_To the right worschipfull sir and maistre, John Paston jun., esquyer._
[Sidenote: 1461 / OCT.]
Ryght worschipfull sir, I recomaunde me unto your mastreschip,
certifiyng you that Jenney and Yelverton hathe certified up in to the
Kynges Benche inssurrecions [and] congregacions a yenste me; wherupon
they have sente to the scheryff a writte chargyng hym in peyne of C_li._
to brynge me in to the Kyngs Benche the morwe after Sein Marteyn. And
this daye the seide Jenney hathe sent doune to the scheryff an other
writte called an _habeas corpus_ retornable _crastino Animarum_, weche
schalbe on Twesday next comyng be cauce they were in dought and in
greete feere that I schulde have ben aquytte of the inditement of
fellony now at this gayle delyverye. And also my maistre hathe sente an
other writte for me retornable at the seid _crastino Animarum_. And so I
am like to ride to London warde to morwe. And the scheryff wold make me
to fynde suerte that I schulde appere in the Kyngs Benche the seid daye;
and yet, that notwithstandyng, he wolde send me with strengthe of men as
a presoner; and if any thynge schall cauce me that I goo not up to
London, it schalbe be cauce I woll fynde no suerte; for in cas he wold
have suffred me to have gon up be my selfe at myn owne coste, I wolde
have founde hym suertee. And so at the makyng of this bille we were not
fully condesended hough we schulde doo. My mastre is in goode hele,
blissed be Godd, and dothe and schall doo ryght weele in alle hes
maters. Ther is an ongracious felaschip of hem and a fals. They have
sent for Fitzraff and Schipdam, be a citacion for the proffe of the
testement, and alle is but for to delay it; yet it were weele done ye
rode over to Fitzraff and felte hes disposicion how he woll be disposed,
and in like wice with Schipdam, for I have spoken with hem of that
matre, in cas that any citacion come doun for hem, how they wolde be
disposed, and I have founde the too straunchely disposed. God send us a
good scheryf thys yere, and thanne we schalle do weele inough, be the
grace of God.
And, sir, your man tolde me that ye desired to knowe the demenyng at
Cotton of the tenaunts and other. I lete you wete the moste parte of
alle the tenaunts have bene here with me for to see me, and they have
tolde me all the demenyng as it is undrewrete. Furst, as for the money
that they receyved there it drwe upon a xxiiij^ti _li._ and more silver,
for the tenaunts myght not cheese but they moste nedes paye, for they
distreyned on my Lords of Suffolk fee, my Lords of Norwich fee, and on
all men grounde, so that they myght not have her catell in reste, weche
cauced hem to paye her money. I knowe weele i nough who payed and wo
paied not. All the grete fermours have payed. And as for the kepyng of
the place ther be therin iiij. men, and on of Debenham men, called
Sokelyng, and hes wyff, and on Mannyng, a tenaunt, a fals knave; and
they have enforced them as stronke as they kan, and they have broken
doune the brigge and have leide a planke over, in cas that ye go theder
ye may not come at Dale is howce in no waie, for he have had meche
trouble for my mastre and for me; but and ye wolde gete my Lords meane
and pulle the knaves out be the heede, it were weele done. I purpose me
to com hom warde that same wey. Item, I lete you witte that the gayle
delyverye holdeth not this daye, and alle is doone be cauce of mee,
Jenney wolde not lete the clerke of peas come hether this daye for feere
that I schulde have been aquytte of the felonye, for in trouthe and tho
it had holden, I had founde the meane for to have ben quytte, for I whas
through with the scheryff and panel made aftyr myn avice; but though the
gayle delyver had holden, I cowde not have ben delyverd, becauce of thes
writtes that be come downe. Item, the scheryff hathe a grete losse that
this daye holdethe not, for ther schulde have ben quytte xl. men this
daye. Item, the scheryff tolde me that my maistre tolde hym that I whas
assent to my takyng at Scoolys, weche was to me ryght greete hevynes and
discomforture nough in my trouble. And God knoweth it was never my wylle
ner myn entent, as I mot be saved at the dredful day of Dome; for ther
is no man so sore hurte as I am be the takyng, bothe in losse, and also
in reprefe of myn owne persoune and of my frends, withoute that my
mastre be my good maistre, as I truste he wolle be, or elles I am
disseyved. He hathe my trewe servyce and shal have whylle that I leve,
what so ever his mastreschip do to me, but I can thynke he hathe be
enformed be myn elmyes [_enemies_] that wold make hym disp[l]esed with
me, and to be myn evy [_heavy_] mastre, but dissimulacion dothe muche
harme, &c. I reporte me, &c. No more to you at this tyme, but Jesu kepe
you, and send you as much fortune and grace as I wolde ye had, &c.
I beseche [you] to be my goode mastre as ye have be, for I never
deserved nor wol deserve the contrary.
Your servaunt, RIC. CALLE,
presoner.
[Footnote 318.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter was
written in a year in which the morrow of All Souls’ Day (_i.e._
the 3rd November) fell on Tuesday. The Dominical letter of the
year must therefore be D. This was the case in 1461, and no
other year will suit a letter addressed to John Paston, junior.
For if we go back there is no earlier year in which D was the
Dominical letter till we come to 1450, when John Paston, junior,
was only ten years old; and if we go forward the next is 1467,
which was after John Paston the father’s death.]