William Paston to William Worsted and Others

12

WILLIAM PASTON TO WILLIAM WORSTED AND
OTHERS²

     A mez treshonnourés Meistres Will’m Worstede, John Longham,
et Meistre Piers Shelton soit donné.

     RIGHT worthy and worshepefull sires and maistres, I
         recomand me to yow, and thank yow with al my
         herte, of the gret tendrenesse ye lyke to have of the
salvacion of my symple honeste, preying yow evermore of your
good continuance. I have, after the advys of your lettre, doon
dewely examyned the instrument by the wysest I coude fynde
here, and in especial by on Maister Robert Sutton,¹ a courtezane
of the Court of Rome, the which is the chief and most chier
man with my Lord of Gloucestre, and his matier in the said
court for my lady, his wyff;² and here aunswere is that al this
processe, though it were in dede proceded as the instrument
specifieth, is not suffisant in the lawe of Holy Cherche, and
that hem semyth, by the sight of the instrument and by the
defautes [that] ye espied in the same and other, and in maner
by the knowelech of the notarie, that the processe, in gret part
ther of, is fal[se and un]trewe. I have taken advys of Maister
Robert Bruus, chauncellor with my Lord of Cantirbury,³ and
Maister Nicholl Billesdon,⁴ cha[uncellor] of my Lord of Wyn-
chestre,⁵ and Maister John Blodwelle,⁶ a weel lerned man
holden, and a suffisant courtezan of the seyd court, and all
these acorden to the seyd Maister Robert Sutton. Nought
with stondyng that I herde nevere of this matier no maner
lykly ne credible evidence unto that I sey your lettre and the
instrument, yet I made an appell and a procuracie, and also a
provocacion, at London, longe biforn Cristemasse, by the
a[dvys] of Maister David Aprys, Maister Symond Kempston,
and Maister James Cole, and sent al this, with an instruccion
of al the matier, w[ith] my procuratours to Rome by your
frere, my Maister Suppriour, and geff hym gold that he was
content: and, overmore, nowe here by advys I make this day
a newe appelle and a newe procuracion, and upon this alle the
seyd worthy men here seyn and informe me pleynly I have no
maner cause in lawe ne in conscience to drede aught in this
matier. Myn adversarie⁷ is become Bysshop of Cork in
Irland, and ther arn ij. other persones provided to the same
bysshopriche yet lyvyng, beforn my seyd adversarie; and by
this acceptacion of this bysshopriche, he hath pryved hym self
of the title that he claymed in Bromholm, and so adnulled the
ground of his processe ageyn me, and also the tyme of his
grevaunce pretendid, and the tyme of his sute he was apostata,
and I trowe is yet, and so unable to sue any swich processe. I
purpose me to come homward be London, to lerne more in
this matier, if I may. I prey the Holy Trinite, lord of your
cherche and of alle the werld, delyvere me of my iij. adversaries,
of this cursed bysshop for Bromholm, Aslak for Sprouston,¹
and Julian Herberd for Thornham. I have nought trespassed
ageyn noon of these iij., God knowing, and yet I am foule and
noysyngly vexed with hem, to my gret unease, and al for my
lordes and frendes matieres, and nought for myn owyn. I wot
not whether it were best in any sermon or other audience, in
your cherche or elles where, to declare aught of this matier in
stoppyng of the noyse that renneth in this case. I submitte
me and alle this matier to your good discrecion; and evere
gremercy God, and ye, who ever have yow and me in His
gracious governance. I suppose to see yow on Palm Sunday.
Writen at Leycestre, the Friday the thredde wyke of Lente.

     Alle the seyd lerned men telle me trewely ther is nother
perill ne doubte in the takyng doun of the instrument and the
bille to no creature. Which instrument and bille I send yow
ageyn by the berare of this, which I prey you to kepe as pryve
as ye may.

                                                       Yowr man,       W. PASTON.

     I have preyed my Maister Hammond to write yow
tydyngges, and smale (?) lesynges among.

     ² [From Paston MSS., B.M.] About the year 1425 the question of the validity
of the Duke of Gloucester’s marriage with Jacqueline of Hainault was before the
Court of Rome. This letter must have been written in the spring of the year
following, when Parliament was sitting at Leicester. The original is slightly mutilated
at the edge in one place.

     ¹ Prebendary of Lincoln, 1435-9. Died 1439.

     ² Jacqueline of Hainault, whom Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, married, pretend-
ing that her former marriage with John, Duke of Brabant, was void by consanguinity.
The question which of the two marriages was valid was at this time before the Pope.

     ³ Archbishop Chicheley.     ⁴ Dean of Salisbury, 1435-41.     Died 1441.

     ⁵ Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester, afterwards Cardinal.

     ⁶ LL.D. Prebendary of Hereford about 1433, and of Lichfield 1432-43.

     ⁷ John Paston or Wortes, the writer of the preceding letter.

     ¹ A lordship in Sprouston was acquired by John Aslake of Bromholm in 14
Richard II., and seems to have continued some time in that family. Blomefield notes
that a Walter Aslake, Esq. of Sprouston, had a protection in the 10th of Henry VI.,
being in France in the retinue of John, Duke of Bedford (Blomefield’s Norfolk, x.
462). Probably this was the same Walter Aslak mentioned in No. 6 preceding.—
See p. 18.

MARCH

1426
MARCH 1

1426
MARCH 1