[Sidenote: 1464(?)]
Maister Rothewell, please you to remembre, as for the mater that John
Paston and Sir Thomas Howys comownyd with you of, in whiche they desyred
specialy the good lordship, support and helpe of my Lordis of Wynchestre
and Beauchamp for acomplishement of the will of here testatour[112.1]
and in esshewynge of costis. And where as ye meovyd to knowe the materys
that were contraryed be otherys, we undirstonde and have knowlege of
late tyme it[112.2] stondeth in these materys folwyng.
Fyrst, the seyd Testatour be hise testament namyd the seyd Lordys and
the seyd John Paston and Thomas Howys and othyr executorys, and wolde as
for the admynistracion, kepyng and execucion of his goodis shuld be
takyn and doo be the seyd Paston and Howys duryng here lyves, if they
will take admynistracion; and if ony of hem too desese or refuce the
admynistracion, the tothyr to chese to hym on of the remnaunt of the
executorys to execute, &c. And if bothe deye, noon chosyn, thanne tweyne
to be chosyn be the executorys levyng, or the more part of hem, to
admynistre in lyk wise. And they too that do occupye to have recourse to
my seyd lordis and the othyr executorys in takyng here good avyse
chargeable and requysit materys. And this is oon matere that othyr namyd
in the Testament gruche with. Notwithstandyng, as for ony avauntage that
we cleyme to have by it, we wyll be agreable to ony mean resonable that
oure seyd lordis wyll ordeyne to the good disposecion of the goodys
accordyng to oure testatorys intent, or to ony meane that may concyensly
or lawefully be meovyd.
Item, as for hise wyll touchyng hese goodis on mevable, as hese londis
and tenamentis, the seyd testatour hathe at all tymes this xx. yeer, in
all wyllis that he hathe made, ordeynid that a gret part of hyse seyd
londis shuld goo to the fundacion of a collage at Castre of vij. monkys
or pristis and vij. pore folke; and he by hyse last wyll ordeynid that
the seyd John Paston shuld have all the londis and tenementis in
Norffolke, Suffolke and Norwyche; and that the seyd Paston shuld at hese
cost inmorteyse and indewe the seyd Collage and paye iiij^ml mark to be
dysposed for the testatouris soule, as is declaryd in the seyd wyll more
pleynerly. And as for the remnaunt of the lyflode to be sold, and the
mony thereof comynge to be disposed be thoo personys that he hathe
ordeynid to have the execucion of hise wyll and testament.
And as for thys matere of the Collage, there shall, be the mene hereof,
more mony growe to the handis of the mynistrorys, what soo ever they
bee, and also lesse labour thanne shuld have doo and thys hadde not bee,
in cas the seyd mynistroris wolde intende to parforme ony will that the
seyd Testatour made thys xx. yeer. And also it shalbe well provyd that
the seyd Testatour was dysposed to have doo more largely to the seyd
Paston thanne is conteynid in the seyd wyll if he hadde levyd the tyme
to have expressyd and parformyd hise wyll and entent.
Wherfor, plese my seyd lordis to take suche a direccion that the may
undirstonde the trouthe of these materys, and to shewe here good
lordshepys and favour accordyng to the trouthe in parformyng of the
Testatourys wyll, and in sesynge of voyd costis of hese goodis. And that
they will geve noo credence to suche as wyll upon here owyn
imagynacionys for maleyse or invye intendyng to contrarye the dedys wyll
or mys spende hese goodis . . .
_Endorsed by another hand:_--
A letter to Rothwell or Worcester or of Watkyn Schyddam.
[Footnote 111.1: [Add. MS. 33,597, f. 6.] This letter would seem
to be of about the same date as No. 569.]
[Footnote 112.1: Sir John Fastolf.]
[Footnote 112.2: _it._ MS. reads ‘in.’]
571