Richard Calle to Sir John Paston

1067

RICHARD CALLE TO SIR JOHN PASTON¹

To the right reverent and honurable, my master, Sir John
Paston, Knyght.

PLESITHT it your mastership to remembre, I shewyd
     onto you in Lente that I had bought Baktons place.
     Sir, it is so that John Bakton graunted to John Trovy
hes sone in lawe, hes mese with all the londes and tene-
ments, &c., takyng of the seide John Trovy viij. marke of
annuyte yerly, terme of hes lyf; wherupon endenture were
made and a state delyverd. Upon the weche I bargeyned with
Trovy, payng to hym for hes parte c. marke and x., wherof
he hadde in hande iiijli. vjs. viijd. and xvli. xiijs. iiijd. shulde
be payd at such tyme as I had a lawfull astate, weche was
apoynted before Michelmes last past; weche is not yet done.
Wherfore he hath forfeted an obligacion of xlli. that he was
bounde in to me for the same astate; ther was no defaute
in me, for my money was there redy. And, sir, in the same
weke after your mastership departed out of this contre, Bakton
and the seide Trovy come to Bakton, and sent for me, and
there were we appoynted for the same bargeyn and accorded,
wenynge to me and to all tho that were there it had ben fully
concl[uded] . . . . . . . . . . . my suertes and for all other
thynges. And sodenly Bakton departed hem be the avice of
[the Prior of Bro]mholme, and John Bowle and other, weche
meved Bakton that I shulde not have my bargein; and so they
entende to putte me from my bergein. And master Fitzlawes,
Kn[i]ght, of Esex, hath sent me a letter, weche I sende you
closed herin; and at hes enstaunce I have graunted Trovy an
ende for vjli. and my iiijli. vjs. viijd., and my costes that I have
done on the place, weche with these mony and costes drawith
xijli. If I may have all thes money payd onto me within xiiij.
dayes after Cristemas, I wol take non avauntage of the obliga-
cion, weche Trovy is bounde to me. I suppose Mr. Lawes
woll speke to you of thes mater. I beseche you that ye wol
be goode master to me herin, for I am lothe to be putte from
my bergein. I am in suerte there is no man wol geve so
moche for it as I wolde, and they nede not to fere them of
ther payment, for I ofer them iiij. suertes, the worste of them
is worthe all the lande; yet Bakton mystrustes me, and nede
not. If I had it, I wolde truste to make it a goode thynge,
for ther is moche thynge ther by that myght be had in to it,
weche causeth me to be the more desirous to it. I shewe
your mastership the previte of my mynde, trustynge ye wolbe
good mastre to me, and I shal pray to God for you and for
all youres.

     Wreten at Felmyngham, the Saterday next before Sein
Marteyn.

                                    Be your servaunt,

                                                                                          R. CALLE.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] From the mention of ‘Master Fitzlewes, Knight of
Essex,’ I am inclined to think this letter must be of the reign of Henry VII., and
addressed to the later Sir John. Sir Lewis Fitzlewes of West Horndon, in Essex, was
attainted as a Lancastrian in 1471, but the manor was restored to his son, Sir Richard,
by Henry VII., who presented to the living from 1494 to 1519. The letter, however,
must of course be earlier than 1503, the year in which Sir John Paston died.          

Before
1503

Before
1503