[Sidenote: 1454]
Ful mekely bisecheth your humble liege man, Walter Ingham of youre
schire of Norffolk, gentylman, that where the seide Walter was in Goddes
pees and youres at Dunston in the seid shire the xj. daye of the monthe
of January, the yere of youre rengne the xxxij., oone Thomas
Denyes,[302.3] of ful grete malice, prepensed ungodely soore agaynste
gode feithe and concience, imagynyng utterly to destroye youre seyde
besecher, contryved a lettre in the name of my Lord of Oxenforde, he not
knowyng of ony soch lettre comaundyng youre seide besecher to be with
the seide Lorde at Wevenho, in your shire of Essex, the xiij. day of the
seide monthe of January, for divers grete maters towchyng my seide
Lorde. The seide Thomas, thenkyng in his conceite that youre seid
besechere wolde in noo wyse disobeye the seide wrytyng, but that he
wolde putte hym in his devoyre to fulfill my seide Lords desyre, layde
dyvers folks arraied in maner of werre with jakkes, saletts,
langedebiefs,[302.4] and boore speres in ij. busshements for youre seide
besecher in ij. places, knowyng wele that youre seide besecher must come
oone of thes ij. weyes for, tho [_there_] were no moo, to that intent
that they [might] murdre your seide besecher be cause he had laboured
for his fadir in a wryte _sub pena_ agaynst the seide Thomas Denys and
Anneys his wyf for a notable somme of money that the seide Anneys shulde
have payede to the fadir of your seide besecher; the seide Thomas
comaundyng the seide mysdoers in any wyse whech of theym that mette
first with youre seide besecher shulde sle hym, and they shol be
nota[b]ly rewardet for ther laboure, and the seide Thomas shulde kepe
and save theyme harmeles. Bicause of whech comaundement oone of the
seide busshements mette with the forsaide besechere the xij. day of the
seide month, as he came toward my seide Lorde of Oxenforde acordyng to
his lettre at Dunstone afore seide, and hym than and there grevosly
bette and woundet, aswell upon his hede as uppon his leggs, and other
ful grevous strokes and many gaf hym upon his bakke, so that youre seide
besecher is mahaymed upon his ryght legg, and feyne to goo on crucches,
and so must do al dayes of his lif to his utter undoyng; notwithstandyng
the seide mysdoers and riotous peple in this conceite [lef]te youre
seide besecher for dede. Uppon the whech ryot it was complayned to my
Lord Chauncelere[303.1] by the frends of yowre besecher, desyryng of hym
by ca[use of th]e grete ryote doone by the seide Thomas, and also for
the sauf garde of youre seyde besechere, that oone of your serjantes of
armes myght be comaundement [go][303.2] and areste the seide Thomas to
appere before you in your Chauncerie for the seide ryot, because the
seide Thomas was at that tyme at London; bi force of [whech
com]aundement oone of youre serjants of armes went to Lyncolne Inne to
arreste the sayde Thomas. The whech areste the seide Thomas utterly
diso[beyed in] grete contempte of your highnesse; nevertheles he is now
in the warde of the Wardeyne of the Flete by the comaundement of my
Lorde Chaunceler. [Wher]fore plese it your highnes of youre most noble
and habundante grace, by the assente of your Lordes Spirituel and
Temporel, and of your Comons in this your present Par[lement assem]bled,
and by auctorite of the same, to ordeyne and estabelessche that the
seide Thomas Denys may abide in the seide prisone of the Flete, and not
to be [admitted to bayl] nor meynprise in noo wyse in to soch tyme that
the seide Thomas have answered to soch accion or accions as youre seide
besecher schal take agaynst hym for the seide mahayme and betyng, and
also unto soch tyme as the same accions ben folly discussed and
determyned bi twene your seide besecher and the seide Thomas Denys,
consideryng that if the same Thomas scholde go at large, he wolde never
answere your seide besecher but hym delay by protecions and other weies,
so that the same besecher schulde never be content nor agreed, for the
exhorbitant offence done to hym; and also un to the tyme the seide
Thomas fynde sofficient suerte of his gode beryng fro this tyme forthe.
And he shal pray to God for youre moste noble astate.
[Footnote 302.2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This is a petition to
the King in Parliament which, supported by the influence of
Cardinal Kemp, appears to have met with a favourable hearing
from the House of Lords. The date will appear by the letter
following.]
[Footnote 302.3: _See_ Nos. 123 and 124.]
[Footnote 302.4: The _langue-de-bœuf_ was a kind of glaive with
a double edge half down the blade.]
[Footnote 303.1: John Kemp, Archbishop of Canterbury and
Cardinal.]
[Footnote 303.2: Mutilated.]
239