[Footnote 259.2: [From Fenn, iii. 140.]]
440
[JOHN PASTON?] TO [RICHARD] SOUTHWELL[260.1]
Brother Suthwell, I comand me to yow, sertifiing yow that, on Thursday
be the morwe, I spak with my cosine Wichingham at London, where he lete
me wet of the letter sent to Lee, wherby I conseyve the stedfast
godlordship and ladiship of my Lord and my Lady[260.2] in this mater,
&c., whech gevith cause to all her servaunts to trost verily in them and
to do hem trew servise. I lete yow wete that the seid Wychyngham, when I
departid from hym, had knowleche that Jane Boys shuld that nyght be come
to London, and he put in a bylle to the Lordis for to have delyverauns
of hyr and to have hese adversarys arestid. And this nyght at Norwiche
was told me newe tydyngges that she shuld on Thursday after my departyng
a be before the Lordis and there asaide untrewly of her selff, as the
berer hereof shal informe yow if ye know it not before; of wheche
tydyngges, if they be trew, I am sory for her sake, and also I fere that
her frendys schuld sewe the more feyntely, wheche Godde defende. For her
seyng untrewly of her selff may hurt the mater in no man but her selff;
and thow she wol mescheve her selff, it wer gret pete but if the mater
were laborid forth, not for her sake, but for the worchepe of the
estatys and other that have laboryd therin, and in ponyshing of the gret
oryble dede. Wherfore I send yow dyvers articlis in a bill closid herin,
wheche preve that she was raveshid ayens hyr wel, what so ever she sey.
* * *
Thes be provis that Jane Boys was ravischig [_sic_] ageyn her wil, and
not ber awn assent.
One is that she, the tyme of her takyng, whan she was set upon her hors,
she revyled Lancasterother[261.1] and callid hym knave and wept, and
kryid owte upon hym pitewly to her, and seid as shrewdly to hym as coud
come to her mende, and fel doune of her hors unto that she was bound,
and callid him fals t[r]aytor that browth her the rabbettes.
Item, whan she was bounde she callid upon her modyer, wheche folwyd her
as far as she myght on her feet, and whan the seid Jane sey she myght
goo no ferther, she kryid to her modyer and seid that what so ever fel
of her, she shuld never be weddyd to that knave, to deye for it.
Item, be the weye, at Shraggarys hous in Kokely Cley, and at
Brychehamwell, and in all other places wher she myght see any people,
she kryid owte upon hym, and lete people wete whos dowtyr she was, and
how she was raveshid ayens her wyll, desyeryng the people to folwe her
and reskew her.
Item, Lancasterotherys prest of the Egle in Lyncolne shire, wheche
shroff her, seid that she told hym in confession that she wold never be
weddyd to hym, to deye for it; and the same prest seid he wold not wedde
hem togedyr for M{^l.}_li._
Item, she sent divers tokenes of massage to Sothwell be Robert Inglose,
wheche previth welle at that tyme she lovyd not Lancasterother.
Item, a man of the master of Carbrokes come dyvers tymes in the weke
before she was raveshid to Wychynghams hous, and inquerid of her mayde
whedyr her mastras was insuerid to Sothwell or nay, the wheche prevyth
well that Lancasterother was not sure of her godwill ne knew not of her
counseyl, for if he had, he ne nedid not to have sent no spyes.
Whech seen, I avyse yow to move my Lord and my Lady to do in this mater
as affettualy as they have do before, for this mater touchyth hem,
consideryng that they have begonne; and dowt not, what so ever falle of
the woman, well or evel, my Lord and my Lady shal have worchep of the
mater if it be wel laborid, and also ye shall have avayl therof and the
advers parte chall gret trobil.
Also it were necessarie that Wychyngham were sent to and cofortyd in
hese seute, and that he avysid hym of seche articlis and preves of the
mater as I have sent to yow and put hem in writing, but not to disclose
non tho preves to non creature unto that tyme that it fortune the mater
to be tried be enquest, or other wyse take end, but avyse hym for to
seye to the Lords and all (?) in generall termes that what so ever
Lancasterother or hese douter seyn nowh, it shal be wel prevyd she was
reveshid ayens her wyll; and let him desire of the Lordis that his
dowter mith be in his kepyng, and at large fro Lancasterother un tylle
the mater were duly examynd. I wold this mater sped the bety[r] be cause
my Lady spoke so feythefully to me therin, and that mevyth me to wryte
to yow this long symple lettyr of myn intent. [262.1][Also wher ye be
informyd that vj. men of Osbern Monforthes shuld a be at the seid
raveshing, I certifie yow verily it was not soo; for Osbern Mondeford
wol do in the mater all that ever he can or may to help to punisse the
doer, and desirith to know the grownd of that tale, of whech I pray send
me word if and what ye will ellis.] God kepe yow.
Wret at Norwich the Soneday nex before the fest of Sent Margret.
Item, [if] she had be of hes assent affter the time she was in hes
possescion in Lynkoln shire, hit had be bett--[262.2]
[Footnote 260.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is printed
from a corrected draft in a hand which may be that of Margaret
Paston, writing in her husband’s name. The beginning may perhaps
refer to the impending marriage of Richard Southwell with Amy,
daughter of Sir Edmund Wichingham, which took place, according
to Blomefield (x. 274), about the beginning of Edward IV.’s
reign. From the mention made of Osbert Mundford, however, the
letter cannot be later than 1460. The ravishment of Jane Boys,
as here related, corresponds so closely with that of Dame Joan
Beaumont, of which notice will be found in the _Rolls of Parl._,
v. 269, that we might almost surmise the same person is spoken
of; but this can hardly be.]
[Footnote 260.2: Probably the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk.]
[Footnote 261.1: According to Blomefield (viii. 299) Joan
(or Jane), one of the four daughters of Edmund de Wichingham,
married, first, Robert Longstrather, and afterwards Robert Boys
of Honing, in Norfolk.]
[Footnote 262.1: This passage is crossed out in the MS.]
[Footnote 262.2: Sentence left incomplete.]
441-448