William Paston to John Paston

LETTER XVI.

To his wurchypfull Brodyr Jo’n Paston.

       RYTH wurchypfull brod^r I recomande to yow and as for
           tedyng my Lord of ¹ Yorke hathe take my Lord of ² Exsat’
in to hys awarde The Duke of ³ Som’set is styll in p’son in
warse case than he was. Syr Jon Fastolf recomande hym to
yow, &c. he wyll ryde in to Norfolke ward as on Trusday and
he wyll dwelle at Cast^r and Skrop wyth hym he saythe ye ar the
hartyest kynysmā and frynd y^t he knowyts he wolde have
yow at Mawdeby dwellyng.

     I had gret cher of Byllyng be y^e way and he told me in
cownsayle wathe he sayd to Ledam.

     Ledam wulde a do hys wyse to a mad a complent to Pryothe
in y^e scherhowse of yow, and Byllyng consallyd hym to leve
and tolde Ledam ye and he wer no felawys, and sayd to
Ledam y^t is the gyse of yowr contre mē to spend alle the good
they have on mē and lew’y Gownys and hors and harnes and
so beryt owth for j wylle and at the laste they am but beggars

and so wyll ye do I wylde ye schull do wyll be cause ye ar a
felaw in Grays In wer I was a felaw.

     As for Paston he ys a Swyr of Wurchyp and of gret lyvelode
and I wothe he wyll not spend alle hys Good as onys but
he sparyt yerly C mark or jC li. he may do hys Ennemy a
scherewd turne and nev’ far the warse in hys howsholde ner
the lesse mē abowthe hym ye may not do so but if yt be for
j sesun I consayll yow not to contenu long as ye do I wulle
consalle yow to seke reste wyth Paston.

     And I thankkyd Byllyng on yowr behalfe.

     God have yow in hys kepyng.

                                                        Be yowr por brodyr,

         11 ¾ by 6 ½.

                                                                        ⁴ William Paston.

 Meche odyr thyng I can telle and I had lesur, recomande
me to my sust^r Margeth m’y Cosyn Elizabet Cly^r I pray
yow.

This Letter is given not only as containing some state Anecdotes, but as exhibiting a
Character of John Paston, Esq. from Thomas Billing, who in 1453 was created a Ser-
jeant at Law, and in 1458 appointed King’s Serjeant.

     He became Chief Justice of England, in 1472.

     ¹ Richard, Duke of York.

  ² Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter.

     ³ Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, was imprisoned by the Duke of York’s Party
in 1452, and again for a considerable time in 1453. He was killed at the battle of St.
Albans, in 1455.

   ⁴ A younger Son of Sir William Paston. Pl. II. N^o 21.

LETTER XVI.

To his worshipful Brother John Paston.

      RIGHT worshipful Brother, I recommend (me) to you;
          and as for tidings, my Lord of ¹ York hath taken my
Lord of ² Exeter into his award; the Duke of ³ Somerset is
still in prison, in worse case than he was.

     Sir John Fastolf recommends him to you, &c. he will ride
into Norfolk ward as on Thursday, and he will dwell at Caister,
and Scroop with him; he faith ye are the heartiest Kinsman
and Friend that he knoweth, he would have you at Mawlteby
dwelling.

     I had great cheer of Billing by the way, and he told me, in
counsel, what he said to Ledam.

     Ledam would have done his wise (endeavour) to have made
a complaint to Pryothe in the Shire house of you, and Billing
counselled him to leave, and told Ledam, ye and he were no
Fellows, and said to Ledam “it is the guise of your Country
“ men to spend all the Goods they have on men and livery Gowns,
“ and Horse and Harness, and so bear it out for a while, and at
“ the last they are but Beggars; and so will ye do, I would ye

“ should do well, because ye are a Fellow of Gray’s Inn, where I
“ was a Fellow.”

     “ As for Paston, he is an Esquire of Worship, and of great
“ Livelyhood, and I wot he will not spend all his Goods at once,
“ but he spareth yearly an hundred marks (66l. 13s. 4d.) or an
“ hundred pounds; he may do his Enemy a shrewd turn and
“ never fare the worse in his household, nor (have) the less men
“ about him.”

