Anonymous to Master Rothewell

570

ANONYMOUS TO MASTER ROTHEWELL¹

MAISTER Rothewell, please you to remembre, as for
          the mater that John Paston and Sir Thomas Howys
         comownyd with you of, in whiche they desyred
specialy the good lordship, support and helpe of my Lordis of
Wynchestre and Beauchamp for acomplishement of the will
of here testatour¹ and in esshewynge of costis. And where as
ye meovyd to knowe the materys that were contraryed be
otherys, we undirstonde and have knowlege of late tyme it²
stondeth in these materys folwyng.

     Fyrst, the seyd Testatour be hise testament namyd the
seyd Lordys and the seyd John Paston and Thomas Howys
and othyr executorys, and wolde as for the admynistracion,
kepyng and execucion of his goodis shuld be takyn and doo
be the seyd Paston and Howys duryng here lyves, if they will
take admynistracion; and if ony of hem too desese or refuce
the admynistracion, the tothyr to chese to hym on of the
remnaunt of the executorys to execute, &c. And if bothe
deye, noon chosyn, thanne tweyne to be chosyn be the
executorys levyng, or the more part of hem, to admynistre
in lyk wise. And they too that do occupye to have recourse
to my seyd lordis and the othyr executorys in takyng here
good avyse chargeable and requysit materys. And this is oon
matere that othyr namyd in the Testament gruche with. Not-
withstandyng, as for ony avauntage that we cleyme to have by
it, we wyll be agreable to ony mean resonable that oure seyd
lordis wyll ordeyne to the good disposecion of the goodys
accordyng to oure testatorys intent, or to ony meane that may
concyensly or lawefully be meovyd.

     Item, as for hise wyll touchyng hese goodis on mevable, as
hese londis and tenamentis, the seyd testatour hathe at all
tymes this xx. yeer, in all wyllis that he hathe made, ordeynid
that a gret part of hyse seyd londis shuld goo to the fundacion
of a collage at Castre of vij. monkys or pristis and vij. pore
folke; and he by hyse last wyll ordeynid that the seyd John
Paston shuld have all the londis and tenementis in Norffolke,
Suffolke and Norwyche; and that the seyd Paston shuld at
hese cost inmorteyse and indewe the seyd Collage and paye
iiij^ml mark to be dysposed for the testatouris soule, as is
declaryd in the seyd wyll more pleynerly. And as for the
remnaunt of the lyflode to be sold, and the mony thereof
comynge to be disposed be thoo personys that he hathe
ordeynid to have the execucion of hise wyll and testament.

    And as for thys matere of the Collage, there shall, be the
mene hereof, more mony growe to the handis of the mynis-
trorys, what soo ever they bee, and also lesse labour thanne
shuld have doo and thys hadde not bee, in cas the seyd
mynistroris wolde intende to parforme ony will that the seyd
Testatour made thys xx. yeer. And also it shalbe well provyd
that the seyd Testatour was dysposed to have doo more largely
to the seyd Paston thanne is conteynid in the seyd wyll if he
hadde levyd the tyme to have expressyd and parformyd hise
wyll and entent.

     Wherfor, plese my seyd lordis to take suche a direccion
that the may undirstonde the trouthe of these materys, and
to shewe here good lordshepys and favour accordyng to the
trouthe in parformyng of the Testatourys wyll, and in sesynge
of voyd costis of hese goodis. And that they will geve noo
credence to suche as wyll upon here owyn imagynacionys for
maleyse or invye intendyng to contrarye the dedys wyll or
mys spende hese goodis . . .

Endorsed by another hand:—

     A letter to Rothwell or Worcester or of Watkyn Schyddam.

 ¹ [Add. MS. 33,597, f. 6.] This letter would seem to be of about the same date
as No. 569.

               ¹ Sir John Fastolf.                             ² it. MS. reads ‘in.’

1464(?)

1464(?)

