Memorial to Henry VI

LETTER XLII.

        Vadat’    I. P.

MOSTE cristen Kyng ryght hygh and myghty Prince
     and our mooste redoubted souu^rayn lorde We recomaunde
ws as humblye as we suffice unto your hygh excellence Where
unto please it to wete that for so moche as we hyre and understand
to our grettyst sorowe erthlye that our ennemyes of approuued
experience such as abyde and kepe theym sylf under the whyng
of your magestee Royall have throwen unto the same ryght
stedyousely and ryght fraudulentlye manye ambyguytees and
doubtes of the fayth lygeaunce and dewtee that god knowyth
we beere unto your hyghnesse and have put theym yn as grete
deuoyr as they coude to enstr’unge ws from your mooste noble
presonce and from the favo^r of your goode gr’ce Whych goode
gr’ce to ws ys and owe to be our sing’ler and mooste desyred Yoie
and consolacon. We at thys tyme be comyng wyth gr’ce as your
true and humble liege men toward your seyd hygh excellence to
declare and shew therto at large owr sayd fayth and ligeaunce
entendyng wyth the mercye of Jhu yn the seyd comyng to put
ws yn as diligent and hertye devoyr and dewtee as onye your
lyege men on lyve to that at may au’nce or preferre the houno^r
and Wellfare off the sayd mageste Royalle and the seurte of the
sayd most notable person the whych beseche our blessed creature
to prosper as grete honuo^r Yoie and felicite as eve^r had onye
prince erthlye and to your sayd hyghnesse so to take accept and
repute ws and not to plese to geve trust or confidence unto the
sinistrez malicouse and fraudulent laboures and Rapportes of
our sayd ennemyes unto our comyng to your sayd moste noble
p’sence Where unto we beseche humblye that we may be ad-
mitted as your liege men to thentent to show ws the same
wheroff yerstenday we wrote our l’res of our entent to the
ryght Rev^rent Fadre yn god the Archebysshop of Caunt^rburye
                                                                                                  your
your Ch’uncellr of England to be shewed to your sayd hyghnesse
Whereoff forsomoch as we be not acerteyned whethyr our sayd
entent be by hys Fadrehode shewed unto your seyd goode gr’ce
or not We sende thereoff unto thys closed A cōp of our said lres
of our disposicon toward your sayd hygh excellence and the
hounour and weele of the land. Whereynne we wolle persev’e
wyth the gr’ce of our lorde.

         11 ½ by 8 ½.

            Most probably written
             between 1452 and 1454.
             30 and 33 H. VI.

  On the margin of this Letter towards the bottom in a hand nearly coeval with the Let-
ter itself, is written “M^d. q^d. dict. lrē dnor’ direct. Archiepcō Cant. est ap^d.”—The paper
is then unfortunately torn off, so that what followed is missing.

     Enough however remains to inform us that the Letter to the Archbishop was from the
Lords—that is I presume from the Duke of York and the Lords in his party; and was, I
suppose, a counterpart of what is contained in this Letter, which appears to have been a
Copy of that sent to the King, and sent by some friend of J. Paston’s to him, and which,
by the words of the direction “Vadatur J. P.” seems to have been sent to him under a
solemn promise to be delivered.

     As several Petitions and Remonstrances were sent from the Duke of York and his party,

                                                                                                                                      during

during these civil contests, to the King, the exact date of this cannot be ascertained,
though it was probably during the chancellorship of John Kemp, Archbishop of Canter-
bury, between the years 1452 and 1454.

     The address of this Letter beginning with “Moste Cristen Kyng” is very parti-
cular, nor do I remember ever before to have seen the words “Majeste Royalle,”
so early used in an address to the Sovereign; it is well drawn up, and the purport of it is
loyal and manly; it seems too to have been sent at a time when they supposed themselves
sure of assistance, if we advert to the steadiness of the concluding words,

                         “Whereynne we wolle perseve^r wyth the gr’ce of our lorde.”

     By sending a duplicate to the King they seemed to doubt whether or no the Archbishop
would inform his highness of their Letter addressed to him as Lord Chancellor.

LETTER XLII.

Vadatur J. P.

MOST Christian King, right high and mighty Prince, and
     our most redoubted Sovereign Lord, we recommend us
as humbly as we suffice unto your high Excellence, where unto
please it to weet that for so much as we hear and understand, to
our greatest sorrow earthly, that our Enemies of approved expe-
rience, such as abide and keep themselves under the wing of
your Majesty Royal, have thrown unto the same right studiously
and right fraudulently many ambiguities and doubts of the faith,
legiance, and duty, that, God knoweth, we bear unto your
Highness, and have put them in as great devoir as they could
to enstrange us from your most noble presence, and from the
favour of your good grace; which good grace to us is, and ought
to be, our singular and most desired joy and consolation. We
at this time be coming with grace, as your true and humble
liege men, toward your said high Excellence, to declare, and
shew thereto at large, our said faith and legiance, intending,
with the mercy of Jesu in the said coming, to put us in as dili-
gent and hearty devoir and duty as any your liege men alive to
that at (which) may avance (advance) or prefer the honour and
welfare of the said Majesty Royal, and the surety of the said
most notable Person, the which (we) beseech our blessed Creator
to prosper (with) as great honour, joy, and felicity as ever had
any Prince earthly, and to your said Highness so to take, ac-
cept, and repute us, and not to please to give trust or considence
unto the sinister, malicious, and fraudulent, labours and reports
of our said enemies unto our coming to your said most noble
presence, whereunto we beseech humbly that we may be admitted
as your liege men, to the intent to shew us the same, whereof
yesterday we wrote our Letters of our intent, to the right
reverend father in God, the Archbishop of Canterbury, your
Chancellor of England, to be shewed to your said Highness,
whereof for so much as we be not ascertained whether our said
intent be by his fatherhood shewed unto your said good grace or
not; we send thereof unto this closed a Copy of our said Letters
of our disposition towards your said high Excellence, and the
honour and weal of the land, wherein we will persevere with
the grace of our Lord.

