Thomas Howes to [John Paston?]

263

THOMAS HOWES TO [JOHN PASTON?]¹

   PLEASE your maistreship to wete, for as mych as the
     wryt directed to the exchetor cam not tyl in the Vigil
     of Symond and Jude,² at viij. of the clocke at evyn,
whiche coude in no wyse profit us that day; notwithstondynge
we had a yoman of my Lords chamber, and were at Cowhaw,
havyng Bertylmeu Elys with us, and ther was Long Bernard
sytting to kepe a court. And we at the furst Noy come in
the court, and Bertylmeu havynge this termys to Bernard,
seying, ‘Sir, forasmych as the Kyng hathe grauntyd be hese
lettres patent the wardship with the profites of the londes of
T. Fastolf duryng hese nun age to you³ and T. H., wherfor
I am comyn as ther styward, be ther comaundement, upon
ther pocession to kep court and lete, whiche is of old custum
usyd upon thys day; wherfor I charge you, be the vertu herof,
to seas and kepe nouthir court nor lete, for ye have non
autoryte.’ Quod Bernard, ‘I wyll kepe bothe court and lete,
and ye shal non kepe here; for there is no man hath so gret
autoryte.’ Than quod Bertylmeu, ‘I shal sytte by you, and
take a reconysaunce as ye do.’ ‘Nay,’ quod Bernard, ‘I wyl
suffre you to sytte, but not to wryte.’ ‘Well,’ quod Bertylmeu,
’thanne forsybly ye put us from our pocession, whiche I doute
not but shalbe remembryd you anothir day,’ &c. ‘But, Seres,’
quod he, ‘ye that be tenaunts to this manoyr, we charge you
that ye do nowthir seute nor servise, no[r] paye ony rents or
fermys but to the use of John Paston and T.; fo[r] and ye
do, ye shal paye it ageyn; and as for on yeer past, we have
sewyrte of Skylly, whiche hath resevid it of you to ther use.’
And thus we departid, and Bernard kept court and lete.

     And ther was Ser P. Wentworth and hise brothir, yong
Hopton, yong Brewse, yong Calthorp, with xxiiij. horse; and
we spoke with non of hem, nor they with non of us, for we
wold not seke upon hem. And we have enteryd in all othir
plasis undir this forme. I wold we had had the wryte betymes
lever than xxs. of myn owne, but it farith thus in many othir
maters, God amende hem.

     Memorandum.—To sende hom wyn and ij. quart botelys.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is anonymous, but appears to be in the
handwriting of Thomas Howes. It must belong to the year 1454, when the wardship
of Thomas Fastolf of Cowhaw was granted to Howes and John Paston.

     ² St. Simon and St. Jude’s day is the 28th October. The Vigil is the 27th.

     ³ So in MS. The writer seems to be confusing the direct and indirect mode of
reporting a speech.                                                                                                                      

1454
OCT. or
NOV.

1454
OCT. or
NOV.