Margaret Paston to John Paston

610

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

      RYGHT wourchipful husbonde, I recomaunde me to
           yow, dyssyryng hertely to here of yowr welfare,
          thankyng yow of yowr grett chere that ye made
me, and of the coste that ye dede on me. Ye dede more
cost thanne my wylle was that ye choulde do, but that it
plesyd yow to do so, God gyf me grase to do that may
plese yow. Plesyt yow to wet that on Fryday after myn
departyng frome yow I was at Sudbury and spake with the
schreve, and Ric. Calle toke hym the ij. writts, and he brake
them, and Ric. hathe the copes of them; and he seyde he
wolde send the writts to hys undre-schryf and a leter ther-
wyth, chargyng hym that he schowlde do ther ine as largely
as he owt to do. And I and Ric. informyd hym of the
demenyng of hys undrchryf, how parciall he hade be with
the other partye, bothe in that mater, and also for the
accionnys beyng in the scher; and he was nothyng wel plesyd
of the demenyng of hys undreschef, and he hat wretyn to
hym that he choulde be indeferent for bothe partyes acordyng
to the lawe, bothe for that materys and for alle other. What
the undreschryf wylle do therin I wot ner, for he is not yet
spokyn with.

     Item, as for Cotton, I entryd in to the plase as on Sunday
last was, and ther I abode tyll un Wednysday last pasyd. I
have left ther John Paston the yonger, Wykes, and other xij.
men for to receive the profyttes of the maner; and ayenst the
day of kepyng of the corte, I hope ther shall be more to
streynkyth them, yf it nede. John Paston hath be with my
lorde of Norfolk seyth [since] we entryd, and dyssyryd his
good lorchyp to streynth hym with hys howsolde men and
other yf nede be; and he hath promysyd he would do so.
And I sent Ric. Calle on Tusday to Knevett, dysyryng hym
that he woulde sende to hys baley and tenaunts at Mendlesham,
that thei choulde be redy to come to John Paston whan he sent
for them; and he sent a man of his forthwith, chargyng them
in aney wyse that they choulde do so. And he sent me wourde
be Ric. and hys sonne also, yf wee were not stronge inough,
that owther he or hys sonne, or bothe yf nede were, would
come with suche feleschipp as they coude gett abowt them, and
that thei woulde do as feythfully as they kowde for yow, bothe
in that mater and in alle other.

     Item, on Saterday last was, Jenney ded warne a corte at
Calcotte to be holde ther in hys name as on Tusday last was,
and Debenham de[d] charge another court ther the Sunday
next after to be holde ther the same Tusday in hys name.
And Daubeney had knowleche ther of, and he dede send on
Sunday at nyght to yowr elder sonne, for to have some men
fro thens; and so he sent Wykes and Bernay to hym on
Monday in the mornyng. And assone as thei were come to
Castre thei sent for men ther in the contre, and so they gett
them in to a iij.^xx. men; and Daubeney and Wekes and Bernay
rod to Calcott the same Munday at nyght with ther felechyp,
and ther kept them prevye in the pl[a]se, so that non of alle
the tenaunts kneue them ther, saf Rysyngs wyff and her how-
solde, tylle the Theusday at x. of the cloke. And than Sir
Thomas Brews, Debunham the fadre,¹ and the knyt hys sonne,²
Jenney, Mykelfylde younger, Jermyn, and younge Jernyngham,
and the Baley of Motforde, with other to the noumbre of a
iij.^xx. persones, coum fro the sessionnys at Becklys, the whech
thei hade keppt ther on the day byfor, coume to Seynt Olevys,
and ther thei teryed and dynyd. And whan thei had dynyd,
Sir Gylberde Debenham came to Calcott with xx. hors for to
wett what felechipp ther was in the plase. And than Wekes
aspyed them commyng; and he and Bernay and ij. with them
rode owt to a’ spoke with them. And whan Sir Gilberd aspyd
them comyng, he and his felechipp flede and rode ayen to Seynt
Olovys. And than they sent young Jernyngham and the
Baley of Mottforde to yowr men lettyng hem wete that the
Justice of the Pese wer coum doune with Debunham and
Jenney, to se that the pese choulde be kepte, and that thei
choulde entre and kepe the courte in pesible wyse. And yowr
men answeryd and seyd that they knewe no man was pos-
sessyd ther in, ner hade no ryght therin but ye, and so in your
name, and in your ryght they seyd they woulde kepyt. And
so they yede ayen with thys answer, and wer put fromme ther
purp[o]se that day. And all the tenaunts bestes wer put fro
Calcalcott¹ fee, and challe be tylle other remedy maye be
hadde. Yowr men woulde not kepe ther a cort that daye by
cause it was warnyd by the tother parte, but we wyl do warne
a corte and kepyt, I hope in hast. Ye wyll laugh for to here
alle the processe of the demenyng ther, wheche wer to longe
to writt at thys tyme. Bernay challe telle yow whane he
come; but he challe not come to yow tylle after Seynt
Feythesmesse,² that he maye bryng yow answeres of other
materys. It is tolde me the sessionys choulle be her at
Norwiche on Tusday next comyng, and in Suffolk the Ses-
sionys challe be the same Tusday owther at Dounwyche or at
Ypswyche. I suppose ther challe be labowr ayenst soume of
our folks ther, but we cholle assay to lete ther pourpose yf we
maye. It is tolde me yf ther hade no folks a’ be left here in
thys plase whyll I have be owt, they choulde a’ be neue masters
her by thys tyme; therfor it is not good to leve it alone
yett.

     Item, Arblaster hathe sent a letter to myn Lorde of Oxene-
fords tenaunts that be nerrest abowt Cotton to help John Paston
yf they be sent to, &c.

