yelverton had enseled hem. Thann
he seid he knew not my mayster Yelverton seale. He shewed it to Gonnor,
and asked hym wheder it was his seall or noght. Gonnor seid it was his
sealle. Than my mayster Stapilton brake ought of this mater and spake to
me of the a restyng of Bettes and makyng of affray up on Gonnor. He seid
Gonnor cam to hym to compleyn up on me. I told hym that Gonnor had
enformed hym as it plesyd hym, for I had yove hym no cause to compleyn
of me, and if it pleased hym to her myn excuse he shuld fynd me in no
defaute. Whan he had herd myn excuse, he cowde not blame me. Meche othre
langage we had, for I was with hym ner an ower. Than he asked me wheder
the inquisicion was taken be fore the justice of the peas or the justice
of the _oyer determyner_. I told hym be for the justic of the peas, for
I seid it was the cessyons of the peas at Swafham. Than he bad me put up
my warants, for he seid he wold not ensele hem till he had comowned with
my maister Yelverton. I told hym it shuld not nede to comown with my
mayster Yelverton, ner labor hym therfore, for I seid it myght not hurt
thow he enseled hem not; for I seid the writts were executed, and that
the shereff had mad ought warants of them, and his warants were
executed, and so the seid writts shuld stand you in litill avayll, save
only, I told hym, ye desiryd his sealle, because it was fownd before
othre lords with hym, and that he stode in the _teste_ of the said
writts, and that was cause of my comyng theder. Than he wend I had comyn
for to assayn hym, for forthwith he enseled hem, but me thynk be his
langage he hath be labored of the toder part.
Item, and it pleased your gode maystershep to gete of my mayster
Yelverton a _supersedias_ for John Osborn and an othre for me. We
suppose that Gonnor and Bettes wull do us arest, and we wuld the
_supersedias_ that we haue ought of the Chauncery were kept till more
nede were. My mastres[222.1] recomand her to you, and prayth you to hold
her excused that she write yow no letter, for myche of the mater that
she shuld have wrete to you I had wrete in my letter or she knew ther
of; and also she knew not of so redy a massanger as I had. And it plesyd
your gode maystershep to send us a pardon for to assoylyn Gonnor this
holy tyme of Lentyn, the rather be cause of this gret bulle,[223.1] we
shuld leve in the more reste and peas, and kepe the more our pacyence
than we do. The Holy Trynyte have you in His kepyng. Wretyn on the
Monday next after Seynt Mathie[223.2] the Appostell, in hast.
Your pore servaunte,