The Earl of Oxford to Sir John Paston

LETTER XXIX.

To S^r. John Paston Knyght.

RIGHT worshipfull and my especiall true h’rtid ffrende
     I comāunde me un to you, P’ying you to ordeyne me
iij horsse harneys as godely as ye and Genyn’ kan devyse as it
were for yourselfe and yat I may have thyme in all hast orde’
Also Skern’ saith ye wolde ordeyne ij standarde stavys. this I

pray you to remembre and my wise shalle deliv’ you silu’, and
yit she most borowed it, vj or vij ^li I wold be stowe on a horsse
harneys, And so Skern’ tolde me I might have, the Lord Hast^g
had for y^e same price but I wolde not myn’ were lik his,
and I trust to God we shalle do right welle, who p’serve you.
Wreten at Cant’bury in hast the xviij day of Juyll.

                                                                                  Oxynford.

11 ¾ by 3 ¼.

  Canterbury, 18th of July,
                  1469 or 1470,
                  9 or 10 E. IV.

     John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, (Pl. iv. N^o 5.) retaining his loyalty to the House of
Lancaster, in whose cause his Father and elder Brother had lost their heads upon the
Scaffold in 1461-2, and for whose sake he himself had suffered a long imprisonment,
seems now privately to be preparing to join the Earl of Warwick, in favour of the deposed
King Henry.

     I should suppose this Letter to have been written either in July 1469, at the time
that the Earl of Warwick and his Adherents were meditating the plan for dethroning
Edward, or in 1470, when they had come to a resolution of reinstating Henry on the
Throne.

     The Order to Sir John Paston, for providing the horse-harness was to be executed,
“as it were for himself.” and the referring him to the Countess for Money, shews it to
be at a time when his finances were very low. The expression “Yet she must borrow it,”
implies too that his Lady had not already the Money, but that she had it still to procure.

     Though the Earl desired that his horse-harness might be of the same price with one
which Lord Hastyngs had purchased, yet he wished it not to be like his; the reason
seems to be, he did not choose to appear with Caparisons similar to those of a Yorkist.

     The Words “I trust in God we shall do right well” refer to some scheme then in
agitation; and on the success of which he had placed great confidence.

LETTER XXIX.

To Sir John Paston, Knight.

RIGHT worshipful, and my especial true hearted Friend,
     I commend me unto you, praying you to ordain (order
for) me three horses harness as goodly as ye and Genyns can
devise, as it were for yourself; and, that I may have them
in all hast, order; also Skern saith, ye would ordain two

standard staves; this I pray you to remember, and my wise
shall deliver you silver, and yet she must borrow it. Six or
seven pounds I would bestow on a Horse-harness; and so
Shern told me I might have. The Lord Hastyngs had for the
same price, but I would not mine were like his; and I trust to
God we shall do right well, who preserve you. Written at
Canterbury in haste, the 18th day of July.

                                                                      OXNFORD.

           11 ¾ by 3 ¼.

  Canterbury, 18th of July,
                  1469 or 1470,
                  9 or 10 E. IV.

     John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, (Pl. iv. N^o 5.) retaining his loyalty to the House of
Lancaster, in whose cause his Father and elder Brother had lost their heads upon the
Scaffold in 1461-2, and for whose sake he himself had suffered a long imprisonment,
seems now privately to be preparing to join the Earl of Warwick, in favour of the deposed
King Henry.

     I should suppose this Letter to have been written either in July 1469, at the time
that the Earl of Warwick and his Adherents were meditating the plan for dethroning
Edward, or in 1470, when they had come to a resolution of reinstating Henry on the
Throne.

     The Order to Sir John Paston, for providing the horse-harness was to be executed,
“as it were for himself.” and the referring him to the Countess for Money, shews it to
be at a time when his finances were very low. The expression “Yet she must borrow it,”
implies too that his Lady had not already the Money, but that she had it still to procure.

     Though the Earl desired that his horse-harness might be of the same price with one
which Lord Hastyngs had purchased, yet he wished it not to be like his; the reason
seems to be, he did not choose to appear with Caparisons similar to those of a Yorkist.

     The Words “I trust in God we shall do right well” refer to some scheme then in
agitation; and on the success of which he had placed great confidence.

686

THE EARL OF OXFORD TO SIR JOHN PASTON¹

To Sir John Paston, Knyght.

RIGHT worshipfull, and my especiall true hertid frende,
     I commaunde me un to you, preying you to ordeyne
     me iij. horsse harneys as godely as ye and Genyn kan
devyse, as it were for yourselfe; and that I may have thyme
in all hast, ordere. Also Skerne saith ye wolde ordeyne ij.
standarde stavys; this I pray you to remembre, and my wife
shalle deliver you silver,—and yit she most borowed it; vj. or
vijli. I wold be stowe on a horsse harneys, and so Skerne tolde
me I might have. The Lord Hastings had for the same price,
but I wolde not myne were lik his; and I trust to God we
shalle do right welle, who preserve you. Wreten at Canter-
bury in hast, the xviij. day of Juyll.

                                                                                           OXYNFORD.

¹ [From Fenn, ii. 26.] The writer of this letter was committed to the Tower in
November 1468, and though afterwards released, it was not long before he became a
declared enemy of Edward IV.; so that, after the brief restoration of Henry VI. in
1470, he was obliged to leave the kingdom. The date of this letter, therefore, is not
likely to be later than the present year, but it may be a year or two earlier.

1468(?)
JULY 18