Richard Calle to John Paston, Junior

487

RICHARD CALLE TO JOHN PASTON, JUNIOR¹

To the right worschipfull sir and maistre,
John Paston jun., esquyer.

RYGHT worschipfull sir, I recomaunde me unto your
     mastreschip, certifiyng you that Jenney and Yelverton
     hathe certified up in to the Kynges Benche inssur-
recions [and] congregacions a yenste me; wherupon they have
sente to the scheryff a writte chargyng hym in peyne of Cli.
to brynge me in to the Kyngs Benche the morwe after Sein
Marteyn. And this daye the seide Jenney hathe sent doune
to the scheryff an other writte called an habeas corpus retornable
crastino Animarum, weche schalbe on Twesday next comyng be
cauce they were in dought and in greete feere that I schulde
have ben aquytte of the inditement of fellony now at this gayle
delyverye. And also my maistre hathe sente an other writte
for me retornable at the seid crastino Animarum. And so I
am like to ride to London warde to morwe. And the scheryff
wold make me to fynde suerte that I schulde appere in the
Kyngs Benche the seid daye; and yet, that notwithstandyng,
he wolde send me with strengthe of men as a presoner; and if
any thynge schall cauce me that I goo not up to London, it
schalbe be cauce I woll fynde no suerte; for in cas he wold
have suffred me to have gon up be my selfe at myn owne
coste, I wolde have founde hym suertee. And so at the
makyng of this bille we were not fully condesended hough we
schulde doo. My mastre is in goode hele, blissed be Godd,
and dothe and schall doo ryght weele in alle hes maters. Ther
is an ongracious felaschip of hem and a fals. They have sent
for Fitzraff and Schipdam, be a citacion for the proffe of the
testement, and alle is but for to delay it; yet it were weele
done ye rode over to Fitzraff and felte hes disposicion how he
woll be disposed, and in like wice with Schipdam, for I have
spoken with hem of that matre, in cas that any citacion come
doun for hem, how they wolde be disposed, and I have founde
the too straunchely disposed. God send us a good scheryf
thys yere, and thanne we schalle do weele inough, be the grace
of God.

     And, sir, your man tolde me that ye desired to knowe the
demenyng at Cotton of the tenaunts and other. I lete you
wete the moste parte of alle the tenaunts have bene here
with me for to see me, and they have tolde me all the de-
menyng as it is undrewrete. Furst, as for the money that
they receyved there it drwe upon a xxiiij^ti li. and more silver,
for the tenaunts myght not cheese but they moste nedes
paye, for they distreyned on my Lords of Suffolk fee, my
Lords of Norwich fee, and on all men grounde, so that
they myght not have her catell in reste, weche cauced hem
to paye her money. I knowe weele i nough who payed and
wo paied not. All the grete fermours have payed. And as
for the kepyng of the place ther be therin iiij. men, and on
of Debenham men, called Sokelyng, and hes wyff, and on
Mannyng, a tenaunt, a fals knave; and they have enforced
them as stronke as they kan, and they have broken doune the
brigge and have leide a planke over, in cas that ye go theder ye
may not come at Dale is howce in no waie, for he have had
meche trouble for my mastre and for me; but and ye wolde
gete my Lords meane and pulle the knaves out be the heede,
it were weele done. I purpose me to com hom warde that
same wey. Item, I lete you witte that the gayle delyverye
holdeth not this daye, and alle is doone be cauce of mee,
Jenney wolde not lete the clerke of peas come hether this
daye for feere that I schulde have been aquytte of the
felonye, for in trouthe and tho it had holden, I had founde
the meane for to have ben quytte, for I whas through with
the scheryff and panel made aftyr myn avice; but though the
gayle delyver had holden, I cowde not have ben delyverd,
becauce of thes writtes that be come downe. Item, the
scheryff hathe a grete losse that this daye holdethe not, for
ther schulde have ben quytte xl. men this daye. Item, the
scheryff tolde me that my maistre tolde hym that I whas
assent to my takyng at Scoolys, weche was to me ryght
greete hevynes and discomforture nough in my trouble.
And God knoweth it was never my wylle ner myn entent, as
I mot be saved at the dredful day of Dome; for ther is no
man so sore hurte as I am be the takyng, bothe in losse, and
also in reprefe of myn owne persoune and of my frends, with-
oute that my mastre be my good maistre, as I truste he wolle
be, or elles I am disseyved. He hathe my trewe servyce and
shal have whylle that I leve, what so ever his mastreschip do
to me, but I can thynke he hathe be enformed be myn elmyes
[enemies] that wold make hym disp[l]esed with me, and to
be myn evy [heavy] mastre, but dissimulacion dothe muche
harme, &c. I reporte me, &c. No more to you at this
tyme, but Jesu kepe you, and send you as much fortune
and grace as I wolde ye had, &c. I beseche [you] to be my
goode mastre as ye have be, for I never deserved nor wol
deserve the contrary.

                                                      Your servaunt, RIC. CALLE,
                                                            presoner.

¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter was written in a year in which the
morrow of All Souls’ Day (i.e. the 3rd November) fell on Tuesday. The Dominical
letter of the year must therefore be D. This was the case in 1461, and no other year
will suit a letter addressed to John Paston, junior. For if we go back there is no
earlier year in which D was the Dominical letter till we come to 1450, when John
Paston, junior, was only ten years old; and if we go forward the next is 1467, which
was after John Paston the father’s death.

END OF VOLUME III

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Printed by T. and A. CONSTABLE, Printers to His Majesty
at the Edinburgh University Press

1461
OCT.

1461
OCT.

1461
OCT.