Friar Brackley to [John Paston]

429

FRIAR BRACKLEY TO [JOHN PASTON]²

      JHESUS help, Marye mercy, et Franciscus cum Sanctis
           subveniant defuncto et suis in tribulationibus. Amen.
           Praecordialissime in Jhesu Christo praedilecte, et omissis
pro praesenti singulis vestram amicabilem benevolentiam con-
cernentibus, propter quasdam materias mihi a fidedignis personis
nuper relatas, &c., equitetis quam cito potestis secure pro cor-
poris vestri conservatione. Scitote quod commissionarius J.

Heydon, vester ac meus capitalis inimicus, Philippus Wentworth
et J. Andrw malignantur maxime contra vos et M. T. H.¹ et me et
alios vestros. Et magister Clemens et ego sequemur vos usque
Colcestriam, ibidem expectando donec vos aliquem nuncium de
London illuc miseritis, et tune ad vos veniemus cum duobus
vel tribus famulis nostro proposito necessariis, R. Botilere
Matthaeo Gowh vel Johanne Lore. Sumus nempe equestres
pessimi, nec ascensum equi seu descensum scientes, sed adju-
torium ad minus duorum est nobis duobus necessarium, &c.
Certe si non esset aura tam contraria, et pluvialis nimis, quare
equitare est nobis omnino necessarium; aliter vere melius pro-
fecissem pro me in itinere per ambulare quam per equitare.
W. Y.² judex cum omni consilio Johanni Heidon faciet contra
vos et me et M. T. H. quicquid potest; quare dicit Gregorius,
’Minus jacula feriunt quae praevidentur.’ Si W. P., vester
germanus, et T. Playtere, cum associatis antecederent, plura
percipere possent quae jam non cognoscent, &c., utinam velletis
hoc instancia cordiali considerare in effectu. Notate q. .³
literam a me primo vobis scriptam de pigricia, &c., quanta
mala proveniunt ex illa, &c., W. Rokewode est rogatus a
W. Y. judice ut faveat sibi et Tendale contra Wyndham armi-
gerum pro manerio de Felbrigge, cum pertinenciis, &c., et tunc
scietur utrum J. H. favebit Wyndham vel Judici, &c., cum ejus
flatus olim calidus, olimque frigidus existat, et aliquando nec
calidus nec frigidus sed satis tepidus. Sed oretis cum pro-
pheta, ‘Confundantur qui me persequuntur et non confundar
ego, paveant illi et non paveam ego; induc super eos diem
affliccionis et duplici contritione contere eos,’⁴ domine Deus.
Et Psalmista ait ‘Averte mala inimicis meis et in veritate tua
disperde illos’⁵ et sequentia. Et [super] inimicos meos de-
spexit oculus meus. Valete in Christo Jhesu. Scriptum
festinantissime, feria vj^a. Recommendetis me specialissime
magistro T. H. et J. Berneye, &c.—Vester ad vota,

                                                                                            F. J. B.

     ² [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 156.] This letter has no date, except that it was written on
a Friday (feria sexta). It might, perhaps, be a little hazardous to date it Friday the
2nd January 1461, just after news of the defeat and death of the Duke of York
reached Norfolk; but this date agrees well with the warning to John Paston to ride
to London with all haste for his safety, which can hardly mean anything else than
that the Lancastrian party, with their Norfolk supporters (several of whom, indeed, are
expressly named here), were now sure to bear rule.

  ¹ Magistrum Thomam Howys.                                   ² William Yelverton.

     ³ A contraction perhaps meant for quandam and blurred. If so, it should have
been struck out altogether; for the words a me primo (which are an insertion in the
margin) make the sense definite.             ⁴ Jer. xvii. 18.                ⁵ Ps. liii. (liv.) 5

1461(?)
JAN. (?)

1461(?)
JAN. (?)

XLVIII

A.D. 1461? Jan.?

FRIAR BRACKLEY TO [JOHN PASTON]

[Add. MS. 34,889, f. 156]

     This letter, No. 1017 of the Inventory at the end of Vol. III., has no date,
except that it was written on a Friday (feria sexta). It might, perhaps, be
a little hazardous to date it Friday the 2nd January 1461, just after news of
the defeat and death of the Duke of York reached Norfolk; but the warn-
ing to John Paston to ride to London with all haste for his safety seems to
imply that the Lancastrian party, with their Norfolk supporters (several of
whom, indeed, are expressly named here), were now sure to bear rule.

JHESUS help, Marye mercy, et Franciscus
     cum Sanctis subveniant defuncto et suis in
     tribulationibus. Amen.

     Præcordialissime in Jhesu Christo præ-
dilecte, et omissis pro præsenti singulis vestram
amicabilem benevolentiam concernentibus, propter
quasdam materias mihi a fidedignis personis nuper
relatas, &c., equitetis quam cito potestis secure pro
corporis vestri conservatione. Scitote quod commis-
sionarius J. Heydon, vester ac meus capitalis inimicus,
Philippus Wentworth et J. Andrw malignantur maxime
contra vos et M. T. H.¹ et me et alios vestros. Et
magister Clemens et ego sequemur vos usque Colces-
triam, ibidem expectando donec vos aliquem nuncium
de London illuc miseritis, et tunc ad vos veniemus
cum duobus vel tribus famulis nostro proposito neces-
sariis, R. Botilere Matthaeo Gowh vel Johanne Lore.
Sumus nempe equestres pessimi, nec ascensum equi
seu descensum scientes, sed adjutorium ad minus
duorum est nobis duobus necessarium, &c. Certe si
non esset aura tam contraria, et pluvialis nimis, quare
equitare est nobis omnino necessarium; aliter vere
melius profecissem pro me in itinere per ambulare
quam per equitare. W. Y.² judex cum omni consilio
Johanni Heidon faciet contra vos et me et M. T. H.
quicquid potest; quare dicit Gregorius, ‘Minus jacula
feriunt quæ prævidentur.’ Si W. P., vester ger-
manus, et T. Playtere, cum associatis antecederent,
plura percipere possent quæ jam non cognoscent,
&c., utinam velletis hoc instancia cordiali considerare
in effectu. Notate q..¹ literam a me primo vobis scrip-
tam de pigricia, &c., quanta mala proveniunt ex illa,
&c., W. Rokewode est rogatus a W. Y. judice ut faveat
sibi et Tendale contra Wyndham armigerum pro
manerio de Felbrigge, cum pertinenciis, &c., et tunc
scietur utrum J. H. favebit Wyndham vel Judici, &c.,
cum ejus flatus olim calidus, olimque frigidus existat,
et aliquando nec calidus nee frigidus sed satis tepidus.
Sed oretis cum propheta, ‘Confundantur qui me
persequuntur et non confundar ego, paveant illi et
non paveam ego; induc super eos diem affliccionis
et duplici contritione contere eos,’² domine Deus.
Et Psalmista ait ‘Averte mala inimicis meis et in
veritate tua disperde illos’³ et sequentia. Et [super]
inimicos meos despexit oculus meus. Valete in
Christo Jhesu. Scriptum festinantissime, feria vj^a.
Recommendetis me specialissime magistro T. H.
et J. Berneye, &c.—Vester ad vota,                   F. J. B.

     ¹ Magistrum Thomam Howys.     ² William Yelverton,

     ¹ A contraction perhaps meant for quandam and blurred. If so, it should
have been struck out altogether; for the words a me primo (which are an
insertion in the margin) make the sense definite.

     ² Jer. xvii. 18.                                          ³ Ps. liii. (liv.) 5.