Elizabeth, Countess of Surrey, to John Paston

LETTER I.

To myn ryght Worshepfull
      Cosyn John Paston Esqwyer

MYN Ryght Worshipfull Cosyn J Recomawnde me hertly
to you thankyng you of yo^r greet kyndnes and lovyng dis-
posicon towardys myn lord and me at all tymes which I
pray god I may live to see the Acquytell therof to yo^r ple-
sure Prayeng you of yo^r good continuans Cosyn J shewyd
you myn mynde that I wolde have myn shildern to ¹Thorp
wher in god yelde you it pleasyd you to sey that J shulde
have hors of you to help to conveye them thyder but now
I undirstonde myn lord ²Fitz Walt^r hath disch’gyd myn
lordys s^rv’nts thens affermyng up on them that they shulde
have had unfittyng langage of the kyngs grace Cosyn I trust
that ye and all the Jentilmen of the Shire which have had
knowleche of myn lords s^rv’nts kan sey that her to for they
have not ben of that disposicon to be lavas of theyr tongys
whan they had moore cause of booldnes than they have
nowe J wolde not have thowght myn lord Fitzwalt^r wolde
haue takyn so ferforth displeasure for the keepyng of x or
xij men at thorp I woot well ther exceded not iij ³mees meet
good and bad J truste all thow J weer a soel woman to
mayntene so many at the leeste what so evyr I dyde moore
J trustyd to have fowndyn myn lord Fitzwalt^r bett^r lord to
me seyng whan J was wyth myn lord of ⁴Oxenforth up on
myn desyre and request at that tyme made on to hym he
p’mysed me to be good lord to myn lord and me Wher of
I p’ye you to put hym in remembrauns trustyng yit be the
meene of you to fynde hym better lord to me her aftyr I
have fownde myn lord of Oxenforth singuler very good and
kynde lord to myn lord And me And stedefaste in hys
p’mys wher by he hath wonne myn lordys s’vice as longe as
he leevyth and me to be hys trewe beedwoman t’me of myn
lyve for hym I drede mooste and yit as hyther to I fynde
hym beste I p’y you good Cosyn the rather by yo^r meane
that I may have the continuans of hys good lordship And
to myn poore power I truste to des˜ve it J p’y you Cosyn
that thys byll may recomawnde to myn lady brews and to
myn Cosyn from Mynster in the yle of Shepey the iij^de day
of Octobr I p’y you yeve credens to the berer of thys and
to thom’s Jenney whan he comyth to you.

                                                         Your faythefoull

                                                              Cosyene     E. SURREY.

    11¾ by 8½.

       Paper Mark,
    The Holy Lamb.
    Pl. xxxiii. No. 7.

    We have here a curious and affecting letter from Elizabeth, the wife of Tho-
mas Howard Earl of Surrey, who had been taken at the battle of Bosworth,
and was now a prisoner in the Tower, but became afterwards a great favourite
of Henry VII. and was restored as Duke of Norfolk. He died in 1524, 16
H. VIII. aged above 80 years.

     Elizabeth, his countess, was the daughter and heir of Sir Frederick Tilney,
Kt. and widow of Humphrey Bourchier Lord Berners. She died about 1506,
having borne him eleven children.

     ¹ In Norfolk.

     ² Sir John Ratcliff had summons to parliament as Lord Fitzwalter in Sep-
tember, 1485, 1 H. VII. but was attainted and beheaded in 1498, for being
concerned in the plot of Perkin Warbeck.

    ³ A mess consisted of four persons.

     ⁴ John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, suffered a long imprisonment in the castle of
Hammes, in Picardy, in France, during the reign of Edward IV.; he at length
escaped, and had a principal command under Henry at the battle of Bosworth,
whom he served faithfully, and with whom he continued in favour during his
reign. He died in 1512.

     The character here given shows him to advantage, both as a noble and a
generous man.

     ⁵ These last words are written by the countess, the letter by her secretary.
The seal has the impression of some bird’s head erased, but too imperfect to
be ascertained.

     Autograph, Pl. xxxi. No. 16. Seal, a bird’s head erased. Pl. xxxiv. No. 4.

LETTER I.

To mine Right Worshipful Cousin, John Paston, Esq.

MINE right worshipful Cousin, I recommend me heartily to
you, thanking you of your great kindness and loving dispo-
sition towards mine Lord and me at all times, which I pray
God I may live to see the acquittal thereof to your pleasure,
praying you of your good continuance.

     Cousin, I shewed you mine mind that I would have mine
children to ¹Thorp, wherein, God yelde [yield] you, it
pleased you to say that I should have horse of you to help
to convey them thither; but now I understand mine Lord
²Fitzwalter hath discharged mine Lord’s servants thence,
affirming upon them that they should have had unfitting
language of the King’s grace.

     Cousin, I trust that ye and all the gentlemen of the shire,
which have had knowledge of mine Lord’s servants, can
say that heretofore they have not been of that disposition
to be lavas [lavish] of their tongues, when they had more
cause of boldness than they have now. I would not have
thought mine Lord Fitzwalter would have taken so far forth
displeasure for the keeping of ten or twelve men at Thorp;
I wot [know] well they exceeded not three ³mees meet [pro-
per messes] good and bad; I trust, although I were a sole
woman, to maintain so many at the least, whatsoever I did
more.

     I trusted to have found mine Lord Fitzwalter better lord
to me, seeing when I was with mine Lord of ⁴Oxenford,
upon mine desire and request at that time made unto him,
he promised me to be good lord to mine lord and me,
whereof I pray you to put him in remembrance, trusting
yet by the mean of you to find him better lord to me here-
after.