1464(?)

LVIII

A.D. 1464?

ANONYMOUS TO MASTER ROTHEWELL

[Add. MS. 33,597, f. 6]

This letter would seem to be of about the same date as No. 492.

MAISTER Rothewell, please you to remembre,
     as for the mater that John Paston and Sir
     Thomas Howys comownyd with you of, in
     whiche they desyred specialy the good lord-
ship, support and helpe of my Lordis of Wynchestre
and Beauchamp for acomplishement of the will of here
testatour¹ and in esshewynge of costis. And where as
ye meovyd to knowe the materys that were contraryed
be otherys, we undirstonde and have knowlege of late
tyme it² stondeth in these materys folwyng.

     Fyrst, the seyd Testatour be hise testament namyd
the seyd Lordys and the seyd John Paston and
Thomas Howys and othyr executorys, and wolde as
for the admynistracion, kepyng and execucion of his
goodis shuld be takyn and doo be the seyd Paston
and Howys duryng here lyves, if they will take ad-
mynistracion; and if ony of hem too desese or refuce
the admynistracion, the tothyr to chese to hym on of
the remnaunt of the executorys to execute, &c. And
if bothe deye, noon chosyn, thanne tweyne to be
chosyn be the executorys levyng, or the more part
of hem, to admynistre in lyk wise. And they too
that do occupye to have recourse to my seyd lordis
and the othyr executorys in takyng here good
avyse chargeable and requysit materys. And this is
oon matere that othyr namyd in the Testament gruche
with. Notwithstandyng, as for ony avauntage that we
cleyme to have by it, we wyll be agreable to ony
mean resonable that oure seyd lordis wyll ordeyne
to the good disposecion of the goodys accordyng to
oure testatorys intent, or to ony meane that may
concyensly or lawefully be meovyd.

     Item, as for hise wyll touchyng hese goodis on
mevable, as hese londis and tenamentis, the seyd
testatour hathe at all tymes this xx. yeer, in all
wyllis that he hathe made, ordeynid that a gret part
of hyse seyd londis shuld goo to the fundacion of a
collage at Castre of vij. monkys or pristis and vij. pore
folke; and he by hyse last wyll ordeynid that the seyd
John Paston shuld have all the londis and tenementis
in Norffolke, Suffolke and Norwyche; and that the
seyd Paston shuld at hese cost inmorteyse and indewe
the seyd Collage and paye iiij^ml mark to be dysposed
for the testatouris soule, as is declaryd in the seyd
wyll more pleynerly. And as for the remnaunt of the
lyflode to be sold, and the mony thereof comynge to
be disposed be thoo personys that he hathe ordeynid
to have the execucion of hise wyll and testament.

     And as for thys matere of the Collage, there shall,
be the mene hereof, more mony growe to the handis
of the mynistrorys, what soo ever they bee, and also
lesse labour thanne shuld have doo and thys hadde
not bee, in cas the seyd mynistroris wolde intende to
parforme ony will that the seyd Testatour made thys
xx. yeer. And also it shalbe well provyd that the
seyd Testatour was dysposed to have doo more
largely to the seyd Paston thanne is conteynid in
the seyd wyll if he hadde levyd the tyme to have
expressyd and parformyd hise wyll and entent.

     Wherfor, plese my seyd lordis to take suche a
direccion that the may undirstonde the trouthe of
these materys, and to shewe here good lordshepys
and favour accordyng to the trouthe in parformyng
of the Testatourys wyll, and in sesynge of voyd costis
of hese goodis. And that they will geve noo cre-
dence to suche as wyll upon here owyn imagynacionys
for maleyse or invye intendyng to contrarye the
dedys wyll or mys spende hese goodis . . .

Indorsed by another hand:—

     A letter to Rothwell or Worcester or of Watkyn Schyddam

            ¹ Sir John Fastolf.                      ² it. MS. reads ‘in.’