Thomas Playter to John Paston

253

THOMAS PLAYTER TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my ryght reverent and worshipfull maister, John Paston, be this
dylyverd at London, and ellys sent to hym to Norwic.

   RYGTH worshipfull Sir, and my rygth good maister,
     I recomend me to you. Lyke you to wete I have
     spoken wyth my lord Chaunceler² and put the bylle
by for hym and all the lordis upon Wednesday at after non
last past, wenyng to me to have an answer upon Thursday.
And my lord Chaunceler told me that they sped no partycler
mater yet syn they cam, nor han no leyser to attend swych
maters. I have spoken to my Lord Wylchyre,³ and he pro-
mysed to help forth that he can, and my Lord Beauchamp⁴
bothe. Fenyngley cam but on Thursday at evyn. Item, Sir,
I have do made a new bylle whyche I purpose to delyver to
the kyng. And, Sir, the lordes merveyle sore of the entre
that was made by the straunge man or my lord entred; they
thynk that was a straunge werk and a sotyll. Item, I spake
to my Lord Chaunceler how my maister⁵ and ye and your
frendis were pute owte of the comyssyon of pees; neverthe
les he hath not graunted yet non newe. And as for the ques-
tyon that ye wylled me to aske my lord, I fond hym yet at no
good leyser. Item, Sir, after the lordys seying, the Councell
schuld breke up on Monday next comyng. And as for the
Archebysshop of York¹ is heyll and mery, &c. Wretyn the
xx. day of July.—By your man and servaunt,

                                                                      THOMAS PLAYTER.

     ¹ [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 217.] The reference to Lord Wiltshire proves the date of
this letter to lie between 1449 and 1460, and it would seem to be 1454 when the 20th
July was a Saturday, Wednesday and Thursday being spoken of as past dates and
Monday as a future one.

     ² Richard, Earl of Salisbury.

     ³ James Butler, Earl of Wiltshire and Ormonde.

     ⁴ John, Lord Beauchamp.                         ⁵ Sir John Fastolf.

     ¹ William Booth was Archbishop of York from 1452 to 1464. If the letter had
been earlier Cardinal Kemp would have been Archbishop of York, and would have
been called ‘Cardinal of York.’

JULY 15

1454
JULY 20

36

ROBERT REPPS TO JOHN PASTON²

A mon tresreverent et treshonerable Maister John Paston soit doné.

SALVETE, &c. Tytyngs, the Duk of Orlyawnce³ hath
     made his oath upon the Sacrement, and usyd it, never
     for to bere armes ayenst Englond, in the presence of
the Kyng and all the Lordes, except my Lord of Gloucestre.⁴

And proving my seyde Lord of Gloucestre agreyd never to
hys delyveraunce, qwan the masse began he toke his barge, &c.

     God yef grace the seide Lord of Orlyaunce be trewe, for
this same weke shall he to ward Fraunce.

     Also Freynchmen and Pykardes, a gret nowmbre, kome to
Arfleet,¹ for to arescuyd [have rescued] it; and our Lordes
wyth here smal pusaunce manly bytte [beat] them, and pytte
hem to flyte, and, blyssyd be our Lord, have take the seide
cite of Arflet; the qwych is a great juell to all Englond, and
in especiall to our cuntre.

     Moreover there is j. [i.e. one] kome in to Englond, a
Knyght out of Spayne, wyth a kercheff of plesaunce i wrapped
aboute hys arme; the qwych Knyght wyl renne a cours wyth
a sharpe spere for his sovereyn lady sake; qwom other [either]
Sir Richard Wodvyle² or Sir Christofore Talbot³ shall delyver,
to the wyrchip of Englond and of hem selff, be Goddes grace.

     Ferthermore, ye be remembryd that an esquyer of Suffolk,
callyd John Lyston, recoveryd in assisa novœ disseisinœ ⁴ vij^c
[700] marc in damages ayenst Sir Robert Wyngfeld, &c. In
avoydyng of the payement of the seid vij. c. marc, the seide
Sir Robert Wyngfeld sotylly hath outlaywed the seide John
Lyston in Notyngham shir, be the vertue of qwch outlagare,
all maner of chattell to the seide John Lyston apperteynyng,
arn acruwyd on to the Kyng, &c. And anon as the seide
utlagare was certyfyed, my Lord Tresorer⁵ graunted the seid
vij. c. marc to my Lord of Norffolk, for the arrerag of hys
sowde [pay] qwyl he was in Scotland; and, acordyng to this
assignement forseide, taylles [tallies] delyvered. And my Lord
of Norffolk hath relesyd the same vij. c. marc to Sir Robert
Wyngfeld. And here is greet hevyng an shovyng be my Lord
of Suffolk and all his counsell for to aspye hough this mater
kam aboute, &c.

     Sir, I beseche recomende me on to my mastres your modyr,
to my mastres your wyff, and to my mastres your suster, et
omnibus alijs quorum interest, &c.

Sir, I pray you, wyth all myn hert, hold me excusyd that I
wryte thus homly and briefly on to you, for truly convenable
space suffycyd me nowt.

     No more atte this tyme, butte the Trynyte have you
in proteccion, &c.; and qwan your leysyr is, resorte ageyn on
to your college, the Inner Temple, for ther ben many qwych
sor desyr your presence, Welles and othyr, &c.

     Wretyn in le fest de touts Seynts, entre Messe et Mateyns,
calamo festinante, &c.                     Yours,            ROB. REPPES.

          ² [From Fenn, i. 4.] This letter was written in 1440, the year of the release
of the Duke of Orleans.

     ³ Charles, Duke of Orleans, who was taken prisoner at the battle of Agincourt in
1415, and had never since been released.

     ⁴ Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, uncle of the King, and before this time
Protector.

¹ Harfleur.     ² Afterwards Earl Rivers, father of Elizabeth, Queen of Edward IV.

     ³ Third son of John, the famous Earl of Shrewsbury.

     ⁴ i.e., in an assize of novel disseisin—an ancient law process.

     ⁵ Ralph, Lord Cromwell.

1440
NOV. 1

1440
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1440
NOV. 1