_To the right hyghe and myghty Prince, and my right good and gracious
Lord, my Lord the Dwke of Norffolk._
[Sidenote: 1472]
Mekly besechyth your hyghness, your poore and trew contynuall servaunt
and oratour, John Paston, the yonger, that it myght please your good
grace to call on to your most discret and notabyll remembrance that
lateward, at the cost and charge of my brodyr, John Paston, Knyght,
whyche most entendith to do that myght please your hyghness, the ryght
nobyll Lord, the Bysshop of Wynchester entretyd so, and compouned with
your Lordshepp, that it liekyd the same to be so good and gracious Lord
to my seyd brodyr, that by forsse of serteyn dedys, relessis, and
lettrys of attorney selyd with the sealys of your good grace, and of
other serteyn personys infeoffyd to your use in the maner of Caster,
late John Fastolffes, Knyght, in the conte of Norffolk, my seyd brodyr
and I, with other enfeoffyd to my seyd brodyrs use in the seyd maner,
wer peasably possessyd of and in the same tyll syche tyme as serteyn
personys, servaunts on to your good grace, entred in to the seyd maner,
and therof have takyn the issuses and profitys in the name of your seyd
hyghnesse by the space of thre yer and more, to the gret hurt of my seyd
brodyr and me your seyd servuantes and oratour: wherfor, as I have oft
tymys befor thys, I beseche your good grace, at the reverence of God,
and in the wey of charyte, that my seyd brodyr may by your hyghness be
ayen restoryd in to the possessyon of the sey[d] maner, acordyng to the
lawe and good conscyence; and wee shall prey to God for the preservacyon
of your most nobyll estate.
[Footnote 172-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This petition is shown
by internal evidence to have been drawn up towards the end of the
year 1472, as it sets forth that the Duke had been more than three
years in possession of Caister, which was surrendered to him in
September 1469. There can be no doubt therefore that it was
presented or prepared for presentation at the time of John
Paston’s visit to Framlingham.]
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