_To [Herry][243.2] Barker of Synt Clements Parys, in Norwych, to delyver
to my Master John Paston, in haste_.
[Sidenote: 1451 or later]
On Thurisday the wall was mad zarde hey, and a good wylle be fore evyn
it reyned so sore that they were fayne to helle the wall, and leve
werke. And the water is fallyn so sore that it standyt ondyr the wall a
fote deppe to Ballys warde [i.e. _towards the land of a neighbour named
Ball_]. And on Friday after sakeryng, one come fro cherch warde, and
schoffe doune all that was thereon, and trad on the wall and brake sum,
and wente over; but I cannot zet wete hoo it was. And Warne Kynges wyfe,
as she went over the style, she cursyd Ball, and seyde that he had zevyn
aweye the waye, and so it prevyt be John Paston is words. And after,
Kyngs folke and odyr come and cryid on Annes Ball, seying to her the
same. Zystyrnevyn wan I xul goo to my bede, the Vycare[244.1] seyde that
Warne Kyng and Warne Harman, betwyxte messe and matynsse, toke Sir
Roberd[244.2] in the vestry, and bad hym sey to me, verely the wall
xulde doun a gayne. And wan the Vycar tolde me I wyste ther of no worde,
nor zet do be Sir Roberde, for he syth he were loth to make any stryfe.
And wan I com out of the cherch, Roberd Emundes schowyd me how I was
amercyde for seute of corte the laste zer vj_d._, and seyd it was
xij_d._ tylle Warne Kyng and he gat it awey vj_d._
I send zou word how John Jamys was demenyd at Cromere, to send to Jamys
Gressham how he xall be demenyd. Gaffrey Benchard, Alexander Glover,
heywards,[244.3] tokyn a dystresse of John Jamys or the bond tenent of
A. Paston, calde Reynalds, in Cromer, the xxviij^ti yer of thys Kyng,
and W. Goodwyn, Baly of Cromer, with the seyd J. Jamys, with forsse toke
awey the dysstres, wech was ij. horsse and a plowe. And Good be with
zou.
Be ANNES PASTON, your Modur.
[Footnote 243.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] As this letter refers
to the 28th year of Henry VI., seemingly as a past date, it
cannot well be earlier than 1451. But probably it is not much,
if at all, later.]
[Footnote 243.2: The Christian name _Herry_ is crossed out, and
_Meye_ (?) appears to be written over.]
[Footnote 244.1: William Pope was vicar of Paston from 1447 to
1455.]
[Footnote 244.2: Probably the Vicar’s Curate.]
[Footnote 244.3: Haywards were (originally) persons who guarded
a farm and crops in the night, and blew a horn on an alarm or
robbers.--Halliwell.]
195