_To my mayster, John Paston the oldest be thys delyveryd in hast._
[Sidenote: 1465 / MAY 10]
Ryght wyrshypfull husbond I recomaund me unto you. Pleysed you to wyte
that on Wensday last passyd Dabeney, Naunton, Wykes and John Love werr
at Drayton for to speke with your tenaunts ther to put hem in comfort
and for to aske money of hem also.
[Sidenote: Distr’ Petr’. Warin.]
And Pyrs Waryn, otherwyse callyd Pyrs at Sloth, whych ys a flykeryng
felowe and a besy with Mr. Phylyp and the Bayly of Cosshay, he had a
plowe goyng in your lond in Drayton, and ther your seyd servaunts at
that tyme toke hys plowe ware, that ys to say ij. marys, and broght hem
to Heylysdon, and ther they be yet. And on the next mornyng after Mr.
Phylyp and the Baylly of Cosshay com to Haylysdon with a grete nomber of
pepell, that ys to say viij.^xx. men and mor in harnysse, and ther toke
from the persons plowe ij. hors, pris iiij. marc and ij. hors of Thomas
Stermyns plowe, pris xl_s._,
[Sidenote: Distr’ Sturmyn et rectoris de Heylisdon.]
saying to hem that ther was taken a playnt ayenst hem in the hunderd by
the seyd Pyrs for takyng of the forseyd plowarre at Drayton, and but
they wold be bond to com to Drayton on Tewysday next comyng to awnswer
to such maters as shalbe sayd to them ther they shold not have ther
bests ayens; whych they refusyd to do on to the tyme that they had an
awnswer from you; and so they led the bestes forth to Drayton, and from
Drayton forth to Cosshay. And the same after none folwyng the parson of
Haylesdon send hys man to Drayton with Stermyn for to speke with Mr.
Phylyp to know a way yf they shuld have ayen ther cattell or not; and
Master Phylyp awnsweryd them yf that they wold bryng home ther destresse
ayen that was taken of Pyrs Waryn, that then he wold dylyver hem thers,
or els not;
[Sidenote: Crak.]
and he lete hem playnly wyte that yf ye or any of your servaunts toke
any dystresse in Drayton that were but the valew of an hen, they wold
com to Haylesdon and take ther the valew of an ox therefore, and yf they
cannot take the valew therof there, that then they wyll do breke your
tenaunts howsys in Haylesdon, and take as moch as they cowd fynd
therein; and yf they be lettyd therof, wych shall never lye in your
power for to do, for the Duck of Suffolk ys abyll to kepe dayly in hys
hows more men then Dabeney hadde herys on hys hede, yf hym lyst; and as
for Dabeney he ys a lewde felowe, and so he shalbe servyd herafter, and
I wold he were here. And therfore yf ye take uppon you to lette them so
for to do, that then they wold goo in to any lyflode that ye had in
Norfolk or Suffolk, and to take a destresse in lykewysse as they wold do
at Haylysdon. And other awnswerr cowde they non gyte, and so they
departyd.
[Sidenote: Accio rectoris et Sturmyn.]
Ric. Calle axid the parson and Stermyn yf they wold take an accyon for
ther catell, and the parson[138.1] seyd he was agyd and syklow, and he
wold not be trobelyd herafter; he sayd he had lever lose hys catell, for
he wyst well yf he dyde so he shold be endytyd, and so vexid with hem
that he shold never have rest by hem. As for Stermyn, he sayd at that
tyme he durst not take no sute ayenst hem nother; but after that Ric.
