The Duke of Suffolk to His Son

Add. 43488, f. 12

30 April 1450

Gairdner, Vol II, item 117; Fenn, Vol I, Henry VI item 9

LETTER IX.

The Copic of a notable L’re written by the Duke of ¹ Suff’ to his
² Sonne giving hym therein very good Counseil.

MY dere and only welbeloved Sone I beseche oure Lord in
Heven y^e maker of alle the world to blesse you and to
sende you eu’ grace to love hym and to drede hym to y^c which
as ferre as a Fader may charge his child I bothe charge you
and prei you to sette alle your spirites and wittes to do and
to knowe his holy Lawes and Comaundments by the which
ye shall w^t his grete m’cy passe alle y^e grete tempestes and
troubles of y^is wrecched world, and y^t also wetyngly ye do no
thyng for love ner drede of any erthely creature y^t shuld dis-
plese hym. And y^re as any Freelte maketh you to falle be
secheth hys m’cy soone to calle you to hym agen w^t repentaunce
satisfaccōn and contricōn of youre herte never more in will to
offende hym.

Secoundly next hym above alle erthely thyng to be trewe Liege

man in hert in wille in thought in dede unto y^e Kyng oure
alder most high and dredde Sou’eygne Lord, to whom bothe ye
and I been so moche bounde too, Chargyng you as Fader can
and may rather to die yan to be y^e contrarye or to knowe any
thyng y^t were ayenste ye ³ welfare or p’sp’ite of his most riall
p’sone but y^t as ferre as youre body and lyf may strecthe
ye lyve and die to desende it. And to lete his Highnesse have
knowlache y^rof in alle y^e haste ye can.

Thirdly in y^e same wyse I charge you my Dere Sone alwey
as ye be bounden by y^e com’aundement of God to do, to love
to worshepe youre Lady and Moder, and also y^t ye obey
alwey hyr com’aundements and to beleve hyr councelles and
advises in alle youre werks y^e which dredeth not but shall be
best and trewest to you. And yef any other body wold stere
you to y^e contrarie to flee y^e councell in any wyse for ye shall
synde it nought and evyll.
.. . .

     Forthermore as ferre as Fader may and can I charge you in
any wyse to flee y^e cōpany and councel of proude men, of
coveitowse men and of flateryng men the more especially and
myghtily to withstonde hem and not to drawe ne to medle w^t
hem w^t all youre myght and power. And to drawe to you and
                . . . .
to youre company good and v’tuowse men and such as ben of
good conu’sacon and of trouthe and be them shal ye nev’ be de-
                                                       . . . .
seyved ner repente you off, moreover nev’ follow youre owne

witte in no wyse, but in alle youre werkes of suche Folks as I
. . . .
write of above axeth youre advise and counsel and doyng thus
w^t y^e m’cy of God ye shall do right well and lyue in right
. . . .
moche worship and grete herts rest and ease. And I wyll
be to you as good Lord and Fader as my hert can thynke.
And last of alle as hertily and as lovyngly as ever Fader blessed
his child in erthe I yeve you y^e blessyng of Oure Lord and
of me, whiche of his infynite m’cy encrece you in alle vertu
and good lyvyng. And y^t youre blood may. by his grace
from kynrede to kynrede multeplye in this erthe to hys s’vise
in suche wyse as after y^e departyng fro this wreched world
here ye and thei’ may glorefye hym et’nally amongs his Aun-
gelys in hevyn.

⁴ Wreten of myn hand,

y^e day of my dep’tyng fro - the land.

Your trewe and lovyng Fader,

11 ¾ by 8 ½.

Suffolk.

Paper Mark.
Cap and Flower de Lys.
Pl. VIII. N^o 4.

April,
1450, 28 H. VI.

The following Pedigree of John de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, the Son of the Writer of
this Letter, is taken from a letter of John Paston, Esq. to his Cousin Margaret Paston,
dated Saturday, and written between 1460 and 1466, 1 and 6 of E IV. having for the
paper Mark a Bull.

“Item, as for the Pedegre of y^e seyd Dewk, he is Sone to Will’m Pool, Dewk of
“ Suff’, Sone to Mychell Pool, Erl of Suff’, Sone to Michel Pool, y^e first Erl of Suff’
“ of the Poles, mad by Kyng Ric seth (since) my Fader was born.

“ And ye seyd furst Mychell was Sone to on (one) Will’m Pool of Hull, whech was a
worschepfull man grow be furtwne of y^e world, and he was furst a Murchant and aft’ a
“ Kenygth and aft’ he was mad Baneret.”

¹ William de la Pole Duke of Suffolk, succeeded his Brother Michael, slain at the
Battle of Agincourt, in 1415, as Earl of Suffolk; he was Prime Minister, and Favourite
of Henry VI. and Queen Margaret; was created in 1443, 23 H. VI. Marquis, and in
1448, 26 H. VI. Duke of Suffolk. He was banished by the King, at the instigation of
the Commons, &c. and murdered on the Sea, on the 2d of May, 1450, 23 H. VI.

