Friar Brackley to John Paston

Add. 34888, f. 142

1459

Gairdner, Vol III, item 395; Fenn, Vol III, Henry VI item 86

LETTER LXXXVI.

Carissimo suo magr’o
Joh’i Paston Armigero.

IHs Maria, &c.

RYTE rev’ent mayst’ and most trusty Frend in erthe as
lowly as I kan or may j r’coma’nde me &c. Syr in feyth
j was for’ aferd that ze had a gret letty’g that ze come noton
Wednysday to met &c. be my’ feythe And ze had be her’ ze
schuld haf had ryte good chere &c. And hafe faryd ryte wele
aft’ zo’ pleser’ &c. w^t more &c. Sir jon Tatirshall is at one w^t
Heydon &c. And lord Skalys hath made a ¹ lofeday w^t the p’o^r
And Heydon in alle mat’ys except the mat’e of Snoryng &c.
And the seyd pryo’ spake mayst’ly to the jurro’ys &c. And told
hem And they had dred god And hurt of here sowlys they wold
haf some i’struc’yon of the one p^rty as wele as of the oy’ but
they wer’ so bold they were not aferd for they fownde no bonys
to sey ī her verdyte as T. T. And J. H. wold &c. A lewde
docto’ of ludgate p’chid on Soneday fowrtenyte at powlys
charg[SYM]g the peple that no man schuld preyen for these ² lords
trayto’ys &c. And he had lytyl thank as he was worthy &c.
And for hyse lewd demeny’g his brethir’ arn had i’ the lesse
favo’ at london &c. Docto’ Pynchebek And Docto’ Westhawe
gr’te p’ chowrys and p’sonys at london bene now late made
Monkys of Chart’ows at Schene one at the on place and an
oy’ at the oy’ place &c.

The ³ Cha’nceler is not good to these lords &c. for he feryth
the Erle of Marche wyl cleyme by inheritans the Erldam of
⁴ Ha .. .. .. .. &c. of which mat’ j herd gret speche in som’cede
schyr’ &c Wydh’m Heydon Tody’h’m Blake W Cha’birleyn
Wentworth have late co’myssyonys to take for treto’ys and send
to the next gayl alle p’sonys fawto’ys and weelwyllerys to the
seyd lords &c. Mayst’ Radclyff And ze haf none of Com’yssyonys
directid to zow &c. for ze bene holdy’ favo’abil &c. Wy’dh’m
And Heydon bene namyd here Causerys of the c’myssyonys &c.
On moneday last at ⁵ Crowme’ was the Ore and the bokys of
regystre of the Amrelte taky’ a wey fro’ my lord Scalys men
be a gr’t multitude of my lord Rossys &c. the lord Skalys is to
my lord p’nce &c. to wayte on hy’ &c. he seyth p’ deu’ s’c’m as
we sey her’ he schal be Amrel or he schal ly ther’ by &c. be my
feyth here is a coysy werd Walsh’m of Cha’ncery that nev’
made lesyng told me that Bokky’g was w^t my lord Cha’nceler
this t’me but j askyd not how many tymys &c. As I haf wryty’
to zow ofty’ byfor this. Facite vob’ A’icos de mam’o’a i’iq’tat’s
q’ de T. T. I. H and J W cu’ cet’is m’ri Fastolf fallacibz
fam’lis magna’ gerūt ad vos i’vidia’ q^d exceller’t’s eos i’ bonis, &c.
Iudas no’ dormit &c. Noli zelare facie’tes i’iq’tate’ qui’ ta’q’
fenu’ velocit’ arescēt and q^em admod’ olera h’baru’ cito p’ d’i
gra’z decident Jdo’ se’ i’ p^o spera i’ d’uo & fac bo’itate’ &
pasc’is i’di’ciis e’ & del’tar i’ d’no & dabit t’ petico’es Cord’s
tui & ali’ jacta cogitatu’ tuu’ i d’no & ip’e te enutriet. Utīaz
i’ q’^t Ap’l’s Abscidāt q’ vos c’t’bant, &c. & ali’ Cavete vos a
malis & importunis hoibz. p’cor g’ deū q’ vos & me c’ av^t &
suo p’ coso sa’g’ne nos r’dem^t. vos v’ros & v’ra g’c’ose c’s’vet i’
prosp’is & grac’osius dirigat i’ age’d’s. Sc’pt’ Wals’ Fe’ 4’ i’
nocte cu’ mag’ festi’at’oe, &c.

Utia’z iste mu’d maligu^s
t’nsir^t & c’up’ia e^s.

V’r ad vota prōptissim^s

Fr. J. Brackley, Miōrū Minim.

11 ? by 8 ?.

              Paper Mark,
               A Flower.
            Pl. XXI. N^o 23.

     Walsham, Norfolk,
        Wednesday,
      1459. 38 H. VI.

This Letter was written after the dispersion of the Duke of York’s army near Lud-
low, in October 1459, as the transactions here related, refer to the direction of state
affairs when in the hands of Henry’s Friends.

Commissions were granted to James Butler, Earl of Wiltshire, and Thomas Lord
Scales and others to appprehend all those who had been concerned in the late rebellion,
and to punish them according to law.

It appears here that J. Paston was supposed to favour the York party, and from the
expressions contained in Dr. Brackley’s Letters he certainly did so.

