_To John Paston, Esqer, be thys delyveryd._
[Sidenote: 1473 / JUNE 3]
Ryght wyrshypfull brother, I comand me to yow, letyng yow weet that thys
daye I was in very purpose to Caleys ward, all redy to have goon to the
barge, saff I teryed ffor a yonge man that I thoght to have had with me
thyddr, on that was with Rows, whyche is in the cowntre; and because I
cowde not geet hym, and that I have no mor heer with me butt Pampyng,
Edward, and Jak, therffor Pampyng remembryd me, that at Caleys he tolde
me that he purposed to be with the Duchesse off Norffolk, my Lady and
yowrs. And Edward is syke and semythe nott abydyng; he wolde see what
shold falle off thys worlde; and so I am as he that seythe ‘Come hyddr
John, my man.’ And as happe was yisterday, Juddy went affor to
Caleysward; wherffor I am nowe ille purveyd, whyche ffor owte that I
knowe yit is lyke to kepe me heer thys Wytsontyd.[187-2] Wherffor iff ye
knowe any lykly men, and ffayr condycioned, and good archers, sende them
to me, thowe it be iiij. and I wyll have them, and they shall have iiij.
mrks by yer, and my levere [_livery_].
He maye com to me hyddr to the Gott [_Goat_], or yit to Caleys with a
riall[187-3] iff he be wyse, whyche iff nede bee, I wolde that Berker
toke hym to come uppe with, iff it be suche one as ye tryst.
Item, I suppose bothe Pytte and Kothye Plattyng shall goo ffrom me in
hast; I wyll never cherysshe knaves soo as I have don, ffor ther sakys.
Item, I praye yow sende me a newe vestment off whyght damaske ffor a
dekyne, whyche is among myn other geer at Norwiche, ffor he shall ther
too as ye woot off: I wyll make an armyng doblett off it, thow I sholde
an other tyme gyff a longe gown of velvett ffor another vestment, and
send it in all hast to Hoxon to send me.
I hopyd to have been verry mery at Caleys thys Whytsontyde, and am weell
apparayled and apoyntyd, saff that thes ffolks ffayle me soo, and I have
mater ther to make off ryght excellent. Som man wolde have hastyd hym to
Caleys thowe he had hadd no better erand, and som men thynke it wysdom
and profyght to be theer now weell owt off the weye.
Item, as ffor the Bysshop[188-1] and I, we bee nerrer to a poynt than we
weer, so that my part is nowe all the londes in Flegge Holly, the maner
off Heylesdon, Tolthorpe, and tenements in Norwyche and Erlham, excepte
Fayrechylds, but ffarweell Drayton; the Devyll do ytt them.
Item, large and fferr comynycacion hathe ben bytwyen Sir John Fogge,
Ric. Haulte, ffor ther suster and me, byffor Doctor Wyntborne and ellys
wher, so that I am in better hope than I was, by Seynt Lawrens[188-2]
that I shall have a delyveraunce.
Item, as ffor tydyngs heer, I trow ye have herde yowr parte, howe that
the Erle off Oxenfford landyd by Seynt Osyes in Essexe, the xxviij. daye
off Maye, saff he teryed nott longe, ffor iff he had, the Erle of
Essexe[188-3] rod to hym wardys, and the Lords Denham and Durasse, and
other mor, whyche by lyklyod sholde have dystrussyd hym; but yit hys
comyng savyd Hogan hys hed, and hys profesye is the mor belevyd ffor he
seyde that thys troble sholde begyn in Maye, and that the Kynge sholde
northwards, and that the Scotts sholde make us werke and hym batayle.
Men loke afftr they wot not what, but men by harneys ffast; the Kyngs
menyall men and the Duke off Claraunces, ar many in thys town; the Lord
Ryverse[188-4] com to daye, men seye to purveye in lyke wyse.
Item, how that the Cowntesse off Warwyk[188-5] is now owt off Beweley
Seyntwarye, and Sir James Tyrell conveyth hyr northwarde, men seye by
the Kynges assent, wherto som men seye that the Duke off Clarance is not
agreyd.
Item, men seye that the Erle off Oxenfford is abowt the Ilde off Tenett
hoveryng, som seye wyth grett companye, and som seye, with ffewe.
No mor, but God kepe yow.
Wretyn at London the iij. daye off June, Anno E. iiij^ti xiij^{o}.