     “ Ye may not do so, but if it be for one season, I counsel you
“ not to continue long as ye do. I would counsel you to seek
“ rest with Paston.”

     And I thanked Billing on your behalf. God have you in
his keeping.

                                                       By your poor Brother,

                                                                ⁴ WILLIAM PASTON.

31 or 32 H. VI.

Much other thing I can tell you, and I had leisure; recom-
mend me to my Sister Margaret, and my Cousin Elizabeth
Clere, I pray you.

This Letter is given not only as containing some state Anecdotes, but as exhibiting a
Character of John Paston, Esq. from Thomas Billing, who in 1453 was created a Ser-
jeant at Law, and in 1458 appointed King’s Serjeant.

     He became Chief Justice of England, in 1472.

     ¹ Richard, Duke of York.

  ² Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter.

     ³ Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, was imprisoned by the Duke of York’s Party
in 1452, and again for a considerable time in 1453. He was killed at the battle of St.
Albans, in 1455.

   ⁴ A younger Son of Sir William Paston. Pl. II. N^o 21.

254

WILLIAM PASTON TO JOHN PASTON²

To his wurchypfull Brodyr, John Paston.

   RYTH wurchypfull broder, I recomande to yow; and as
     for tedyng, my Lord of Yorke hathe take my Lord
     of Exsater³ in to hys awarde. The Duke of Somer-
set⁴ is styll in prison, in warse case than he was. Syr Jon
Fastolf recomande hym to yow, &c. He wyll ryde in to
Norfolke ward as on Trusday, and he wyll dwelle at Caster,
and Skrop⁵ wyth hym. He saythe ye ar the hartyest kynys-
man and frynd that he knowyts. He wolde have yow at
Mawdeby dwellyng.

     I had gret cher of Byllyng be the way, and he told me in
cownsayle wathe he sayd to Ledam.

     Ledam wulde a do hys wyse to a mad a complent to
Pryothe⁶ in the scher-howse of yow, and Byllyng consallyd
hym to leve, and tolde Ledam ye and he wer no felawys, and
sayd to Ledam, ‘That is the gyse of yowr contre men, to spend
alle the good they have on men and lewery gownys, and hors
and harnes, and so beryt owth for j wylle [bear it out for a
while], and at the laste they arn but beggars; and so wyll ye
do. I wylde ye schull do wyll, be cause ye ar a felaw in
Grays In, wer I was a felaw. As for Paston, he ys a swyr
[squire] of wurchyp, and of gret lyvelode, and I wothe he
wyll not spend alle hys good as [at?] onys, but he sparyt yerly
C. mark, or j. C. li. [£100]; he may do his ennemy a scherewd
turne and never far the warse in hys howsholde, ner the lesse
men abowthe hym. Ye may not do so, but if yt be for j.
[one] sesun. I consayll yow not to contenu long as ye do. I
wulle consalle yow to seke reste wyth Paston.’

     And I thankkyd Byllyng on yowr behalfe.

     God have yow in hys kepyng.

     Be yowr por Brodyr,                                WYLLYAM PASTON.

     Meche odyr thyng I can telle an I had lesur. Recomande
me to my suster Margeth [and] my cosyn Elizabeth Clyr, I
pray yow.

     ² [From Fenn, i. 72.] The date of this letter is fixed by the fact referred to in
Note 3, and by Sir John Fastolf’s going into Norfolk, which, though delayed a little
later than is here projected, certainly did take place in 1454. See another letter of
William Paston further on, dated 6th September.

     ³ Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter. On the 24th July the Duke of York was
charged by the Privy Council to convey him to Pomfret Castle.—See Nicolas’s Privy
Council Proceedings, vi. 217.

     ⁴ Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, who was committed to the Tower in the
end of the year 1453.—See p. 290, Note 1.

     ⁵ Stephen Scroope, Sir John Fastolf’s ward, son of Lady Fastolf, by her former
husband.

     ⁶ John Prisot, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.

[JULY]

1454
[JULY]