[Sidenote: 1469]
To all cristen men to whom this present writyng shall come, Thomas, by
the providence of God, Preeste Cardinall Archiebisshopp of Caunterbury,
Primat of all Inglond and Legat of the Appostallic See, gretyng. Where
now late Alice, Duchesse of Suffolk, come to us and desirid of us to
dismysse us of oure estate and to enseall a deed of a relees of the
maner of Haylysdon with the appurtenaunce in the counte of Norffolk;
which we denyed, in as myche as wee stode infeoffyd in the seid maner
with othirs to the use of Sir John Paston knyght, sone and heire to John
Paston sqwyer; to the whiche the seid Duchesse replied, seying and
affermyng that she was accordyd and agreed with the seid Sir John Paston
by the meane of the ryght Reverent fader in God, George Archebysshop of
York, and that the seid Sir John Paston was fully assented and agreed
that the seid Duchesse shuld have the seid manere wyth th’appurtenaunce
to hir, hir heyris and assignes for ever more, and that all the feoffees
enfeoffid and seisid in the seid manere wyth the appurtenaunce shuld
relees and make astate to hir or such as shee wolde assigne of the seid
manere wyth th’appurtenaunce; the wehych we answerde and seid upon
condicion that the seid Sir John Paston weere so agreed we wold relees
wyth a goodwyll, and els not; and yff so were that we cowde understand
hereafter by the seid Right reverent Fadir in God, George Archebisshop
of York, or by the seid Sir John Paston, that ther ware noon such
accorde made by twex the seid Duchesse and the seid Sir John, that than
oure deed and relees by us so ensealed off the seid maner wyth
th’appurtenaunce shuld stond as voyd, and of no force nor effecte; to
the wehyche the seid Duches agreed, and prayd us that we wold sealle hir
a deed of the same maner, wyche shee had theere redy, uppon the same
condicion and uppon noone other. And wee than, at hir specyall request
upon the condicion aforeseyd rehersid, sealid the seyd deed and
delyvered it; and the seid Duchesse at the same tyme promitted us that
she wold use and kepe the seid writyng noo notherwise, nor to noon othir
use but uppon the same condicion as is aforeseid. In witnesse whereoff,
to this oure present writyng we have sette oure seall.
[Footnote 12-2: [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 127.] From what Margaret
Paston writes to her son Sir John in the end of the last letter
about his father’s will, and also from what she says a little
later about the Duchess of Suffolk (_see_ page 15), we may assign
this document with great probability to the year 1469.]
[[_page 15 = Letter 704_]]
703