James Gloys to John Paston

I78

JAMES GLOYS TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my right reverente and wurchepfull Mayster, John Paston,
Esquyer, be this delivered in hast.

RIGHT reverent and wurchepfull Sir, I recomand me to
     you, besechyng you to wete that Wharles told me that
     Partrych seid that his lord² knewe wele that ye were
entred pesibilly in the maner of Gresham; where fore, he seid,
thow the tenauntes and fermors pay you the rents and fermes
the tyme that ye be in possession, his seid lord, thow he entre
ageyn, wuld never aske it them. Item, the seid Partrych seid
to Wharles that his lord wull come down hym self and entre
in the seid maner within short tyme. Wharles wull not dis-
charge your baly of xvvjs. and viijd., which he toke the seid
baly enseled in a purs. The seid Wharles told my mayster,
John of Berney, at the court, that he repented hym that he
payd you any peny till he had be distreyned; and he seid than
pleynly that he wull nomore pay till he were distreyned. I
have be there divers tymes for to distreyn hym, and I cowde
never do it but if [unless] I wuld a distreyned hym in his
moders hous, and there I durst not for her cursyng. The
baly of the hundred told me that Wharles spake to hym in cas
he had be distreyned that he wold have gete hym a replevy;
and the baly bad hym kete a replevy of his mayster and he
wold serve it.

     Item, the maner londs at Gresham, with othre tenaunts
londs that be fallyn in your hands ben letyn to ferme. I can
gete no tenaunte to dwell in the maner hous. And if the rede
shuld be caryed thens, the tenaunts shuld thynk that ye fered
sum new entre, ands it shuld sore discomfort hem, for thei
whisshed whan it was caried to the maner that it had be leyd
ther thus pesibly ij. yer afore. Asfor the obligacyon that ye
shuld have of the parson of Cressyngham, he seth he cam never
at Cressyngham syth he spake with you, and that he be heste
it you not till Fastyngong.¹ His hors ben stolyn, and therfore
he may not ryde.

     Item, Gonnore kept a court at Routon the Thursday² next
after Seynt Mathy³ the Appostell, and it was told me that
Bettes was ther with hym; wherefore I rode theder. And be
cause that it was a fraunchised town and within the Duchye,⁴
and also that Gonnor had gret rewle in the seid town, I toke
with me the baly of the hundred and set hym with me in my
Lord of Norffolks warant, and than yede in to the court ther
as Gonnor and Bettes wern. The seid baly told Gonnor of
this warant, and Gonnor rebuked hym so that he durst not a
rest the seid Bettes. Than I toke it up on me and arested
hym myself as he sate be Gonnor. Gonnor desired than to
se my warant, and I shewed it hym, and he seid he wold obey
it as the lawe wold. And he proferyd me suerte, men of the
seid town of Routon. Than I told hym, and [i.e. if] he wold
be bownd hym self with othre I would agre ther to, but I wuld
have no shipmen that had nought, ner such men that rought
[cared] never, and thei were onys on the see, wheder thei come
ageyn or noght. Than Bettes toke Gonnor a supersedias that
he had of Wychyngham twelmoneth ago for anothre man that
asked suerte of the seid Bettes. I wold have had it, and he
wold not lete me have it, ner shewe it me but in his hands.
Than I told hym that it was noght, and he seid it was gode i
nowe. I bad hym take it me for my discharge, and he seid
pleynly I shuld not have it. Than I told hym I wold have my
prisoner. The seid Gonnor seid I shuld not have hym, and
dede set alle the tenaunts up on me and made a gret noyse, and
seydyn alle pleynly I shuld not have hym yf he wold abyde
with hem. Than I told Gonnor that I shuld certifie a rescuse,
and prayd the baly of the hundred that he wold record the
same. Item, the seid Gonnor seid I myght have favoryd the
seid Bettes the more be cause the seid Bettes was my mayster
Stapylton man, and that his men shuld not be bownd and I
shuld go lose. He seid I shuld be tyed or aght longe and alle
my feleshep bothyn; but, God yeld hym, he hath yovyn me
iiij. days respyte. Than I told hym it shuld never ly in his
power to bynde me, ner non of my feleshep so fast but that it
shuld be in your power to make hym to losyn us, and if that
he abode in Norffolk he shuld be made to seke the skyrts of
his sadill or Esterne. And if he had kept his wey that nyght
I shuld have kept hym trewe covenaunte, for I lay on wayte
up on hym on the heth as he shuld have comen humward, and
if I myght have met with hym I shuld have had Bettes from
hym; but he had leyd such wetche that he had aspied us or
he cam fully at us; and he remembered Wyndhams manhood,
that iiij. swyft fete were better than ij. hands, and he toke his
hors with the spores and rode to Felbrygge Hall as fast as he
myght rydyn, and I suppose he lay ther all that nyght.

