John Paston to the [Sheriff of Norfolk]

212

JOHN PASTON TO [THE SHERIFF OF NORFOLK?]²

       REVERENT and ryth wurshepfull sir, and my god
            maister, I recommaund me to yow. Plese yow to
            wete that Charles Nowell with odir hath in this
cuntre mad many riot and sautes; and, among othir, he and
v. of his felachip set upon me and mo(?) of my servants at
the Chathedrall chirch of Norwich, he smyting at me, whilis
on of his felawis held myn armes at my bak, as the berer
herof shall mor playnly inform yow. Whech was to me
strawnge cas, thinking in my conseyth that I was my Lords
man and his homagier, or Charlis knew hys Lordschipe,
that my Lord was my god Lord, and that I had be with my
Lord at London within viij. [days?]³ bey for Lent, at which
tyme he grantyd my his god lordship, so lagerly [largely] that
it must cause me ever to be his trew servant to myn pow[er].
I thowt also that I had never geff cawse to non of my Lords
hous to ow me evill will, ne that ther was non of the hows
but I wold have do fore as I cow (sic) desir anioone (?) to do
for me, and yet will except my adversare; and thus I and
my frendes haff miusid of this and thowt he was hard to do
thus. And this notwithstanding, assone as knolech was had
of my Lords coming to Framlingham, I never attemptid to
procede ageyns hym as justis and law wuld, but to trust to
my seyd Lord that his Hyghnes wold se this punischichid
(sic), and desirid my master (?) H. . . . . . mi cosin (?)
Tymperle, the dene and odir to (?)¹ and dayly hath be redy
with such jentilmen as dwelle here abought that can record
the trought to have come (sic) compleyn to my Lord; but we
have had contynually tydynges of my Lordes comyng heder
that causid us for to abide ther up un, besechyng your gode
maystershep that ye wull lete my Lord have knowlech of my
compleynt. And that ye wull tender the gode spede of the
entente of the letteris wretyn to you fro jentilmen of this
shire. Prayng yow that ye woll yeve credens to the berer
herof, and be his gode mayster in cas any man make any
qwarell to hym. And what that I may do be your comaund-
ment shall be redi with the grace of God, how have in his
blissid kepyng. Wretyn at Norwhich, un Seynt Georges day.

     ² [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This is printed from a rough draft in John Paston’s
handwriting, on the back of which is a draft of the preceding letter. The date of
both letters is the same. The reading of particular words in this draft is very un-
certain, owing to the cramped handwriting used in corrections and interlineations, and
the manner in which several of the words are abbreviated.

     ³ Word omitted.

     ¹ The preceding words from ‘and desirid’ are a peculiarly illegible interlineation,
and do not appear to form a consecutive sense along with the passage following.
Perhaps the words ‘and daily hath’ should have been erased, which would make the
connection intelligible.

1452

APRIL 23