_To the Kyng, our Liege Lord._
[Sidenote: 1464]
Besechyth lowly your humble servaunt, John Paston the older, squier,
that it please youre good grace, for such a fyne as your highnes hath
apoynted your seid besecher to content yow, wherof ye be put in suerte,
to graunt on to your seid besecher your gratious lettirs patentes of
licence to found, stabilissh, and endewe in the gret mancion of Caster
in Flegge in Norffolk, that late was John Fastolffs, knyght, cosyn to
your seid besecher, a college of vij. prestes, wherof one to be master,
and of vij. porefolk, to pray for your noble astate and for the soule of
the seid John Fastolff and such other as he was behold to inperpetuite,
aftir ordinauns by your seid besecher in that behalff to be made; and to
inmortese, geve and graunt to the seid prestes and to ther successours,
for the sustentacion of hem and of the seid porefolk CXX. mark of
annuite and rent charge, or annuites and rentes charge, yerly goyng out
of the maners callid Redhams, Vaux, and Bosomes, in Caster forseid,
Begviles in Wynterton, Reppis in Bastewyk, Spencers in Heryngby,
Loundhall in Saxthorp, Heylesdon, Drayton, Heynesford, Guton in
Brandeston, Beyton, Techewell, and of the thrid part of the maner of
Runham with th’apportenauns in the shire of Norffolk, and of the maners
of Hemnales in Cotton, Burneviles in Nakton, Akthorp in Leystoft,
Calcotes, Havelound, Spitlyngges, with th’apportenauns in the shire of
Suffolk, and out of any part of the seid maners, with a clause of
distresse for defaut of payment of the seid rente, and vj. acres of lond
in the seid towne of Caster, and the avowsons of the chirches of the
same town, and the fourth part of the seid mancion, or any part therof
for the habitacion of the seid prestes and porefolk, to be reparid at
the costs of your seid besecher, and his heires or assignes for evir.
And also by your seid lettirs patentes to graunt the same prestes to be
one body incorperate and to have succession perpetuall, and a comon
seall, and to be persones abill to plede and to be impletid, and to
purchase and alienyn all maner londes, goodes and catell, by the name of
the master and his brethyrn of the college of Sen John Baptist of Castre
aforeseid. And also by your seid lettirs patentes to licence the seid
prestes to take and reseyve, and to hold to them and to ther successours
the seid annuite, rent charge, vj. acres of lond, avousons, and the seid
------[110.1] part of the seid mancion, for evir. And to geve your
Chaunceler of Inglond for the tyme beyng, comaundement, power, and
auctorite that where as in this petision is not comprehendid the
certeynte of termes, maters, clauses, and other circumstaunces
convenient and requisite after forme of lawe for licens of the seid
fundacion, that your seid Chaunceler, that notwithstandyng, do make your
seid lettirs patentes in forme of lawe effectuall and sufficient in that
behalf after the very entent aforeseid, not excedyng the valew and somme
before specifyd, without any fyne or fee other thanne is afore specifyd
to be payd for the seid lettirs patentes, licens, or grauntes, by your
seid besecher or by the seid prestes; and thei shall pray hertly to God
for yow.
_Endorsed in a later hand:_--Supplicatio Jo. Paston [pro] fundacione
Collegii apud Caistor [secundum] formam testamenti Jo. Fastolf, mil.
[Footnote 109.1: [From MSS. in the Bodleian Library.] This, and
the alternative petition which follows, seem to have been drawn up
in the year 1464, as one or other of them must have been the
subject of the agreement of the 10th September in that year
(No. 571). The two are printed from two parchment MSS. in the
Bodleian Library. There is also, among the Paston MSS. in the
British Museum, a third copy, fair written on parchment like the
other two, of which the text corresponds in the beginning to the
second petition, and in the latter part to the first.]
[Footnote 110.1: A blank on an erasure.]