Sir Thomas Howes to John Paston

347

SIR THOMAS HOWES TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my right goode maister, John Paston.

REVERENT Sir, &c. Please yow to wete that it [is] so
     that my maister, of his owen frowardness, and of non
     other mannys mevyng, hat sent a warent to Cristefor
that he shuld delyver me no mony tyll the iiij^xxli. [fourscore
pounds] where payed for Bokkyng and Wurcestre patent;²
and yf the seyd Cristefore delyvered me any mony, that he
shuld take a sewerte of me therfor, nowthwithstandyng my
maister preyed me that I shuld reherce alle thynge in my
name, where of I held me content. And now I fele this
traytour wrytyng under nethe, and I nowth prevy ther to, at
my comyng owt causet me to thynk the more hevynes, &c.
Nevertheles, I prey yow that a mene may be taken of trety by
the mene of Clopton or Ellys. Sende me word, and I shal
seke menys of trety, for, be God, I shal trust no more no
fayre wordes; and there to I shall lete alle the Lords of this
lond knowe what wrytyngs I have, and his disposicion. Save
yowre reverens, Cristyfor sal (?) have swyche a maister, &c.
I prey yow, as ever I may do yow service or be yowre bede-
man that ye wele sende me yowre avise. I had lever paye
xx. marke, or xli. in hande and xli. yerely furthe, with myn
enemyndz good love, than to yelde me to preson ayens here
entent, and sewe forth the tyncte. And no trost what my
maister wele do, for I can right evele beleve that he wele bere
owt the cost of the tyncte whan he maket straunge to ley
dowun the condempnacion, &c.

     Wretyn brevely at Horseydown the Wenesday after
messe, anno xxxv^to.                                      T. HOWYS.

     I shal nowt leve this mater to serve the most enemy
that he hat in Inglond. I wele non of his good. I have
lever other men go to the Dille [Devil?] for his good
than I do.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is dated by the writer in the 35th year of
Henry VI., but he does not say in what month it was written. The 35th of Henry VI.
was reckoned from the 1st September 1456 to the 31st August 1457. Taken in con-
nection with the postscript of Botoner’s letter immediately preceding (the date of
which letter this partly confirms), it is not unlikely that this was written about October.
Perhaps ‘Wednesday after messe’ should have been ‘Wednesday after Michaelmesse.’
If so, the exact date would be October 6th.

     ² The wardship of Thomas Fastolf was at first granted to John Paston and
Thomas Howes, by patent of the 6th June 1454, and for this they agreed to pay 100
marks into the Exchequer. But, for some reason or other, a new arrangement was
made, and the wardship was granted by another patent, dated 12th December 1454,
to John Bokkyng and William Worcestre, who offered the King 20 marks over what
Paston had offered, i.e. £80 in all.—See Patent Roll, 33 Hen. VI., p. 1, m. 10.

1456
or
1457

1456
or
1457