The Duke of Norfolk to Sir John Howard

668

THE DUKE OF NORFOLK TO SIR JOHN HOWARD²

THE DUC OF NORFFOLK.

RYGTH trusty and enteerly beloved cousyn I comaunde
     me to you with all myn herte. And lyke it you to
     wete that God hath vyset me with grete infirmite and
dissease, wherthurgh I neyther can nor may at this season and
comynge of the Bastard of Burgoyne attende to th’execucion
off myn offyce, as my wyll and duete were to, in myn owne
persone. Wherfor of verray necessite I must depute suche a
person in all goodly hast to ocupye as my deputee and to have
my full power undere me at that season as is bothe of byrthe
honorable and one all other wyse lykly. How be it that of
long tyme contynnuynge I have ben enured of your stedfaste
and preved feythful good cosyngnage and tendyrnesse to me
shewed unfeyned to my gret refute¹ and hertes ease at all
seasons. Wiche emboldeth me to call uppon you now; and
also remembrynge the honour of the offyce doynge and the
neighnesse of blode that ye be of to me, I thenke no person
so convenable to ocupye in myn absence as you. For myn
excuse, therfore, I specyally pray you, as my feythfull truste is
holy in you, to take the labour uppon you and to do theryn be
your discrecion to the most honour of the kynge, the realme,
and be lyke as I am asured that ye can and wyll, puttynge
you in surete that I wull become tributary to your costes and
charges in that behalve. And as for all suche duteis as schall
belonge to me at that tyme by reason of myn offyce, I gyff
theme you for parcell of your said costes; and at such tyme
as ye and I and myn counsell mete next ye schal not fayle to
be agreid with, to your pleasure for the residue, by Goddis
grace, Wiche ever preserve you. And, cousyn, I sende you
be the berer herof the double of this lettre, praying that ye
will subscribe it with your owne hande and send it me a geyn
be hym. Wryten under my signet the xviij. day of May.

To my rigth trusty and rigth enteerly belovyd cousyn,
Sir John Howard, knygth.

And this letter is assigned with my lordes own hande.

     ² [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 59.] The famous tournament between Lord Scales and
the Bastard of Burgundy took place at Smithfield on the 11th and 12th June 1467.
See Excerpta Historica, 176 This paper is evidently a copy of the original letter.

¹ Sic in MS.

MAY 18

1467

MAY 18

LXXII

A.D. 1467, 18 May

THE DUKE OF NORFOLK TO SIR JOHN HOWARD

[Add. MS. 34,889, f. 59]

     The famous tournament between Lord Scales and the Bastard of Bur-
gundy took place at Smithfield on the 11th and 12th June 1467. See
Excerpta Historica, 176. This paper is catalogued in Appendix to Vol. III.
as No. 1046. It is evidently a copy of the original letter.

THE DUC OF NORFFOLK.

RYGTH trusty and enteerly beloved cousyn I
     comaunde me to you with all myn herte.
     And lyke it you to wete that God hath
     vyset me with grete infirmite and dissease,
wherthurgh I neyther can nor may at this season
and comynge of the Bastard of Burgoyne attende to
th’execucion off myn offyce, as my wyll and duete
were to, in myn owne persone. Wherfor of verray
necessite I must depute suche a person in all goodly
hast to ocupye as my deputee and to have my full
power undere me at that season as is bothe of byrthe
honorable and one all other wyse lykly. How be it
that of long tyme contynnuynge I have ben enured
of your stedfaste and preved feythful good cosyng-
nage and tendyrnesse to me shewed unfeyned to my
gret refute¹ and hertes ease at all seasons. Wiche
emboldeth me to call uppon you now; and also re-
membrynge the honour of the offyce doynge and the
neighnesse of blode that ye be of to me, I thenke
no person so convenable to ocupye in myn absence
as you. For myn excuse, therfore, I specyally pray
you, as my feythfull truste is holy in you, to take the
labour uppon you and to do theryn be your discrecion
to the most honour of the kynge, the realme, and be
lyke as I am asured that ye can and wyll, puttynge
you in surete that I wull become tributary to your
costes and charges in that behalve. And as for all
suche duteis as schall belonge to me at that tyme by
reason of myn offyce, I gyff theme you for parcell of
your said costes; and at such tyme as ye and I and
myn counsell mete next ye schal not fayle to be
agreid with, to your pleasure for the residue, by
Goddis grace, Wiche ever preserve you. And,
cousyn, I sende you be the berer herof the double
of this lettre, praying that ye will subscribe it with
your owne hande and send it me a geyn be hym.
Wryten under my signet the xviij. day of May.

      To my rigth trusty and rigth enteerly belovyd
            cousyn, Sir John Howard, knygth.

And this letter is assigned with my lordes own
hande.

¹ Sic in MS.