     Item, the seid Gonnor manased and thret John of Beston
for he wuld not warn hym her of; and he dede sease alle his
lond in Routon, and warned hym that he shuld not occupy his
lyme kyll ner no lond that he had in Routon; and he mad
his avaunte whan I was gon, if that I had not brought the
baly of the hundred with me I shuld never have go thens;
and yet, not withstandyng that I brought the baly with me,
and thei had wust where myn hors had stond I shuld have be
wele betyn. All this language had thei whan that I was gon.

     Item, the seid Gonnor seid after that I was gon to the
tenaunts of the seid town, that his supersedias was noght,
and as for the rescuse, he shuld purvey a mene to excuse it.
Where fore and it pleasyd you to send my mastres word how
that I shuld be demened with the seid Bettes, and wheder that
ye wuld I shuld a rest hym ageyn or nought, and to purvey
such a mene for Gonnor that he myght ley his bost, it
shuld be gret comfort to all yowr frendes and tenauntes ther
abowtyn.

     Item, I have be at my mayster Stapilton with your writtes,
and he made it right straunge for to ensele hem. He seid
that he knew of nown such inquiscion takyn at Swafham
beforn hym; he seid if it were presented ther, it was presented
in his absens, whill that he was in his inne; wherfore he seid
he wold not ensele hem till he sey the bokes. Whan I had
answeryd hym ther to, than he seid he wold comown with my
mayster Yelverton her of whan he come home, and til he had
spok with hym he wold not ensele hem. I told hym my
mayster Yelverton had enseled hem. Thann he seid he knew
not my mayster Yelverton seale. He shewed it to Gonnor, and
asked hym wheder it was his seall or noght. Gonnor seid it
was his sealle. Than my mayster Stapilton brake ought of
this mater and spake to me of the a restyng of Bettes and
makyng of affray up on Gonnor. He seid Gonnor cam to
hym to compleyn up on me. I told hym that Gonnor had
enformed hym as it plesyd hym, for I had yove hym no cause
to compleyn of me, and if it pleased hym to her myn excuse he
shuld fynd me in no defaute. Whan he had herd myn excuse,
he cowde not blame me. Meche othre langage we had, for I
was with hym ner an ower. Than he asked me wheder the
inquisicion was taken be fore the justice of the peas or the
justice of the oyer determyner. I told hym be for the justic of
the peas, for I seid it was the cessyons of the peas at Swafham.
Than he bad me put up my warants, for he seid he wold not
ensele hem till he had comowned with my maister Yelverton.
I told hym it shuld not nede to comown with my mayster
Yelverton, ner labor hym therfore, for I seid it myght not
hurt thow he enseled hem not; for I seid the writts were
executed, and that the shereff had mad ought warants of them,
and his warants were executed, and so the seid writts shuld
stand you in litill avayll, save only, I told hym, ye desiryd his
sealle, because it was fownd before othre lords with hym, and
that he stode in the teste of the said writts, and that was cause
of my comyng theder. Than he wend I had comyn for to
assayn hym, for forthwith he enseled hem, but me thynk be
his langage he hath be labored of the toder part.

     Item, and it pleased your gode maystershep to gete of my
mayster Yelverton a supersedias for John Osborn and an othre
for me. We suppose that Gonnor and Bettes wull do us
arest, and we wuld the supersedias that we haue ought of the
Chauncery were kept till more nede were. My mastres¹
recomand her to you, and prayth you to hold her excused that
she write yow no letter, for myche of the mater that she shuld
have wrete to you I had wrete in my letter or she knew ther
of; and also she knew not of so redy a massanger as I had.
And it plesyd your gode maystershep to send us a pardon for
to assoylyn Gonnor this holy tyme of Lentyn, the rather be
cause of this gret bulle,¹ we shuld leve in the more reste and
peas, and kepe the more our pacyence than we do. The
Holy Trynyte have you in His kepyng. Wretyn on the
Monday next after Seynt Mathie² the Appostell, in hast.

                                 Your pore servaunte,

                                                                            JAMES GLOYS.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter was written in the spring of 1451, when
John Paston had re-entered Gresham.                ² Lord Molyns.

     ¹ Fastingong, or Shrove Tuesday, fell upon the 9th March in 1451.

     ² 25th February.                       ³ St. Matthias, whose day was the 24th February.

     ⁴ The Duchy of Lancaster.

     ¹ Margaret Paston.

     ¹ Probably a bull of indulgence issued at the close of the year of jubilee 1450, for
the benefit of those who had not been able to visit Rome that year.

     ² St. Matthias. His day was the 24th February.

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