[Sidenote: 1469]
I grete zow wel, and send zow Godds blyssyng and myn, letyng zow wete
that on Thurysday last was my moder and I wer with my Lord of
Norwych,[37-3] and desyerd hym that he woold no mor do in the mater
towscheyng zowr syster, tyl that ze and my brother and other that wern
executors to zowr fader mythe beyn her to geder, for they had the rule
of her as weel as I; and he sayde playnly that he had be requeryd so
oftyn for to exameyn her, that he mythe not nor woold no longar delay
yt, and schargyd me, in peyn of cursyng, that sche schuld not be
deferred, but that she xuld a per beforn hym the nexte day; and I sayd
pleynly that I woold nowder bryng her nor send her; and than he sayd
that he woold send for her hym sylfe, and schargyd that she schuld be at
her lyberte to cume wan he sent for her; and he seyd be hys trowthe that
he woold be as sory for her and [_if_] sche ded not welle, as he wold be
and sche wer ryth ner of hys kyn, bothe for my moder ys sake and myn,
and other of her frendds, for he woost welle that her demenyng had
stekyd soor at our harts.
My moder and I in formyd hym that we kowd never onderstond be her
sayyng, be no language that ever sche had to hym, that neyther of hem
wer bownd to other, but that they myth schese bothe. Than he seyd that
he woold sey to her as wele as he kowde, before that he exameynd her;
and so that was told me be dyverse persones that he ded as welle and as
pleynly as sche had be rythe ner to hym, wych wer to long to wrythe at
thys tyme: her aftyr ye xalle wete, and hoo wer laberers ther in. The
schanseler[38-1] was not so gylty her in as I wend he had ben.
On Fryday the Bysschope he sent for her be Asschefeld and other that arn
ryth sory of her demenyng. And the Bysschop seyd to her ryth pleynly,
and put her in rememberawns how she was born, wat kyn and frendds that
sche had, and xuld have mo yf sche wer rulyd and gydyd aftyr hem; and yf
she ded not, wat rebuke, and schame, and los yt xuld be to her, yf sche
wer not gydyd be them, and cause of forsakyng of her for any good, or
helpe, or kownfort that sche xuld have of hem; and seyd that he had hard
sey, that sche loved schecheon [_such one_] that her frend[es] wer not
plesyd with that sche xuld have, and therfor he had her be ryth weel
avysyd how sche ded, and seyd that he woold undyrstand the woords that
sche had seyd to hym, wheyther that mad matrimony or not. And sche
rehersyd wat sche had seyd, and seyd, yf thoo wordds mad yt not suher,
she seyd boldly that sche wold make that suerher or than sche went
thens, for sche seyd sche thowgthe in her conschens sche was bownd, wat
so ever the wordds wern. Thes leud wordds greveth me and her grandam as
myche as alle the remnawnte. And than the Bysschop and the Schawnseler
bothe seyd that ther was neyther I ner no frend of hers wold reseyve
[her].
And than Calle was exameynd aparte be hym sylfe, that her wordds and hys
acordyd, and the tyme, and wher yt xuld a be don. And than the Bysschop
sayd that he supposyd that ther xuld be fownd other thynggs ageyns hym
that mythe cause the lettyng ther of; and ther for he say he wold not be
to hasty to geve sentens ther upon, and sayd that he wold geve overe day
tyl the Wednsday or Thursday aftyr Mykylmes, and so yt tys delayyd. They
woold an had her wyl performyd in haste, but the Bysschope seyd he woold
non other wyse than he had seyd.
I was with my moder at her plase whan sche was exameynd, and wan I hard
sey what her demenyng was, I schargyd my servaunts that sche xuld not be
reseyved in my hows. I had zeve hir warnyng, sche mythe a be war a for,
yf sche had a be grasyows; and I sent to on or ij. mor that they xuld
not reseyve her yf sche cam; sche was browthe a geyn to my place for to
a be reseyved, and Sir Jamys[39-1] tolde them that browthe her that I
had schargyd hem alle and sche xuld not be reseyved; and soo my Lord of
Norwych hath set her at Roger Bests, to be ther tyle the day befor sayd,
God knowyth fule evel ageyn hys wyle and hys wyvys, yf they durst do
other wyse. I am sory that they arn a cumyrd with her, but zet I am
better payed that sche isther for the whyle, that sche had ben in other
place be cause of the sadnes and good dysposysion of hys sylfe and hys
wyfe, for sche xal not be sou’d [_suffered ?_] ther to pleye the
brethele.[39-2] I pray zow and requer zow that ye take yt not pensyly,
for I wot wele yt gothe ryth ner zowr hart, and so doth yt to myn and to
other; but remembyr zow, and so do I, that we have lost of her but a
brethele,[39-2] and set yt the les to hart, for and sche had be good,
wherso ever sche had be, yt xuld not aben as it is, for and he wer ded
at thys owyr, she xuld never be at myn hart as sche was. As for the
devors [_divorce_] that ze write to me of, I supose wat ze ment, but I
scharge zow upon my blyssyng that ze do not, ner cause non other to do,
that xuld offend God and zour conschens, for and ze do, or cause for to
be do, God wul take vengawns ther upon, [and] ye xuld put zour sylfe and
other in gret joparte; for wettyt wele, sche xal ful sor repent her
leudnes her aftyr, and I pray God sche mute soo. I pray zow for myn hard
ys hese [_heart’s ease_], be ze of a good cownfort in alle thynggs;
I trust God xal helpe ryth wele, and I pray God so do in alle our
maters. I wuld ze toke hed yf ther weher any labor mad in the kort of
Cawntrybery for the leud mater forsayd.
But yf [_i.e._ unless] the Duke[40-1] be purveyd for, he and hys wyse
kow[n]sel xalle lefe thys cuntre; yt is told me that he seythe that he
wul not spar to do that he is purposyd, for no Duke in Ynglond. God
helpe at nede.
[Footnote 37-2: [From Fenn, iv. 358.] This letter has reference to
the contract of marriage between Richard Calle and Margery Paston
in 1469. _See_ No. 710, preceding. The last paragraph seems to
have reference to the propositions mentioned in the preceding
letter.]
[Footnote 37-3: Walter Lyhert.]
[Footnote 38-1: Fenn thinks this was Dr. John Saresson, otherwise
Wigenhale, who, he tells us, was Chancellor to the Bishop from
1435 to 1471, and had other Church preferment in the Diocese. But
I am a little doubtful whether he lived so long, as it does not
appear that he kept any other of his preferments to so late a
date. We know that Dr. William Pykenham was Chancellor in 1471.]
[Footnote 39-1: Sir James Gloys.]
[Footnote 39-2: _Brethele_ or _brethelyng_ signified a worthless
person.]
[Footnote 40-1: The Duke of Norfolk.]
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