Richard Calle to John Paston

485

RICHARD CALLE TO JOHN PASTON

To my ryght reverent and wurschipfull maystre, my
mastre John Paston.

PLESITH it your maystreschip to witte that Mr. John
     and I, with other mo, have ben at Cotton on Friday²
     last passed, and there Jenney had do warned the corte
there to be the same Friday, and he was at Eye at the cescions
the Thorsday before; and on the Friday in the mornynge he
was comyng to Cotton to hoolde the corte there. And it
fortuned we had entred the place or he come; and he herd
therof and turned bac a yein to Oxon³ to my Lorde of
Norwiche, and there dyned with hym. And my Lorde sent
Mr. John Colleman to Cotton Halle to speke with you; and
at hes comyng he undrestode ye were not there, and if ye had,
my Lorde desired you to come and spoken with hym, and
that my Lorde desired to put your matre in a trety; in so
moche that Mr. John Colleman tolde to my master, John
Paston, that diverse of your elmees [enemies] had labored to
my Lorde to have a trety if he cowde brynge it aboute, &c.
And as for the tenaunts they wolde not come at the place on
to the tyme that I sent for hem, for they sey pleynly they
woll not have a do with hem; and so the corte whas holden
in your name, and the tenaunts ryght weele plesed ther of,
excepte Thurnberne and Agas, and as for any socour, they
have there ryght noone at all. And so Mr. John whas ther
Friday all day and Saterday tyll none; and than he toke hes
horse with xxx. men with hym and rode to Jeney place, and
toke there xxxvj. heede of nete, and brought hem in to
Norfolk; and so whas I left still at Cotton with xij. men with
me, be cauce they reporte and we abode there ij. dayes we
schulde be pult out be the heeds. And so we a mode [?abode]
there v. dayes and kepte the place, and I walked aboute all the
lordeschippes and spake with all the fermours and tennaunts
that longen to the maner to undrestande her disposessyon and
to receyve money of hem; and I fynde [them] ryght weele
disposed to you. And be cauce the corte whas warned in ther
name and not in youre, therfore they purvey no money; but
they have promysed me to pay no money to no man but to
you, so that ye woll safe hem harmeles; and I told hem ye
wold safe hem harmeles. They have apoynted with me to
make redy her money withinne a fornyght aftre Halowemesse,
&c. I have receyved of the tenaunts that I undrestod out
[owed] you werst wyll viij. marc, &c. And as for Edward
Dalys money it is redy, so that your maistreschip woll se that
he be not hurt be hes obligacion. Ferthermore, plesit your
maistreschip to sende worde if they entre into the maner ayein,
how we schall be rwled and gidyd; for the tenaunts fere hem
they wol entre whan we be gon, and than wol they distreyne
the tenaunts, for they sey there that my Lorde of Cauntyr-
bury and other Lords woll relese to hem, notwithstandyng
that I have enformed hem other wice; wherfore, savyng your
better advice, me semethe it were ryght weele doo that ye had
a letter of my Lorde of Cauntirbury, and other to the tenaunts
of Cotton that it is her wyll and entent that ye schulde have
the rwle and gouernaunce, and receyve the money of that
maner, and other that were Sir John Fastolff, on whom God
have mercy, for I dought not and suche a lettre came downe
to the tenaunts there schulde no man sey nay to it. Besech-
yng your maystreschyp to have an answere of how we schall
be gided and rwled, &c. Item, to sende worde howe we
schall doo with the geere that wee toke out at the Wyght
Freris, wether it schall be sent to you or nought. And Jesu
preserve you. Wreten at Norwiche upon Sein Edwards Day.

                                  Be your servaunt and bedman,

                                                                                   RIC. CALLE.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] On comparing this letter with No. 481, no one will
doubt that both were written in the same year.

     ² 9th October.                                                        ³ Hoxne.

Endorsed in a hand nearly contemporaneous: ?Litter? sirca anno (sic) E. 4 iij.
vel iiij^o.?

1461
OCT. 13

1461
OCT. 13