He married Alice, widow of Thomas de Montacute, Earl of Salisbury, and Daughter
and heir of Thomas Chaucer, Esq. of Ewelme, in Oxfordshire, and Grand-daughter of
Geoffery Chaucer, the celebrated Poet.

² John de la Pole (after his Father’s Murder) Duke of Suffolk, &c. He married
Elizabeth, Daughter of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, and Sister of Edward IV.
He died in 1491, 7 H. VII. and was buried by his Father at Wingfield in Suffolk.

³ This very particular advice to his Son, shows his fears for the King’s personal safety
at this time.

N. B. Those words with dots over them are added, as in the Copy they were chased
and illegible.

This is the Mark on the paper, upon which the Copy of this Letter is written, and
being of the same kind with that on the paper, which contains the account of the Duke’s
murder, shows that this Copy was transcribed about the same time, and in some measure
authenticates the truth of it.

The Apograph is copied from an Indenture, dated 19th of May, 1436, 14 H. VI.
and signed by the Duke when Earl of Suffolk. Pl. 1. N^o 6.

⁴ The concluding sentences are in rhime.

This affectionate Letter, strongly inculcating his Son’s Duty to God, his Sovereign,
an d his Parents, gives him good and fatherly Counsel, as to his Company, his Conversa-

tion and Transactions in life; tells him, that in following the advice it contains, he
will prosper in the world; and then solemnly pronouncing a Blessing on him, it concludes
with a Prayer for him and his Posterity.

May not this well written Epistle alone entitle this Duke to a place amongst the Noble
Authors of England.

This advice written so immediately upon his departure, and so short a time before his
murder, must have made a deep impression on his Son?s mind, and doubtless in that
age the Letter was much admired, as even at this period of refined Literature, it may be
called a good and an affecting Composition.

LETTER IX.

The Copy of a notable Letter, written by the Duke of ¹ Suffolk
to his ² Son, giving him therein very good Counsel.

MY Dear and only wellbeloved Son, I beseech Our Lord in
Heaven, the Maker of all the World, to bless you, and
to send you ever grace to love him, and to dread him, to the
which, as far as a Father may charge his child, I both charge
you, and pray you to set all your spirits and wits to do, and to
know his Holy Laws and Commandments, by the which ye
shall, with his great mercy, pass all the great tempests and
troubles of this wretched world.

And that, also weetingly, ye do nothing for love nor dread of
any earthly creature that should displease him. And there as
(whenever) any Frailty maketh you to fall, beseech his mercy
soon to call you to him again with repentance, satisfaction, and
contrition of your heart, never more in will to offend him.

Secondly, next him above all earthly things, to be true Liege-

man in heart, in will, in thought, in deed, unto the King our
alder most (greatest) high and dread Sovereign Lord, to whom
both ye and I be so much bound to; Charging you as Father
can and may, rather to die than to be the contrary, or to
know any thing that were against the ³ welfare or prosperity
of his most Royal Person, but that as far as your body and
life may stretch, ye live and die to defend it, and to let his
Highness have knowledge thereof in all the haste ye can.
Thirdly, in the same wise, I charge you, my dear Son, alway
as ye be bounden by the Commandment of God to do, to love,
to worship, your Lady and Mother; and also that ye obey
alway her commandments, and to believe her counsels and
advices in all your works, the which dread not but shall be best
and truest to you.

And if any other body would steer you to the contrary, to flee
the counsel in any wise, for ye shall find it nought and evil.

Furthermore, as far as Father may and can, I charge you in
any wise to flee the Company and Counsel of proud men, of
covetous men, and of flattering men, the more especially and
mightily to withstand them, and not to draw nor to meddle
with them, with all your might and power; and to draw to you
and to your company good and vertuous men, and such as be of
good conversation, and of truth, and by them shall ye never be
deceived nor repent you of.

Moreover, never follow your own wit in no wise, but in all
your works, of such Folks as I write of above, ask your advice
and counsel, and doing thus, with the mercy of God, ye shall
do right well, and live in right much worship, and great heart’s
rest and ease.

And I will be to you as good Lord and Father as my heart can
think.

And last of all, as heartily and as lovingly as ever Father blessed
his child in earth, I give you the Blessing of Our Lord and of
me, which of his infinite mercy increase you in all virtue and
good living; and that your Blood may by his grace from
kindred to kindred multiply in this earth to his service, in such
wise as after the departing from this wretched world here,
ye and they, may glorify him eternally amongst his Angels in
heaven.

⁴ Written of mine hand,

The day of my departing fro this Land.

Your true and loving Father,

SUFFOLK.