Brother John Brakle or Brackley, the son of John Brakle, a dyer, was born at Nor-
wich, and about the year 1418, 6 H. V. entered when very young into the Convent
of the Grey Friars, or Friars Minors at Norwich; he afterwards took a Doctor’s de-
gree in Divinity, and became a famous preacher. He was an intimate Friend of, and
Chaplain to Sir John Fastolf, who appointed him one of his executors; he was also
much connected with the Paston Family, being Chaplain to the Judge, and Tutor to
Sir John Paston his grandson. He died in the year 1461 or 1462, and was buried in
the Church of his own Convent. Autograph. Pl. XX. N^o 25.

The style and language of his Letters here produced, are very different from those of
the other writers of this period here brought together, as they abound with Quotations
from the Old and New Testament, and are often intermixed with sentences in Latin of
his own composition.

I have endeavoured to give these Letters to the Reader as accurately as possible, but
in two or three places I have been obliged to omit a sentence or two, as the contractions,
added to the smallness and confusedness of the hand-writing, have made them so ille-
gible, that after the most careful attention and examination, I have been forced to give up
the decyphering; and I have likewise referred the Reader to the places whence the
Quotations are taken.

¹ Lofe-days or Love-days, were days on which arbitrations were made, and differ-
ences settled amongst neighbours.

² We have here an instance of the pulpit being used for political purposes, and the
Lords here meant were the Earls of March, Warwick, and Salisbury, and others in the
Duke of York’s interest.

³ William de Wainfleet, Bishop of Winchester.

⁴ The Original Letter is here defective.

⁵ Cromer is a sea-port, on the north part of the Norfolk coast, where the Court of
Admiralty appears to have been held by the Lord Scales, as Lord Admiral of the County.
The Lord Roos here mentioned was most probably in the opposite interest.

LETTER LXXXVI.

Carissimo suo magistro Johanni Paston Armigere.

Jesus, Maria, &c.

RIGHT reverend master and most trusty friend in earth
as lowly as I can or may, I recommend me, &c.

Sir, in faith I was sore afraid that ye had a great letting, that
ye came not on Wednesday to meet, &c. by my faith and (if)
ye had been here ye should have had right good cheer, &c. and
have fared right well after your pleasure, &c. with more, &c.

Sir John Tatirshale is at one with Heydon, &c. and Lord
Scales hath made a ¹ Love-day with the Prior and Heydon in
all matters, except the matter of Snoring, &c. And the said
Prior spake masterly to the Jurors, &c. and told them, and (if)
they had dreaded God and hurt of their souls they would have
some instruction of the one party, as well as of the other, but
they were so bold, they were not afraid, for they found no
bones to say in their verdict as Thomas Todenham and John
Heydon would, &c.

A lewd Doctor of Ludgate preached on Sunday fort’night at
Paul’s, charging the people that no man should pray for these
² Lords Traytors, &c. and he had little thank, as he was
worthy, &c. and for his lewd demeaning, all his brethren are
had in the less favour at London, &c. Dr. Pinchbeck and Dr.
Westhawe, great Preachers and Parsons at London, be now late
made Monks of Charter-House at Sheen, one at the one place,
and another at the other place, &c.

The ³ Chancellor is not good to these Lords, &c. for he fear-
eth the Earl of March will claim by inheritance the Earldom of
⁴ Ha .. .. .. &c. of which matter I heard great speech in Somer-
setshire, &c.

Wyndham, Heydon, Todenham, Blake, W. Chamberleyne, and
Wentworth have late Commissions to take for Traytors and send
to the next gaol all persons fautorers (favourers) and well-willers
to the said Lords, &c. Master Radcliff and ye have none of com-
missions directed to you, &c. for ye be holden favourable, &c.

Wyndham and Heydon be named here causers of these com-
missions, &c.

On Monday last at Cromer was the Oar and the Books of
registry of the Admiralty taken away from my Lord Scales’s
men by a great multitude of my Lord Roos’s men, &c. the Lord
Scales is to my Lord Prince, &c. to wait on him, &c. he saith
per Deum sanctum, as we say here, he shall be Admiral, or he
shall lye thereby, &c. by my faith here is a coisy (unsettled)
word (world.) Walsham of Chancery that never made leasing
(lying) told me that Bocking was with my Lord Chancellor this
term, but I asked not how many times, &c.

As I have written to you often before this, “Facite vobis
amicos de mammona iniquitatis,” (Luke xvi. 9.)

Thomas Todenham, Johannes Heydon & J. Wyndham cum
cæteris magistri Fastolf fallacibus famulis magnam gerunt ad vos
invidiam, quod excelleritis eos in bonis, &c. Judas non dormit,
&c. “Noli zelare facientes iniquitatem quoniam tanquam fenum
velociter arescent, & quemadmodum olera herbarum cito per
Dei gratiam decident.” Ideo sic in Psalmo, “Spera in Domino
& fac bonitatem, & pascêris in divitiis ejus & delectare in Do-
mino & dabit tibi petitiones cordis tui.” (Psalm xxxvi. or xxxvii.
1, 2, 3, 4.) “Et aliter. Jacta cogitatum tuum in domino, & ipse
te enutriet.” (Psalm liv. or lv. 22.) “ Utinam inquit Apostolus
abscindantur qui vos conturbant, &c. (Gal. v. 12.) “Et alibi,
“Cavete vos a malis and importunis hominibus.” (2 Thess. iii. 2.)

Precor gratiosum Deum qui vos & me creavit & suo pretioso
sanguine nos redemit, vos vestros & vestra gratiose conservet in
prospetis, & gratiosius dirigat in agendis.

Scriptum, Walsham feria 4^ta in nocte cum magnâ festinatione,
&c. Utinam iste mundus malignus transiret & concupiscentia
ejus. Vester ad vota promptissimus.

Frater JOHANNES BRACKLEY, Minorum Minimus.