[Sidenote: 1456(?) / [MAY 16]]
After humble and due recommendacion, please it your gode maistership to
understand that atte makyng of this my pour letter ther were no
noveltees with us, but suche as yee understode full well afor your
departyng, except the Kyng woll in to Scotland in all maner wyse of
werre, and that my Lord of Weltshire shal be made Chaunceller. I suppose
the better is but a sclaunder, and therfore be ye avised howe ye delyver
theym as tidynges.
Also I wotte ful well where I lefte you in suche matiers as it pleassed
you to make me of your counsell, as touchyng oon matier specially; and
howe that ye said unto me whenne I desired your goode maistership to
shewe favour in suche as ye best myght yf any thing shuld be shewed _ad
lumen_, my Maister F. except; and howe that ye answered and said as it
pleassed you that I was conquered, in trouth, that shuld preve but a
full grete unstabulnes in me with more, &c. But, Sir, I pray you howe
some ever my maister rekeneth with any of his servaunts, bring not the
matier in revolution in the open Courte, for and it were ones opened
afore the Juges howe that any lettre patentes shuld be purchased of an
ante date,[88.1] and the defaute faunde in me, ye wold be a m^l.
[_thousand_] tymes avised, and my Maister F. both, or that ye wold amend
me soo much as I shuld be appered therbe. And therfor I beseche you be
well avised howe that matier be oponed for myn ease.
I was not desired to write unto you of no on persone, so God be my help,
yourself except; but I wold ye wold take avise and counsell of the
Preest that hadde you soo long under hand on Shorthursday,[88.2] whenne
I and my feleship, God thank you, hadde of you right grete chere to our
grete comfort and your grete coste, howe that the same Preest
understandeth this letter of the Gospell underwriten: ‘Jesus dixit
Simoni Petro, Si peccav[er]it in te frater tuus, vade et corripe eum
inter te et ipsum solum; si te audierit lucratus es fratrem tuum. Si
autem te non audierit, adhibe tecum adhuc unum vel duos, ut in ore
duorum vel trium testium stet omne verbum. Quod si non audierit, dic
ecclesiæ; si autem ecclesiam non audierit, sit tibi sicut ethnicus et
publicanus,’ etc. And in another place, ‘Tunc accedens Petrus ad Jesum
dixit, Domine, quotiens petevit [_peccabit_] in me frater meus, [et]
dimittam ei? usque septies? Dicit illi Jesus, Non dico tibi, usque
septies, set usque septuagesies septies.’[89.1]
My maister can doo no thing, the which shall come in open audience at
thise deies, but it shalbe called your dede. Hit is not unknoon that
cruell and vengible he hath byn ever, and for the most parte with aute
pite and mercy; I can no more but _vade et corripe eum_, for truly he
cannot bryng about his matiers in this word [_world_], for the word is
not for hym. I suppose it wolnot chaunge yetts by likelenes, but I
beseche you, Sir, help not to amend hym onely, by [_but ?_] every other
man yf ye kno any mo mysse disposed.
I canno more, but as I can or mey, I shal be his servaunt and youres
unto such tyme as ye woll comande me to sursese and leve of, yf it
please hym.
Sir, I pray you take this copy[89.2] of your statute, it is not examined
be me, for I found hit thise v. yeres pessed.
Writan in my slepyng tyme at after none, on Wytsonday. Also, Sir, yf I
have rehersed wyttyngly the text of the Gospell syngularly unto your
maistership, I beseche you to be had excused.
Your own,