[John Paston?] to [Richard] Southwell

440

[JOHN PASTON?] TO [RICHARD] SOUTHWELL¹

BROTHER Suthwell, I comand me to yow, sertifiing
     yow that, on Thursday be the morwe, I spak with
     my cosine Wichingham at London, where he lete
me wet of the letter sent to Lee, wherby I conseyve the
stedfast godlordship and ladiship of my Lord and my Lady²
in this mater, &c., whech gevith cause to all her servaunts
to trost verily in them and to do hem trew servise. I lete
yow wete that the seid Wychyngham, when I departid from
hym, had knowleche that Jane Boys shuld that nyght be come
to London, and he put in a bylle to the Lordis for to have
delyverauns of hyr and to have hese adversarys arestid. And
this nyght at Norwiche was told me newe tydyngges that she
shuld on Thursday after my departyng a be before the Lordis
and there asaide untrewly of her selff, as the berer hereof shal
informe yow if ye know it not before; of wheche tydyngges,
if they be trew, I am sory for her sake, and also I fere that
her frendys schuld sewe the more feyntely, wheche Godde
defende. For her seyng untrewly of her selff may hurt the
mater in no man but her selff; and thow she wol mescheve
her selff, it wer gret pete but if the mater were laborid forth,
not for her sake, but for the worchepe of the estatys and

other that have laboryd therin, and in ponyshing of the gret
oryble dede. Wherfore I send yow dyvers articlis in a bill
closid herin, wheche preve that she was raveshid ayens hyr
wel, what so ever she sey.

     Thes be provis that Jane Boys was ravischig [sic] ageyn her
wil, and not ber awn assent.

     One is that she, the tyme of her takyng, whan she was set
upon her hors, she revyled Lancasterother¹ and callid hym
knave and wept, and kryid owte upon hym pitewly to her,
and seid as shrewdly to hym as coud come to her mende, and
fel doune of her hors unto that she was bound, and callid him
fals t[r]aytor that browth her the rabbettes.

     Item, whan she was bounde she callid upon her modyer,
wheche folwyd her as far as she myght on her feet, and whan
the seid Jane sey she myght goo no ferther, she kryid to her
modyer and seid that what so ever fel of her, she shuld never
be weddyd to that knave, to deye for it.

     Item, be the weye, at Shraggarys hous in Kokely Cley,
and at Brychehamwell, and in all other places wher she myght
see any people, she kryid owte upon hym, and lete people
wete whos dowtyr she was, and how she was raveshid ayens
her wyll, desyeryng the people to folwe her and reskew her.

     Item, Lancasterotherys prest of the Egle in Lyncolne shire,
wheche shroff her, seid that she told hym in confession that
she wold never be weddyd to hym, to deye for it; and the
same prest seid he wold not wedde hem togedyr for M^1.li.

     Item, she sent divers tokenes of massage to Sothwell be
Robert Inglose, wheche previth welle at that tyme she lovyd
not Lancasterother.

     Item, a man of the master of Carbrokes come dyvers
tymes in the weke before she was raveshid to Wychynghams
hous, and inquerid of her mayde whedyr her mastras was in-
suerid to Sothwell or nay, the wheche prevyth well that Lan-
casterother was not sure of her godwill ne knew not of her

counseyl, for if he had, he ne nedid not to have sent no
spyes.

     Whech seen, I avyse yow to move my Lord and my Lady
to do in this mater as affettualy as they have do before, for
this mater touchyth hem, consideryng that they have begonne;
and dowt not, what so ever falle of the woman, well or evel,
my Lord and my Lady shal have worchep of the mater if it be
wel laborid, and also ye shall have avayl therof and the advers
parte chall gret trobil.

     Also it were necessarie that Wychyngham were sent to and
cofortyd in hese seute, and that he avysid hym of seche articlis
and preves of the mater as I have sent to yow and put hem in
writing, but not to disclose non tho preves to non creature
unto that tyme that it fortune the mater to be tried be
enquest, or other wyse take end, but avyse hym for to seye to
the Lords and all (?) in generall termes that what so
ever Lancasterother or hese douter seyn nowh, it shal be wel
prevyd she was reveshid ayens her wyll; and let him desire of
the Lordis that his dowter mith be in his kepyng, and at large
fro Lancasterother un tylle the mater were duly examynd. I
wold this mater sped the bety[r] be cause my Lady spoke so
feythefully to me therin, and that mevyth me to wryte to yow
this long symple lettyr of myn intent. ¹[Also wher ye be in-
formyd that vj. men of Osbern Monforthes shuld a be at the
seid raveshing, I certifie yow verily it was not soo; for Osbern
Mondeford wol do in the mater all that ever he can or may
to help to punisse the doer, and desirith to know the grownd
of that tale, of whech I pray send me word if and what ye will
ellis.] God kepe yow.

     Wret at Norwich the Soneday nex before the fest of Sent
Margret.

     Item, [if] she had be of hes assent affter the time she was
in hes possescion in Lynkoln shire, hit had be bett—²

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is printed from a corrected draft in a
hand which may be that of Margaret Paston, writing in her husband’s name. The
beginning may perhaps refer to the impending marriage of Richard Southwell with
Amy, daughter of Sir Edmund Wichingham, which took place, according to Blome-
field (x. 274), about the beginning of Edward IV.’s reign. From the mention made
of Osbert Mundford, however, the letter cannot be later than 1460. The ravishment
of Jane Boys, as here related, corresponds so closely with that of Dame Joan Beau-
mont, of which notice will be found in the Rolls of Parl., v. 269, that we might
almost surmise the same person is spoken of; but this can hardly be.

     ² Probably the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk.

    ¹ According to Blomefield (viii. 299) Joan (or Jane), one of the four daughters
of Edmund de Wichingham, married, first, Robert Longstrather, and afterwards
Robert Boys of Honing, in Norfolk.

    ¹ This passage is crossed out in the MS.

     ² Sentence left incomplete.