was rydyn, I spake with hym, and he sayd he wold be rulyd as ye wold
have hym, and I fond hym ryght herty and wel dysposyd in that mater; and
he is bownde to you an obligacyon of x_li._ sengyll with outen condycyon
that he shall abyde by such accyons as shalbe takyn by your advyse in
hys name; wherfore I have send you a tytelyng therof in a byll closyd
herin. I axyd Thomas Gryne avyse when they had take the dystresse hyre,
and he avysyd me that herre destresse shold be delyveryd a yen to them
so that we myzt have ayen ours; and me thoght it was non awnswer after
myn entent, and wold not therof but axyd avyse of Skypwith what hym
thoght that were best to doo there in, and most wyrshypfull. He seyd by
hys avyse that I shold send to you in al the hast that I cowde, and that
ye shuld fynde a mene therfore above, by the avyse of youre lernyd
counsell to have a wrytte from above for to delyver yt of lesse then the
undershyrff werre other wysse dysposyd to you then we fynde hym, for it
symyth that he ys made of the other party. And as for the replevyn for
the CC. shype ys not yet servyd.
[Sidenote: Replevin.]
Skypwyth thynkyth that ye myzt have a wrytte both for the shype and the
destresse now taken at Haylysdon, I pray you that ye wyll send word in
hast how [ye] woll that we doo in thys maters.
[Sidenote: Episcopus Norwic’.]
Skypwith went with me to the Byshop of Norwych, and I lyte hym have
knowlych of the ryotous and evyll dysposicyon of Master Phylyp, desyryng
hys Lordshyp that he wold see a mene tha[t] a correccyon myzt be hadde,
in as moch as he was chef Justic of the Peas and hys ordynare, and
inasmoch as he was a prest[139.1] and under hys correccyon that he shold
have understondyng of hys dysposicyon; and I made Dabeney to tell hym
all the mater howt it was; and he seyd he wold send for hym and speke
with hym. And he told me of dyvers thyngs of the demenyng of hym, wherby
I understode he lykyd not by hys dysposicyon nor demenyng in thys mater
nor in no nothyr; for it symyd he had provyd hym what he ys in other
maters.
[Sidenote: Episcopus Norwic’.]
My lord seyd to me that he wold ryght fayn that ye had a gode conclusyon
in your maters, and seyd by hys trouth, that he ought you ryght gode
wyll, and wold ryght fayn that ye wer com home, and seyd to me that it
shold be a grete comfort to your frends and neghbors, and that your
presens shold do more amongs hem, than a C. of your men shold do in your
absens, and more, your enmys wold ferr to do ayens you yf ye myght be at
home, and steryng amonges hem, and seyd full playnly in meny other
thyngs it wer to long to wryte at thys tyme, as Skypwith shall tell you
when he comyzt to you.
[Sidenote: Skipwith.]
I pray you thanke Skypwith of hys gode wyll, for he was ryght well
wyllyd to go with me and yeve me hys avyse, me thynkyth he ys ryzt well
wyllyd to you.
[Sidenote: Per’ Heyl’d.[139.2]]
Item, I pray you send hastely word how that ye wyll that we be gydyd
with thys place, for as it ys told me, it ys lyke to stond in as grete
jupardy in hast as othere don. On Thursday al day there were kept in
Draton logge in to lx. persons, and yet as it ys told me, ther be within
dayly and nyztly in to a xvj. or xx. persons.
[Sidenote: Elys.]
Item, it ys told me that Thomas Elys of Norwych, whych nowe ys chosyn
Mayer, seyd at Drayton that yf my Lord of Suffolk nede a C. men he wold
purvey hym therof, and yf any men of the town wold go to Paston he wold
do lay hem faste in prison.
[Sidenote: Supersedeas.]
I wold youre men mygh have a _supersedias_[139.3] owte of the chauncere,
and be owte of the danger of ther men here;
[Sidenote: Naunton.]
and I pray you let not Wyll Naunton be foryete therin. Ric. Calle and
other can tell you of hys demenyng; and I pray you that ye be not
dysplesyd for his abydyng with me, for in gode feth he hath ben a grete
comfort to me syn ye departyd hens, as I wyll lete you wyte hereafter.
I pray you yf hys brother com to you for a relesse of hys londe, lette
him non have on to the tyme that ye see hys faderes wyll, the whych I
wote wher it ys, and that it like you to desyre hym to be gode brother
to him.