     Item, I was thys daye with myn Lorde of Norwyche at
Thorppe, and informyd hym of the demenyng of the mater for
Drayton chyrche, and of alle the demenyng and parcialte of
Master John Solatt and Ypswell; and also I informyd what
disposission that they were of that were upon the quest.
And in good feyth me thynkyth by hym that he is ryght ille
plesyd that the mater was so gydyt. He seyde to me ryght
pleynly that the Jugis dede not therin as thei owght to do, and
he seyd thowe I hadde hade noo councell, the he howght of
ryght to have assyngyd me councell suche as I hadde dyssyrid;
but he seyde he wyst well he dede in that mater as he have do
in other materys byfor. Me thynkyth by suche thynges I
harde ther that the seyd Master John ner the tother is not
grettly in conseyt at thys tyme; and so tolde me Aschefylde
in councell. What the cause was he myght have no leyser to
telle me. I mevyd my lorde in the mater acordyng to the
intent of yowr wrytyng yf aney axcion wer take; and he seyd
feythefully yf it myght prevayle yow, he woulde with ryght
good wylle that it choulde be doo; and ellys he woulde not in
noo wyse that it choulde be doo. And he dyssyryde me to
sende to hym suche as be of yowr councell lernyd, that they
myght comune with hym therin, for he seyd he woulde not ye
choulde take non axcion therin withowt it myght provayle.
He was well payed that I tolde hym that ye woulde not do
therin withowt hys knowleche and assent; and he seyd he
woulde do therin as he woulde do yf the mater wer hys owne.
Be avyse of yowr councell, I purpose to sende Loumnowr and
Playter to commone with hym therin. He seyd he woulde
feyne that ye wer owt of troble; and he seyd, yf he myght doo
owght to helppe yow forwarde in aney of yowr materys, he
swore by heys feythe he wode do hys parte feythfully therin.
He purp[o]syd to be at London thys terme, and thanne he
seyd he woulde speke with yow of maney thyngs; he wycheyd
herteley that he myght have spoke with yow on owr. He
mevyd to me of a mater of a jentyllman of Cornale. He seyd
he woulde speke with yow therof her after; yf it myght be
browt to, it myght do meche good in maney thyngis. I harde
yow onys speke of the same; ye tolde me ye hade be mevyd
to therof by other.

     Item, I received at letter frome yow yesterday, wherof I
thanke yow hertely, and I praye yow that I maye be as ye
writt. And as for suche materys as Sir Thomas Howys
choulde be spoke to for¹ I sent Ric. Calle this day to speke
with hym, but he myght not speke with hym; but as hastely
as I may I challe do myn parte to spede the erands and other.
It is tolde me that Sir Thomas wyll ressyng Mautby chyrche,
and yf it plesyd yow to geve it to on Sir Thomas Lyndis, I
truste verely that ye choulde leke hym ryght well, for he is rit
a prystly man and vertusly dysposyd. I have knowe hym this
xx. yer and mor; he was brother to the goode parsone of
Seynt Michellys that ye lovyd ryght well; and yf he myght
havyt he woulde kepe an howsolde therupon and bylde (?) well
the plase (?); and therof have it grete nede, for it is now rit
evyll reparyd, and I wott well he woll be rulyd and gydyt as
ye wyll have hym. I praye yow, yf it plese yow that he have
it, that it lekyth yow to sende me an answer by the berrer
herof.

     Item, I have do spoke for yowr worstede¹ but ye may not
have it tylle Halowmesse; and thane I am promysyd ye challe
have as fyne as maye be made. Ric. Calle challe bryng it up
with hym.

     Wretyn the Fryday next before Michelmas day.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is apostyled in the handwriting of John
Paston, and numbered ‘IIII.’ at the head, showing that it is of the same sequence as
the next, which is numbered ‘V.’ and dated on the very same day. In fact, the latter
is clearly nothing but a postscript to this, and bears the address upon the back, which
this does not.

     ¹ Gilbert Debenham, senior, Esq.           ² Sir Gilbert Debenham.

                   ¹ So in MS.                            ² 6th October.

¹ See No. 609.

     ¹ See No. 609, p. 188, Note 2.

1465
SEPT. 27

Vic.
Norfolk
pro ovibus.

Answer of
the writts
and of the
replevyn.

Margareta
Paston
intravit
manerium
Cotton die
Dominica
proxima
ante
festum
Michaelis.

1465
SEPT. 27

I thank
yow of
your de-
menyng at
Cotton.

Remembir
Nakton.

Mokenge
of Jenney
and
Debenham
at Calcotes
the
Tuisday
next bifore
Sen
Migchell.

Now your
cost is
doon, con-
sideryng
your
frends be
corayges
and your
enemyes
discor-
aged,
gadir up
the profits
in all
goodly

1465
SEPT. 27

hast, and
that I may
see
acompt
for this
trobill
tyme.

Veneat(sic)
Barney.

Cessiones
Norwici
et Dunwici
Martis
proximo
post
festum
Michelis.

De pruden-
cia custo-
diendi
Heyles-
don.
Tenentes
comitis
Oxoniæ
pro
custodia
Cotton.

Episcopus
Norwici
pro
ecclesia de
Drayton.

Lete yowr
counsell
comone

1465
SEPT. 27

with hym,
but thei
may sey
they
knowe not
myn
evidens
nor titell,
ner have
no mor to
do by my
writynge
that I sent
yow
thanne
to avyse
hough I
shall take
myn
accion,
and that
in that
accion I
have as
good titell
as my Lord
of Norwich
hath to
the chirch
of Thorp.

Episcopus
apud
London.

Cornwayle

1465
SEPT. 27

Ecclesia de
Mautby.

Wursted.