[Sidenote: 1455 / MARCH (?)]
Right hy and myghty Prynce, my right gode and gracyous Lord, I recomaund
me to your gode Lordship, etc. And please itt your Hyghnesse to wete
that Sir Philip Wenteworth purchasid the Kyngs patentis of the ward of
the heyer and londes of a por kynnesman of myne called John Fastolf of
Cowhawe, late passed to God, to the grett hurte and distruccion as well
of the inheritance of the seyd heyer as interrupcion and breking of the
last will of the seyd John, and also to my grett troble and dammage; and
for asmoche as it fortowned be grase the seyd patentes to be mystake, so
that they were not laufull ne suffycyent, be avyce of conceyll, certeyn
persones,[19.2] to myn use, purchesid be the Kyngs letters patentes
suffycyent and laufull of the ward of the seyd londes. And the rigth of
thes bothe patentes hath be putte in juges and lerned men, affor hom the
seyd Sir Philipp ne his conceyll cowd never prove hes tytill lawfull be
his seyd patents, and this notwithstanding intendith be fors, as I
understand, to take the profytes of the seyd londes ageyns all lawe and
concyence. Beseching your Lordchip to tender me in myn age and sekenesse
that may not ryde ne help myself, and of your habundant grace to
supporte me in my right, that I be not be fors ageyns lawe and concyence
kepte from the possescion of the seyd londes in this contre, wher ye be
Prynce and Sovereyn next owr Sovereyn Lord.
_The following memoranda occur on the back:_--
Br[adwe]ll juxta Jernemut.
Kirley juxta Leystoft, viij_li._
Foxhole . . . . . . . }
Cowhaw in Nakton } xviij_li._
on this side Yepiswich, iij. myl, }
Langston in Brustall, }
ij. myle beyond Yepiswich,} iij_li._
Bentele, ij. mile beyond Brustall, xiiij_li._ (?)
[Footnote 19.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The MS. of this is a
corrected draft. Although the person addressed is not named, the
style in which he is addressed, and particularly the last
sentence, leave no doubt that it is the Duke of Norfolk. Indeed,
this is not unlikely to be the letter mentioned in the
postscript to the last, of which a copy or draft was sent along
with the original to John Paston that he might deliver the
latter, only if he approved of its contents. If so, it is
probable that Paston withheld it, as we find by the letter
immediately following that Fastolf addressed another memorial to
the Duke on the subject of his dispute with Wentworth four days
later.]
[Footnote 19.2: They were John Paston and Thomas Howes, and
their patent was dated 6th June 32 Hen. VI. (1454).--See _Rolls
of Parl._ v. 371.]
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