Friar Brackley to John Paston

404

FRIAR BRACKLEY TO JOHN PASTON¹

      JHESUS Maria, &c.,—Reverende domine et prae omnibus
          mortalibus amantissime. Super omnia omnino oblivioni
          non tradenda faciatis ut W. P.² germanus cum sua ac
vestra prudenti industria sagaciter et secrete informet H.
Fylongley de W. W.³ Hibernico ac Colino Gallico, qui suo
malicioso proposito confederati sunt, adversusque dominum et
magistrum suum militem defunctum et executores ejus ad
dampnificandos eos et bona defuncti per ostensionem literarum
secretarum olim dicto militi missarum, ex confidentia speciali,
sicut solito more amicus amico solet scribere. Si haec enim
proditoria condicio esset insinuata per H. Fylongley vel per
me, forsan Domino Comite Wilschirie, idem fallax et decep-
torius Colinus Gallicus non esset cum dicto comite tam magnus
et intimus cum dicto domino, sicut credit se esse unum de
suis secretioribus, vel cum Regina per laborem sui germani ad
magistrum Ormond ut ipsum faciat introduci ad favorem et
servicium Reginae. Si habueritis amicos circa Reginam, cito
poteritis Colinum frustrare suo a proposito. Si W. P. vester
germanus posset per subtilia media adquirere et adquiri facere
casketum C. Gallici ac casketum W. W. Hibernici, audiretis et
videretis aliqua non laude sed fraude plena, &c. Mitte sapien-
tem et nihil ei dicas, &c. Prudenti viro pauca scribenda pro
presenti propono quia scio vos ex paucis plura colligere et ex
praeambulo plura concludere. Item, propheta clamat, ‘Nolite
confidere in verbum mendacii,’⁴ &c., et secundum eundem
prophetam, ‘Non est confidendum super baculum arundineum
confractum,’⁵ &c., et est commune et vulgare dictum: ‘A
man schuld not trusty on a broke swerd, ne on a fool, ne on a
chyld, ne on a dobyl man, ne on a drunke man,’ &c., thow that
he were an amewse and a notarye be W. W. Hibernicus he
schal knowe al, and be hym Colyn and Spirlyng the same
knowe schal, &c. Hoc ideo dicite W. P., Cavete, &c., quia,
Deo teste, bona fide et conscia non ficta, haec suprascripta sunt
in toto vera, &c. Feria secunda ad minus in prandio vos
videbo, &c. Scriptum festinissime infra quarterium horae,
praesentis latore nimis sponsalium causa festinante. Recom-
mendo vos vestros et vestra Deo.

                             vester totus prius notus,
                             Frater J. B. Minorum minimus.

     ¹ [Add. MS. 34,888, f. 161.] This letter is evidently holograph. The date might
be at the very end of the year 1459, after the death of Fastolf and after the attainder
of the Yorkists at Coventry; but is more probably in the early part of 1460, between
January and May. Indeed, though the language is mysterious, its substance is pro-
bably not unconnected with that of the preceding letter.

     ² William Paston, son of the judge.

     ³ The initials ‘W. W.’ suggest the name of William Worcester; but he was not an
Irishman, and before this letter was discovered he was believed to be Brackley’s ‘Colinus
Gallicus,’ who, however, is here mentioned as a different person.             ⁴ Jerem. vii. 4.

     ⁵ Referring apparently to Isaiah xxxvi. 6—not ‘the same prophet.’

1460

1460

XLII

A.D. 1460

FRIAR BRACKLEY TO JOHN PASTON

[Add. MS. 34,888, f. 161]

     This letter is evidently holograph. An abstract of it appears as No. 999
in the Appendix. The date might be at the very end of the year 1459, after
the death of Fastolf and after the attainder of the Yorkists at Coventry;
but is more probably in the early part of 1460, between January and May.

      JHESUS Maria, &c,—Reverende domine et
          præ omnibus mortalibus amantissime.
          Super omnia omnino oblivioni non tradenda
          faciatis ut W. P.¹ germanus cum sua ac
vestra prudenti industria sagaciter et secrete informet
H. Fylongley de W. W.² Hibernico ac Colino Gallico,
qui suo malicioso proposito confederati sunt, adver-
susque dominum et magistrum suum militem de-
functum et executores ejus ad dampnificandos eos et
bona defuncti per ostensionem literarum secretarum
olim dicto militi missarum, ex confidentia speciali,
sicut solito more amicus amico solet scribere. Si
hæc enim proditoria condicio esset insinuata per
H. Fylongley vel per me, forsan Domino Comite
Wilschirie, idem fallax et deceptorius Colinus
Gallicus non esset cum dicto comite tam magnus et
intimus cum dicto domino, sicut credit se esse unum
de suis secretioribus, vel cum Regina per laborem
sui germani ad magistrum Ormond ut ipsum faciat
introduci ad favorem et servicium Reginæ. Si
habueritis amicos circaReginam,cito poteritis Colinum
frustrare suo a proposito. Si W. P. vester germanus
posset per subtilia media adquirere et adquiri facere
casketum C. Gallici ac casketum W. W. Hibernici,
audiretis et videretis aliqua non laude sed fraude
plena, &c. Mitte sapientem et nihil ei dicas, &c.
Prudenti viro pauca scribenda pro presenti propono
quia scio vos ex paucis plura colligere et ex præ-
ambulo plura concludere. Item, propheta clamat,
‘Nolite confidere in verbum mendacii,’¹ &c., et secun-
dum eundem prophetam, ‘Non est confidendum
super baculum arundineum confractum,’² &c., et est
commune et vulgare dictum: ‘A man schuld not
trusty on a broke swerd, ne on a fool, ne on a chyld,
ne on a dobyl man, ne on a drunke man,’ &c., thow
that he were an amewse and a notarye be W. W.
Hibernicus he schal knowe al, and be hym Colyn and
Spirlyng the same knowe schal, &c. Hoc ideo dicite
W. P., Cavete, &c., quia, Deo teste, bona fide et conscia
non ficta, hæc suprascripta sunt in toto vera, &c.
Feria secunda ad minus in prandio vos videbo, &c.
Scriptum festinissime infra quarterium horæ, præ-
sentis, latore nimis sponsalium causa festinante.
Recommendo vos vestros et vestra Deo.

                         vester totus prius notus,
                         Frater J. B. Minorum minimus.

     ¹ William Paston, son of the judge.         ² William Worcester.

     ¹ Jerem. vii. 4.

     ² Referring apparently to Isaiah xxxvi. 6—not ‘the same prophet.