_To my ryght worschipful husband, John Paston, be this delyverd in
hast._
[Sidenote: 1465 / AUG. 7]
Right wurchepfull husbond, I recomaund me to you. Please it you to wete
that I sent on Lammesse day[169.3] to Drayton, Thomas Bonde and Sir
James Gloys to hold the court in your name, and to clayme your tytill;
for I cowde gete none other body to kepe the court, ner that wuld go
theder but the seide Thomas Bonde, be cause I suppose thei were a ferd
of the pepill that shuld be there of the Duke of Suffolks parte. The
said Thomas and James, as the Duke of Suffolks men, that is to sey,
Harlesdon, the parson of Salle, Mayster Phillip and William Yelverton,
the which was styward, with a lx. persones or more be estymacion, and
the tenauntes of the same town, sum of hem havyng rusty pollexis and
byllys, comyn in to the maner yard to kepe the courte, met with them,
and told them that thei were comyn to kepe the court in your name, and
to clayme your titill. Wherfore the seid Harlesdon, with ought any mor
words or occasion yovyn of your men, comytted the seid Thomas Bonde to
the kepyng of the new Baly of Drayton, William Dokett, seyng that he
shuld go to my lord and do his herand hym self, notwithstandyng that Sir
James dede the erands to them, and had the words; wherfor thei toke the
seid Thomas with ought occasion. Thei wuld have mad the seid Thomas to
have had the words, and the seid James told hem that had hem, because he
was the more pesibill man, whan afterward thei bade avoyde, and sithen
led forth Thomas Bonde to Cossey, and bownde his armes be hynde hym with
whippe cord like a theffe, and shuld have led hym forth to the Duke of
Suffolk, ner had be that I had spokyn with the juges in the morwyn or
thei yede to the shirehous and enformed hem of such ryottes and
assaugthis as thei had mad up on me and my men; the baly of Cossey and
all the Duke of Suffolks councell beyng ther present, and all the lerned
men of Norffolk, and William Jenney and my[che] pepill of the contre;
the juge callyng the baly of Cossey befor them all, and yaffe hym a gret
rebuke, comaundyng the shereffe to se what pepill thei had gadred at
Drayton; which came after to Helesdon to se the pepill ther, with weche
[pe]pill he held hym wele content; and fro thens he rode to Drayton to
se ther pepill, which wer avoyded or he came. And ther he desired to
have delivered the seid Thom. Bonde to hym; and thei excusid hem and
seid thei had send hym to the Duke of Suffolk. Notwithstandyng,
afterward thei sent hym to Norwhich to hym, desiryng hym that he shuld
delivere hym not withought he mad a fyne, be cause he trobilled the
Kynges lete; for which thei mad l . . . . to juges. But after that I
understod it, I sent Danyell of Mershlond and Thomas Bonde[170.1] to
enforme the juges how the seide Thomas was entreted amonges hem, and so
he ded. And the juges were gretly . . . . . with the Dukes men, and
forwith comaunded the sheryf to delyver the seide Bone withoute any fyne
m[aking], seyng that he out non to make. And in goode feythe I founde
the juges ryght gentell and forborable to me in my matres,
notwithstandyng the Duckes councell had made her compleynt to them or I
come in ther werst wice, noysyng us of gret gatheryng of peopell and
many riotes thynges don be me and your men. And after I enformed the
juges of ther untrouthe and of ther gidyng, and of our gidyng in like
wice. And after the juges undrestod the trouthe he gave the baly of
Cossey befor me and many other a passyng gret rebuke, seyng without he
amended hes condicion and governaunce, thei wuld enforme the Kynge and
helpe that he schuld be punyschet. And wher as ye avyced me . . . . .
a felaschip to kepe the coorte at Drayton with easy cost, it was thought
be your councell it wer better otherwise, and not to gather no people,
for it was told me that the Dukes men had to the nombre of v. C. men,
and your councel avised me to gete a felischip to kepe my place at
Heylesdon, for it was told me that they schuld come and pulle me out of
the place, weche cauced me to kepe the place the strenger at that tyme.
And as for kepyng of any coort for you at Drayton, I can not wete how it
cowde be brought a boute withoute helpe of other but if there schuld
growe gret inconvenyence of it. And at the ass[izes] . . . . made gret
labor to endite your men, notwithstandyng it was letted. And as for the
writtes of replevyn, they were delyverd openly be for the juges to the
scheryf, and also other writtes wech Jamys Gresham brought; and aftre
that Ric. Calle spake with the high scheref for the servyng of hem. And
so he promysed to serve it and to send men of hes owne to serve it; and
so he sent ij. of his men with Ric. Lynsted, and with ij. of Scheperdes
to Cossey for the schepe. And ther they wer answer that Yelverton
cleymeth the properte, and so wer they answerd in all other places wher
as any catell was. And so they departed and come to the scheryf and
enformed hym; and I undrestande the scheryf taketh it for an answere;
notwithstandyng I send hym word withoute that Yelverton had ben ther in
hes owne persone he myte not cleyme the properte, and aviced hym to be
ware what retorne he made that he were not hurte by it. And so he hathe
made no retorne yet. What he wul doo I wat ner. He is stylle in this
contre yet and schal be this iiij. or v. dayes, but your councell
thynketh it were well don that ye gete an _allias_[172.1] and a
_pluries_ that it myght be sent don to the scheryf and than he can mak
non excuse but nedys . . . . .[172.2] it well (?) to make a retorne as
he wol abide by. I can not wete how the catell woll be goten ayen
withoute other processe be had more than we have yet.
Item, on Tuesday next comyng schal the sescions of the pees be at
Wolsyngham. What schal be do ther I wot not yet; for as for any
indytementes that we schuld labor a yenst them it is but wast werk; for
the scheryf ner the jerrours wol no thyng do ayenst them.
Item, wher as ye desire to knowe what gentelmen wolde do for you at this
tyme, in goode feythe I founde Herry Greye, Lomnor, Alblastre, Wer
. . . . (?), Berney of Redham, Skyppewith, and Danyell of Merchelond,
ryght weele disposed to you ward at this tyme in helpyng and in zevyng
ther goode avice to me for suche maters as I had to doo. Ye schal have
more pleyne undrestondyng of all thynges her after than I may write to
you at this tyme.
Item, the _supersedias_[172.3] and the _supplicavit_[172.3] is delyverd
to Alblastre and to Wechyngham, and they have mad out bothe warantes and
_supersedias_;[172.4] nevertheles ther is non servyd yet.
Item, I received the box with the writt and the letter that Berney sent
to me on Friday last and non er [_no earlier_].
Item, as for the pris of malte it is fallen here sore, for it is worthe
but ij_s._ viij_d._ j. quarter at Yermoth.
Item, as for your wolle, I may selle a stoone for xl_d._, so that I wol
geve halfe yere day of payment. I prey you sende me word how I shal do
in this matre and in all other, &c. And God kepe you. Wreten in haste
the Wednesday next aftre Lammes daye.