        11 ? by 8 ?.

            Most probably written
             between 1452 and 1454.
             30 and 33 H. VI.

  On the margin of this Letter towards the bottom in a hand nearly coeval with the Let-
ter itself, is written “M^d. q^d. dict. lrē dnor’ direct. Archiepcō Cant. est ap^d.”—The paper
is then unfortunately torn off, so that what followed is missing.

     Enough however remains to inform us that the Letter to the Archbishop was from the
Lords—that is I presume from the Duke of York and the Lords in his party; and was, I
suppose, a counterpart of what is contained in this Letter, which appears to have been a
Copy of that sent to the King, and sent by some friend of J. Paston’s to him, and which,
by the words of the direction “Vadatur J. P.” seems to have been sent to him under a
solemn promise to be delivered.

     As several Petitions and Remonstrances were sent from the Duke of York and his party,

                                                                                                                                      during

during these civil contests, to the King, the exact date of this cannot be ascertained,
though it was probably during the chancellorship of John Kemp, Archbishop of Canter-
bury, between the years 1452 and 1454.

     The address of this Letter beginning with “Moste Cristen Kyng” is very parti-
cular, nor do I remember ever before to have seen the words “Majeste Royalle,”
so early used in an address to the Sovereign; it is well drawn up, and the purport of it is
loyal and manly; it seems too to have been sent at a time when they supposed themselves
sure of assistance, if we advert to the steadiness of the concluding words,

                         “Whereynne we wolle perseve^r wyth the gr’ce of our lorde.”

     By sending a duplicate to the King they seemed to doubt whether or no the Archbishop
would inform his highness of their Letter addressed to him as Lord Chancellor.

282

MEMORIAL TO HENRY VI²

Tradatur J. P.

   MOSTE Cristen Kyng, ryght hygh and myghty Prince,
     and our mooste redoubted souverayn Lorde, we
     recomaunde ws as humblye as we suffice unto your
hygh excellence, where unto please it to wete that for so
moche as we hyre and understand to our grettyst sorowe
erthlye that our ennemyes of approuved experience, such as
abyde and kepe theym sylf under the whyng of your Magestee
Royall, have throwen unto the same ryght stedyousely and
ryght fraudulentlye manye ambyguytees and doubtes of the
fayth, lygeaunce, and dewtee that, God knowyth, we beere
unto your Hyghnesse, and have put theym yn as grete devoyr
as they coude to enstraunge ws from your mooste noble
presonce and from the favour of your goode grace; whych

goode grace to ws ys and owe to be our singuler and mooste
desyred yoie and consolacion: We at thys tyme be comyng
wyth grace as your true and humble liege men, toward your
seyd Hygh Excellence to declare and shew therto at large
owr sayd fayth and ligeaunce, entendyng wyth the mercye of
Jesu yn the seyd comyng, to put ws yn as diligent and hertye
devoyr and dewtee as onye your lyege men on lyve to that at
may avaunce or preferre the honnour and wellfare off the sayd
Mageste Royalle and the seurte of the sayd most notable
person; the whych [we] beseche our blessed Creature to
prosper [in] as grete honnor, yoie, and felicitie as ever had
onye prince erthlye, and to your sayd Hyghnesse so to take,
accept, and repute ws, and not to plese to geve trust or con-
fidence unto the sinistrez, maliciouse, and fraudulent laboures
and rapportes of our sayd ennemyes unto our comyng to your
sayd moste noble presence; where unto we beseche humblye
that we may be admitted as your liege men, to th’entent to
show ws the same; wheroff yerstenday we wrote our lettres of
our entent to the ryght reverent fadre yn God, the Arche-
bysshop of Caunterburye,¹ your Chauncellr of England, to be
shewed to your sayd Hyghnesse, whereoff, forsomoch as we
be not acerteyned whethyr our sayd entent be by hys fadre-
hode shewed unto your seyd goode grace or not, we sende
thereoff unto thys closed a copy of our said lettres of our
disposicion toward your sayd Hygh Excellence and the
honnour and weele of the land, whereynne we wolle per-
severe wyth the grace of our Lorde.

          ² [From Fenn, iii. 178.] This is a copy of the memorial drawn up by the Duke
of York and the Earls of Warwick and Salisbury just before the first battle of St.
Albans, which the Duke of Somerset and his friends would not allow to be pre-
sented to the King. Although this copy is without date, the original was dated at
Ware, the 21st May.—See Rolls of Parl. v. 281, where the whole document is cited

.

     ¹ Fenn states that on the margin of the MS., in a hand nearly coeval with the
letter itself, is written, ‘Memorandum quod diet’ literæ (?) Dominorum direct’
Archiepiscopo Cant. est apud . . . . .’ What followed is lost, the paper
being torn. The letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, however, will be found
quoted at full length in the Rolls of Parliament, v. 280-1.

MAY 21

1455
MAY 21