[James Gresham] to John Paston

545

[JAMES GRESHAM] TO JOHN PASTON²

To mygth rigth gooa and speciall maister, John Paston,
dwellyng at Heylesdon be syde Norwich.

     RIGTH reverent, &c. Please your maisterchip wete that
         I resseived your letter whiche ye sent by Crome, and
     as for the examinacion of, &c. that I wrot to you of
in my former letter to be taken on the Munday or on Tewys-
day, &c. this was the cause. Ye yaff me informacion at my
last departyng fro you that the murdre was don uppon the day
nexst after Seynt Petre. And for doute lesse ye had be ougth
at the comyng of my seid letter, and for dowte that I supposed
that my maistres, your wyf, had not be remembred of the
day, it caused me, accordyng to your informacion, to wryte
the uttermost day for her remembrans. Neverthelesse, if ye
certifie that ye toke the examinacion with in the yere and
day, and sette the day in certayn, your certificat is sufficiant in
lawe and shall bynd any of the parties to sey the contrary.
And also the writte is that ye schuld certefie sine dilatione, and
no day expresly yoven you whan to certifie it; wherfor ye
may kepe uncertefiet tyl the nexst terme. And so do sir, for
it schal do no hurt; but if ony questions or jangelyng schuld
be mad when the examinacion was, let a sufficiant day with
inne the yere be noysed, and if the teste be to schort we schal
fynd the mene it schal be amendyd by hym that wrot it. For
after the informacion that I had of Crome the Sunday was
the uttermest day, and therefor it was happy that sche was
examined thenne. And where that ye wold I schuld tak the
advice of Maister Markham, &c., if all thyng were laufull, and
elles not, it is full hard to my self to determine the certaynte
of every circumstans of the mater, and it is not gretely to be
comuned of with other, nor to comune of casez lyke; for
whan the mater schuld come in revelysshon it wold cause
prevy titlers and flaterers ougth of suche questions to ymagyn,
and contryve mater of distourbans. Wherfor uppon the cer-
teynte of myn determinacion I brak the mater to Master
Markham, which called to hym Master Byngham, and so thei
ij. meved Y.¹; and after that mocion he kept not his owyn
councell but brak to every man of it. Hou be it he was sore
mevyd with it, I wote it well, and glad to take avyse and
comfort of other personez than of Masters Markham and
Byngham. Al circumstans were to long to wryte, but I hope
to speke with you be tymes i nougth or ye schall nede to
certefye, &c. And, sir, in conclucion, Masters Markham and
Byngham thynk it sufficiant i nougth to take his promys and
his othe with ougth obligacion that he schal mak amends if
profe here after can be mad uppon hym. And to this Maister
Markham prayed you to agre by the same token ye mevyd
hym to sette an ende be twyx you and my masters your
brethern. Neverthelesse if ye thynk this wey not sufficiant,
ye may lete sum other handele the mater at hom to hym if
that ye hope to gete good pref in the mater, for with ougth
evydent proffe the mater schall be but noysefull to you, and
cause men to thynk that it growyth of your ille wyll to hym
ward, &c.; for he noyseth and seyth, because of ille wyll
ye have caused a mad woman to take apell a yens hym.

     Item, sir, as for Leukenore he is not at London, but per-
aventure I schal make hym to be meved in the mater here
after.

     Item, I dede your erand to my maister your son.

     Item, as for John Say,¹ he recomendyth hym to you, bothe
for your billes and for your labour, and prayeth you if ony land
that lyth for the priour ease mygth be aspyed, that ye wold
help to gete it hym and send hym word; and as for the
morteysyng . . . . . . and at his cost and labour.

     Item, as for tydyngs, the Kyng and the counsell is at
Northampton,² and the Convocacion schall be . . . . .
. . . . after Relyk Sunday. And ther be ij. marchaunts
come fro Caleys, and they mygth no leve have to com[e] . .
. . . . . . . schuld bere the Kyng certeyn lettres and
juste tytyngs that sege is comyng to Caleys. And trew[s] .
. . . . . . . [ou]re Lady Day, as I herd sey.

     Item, it is talked that Duchemen and Englysshemen ben at
contraversie with in . . . . . . .

     ² [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter seems to be in James Gresham’s hand-
writing. It is evident that it was written shortly after Midsummer. Rather more
than a year and a day had elapsed since a murder committed on the morrow of
St. Peter’s Day (i.e. on the 30th June), and it is mentioned that Convocation was
to sit some little time after Relic Sunday, which always falls in the middle of July.
Further, the King is said to be at Northampton, which he was in July 1463, and no
other year appears to suit.

     ¹ Yelverton.

     ¹ Probably the Speaker of the Parliament of 1463, whom Margaret Paston named
Fynes in Letter 544. See p. 75, Note 2.

     ² According to the dates of the Privy Seals the King was at Northampton from
the 8th to the 28th July 1463; also on the 2nd May 1464.

JULY

1463
JULY

1463
JULY