     I have found mine Lord of Oxenford singular very good
and kind lord to mine lord and me, and stedfast in his pro-
mise; whereby he hath won mine lord’s service, as long as
he liveth, and me to be his true beadswoman term of mine
life; for him I dread most, and yet, as hitherto, I find him
best. I pray you, good Cousin, the rather by your mean,
that I may have the continuance of his good lordship, and
to mine poor power I trust to deserve it. I pray you, Cou-
sin, that this bill may recommend [me] to mine Lady Brews,
and to mine Cousin your wife.

     From Minster in the Isle of Shepey, the 3d day of Octo-
ber. I pray you give credence to the bearer of this, and to
Thomas Jenney, when he cometh to you.

                                                        ⁵Your faithful Cousin,

                                                                 ELIZABETH SURREY.

            Minster, Kent,
       Monday, 3d October,
            1485. 1 H. vii.

 We have here a curious and affecting letter from Elizabeth, the wife of Tho-
mas Howard Earl of Surrey, who had been taken at the battle of Bosworth,
and was now a prisoner in the Tower, but became afterwards a great favourite
of Henry VII. and was restored as Duke of Norfolk. He died in 1524, 16
H. VIII. aged above 80 years.

     Elizabeth, his countess, was the daughter and heir of Sir Frederick Tilney,
Kt. and widow of Humphrey Bourchier Lord Berners. She died about 1506,
having borne him eleven children.

     ¹ In Norfolk.

     ² Sir John Ratcliff had summons to parliament as Lord Fitzwalter in Sep-
tember, 1485, 1 H. VII. but was attainted and beheaded in 1498, for being
concerned in the plot of Perkin Warbeck.

    ³ A mess consisted of four persons.

    ⁴ John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, suffered a long imprisonment in the castle of
Hammes, in Picardy, in France, during the reign of Edward IV.; he at length
escaped, and had a principal command under Henry at the battle of Bosworth,
whom he served faithfully, and with whom he continued in favour during his
reign. He died in 1512.

     The character here given shows him to advantage, both as a noble and a
generous man.

    ⁵ These last words are written by the countess, the letter by her secretary.
The seal has the impression of some bird’s head erased, but too imperfect to
be ascertained.

     Autograph, Pl. xxxi. No. 16. Seal, a bird’s head erased. Pl. xxxiv. No. 4.

1004

ELIZABETH, COUNTESS OF SURREY, TO
JOHN PASTON²

To myn ryght worshepfull cosyn, John Paston, Esquyer.

      MYN ryght worshipfull cosyn, I recomawnde me hertly
          to you, thankyng you of your greet kyndnes and
          lovyng disposicion towardys myn lord and me at all
tymes, which I pray God I may leve to see the acquytell ther
of to your plesure, prayeng you of your good continuans.

     Cosyn, I shewyd you myn mynde that I wolde have myn
shildern to Thorpe,³ wher in, God yelde you, it pleasyd you to
sey that I shulde have hors of you to help to conveye them
thyder; but now I undirstonde myn Lord Fitz Walter⁴ hath
dischargyd myn lordys servauntes thens, affermyng up on
them that they shulde have had unfittyng langage of the
Kynges Grace. Cosyn, I trust that ye and all the jentilmen of
the shire, which have had knowleche of myn lordes servauntes,
kan sey that her to for they have not ben of that disposicion
to be lavas of theyr tungys, whan they had moore cause of
booldnes than they have nowe. I wolde not have thowght
myn Lord Fitzwalter wolde have takyn so ferforth displeasure
for the keepyng of x. or xij. men at Thorpe; I woot weell ther
exceded not iij. mees¹ meet, good and bad. I truste, all thow
I weer a soel woman, to mayntene so many at the leeste, what
so evyr I dyde moore.

     I trustyd to have fowndyn myn Lord Fitzwalter better
lord to me, seyng whan I was wyth myn Lord of Oxenforth,
up on myn desyre and request at that tyme made un to hym,
he promysed me to be good lord to myn lord and me, wher of
I praye you to put hym in remembrauns, trustyng yit be the
meene of you to fynde hym better lord to me her aftyr.

     I have fownde myn Lord of Oxenforth singuler very good
and kynde lord to myn lord and me, and stedefaste in hys
promys, wher by he hath wonne myn lordys service as longe
as he leevyth, and me to be hys trewe beedwoman terme of
myn lyve; for hym I drede mooste, and yit as hyther to I
fynde hym beste. I pray you good cosyn, the rather by your
meane, that I may have the continuauns of hys good lordship,
and to myn poore power I truste to deserve it. I pray you,
cosyn, that thys byll may recomawnde [me]² to myn Lady
Brews and to myn cosyn, your wyf.

     From Mynster, in the Yle of Shepey, the iij^de day of
Octobre. I pray you yeve credens to the berer of thys, and
to Thomas Jenney, whan he comyth to you.

  ³ Your faythefoull cosyene,                   E. SURREY.

     ² [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter must have been written either in 1485
or in 1486. Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, was taken prisoner at the battle of
Bosworth on the 22nd August 1485, and was not released from confinement till 1487,
in which latter year also John Paston, to whom this letter is addressed, was knighted
at the battle of Stoke on the 16th June. Most likely the letter is of the year 1485, at
the beginning of the Earl’s imprisonment, and when Henry VII. had been just six
weeks upon the throne.                              ³ In Norfolk.—F.

     ⁴ John Ratcliff, Lord Fitzwalter, who was summoned to Parliament in September
1485.

     ¹ A mess was a party of four at dinner.

     ² Omitted in MS.

     ³ These last words were written by the Countess, the letter by her secretary.—F.

OCT. 3

1485
OCT. 3