[Sidenote: 1469 / SEPT. 15]
Moodr, uppon Saterday last was, Dawbeney and Bernay wer on lyve and
mery, and I suppose ther com no man owt of the place to yow syn that
tyme that cowde have asserteynyd to yow of ther dethys. And as towchyng
the fyrsenesse of the Duke or of hys peple schewyd syn that tyme that
Wryttel departyd, I trowe it was concludyd that trews and abstynence of
werre scholde be hadd er he departyd, whych shalle dewr tyl Monday next
comyng; and by that tyme I trow that trews shall be takyn tyll that day
vij. nyght aftr, by whych tyme I hope of a goode dyreccion schall be
hadde.
And wher as ye wryght to me that I scholde sewe for letteris from my
Lordys of Clarans and Yorke, they be not her, and if they wrot to hym as
they have don ij. tymes, I trow it wolde nat advayle; and as for to
labor thois letteris and the rescu to gedre, they ben ij. sendry
thyngys, for when the rescu is redy, that the cost ther of is don. For
if I be drevyn therto to rescu it er they com ther that scholde do it,
it shall cost a m^{l}. escuys, and as meche after, whyh wey wer harde
for me to take, whyll that I maye do it otherwise; but as to sey that
they schall be rescuyd if all the lands that I have in Ingelond and
frendys maye do it, they shall, and God be frendly, and that as schertly
as it may goodlely and wele be brout abut. And the grettest defawt
erthly is mony and som frendys and neyborys to helpe; wherfor I beseche
yow to sende me comfort with what money ye coude fynde the menys to get
or chevysche uppon suerte sufficient, er uppon lyflod to be inmorgage er
yit solde, and what peple by lyklyed yowr frendys and myn kowde make
uppon a schort warnyng, and to send me worde in all the hast as it is
needfull. But, moodre, I fele by yowr wryghtyng that ye deme in me I
scholde not do my devyr withowt ye wrot to me som hevye tydyngs; and,
modre, if I had nede to be qwykynyd with a letter in thys nede, I wer of
my selfe to slawe [_too slow_] a felaw; but, moodre, I ensur yow that I
have herde x. tymes werse tydyngs syn the assege by gan than any letter
that ye wrot to me, and somtyme I have herde ryght goode tydyngs both.
But thys I ensure yow that they that be within have no werse reste than
I have, ner castyth mor jupperte; but whethyr I had goode tydyngys er
ill, I take Gode to wittnesse that I have don my devoyr as I wolde be
don for in case lyke, and schall doo tyll ther be an ende of it.
I have sent to the Kynge to Yorke, and to the Lordys, and hope to have
ansswer from them by Wednysday at the ferthest, and after that answer
shall I be rewlyd, and than send yow word, for tyll that tyme kan I take
non dyreccion. And to encomfort yow, dy[s]peyre yow not for lak of
vytayle ner of gonne powder, ner be natt to hevy ner to mery therfor;
for and hevynesse or sorow wolde have be the remedy ther of, I knew
nevyr mater in my lyfe that I kowde have ben so hevy or sory for, and
with Goddys grace it schall be remedyed well inow; for by my trowthe I
hadde lever lose the maner of Caister than the symplest mannys lyfe
therin, if that may be hys saveacion. Wherfor I beseche yow to sende me
worde wat mony and men ye thynke that I am lyke to get in that contre;
for the hasty purchace of mony and men schall be the getyng and rescu of
it, and the sauevacion of most mennys lyfys, if we take that weye.
Also thys daye I porpose to sende to Yorke to the Kyng for a thyng,
whych same only maye by lyklyod be the savacion of all. Ye must remembre
that the rescue of it is the last remedy of all, and how it is nat easy
to get; and also ye sende me worde that I scholde nat kome hom withowt
that I kome stronke. But if I had hadd on other stronge place in
Norfolke to have comen to, thowe I have browt ryght fewe with me,
I scholde, with Godds grace, have rescued it by thys tyme, er ellys he
scholde have ben fayne to have besegyd bothe placys or yit, and the Duke
had not kept Yarmoth owthe. But, mother, I beseche yow sende me som
mony, for by my trowth I have but x_s._ I[49-1] wot not wher to have
mor, and moreovyr I have ben x. tymes in lyke case or werse within thys
x. wekys. I sent to Rychard Call for mony, but he sendyth me non.
I beseche yow to gyde the evydence that Pekok can tell yow of, and to se
it saffe; for it is tolde me that Richard Call hath hadd right large
langage of them. I wolde nat they com in hys fyngrys. I have no worde
from yow of them, ner whether ye have yit in yowr kepyng the evydence of
Est Bekham owt of hys handys, ner whethyr ye have sent to my manerys
that they schold not paye hym no mor mony or not. Also that it like yow
to geve credence to Robyn in other thyngs.
Wret the Fryday next after Holy Roode Day.