Sir John Fastolf to the Duke of Norfolk

277

SIR JOHN FASTOLF TO THE DUKE OF NORFOLK¹

   RIGHT hy and myghty Prynce, my right gode and
     gracyous Lord, I recomaund me to your gode Lord-
     ship, etc. And please itt your Hyghnesse to wete
that Sir Philip Wenteworth purchasid the Kyngs patentis of
the ward of the heyer and londes of a por kynnesman of
myne called John Fastolf of Cowhawe, late passed to God,
to the grett hurte and distruccion as well of the inherit-
ance of the seyd heyer as interrupcion and breking of the
last will of the seyd John, and also to my grett troble and
dammage; and for asmoche as it fortowned be grase the seyd
patentes to be mystake, so that they were not laufull ne
suffycyent, be avyce of conceyll, certeyn persones,² to myn
use, purchesid be the Kyngs letters patentes suffycyent and
laufull of the ward of the seyd londes. And the rigth of thes
bothe patentes hath be putte in juges and lerned men, affor

hom the seyd Sir Philipp ne his conceyll cowd never prove hes
tytill lawfull be his seyd patents, and this notwithstanding in-
tendith be fors, as I understand, to take the profytes of the
seyd londes ageyns all lawe and concyence. Beseching your
Lordchip to tender me in myn age and sekenesse that may
not ryde ne help myself, and of your habundant grace to
supporte me in my right, that I be not be fors ageyns lawe
and concyence kepte from the possescion of the seyd londes
in this contre, wher ye be Prynce and Sovereyn next owr
Sovereyn Lord.

     The following memoranda occur on the back:—

                            Br[adwe]ll juxta Jernemut.

                            Kirley juxta Leystoft, viijli.

                            Foxhole

                            Cowhaw in Nakton                           xviijli.
                                 on this side Yepiswich, iij. myl,

                            Langston in Brustall,                  iijli.
                                 ij. myle beyond Yepiswich,

                            Bentele, ij. mile beyond Brustall, xiiijli. (?)

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The MS. of this is a corrected draft. Although
the person addressed is not named, the style in which he is addressed, and particu-
larly the last sentence, leave no doubt that it is the Duke of Norfolk. Indeed, this is
not unlikely to be the letter mentioned in the postscript to the last, of which a copy
or draft was sent along with the original to John Paston that he might deliver the
latter, only if he approved of its contents. If so, it is probable that Paston withheld
it, as we find by the letter immediately following that Fastolf addressed another
memorial to the Duke on the subject of his dispute with Wentworth four days later.

     ² They were John Paston and Thomas Howes, and their patent was dated 6th
June 32 Hen. vi. (1454).—See Rolls of Parl. v. 371.

MARCH (?)

1455
MARCH(?)