[Sidenote: J. Paston at Castre. M. P. at Heylisdon.]
Item, I have left John Paston the older at Caster, to kype the place
there, as Ric. can tell you; for I had lever, and it pleasyd you, to be
captensse here then at Caster; yet I was nothyng purposyd to abyde here
when [I] come from home but for a day or ij., but I shall abyde here
tyll I here tydyngs from you.
[Sidenote: Brightled.]
Item, it ys told me that the Duck of Suffolk hath boght or shal by in
hast the ryzt that on Bryghtylhed hath in Haylesdon, &c.
[Sidenote: Evidens. Pekering.]
Item, as for the evydens that Watkyn Shypdam hadd, he delivered to hys
wyffe a box enselyd with hys owyn seall by hys lyffe for to be delyveryd
to you, whych box she delyveryd to Ric. Call under the same seall after
hys dessesse. Ric. can tell you of the gydyng of the cofere with other
boks that were at Shypdams.
[Sidenote: Evidens. Norwic’.]
And as for all your other evydens ye ther not feer as for the syzt of
hem, for ther hath nor shall no man sen hem tyll ye com hom. I can not
fynd that ye send to me fore to have oute of the rolle.
[Sidenote: Colt. Malt.]
Item, I here no word of Colte of New Castell, nor of no nother from you
that shold have your malte, but I have spoken to the Viker, John Rus and
Robert Boteler, to help for to sell your malte, and as we can do
therein, we shall send you word.
[Sidenote: Præpositus de [Cantab].[140.1]]
The Provest of Cambrygge ys com into thys contry and Dabeney shall
receve of hym that longyth to you on Monday or Tewysday, and he shall
have hys delyveryd accordyng to your wrytyng.
[Sidenote: Mater. Clere.]
Item, my moder told me that she thynkyth ryght strange that she may not
have the profects of Clyre ys place in peasabyll wyse for you, she seyt
it ys hers and she hath payd most therfore yet, and she sayth she wyll
have the profects therof, or ells she wyll make more folk to speke
therof. She seyth she knowyt not what ryght ne titell that ye have
therin but yf ye luste to trobell with herre, and that shold be no
wyrshep to you; and she sayth she wylbe ther thys somer and repayre the
housyng ther. In gode feyth I hyre moch langage of the demenyng betwene
you and herre. I wold ryght fayn, and so wold many moo of youre frendes,
that it were otherwyse bytwene you then it ys, and yf it were I hope ye
shold have the beter spyde in all other maters. I pray God be your gode
spyde in all your maters, and yef yow grace to have a gode conclusyon of
hem in haste for thys ys to wyry a lyffe to a byde for you and all
youre. Wryten in haste at Haylysdon the x. day of May.
The cause that I send to you this hastely ys to have an awnswer in haste
from you.
Your M. P.
[Footnote 136.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this letter
is rendered certain by the mention of Thomas Ellis as having been
elected Mayor of Norwich. He was so elected for the second time in
1465. He had been Mayor before in 1460-61, and was again after
this in 1474-75; but neither of these latter dates will suit the
other contents of this letter. Like some others of this year, this
letter is apostyled by John Paston.]
[Footnote 138.1: Thomas Hert, perhaps a relation of the Bishop of
Norwich, was presented to the rectory of Hellesden by Sir John
Fastolf in 1448, but how long he held it is uncertain, as the list
of rectors is very defective, and the next name that appears on it
is George Gardiner in 1579.]
[Footnote 139.1: Philip Lepeyate was presented to the rectory of
Salle in Norfolk, in 1460, by Thomas Brewse, Esq., afterwards
father-in-law of John Paston, the youngest.]
[Footnote 139.2: _i.e._ Periculum Heylesdon.]
[Footnote 139.3: So in MS.]
[Footnote 140.1: This word is left blank by Paston.]
[[be thys delyveryd in hast. _text has “delyveryd. in hast.”_]]
[[to put hem in comfort _text has “iu comfort”_]]
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