Margaret Paston to John Paston

581

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my mayster, John Paston the oldest be thys delyveryd.
in hast.

RYGHT wyrshypfull husbond I recomaund me unto you.
           Pleysed you to wyte that on Wensday last passyd
          Dabeney, Naunton, Wykes and John Love werr at
Drayton for to speke with your tenaunts ther to put hem iu
comfort and for to aske money of hem also. And Pyrs Waryn,
otherwyse callyd Pyrs at Sloth, whych ys a flykeryng felowe
and a besy with Mr. Phylyp and the Bayly of Cosshay, he had
a plowe goyng in your lond in Drayton, and ther your seyd
servaunts at that tyme toke hys plowe ware, that ys to say ij.
marys, and broght hem to Heylysdon, and ther they be yet.
And on the next mornyng after Mr. Phylyp and the Baylly of
Cosshay com to Haylysdon with a grete nomber of pepell,
that ys to say viij.^xx men and mor in harnysse, and ther toke
from the persons plowe ij. hors, pris iiij. marc and ij. hors of
Thomas Stermyns plowe, pris xls., saying to hem that ther
was taken a playnt ayenst hem in the hunderd by the seyd
Pyrs for takyng of the forseyd plowarre at Drayton, and but,
they wold be bond to com to Drayton on Tewysday next
comyng to awnswer to such maters as shalbe sayd to them
ther they shold not have ther bests ayens; whych they refusyd
to do on to the tyme that they had an awnswer from you;
and so they led the bestes forth to Drayton, and from Drayton
forth to Cosshay. And the same after none folwyng the
parson of Haylesdon send hys man to Drayton with Stermyn
for to speke with Mr. Phylyp to know a way yf they shuld
have ayen ther cattell or not; and Master Phylyp awnsweryd
them yf that they wold bryng home ther destresse ayen that
was taken of Pyrs Waryn, that then he wold dylyver hem
thers, or els not; and he lete hem playnly wyte that yf ye or
any of your servaunts toke any dystresse in Drayton that were
but the valew of an hen, they wold com to Haylesdon and
take ther the valew of an ox therefore, and yf they cannot
take the valew therof there, that then they wyll do breke your
tenaunts howsys in Haylesdon, and take as moch as they
cowd fynd therein; and yf they be lettyd therof, wych shall
never lye in your power for to do, for the Duck of Suffolk ys
abyll to kepe dayly in hys hows more men then Dabeney hadde
herys on hys hede, yf hym lyst; and as for Dabeney he ys a
lewde felowe, and so he shalbe servyd herafter, and I wold he
were here. And therfore yf ye take uppon you to lette them
so for to do, that then they wold goo in to any lyflode that ye
had in Norfolk or Suffolk, and to take a destresse in lykewysse
as they wold do at Haylysdon. And other awnswerr cowde
they non gyte, and so they departyd. Ric. Calle axid the
parson and Stermyn yf they wold take an accyon for ther
catell, and the parson¹ seyd he was agyd and syklow, and he
wold not be trobelyd herafter; he sayd he had lever lose hys
catell, for he wyst well yf he dyde so he shold be endytyd, and
so vexid with hem that he shold never have rest by hem. As
for Stermyn, he sayd at that tyme he durst not take no sute
ayenst hem nother; but after that Ric. was rydyn, I spake
with hym, and he sayd he wold be rulyd as ye wold have hym,
and I fond hym ryght herty and wel dysposyd in that mater;
and he is bownde to you an obligacyon of xli. sengyll with
outen condycyon that he shall abyde by such accyons as shalbe
takyn by your advyse in hys name; wherfore I have send you
a tytelyng therof in a byll closyd herin. I axyd Thomas Gryne
avyse when they had take the dystresse hyre, and he avysyd
me that herre destresse shold be delyveryd a yen to them so
that we myzt have ayen ours; and me thoght it was non
awnswer after myn entent, and wold not therof but axyd avyse
of Skypwith what hym thoght that were best to doo there in,
and most wyrshypfull. He seyd by hys avyse that I shold
send to you in al the hast that I cowde, and that ye shuld
fynde a mene therfore above, by the avyse of youre lernyd
counsell to have a wrytte from above for to delyver yt of lesse
then the undershyrff werre other wysse dysposyd to you then
we fynde hym, for it symyth that he ys made of the other
party. And as for the replevyn for the CC. shype ys not yet
servyd. Skypwyth thynkyth that ye myzt have a wrytte both
for the shype and the destresse now taken at Haylysdon, I
pray you that ye wyll send word in hast how [ye] woll that
we doo in thys maters. Skypwith went with me to the Byshop
of Norwych, and I lyte hym have knowlych of the ryotous
and evyll dysposicyon of Master Phylyp, desyryng hys Lord-
shyp that he wold see a mene tha[t] a correccyon myzt be
hadde, in as moch as he was chef Justic of the Peas and hys
ordynare, and inasmoch as he was a prest¹ and under hys
correccyon that he shold have understondyng of hys dysposi-
cyon; and I made Dabeney to tell hym all the mater howt it
was; and he seyd he wold send for hym and speke with hym.
And he told me of dyvers thyngs of the demenyng of hym,
wherby I understode he lykyd not by hys dysposicyon nor
demenyng in thys mater nor in no nothyr; for it symyd he
had provyd hym what he ys in other maters. My lord seyd
to me that he wold ryght fayn that ye had a gode conclusyon
in your maters, and seyd by hys trouth, that he ought you
ryght gode wyll, and wold ryght fayn that ye wer com home,
and seyd to me that it shold be a grete comfort to your
frends and neghbors, and that your presens shold do more
amongs hem, than a C. of your men shold do in your absens,
and more, your enmys wold ferr to do ayens you yf ye myght
be at home, and steryng amonges hem, and seyd full playnly
in meny other thyngs it wer to long to wryte at thys tyme, as
Skypwith shall tell you when he comyzt to you. I pray you
thanke Skypwith of hys gode wyll, for he was ryght well
wyllyd to go with me and yeve me hys avyse, me thynkyth he
ys ryzt well wyllyd to you.

