Sir John Paston to John Paston

LETTER XXVIII.

To John Paston esqer or
     to Mestresse Margrett Paston
     hys Moodr in Norff.

J RECOMANDE me to yow letyng yow wete y^t blessyd be
god uppon Sat^rdaye last past My lorde and wee toke the
see and come to Caleys y^e same daye and as thys daye my
lode come to Guynesse and theer was receyvyd hono^rablye
w^towt any obstaklys wheer as I fownde Mast^r Fytzwalt^r and
other whyche wer ryght hevye for the dethe of y^e noble
man thatt was theer to foor Jtt happyd soo y^t my seyd
Mast^r Fytzwalt^r axid me ryght hertely for yow and I lete
hym weete y^t I demyd ye wolde be heer in haste wheroffe
he seyde he was ryght soory for soo moche y^t he entendyth
to come in to englonde and as I conceyve he wyll come to
Attylborogh and brynge my Mestresse hys wyfe w^t hym and
theer to stablyshe hys howse contynuall Wherfor he
thynketh y^t he sholde have as grete alakke of yow as of any
on man in y^e contr willyng me to wryght on to yowe and to
late yow weete of hys comynge he also hathe tolde me
moche of hys stomake and tendre fav^r y^t he avythe to yow
Wherfor I asserteyn yow y^t he is your verry especiall goode
Mast^r and ife ye weer abydynge in thatt contr whylse he
weer theer he is dysposyd to doe largely for yowe in
dyu^rse wyse whyche weer to longe to wryght in so moche
y^t I feele by hym y^t he thynkyth y^t itt shold be longe er he
scholde be wery of yowr expencs of horse or man Now I
remytte alle thynge to your dyscresion ye woote best what
is for yow as for my lorde J undrestande natt yitt whethyr
he wylle in to Jngelonde the weke to foor est^rne or ellys
aftr I pray yow recomande me to my moodr J wolde have
wretyn to hyr but in trowthe J ame somewhatt crased what
w^t the see and what wythe thys dyet heer No moor to yow
but wretyn at Gynes the xij daye of Marche A^o E xuj

                                                                By JOHN PASTON K.

     11 ½ by 6.

    Lord Hastyngs, the Governor of Calais, &c. was, I presume, the nobleman
with whom Sir John Paston went into France.

     John Ratcliff, Esq. of Attleborough, married Elizabeth, daughter and heir
of Walter Lord Fitzwalter, and in her right was summoned to Parliament as
Lord Fitzwalter; he was killed at Ferrybridge in 1460. The Master Fitz-
walter here mentioned, I believe, was their son, now about twenty-four years
old, and who was in right of his mother summoned to Parliament as Lord
Fitzwalter in 1485, 1 H. vii. He was concerned in the plot of Perkin War-
beck, for which, being convicted of treason, he was sent prisoner to Calais,
from whence endeavouring to escape, he was retaken and beheaded.

     Autograph, Pl. iv. No. 9.

LETTER XXVIII.

To John Paston, Esq. or to Mistress Margaret Paston, his
Mother, in Norfolk.

I RECOMMEND me to you, letting you weet that, blessed be
God, upon Saturday last past, my Lord and we took the
sea, and came to Calais the same day; and as this day my
Lord came to Guisnes, and there was received honourably
without any obstacles; where I found Master Fitzwalter
and other which were right heavy for the death of the no-
bleman that was there before; it happened so that my said
Master Fitzwalter asked me right heartily for you, and I let
him weet that I deemed ye would be here in haste; whereof
he said he was right sorry, for so much that he intendeth
to come into England, and as I conceive he will come to
Attleborough, and bring my mistress his wife with him, and
there to stablish his house continual: wherefore he thinketh
that he should have as great a lack of you as of any one
man in that country, willing [desiring] me to write unto you,
and to let you weet of his coming. He also hath told me
much of his stomach and tender favour that he oweth to
you; wherefore I ascertain you, that he is your very espe-
cial good master, and if ye were abiding in that country,
while he were there, he is disposed to do largely for you in
divers wise, which were too long to write, insomuch that I
feel by him, that he thinketh that it should be long ere he
should be weary of your expense of horse or man; now I
remit all thing to your discretion, ye wot best what is for
you.

     As for my Lord, I understand not yet whether he will
into England the week before Easter, or else after.

     I pray you recommend me to my mother; I would have
written to her, but in truth I am somewhat erased, what
with the sea, and what with this diet here.

     No more to you; but written at Guisnes, the 12th day of
March, the 16th of Edward IV.

                                                            By JOHN PASTON, Kt.

               Guisnes,
       Tuesday, 12th March.
          1475-6. 16 E. iv.

  Lord Hastyngs, the Governor of Calais, &c. was, I presume, the nobleman
with whom Sir John Paston went into France.

     John Ratcliff, Esq. of Attleborough, married Elizabeth, daughter and heir
of Walter Lord Fitzwalter, and in her right was summoned to Parliament as
Lord Fitzwalter; he was killed at Ferrybridge in 1460. The Master Fitz-
walter here mentioned, I believe, was their son, now about twenty-four years
old, and who was in right of his mother summoned to Parliament as Lord
Fitzwalter in 1485, 1 H. vii. He was concerned in the plot of Perkin War-
beck, for which, being convicted of treason, he was sent prisoner to Calais,
from whence endeavouring to escape, he was retaken and beheaded.

     Autograph, Pl. iv. No. 9.

888

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON¹

To John Paston, Esquier, or to Mestresse Margrett Paston,
hys moodre, in Norffolk.

I RECOMANDE me to yow, letyng yow wete that,
     blessyd be God, uppon Saterdaye last past my lorde²
     and wee toke the see, and come to Caleyes the same
daye, and as thys daye my lorde come to Guynesse, and theer
was receyvyd honourablye with owt any obstaklys; wheer as I
fownde Master Fytzwalter and othre, whyche wer ryght hevye
for the dethe of the noble man thatt was theer to foor, itt
happyd soo that my seyd Master Fytzwalter axid me ryght
hertely for yow, and I lete hym weete that I demyd ye wolde
be heer in haste, wheroffe he seyde he was ryght soory, for soo
moche that he entendyth to come in to Englonde, and as I
conceyve he wyll come to Attylborogh, and brynge my mes-
tresse hys wyffe with hym, and theer to stablysshe hys howse
contynuall. Wherffor he thynketh that he sholde have as grete
a lakke off yow as off any one man in that contre, willyng me
to wryght on to yowe, and to late yow weete off hys comynge.
He also hathe tolde me moche off hys stomake and tendre
faver that he owythe to yow; wherffor I asserteyn yow that
he is your verry especiall goode master, and iffe ye weer abyd-
ynge in thatt contre, whylse he weer theer, he is dysposyd to
doo largely for yowe in dyverse wyse, whyche weer to longe
to wryght, in so moche that I feele by hym that he thynkyth
that itt sholde be longe er he scholde be wery of yowr ex-
pences of horse or man. Now I remytte alle thynge to your
dyscresion; ye woote best what is for yow.

     As for my lorde, I undrestande nott yitt whethyr he wylle
in to Ingelonde the weke to foor Esterne, or ellys aftre.

     I pray yow recomande me to my moodre. I wolde have
wretyn to hyr, but in trowthe I ame somewhatt crased, what
with the see and what wythe thys dyet heer.

     No moor to yow, but wretyn at Gynes, the xij. daye off
Marche, anno E. xvj.

                                                                  By JOHN PASTON, K.

                  ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.]                      ² Hastings.

1476
MARCH 12

1476
MARCH 12