_To my ryth trusty Cosyn, John Paston, escwier._
[Sidenote: 1452-3 / OCT.]
Ryth reverent and trusty Cosyn, I recomande me to zow, thankyng zow of
zour good wil and counseill. Like zow to wete, I cam hom be myn Lord of
Oxeford and told hym of the greet labour of Sir Thomas Tudenham and
Heydon for schirevez of owr schire, and namyd the personez quom thei
laboryd fore, and myn Lord agreeyth not to tweyne of hem; to the knyth
he seyd not moch to, but I felt my lord he wold labore for William
Dorward, myn neview.[275.2] And thanne I answerd, Sir, he may not
profite me in myn matere for he hath weddyd myn nece. Also I felt myn
Lord that myn Lord Crumwell laboryth for Stonham of Huntyngton schire,
Sir John Tirell howe [_who_] weddyd hese modir, hese sone executour to
my Lady Clyfton, with Heydon and othir memento, &c. And to fore I cam to
Framyngham myn lord of Norffolk hadde wrytyn for Sir Robert Conyers,
takyng promys of hym to be rewlyd in alle matterez as myn Lord of
Norffolk wil avyse hym, and as an undirschireve ze schall be acounseill
therof. And as touchyng Lee, as I am enformyd, ther ys no man that he
wil do lesse for thanne for Sir Thomas Tudenham. And as touchyng myn
seyd Lord of Norffolk, he hath wrytyn, or I cam, be Debenham, as he may
not wel returne, and the personez ben Sir Robert Conyers, Henry Gray,
Thomas Brews. And I suppose as for Thomas Brews he schall be translate
in to myn brothir John Blake, but myn seyd Lord of Norffolk hath previly
(?) wrytyn to the Kyng for Sir Robert Conyers promisyd[276.1] be the
seyd Sir Robert that he schall non undirshireve, ne non othir officer
make, but be the avyse of myn seyd Lord of Norffolk counseill, to qwhom
ze schall be prevy to And I have no dowte zour owyn materez schall ben
speed aftir zour entent myn seyd Lord of Norffolk wil with alle hese
herte that Blake schuld be it, or ellez the seyd Sir Robert with alle
hese herte. And yf myn Lord of Norffolk, to for myn comyng, hadde be a
vertysyd, he wold a do hese trew parte ther to, as I suppose he schall
have vere knalich from myn Lord. I preye zow remembre William Bury for
myn _venire facias_. And yf it likyd myn brothir Blake to remembre my
welbelovyd mayster Sir John Bawryte (?) of myn mater I trust he wold
remembre the Kyng ther of atte hese leyser; for he knowyth the matere,
and that Debenham hath greet charge to labore myn seyd Lordys materez of
Norffolk, levying the favour of Sir Thomas Tudenham. Aftir I here I
schall send zow be wrytyn. I preye zow in like forme. God preserve zow
to Hese grace. Wrytyn atte Framyngham the Fryday next to fore the feste
of Simon and Jude.