     Item, I pray you send hastely word how that ye wyll that
we be gydyd with thys place, for as it ys told me, it ys
lyke to stond in as grete jupardy in hast as othere don. On
Thursday al day there were kept in Draton logge in to lx.
persons, and yet as it ys told me, ther be within dayly and
nyztly in to a xvj. or xx. persons.

     Item, it ys told me that Thomas Elys of Norwych, whych
nowe ys chosyn Mayer, seyd at Drayton that yf my Lord of
Suffolk nede a C. men he wold purvey hym therof, and yf any
men of the town wold go to Paston he wold do lay hem faste
in prison. I wold youre men mygh have a supersedias³ owte
of the chauncere, and be owte of the danger of ther men here;
and I pray you let not Wyll Naunton be foryete therin. Ric.
Calle and other can tell you of hys demenyng; and I pray you
that ye be not dysplesyd for his abydyng with me, for in gode
feth he hath ben a grete comfort to me syn ye departyd hens,
as I wyll lete you wyte hereafter. I pray you yf hys brother
com to you for a relesse of hys londe, lette him non have on
to the tyme that ye see hys faderes wyll, the whych I wote
wher it ys, and that it like you to desyre hym to be gode
brother to him.

     Item, I have left John Paston the older at Caster, to kype
the place there, as Ric. can tell you; for I had lever, and it
pleasyd you, to be captensse here then at Caster; yet I was
nothyng purposyd to abyde here when [I] come from home
but for a day or ij., but I shall abyde here tyll I here tydyngs
from you.

     Item, it ys told me that the Duck of Suffolk hath boght
or shal by in hast the ryzt that on Bryghtylhed hath in
Haylesdon, &c.

     Item, as for the evydens that Watkyn Shypdam hadd, he
delivered to hys wyffe a box enselyd with hys owyn seall by
hys lyffe for to be delyveryd to you, whych box she delyveryd
to Ric. Call under the same seall after hys dessesse. Ric. can
tell you of the gydyng of the cofere with other boks that were
at Shypdams. And as for all your other evydens ye ther not
feer as for the syzt of hem, for ther hath nor shall no man sen
hem tyll ye com hom. I can not fynd that ye send to me fore
to have oute of the rolle.

     Item, I here no word of Colte of New Castell, nor of no
nother from you that shold have your malte, but I have spoken
to the Viker, John Rus and Robert Boteler, to help for to sell
your malte, and as we can do therein, we shall send you word.
The Provest of Cambrygge ys com into thys contry and
Dabeney shall receve of hym that longyth to you on Monday
or Tewysday, and he shall have hys delyveryd accordyng to
your wrytyng.

     Item, my moder told me that she thynkyth ryght strange
that she may not have the profects of Clyre ys place in peasabyll
wyse for you, she seyt it ys hers and she hath payd most ther-
fore yet, and she sayth she wyll have the profects therof, or
ells she wyll make more folk to speke therof. She seyth she
knowyt not what ryght ne titell that ye have therin but yf ye
luste to trobell with herre, and that shold be no wyrshep to
you; and she sayth she wylbe ther thys somer and repayre the
housyng ther. In gode feyth I hyre moch langage of the
demenyng betwene you and herre. I wold ryght fayn, and so
wold many moo of youre frendes, that it were otherwyse
bytwene you then it ys, and yf it were I hope ye shold have
the beter spyde in all other maters. I pray God be your gode
spyde in all your maters, and yef yow grace to have a gode
conclusyon of hem in haste for thys ys to wyry a lyffe to a byde
for you and all youre. Wryten in haste at Haylysdon the x.
day of May.

     The cause that I send to you this hastely ys to have an
awnswer in haste from you.

                                                                                      Your M. P.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this letter is rendered certain by the
mention of Thomas Ellis as having been elected Mayor of Norwich. He was so
elected for the second time in 1465. He had been Mayor before in 1460-61, and was
again after this in 1474-75; but neither of these latter dates will suit the other contents
of this letter. Like some others of this year, this letter is apostyled by John Paston.

   ¹ Thomas Hert, perhaps a relation of the Bishop of Norwich, was presented to the
rectory of Hellesden by Sir John Fastolf in 1448, but how long he held it is uncertain,
as the list of rectors is very defective, and the next name that appears on it is George
Gardiner in 1579.

     ¹ Philip Lepeyate was presented to the rectory of Salle in Norfolk, in 1460, by
Thomas Brewse, Esq., afterwards father-in-law of John Paston, the youngest.

     ² i.e. Periculum Heylesdon.                                         ³ So in MS.

    ¹ This word is left blank by Paston.

MAY 10

1465
MAY 10

Distr’
Petr’.
Warin.

Distr’
Sturmyn
et rectoris
de Heylis-
don.

Crak.

1465
MAY 10

Accio
rectoris et
Sturmyn.

Replevin.

Episcopus
Norwic’.

1465
MAY 10

Episcopus
Norwic’.

Skipwith.

Per’
Heyl’d.²

Elys.

Super-
sedeas.

Naunton.

1465
MAY 10

J. Paston
at Castre.
M. P. at
Heylisdon.

Brightled.

Evidens.
Pekering.

Evidens.
Norwic’.

Colt.
Malt.

Præpositus
de
[Cantab].¹

Mater.
Clere.

1465
MAY 10