James Gresham to Master White

128

JAMES GRESHAM TO MASTER WHITE¹

To my Maister Whyte, Esquyer, with my Lord Cardynall,²
for to take to John Paston.

       AFTER al due recomendacion, I recomaund me to yow,
           and do yow wete that this same Wednesseday I
           receyved your lettre whiche was wretyn on Saterday
last passed, wherby ye willed me to send yow worde of your
matiers, &c. As touchyng the frere,³ he abydeth in lawe up
on our plee of profession, like as I sent yow word by wrytyng,
whiche I sent yow in a box with other stuf by a man of
the Archedeken of Rychemond. I endorsed it thus, ‘To
William Plumstede, with my Lord of Winchestre,⁴ or to John
Paston.’

     We shuld have amendet our plee of profession, but thanne
your counseyll fereth he wolde take an issue that he is not
professed, and that shuld⁵ be tried by the certificat of the
Dean of Poulys, sede vacante; and therfore we abide in lawe,
and wole not amende our plee. The day of th’assises in
Norffolk is aie Veneris proximo post Festum Nativitatis Beatae
Marioe apud Norwicum, and Costards nisi prius is take owt
ageynst that day, and Prentis nisi prius ageynst Halman also.

     As touchyng the sute ageyns Osebern and Foke, he hath
geve day xv. Johannis with X. tales, as I have wretyn to yow
to fore this tyme; and I suppose that he wole have a nisi
prius of the same atte seid assises. As touchynge the fyn in
the Kyngs Benche for Osebern and Foke, the fyne were cessed
this terme, but I hadde no leyser to talke with Croxton ther of
yet, &c. Your bedfelawe seigh bothe my other writynge and
this, and he recomaundeth hym to yow, and shuld have wretyn
to yow, if he had not be prevy to my writyng. Ye ar meche
hold to hym, for he is diligent for yow, &c.

     As touchyng Drewe Barantyn, I myght not yet speke with
hym, &c. Circumspecte agatis, and be war of lordis promysses,
for it is tolde me in counseil ther is a writte of forcyble entre¹
in framyng ageynst yow.

     Almyghty God be your gyde. Wretyn in hast with inne
an hour after the resceyte of your lettre, at Wesminster, the
Wednesseday next after Seint Thomas day.²

                                                                            Yours JAMES GRE.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter appears to have been written in the year
1450, when Gresham was in London looking after John Paston’s interests in various
lawsuits. Mr. White, to whom it is directed for the purpose of being conveyed to
Paston, was a servant of Cardinal Kemp, who had been made Lord Chancellor in the
beginning of the year. It is evident from other letters that John Paston took counsel
of the Lord Chancellor’s servant in his causes.

     ² Cardinal Kemp.                               ³ John Hawteyn.—See Nos. 46 and 63.

     ⁴ William of Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester.

     ⁵ The word ‘it’ is interlined in the original after ‘shuld,’ but is clearly superfluous.

    ¹ For Gresham?

    ² The translation of St. Thomas was on the 3rd July.

1450
JULY 8

1450
JULY 8