Clement Paston to John Paston

564

CLEMENT PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my rygth worchepful broder John Paston Sqwyer.

RYGHT worshypfull brothyr, I recomawnde me to zow.
         After all dew recomendacions, &c., plesse it zow to
        wett that after that I had harde say that the person of
Blowfelde² wasse com to town I went to hym to his in, and he
bade the mesenger say that he wasse not within, and I bad
hym say a gayn that I come thyder to hym for hys own
worchep and avayle and that I wasse sory that I com so fer
for hym; and after that he sent for me and he cowde not
fynde me, and I harde say ther of. And than I wrott a
letter, resytyng how that he wasse sworn yesterday for to
say the trowthe of al maner of materis consernyng Sir John
Fastolfe, avysyd hym to remember qwat hys wytnesse hadde
sayd for hys sake, and wat schame it xwlde be to hym to say
the contrary; And also, if he sayde the contrary, ze wold her-
after prove the trowthe and contrary to hys sayyng, and prove
hym in a perjuri. And also I badde hym remember with wat
maner of men he delt wythe; and I rehersyd how untrwly
they hadde don. And not with standyng thys, after I met
with hym in the strett and spak with hym, and I fownde hym
passyng strawngely disposyd and sor mevyd with consiens that
ze xwld have the lond and fownd the colage but with an C.
marcs, not with stondyng he myth fynde in hys consiens by
the well that the colage xwld be fowndyd in a noder plasse
but with an C. marcs, and the reminaunt of the lylode sold so
that he myth pwroe the mony; so I felt by hym that all hys
strawngenes from zow is for he demythe that ze wold parte
from no thyng; and I told hym the contrary ther of to be
trwe, az this day he is exaymined up on a bok to sey the
trowthe of all thynges as the juge will¹ aske hym, for the
jugeis informacion; wych I trowe wyll not be good. Also
they have pwt in testes azens zow iij^xx or iiij^xx men. Mayster
Robard Kent wold sayn that ze xwle gett zow ij. lycens of the
prioris of zowre wytnes, Mayster Clement and the monke,
with an A² datt beryng before the comyng up; for that must
ye nedis have. Also he wold sayn that ze xwld com to thys
towne. Me thowte by Sir Thomas that they have aswerte in
maner that ze xall have no lycens for zour fundacion. And
[i.e. if] they be abowte to gett a lycens to fownde the colage
in a noder place, me thynkythe that wold hurte; her colour is
for cause ze can gett no lycens to fownde it at Caster; werfor
thow zour wyll wer trwe, they myth lawfully fownde it in a
noder place. My Lord Chawnceler³ is gone to Zork and
wyll not be her of all thys term. Wrytyn on Wednisday
nexst be for Saynt George.

     The Kyng hathe ben in Kent and ther ben endityd many
for Isleis dethe; and he wyll com to town this day azen and
he wyl not tary her but forthe to Zork straytt.

                                                                  By CLEMENT PASTON.

     ¹ [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 7.] This letter was written in April 1464, when
witnesses began to be examined about Fastolf’s will. See No. 565. The Privy Seals
of Edward IV. show that he was in Kent (at Dartford) on the 15th and 18th of
that month, and he immediately after started for York.

     ² Thomas Howes.

     ¹ ‘will.’ In MS. ‘w^t,’ which ought to read ‘with’; evidently a slip of the pen.

     ² Apparently meaning an ante date.

     ³ George Nevill, Bishop of Exeter, afterwards Archbishop of York.

1464
APRIL 18

1464
APRIL 18

LVI

A.D. 1464, 18 April

CLEMENT PASTON TO JOHN PASTON

[Add. MS. 34,889, f. 7]

     This letter was written in April 1464, when witnesses began to be
examined about Fastolf’s will. See No. 488. The privy seals of Edward IV.
show that he was in Kent (at Dartford) on the 15th and 18th of that month,
and he immediately after started for York. An abstract of this letter ap-
pears in the Appendix to Vol. III., No. 1053, misdated Wednesday after
St. George (23 April).

To my rygth worchepful broder John Paston Sqwyer.

RYGHT worshypfull brothyr, I recomawnde
     me to zow. After all dew recomendacions,
     &c., plesse it zow to wett that after that I
     had harde say that the person of Blowfelde¹
wasse com to town I went to hym to his in, and he
bade the mesenger say that he wasse not within, and
I bad hym say a gayn that I come thyder to hym for
hys own worchep and avayle and that I wasse sory
that I com so fer for hym; and after that he sent for
me and he cowde not fynde me, and I harde say
ther of. And than I wrott a letter, resytyng how that
he wasse sworn yesterday for to say the trowthe of
al maner of materis consernyng Sir John Fastolfe,
avysyd hym to remember qwat hys wytnesse hadde
sayd for hys sake, and wat schame it xwlde be to hym
to say the contrary; And also, if he sayde the con-
trary, ze wold herafter prove the trowthe and contrary
to hys sayyng, and prove hym in a perjuri. And also
I badde hym remember with wat maner of men he
delt wythe; and I rehersyd how untrwly they hadde
don. And not with standyng thys, after I met with
hym in the strett and spak with hym, and I fownde
hym passyng strawngely disposyd and sor mevyd
with consiens that ze xwld have the lond and fownd
the colage but with an C. marcs, not with stondyng
he myth fynde in hys consiens by the well that the
colage xwld be fowndyd in a noder plasse but with
an C. marcs, and the reminaunt of the lylode sold so
that he myth pwroe the mony; so I felt by hym that
all hys strawngenes from zow is for he demythe that
ze wold parte from no thyng; and I told hym the
contrary ther of to be trwe, az this day he is exaymined
up on a bok to sey the trowthe of all thynges as the
juge will¹ aske hym, for the jugeis information; wych
I trowe wyll not be good. Also they have pwt in
testes azens zow iij^xx or iiij^xx men. Mayster Robard
Kent wold sayn that ze xwle gett zow ij. lycens of the
prioris of zowre wytnes, Mayster Clement and the
monke, with an A² datt beryng before the comyng
up; for that must ye nedis have. Also he wold sayn
that ze xwld com to thys towne. Me thowte by Sir
Thomas that they have aswerte in maner that ze xall
have no lycens for zour fundacion. And [i.e. if] they
be abowte to gett a lycens to fownde the colage in a
noder place, me thynkythe that wold hurte; her
colour is for cause ze can gett no lycens to fownde
it at Caster; werfor thow zour wyll wer trwe, they
myth lawfully fownde it in a noder place. My Lord
Chawnceler³ is gone to Zork and wyll not be her of
all thys term. Wrytyn on Wednisday nexst be for
Saynt George.

     The Kyng hathe ben in Kent and ther ben endityd
many for Isleis dethe; and he wyll com to town this
day azen and he wyl not tary her but forthe to Zork
straytt.                                           By CLEMENT PASTON.

¹ Thomas Howes.

 ¹ ‘will.’ In MS. ‘w^t,’ which ought to read ‘with’; evidently a slip of
the pen.

     ² Apparently meaning an ante date.

     ³ George Nevill, Bishop of Exeter, afterwards Archbishop of York.