The Paston Letters Volume Ii Part 65

Youre frend,

THE LORD SCALES.

[Footnote 320.1: [From Fenn, iii. 200.] This letter is dated by a contemporary note at the bottom of the original, which is given thus in Fenn: 'Li't a?a Mich. x.x.xiij.' But for 'a?a,'

according to the Errata in vol. iii., we should read 'a?e,'

_i.e._ 'Litterae _ante_ Mich. [Festum S. Michaelis] x.x.xiij.'

[_i.e._ anno Regis x.x.xiii.].]

247

BOTONER TO JOHN PASTON[320.2]

_To my Maister Paston._

[Sidenote: 1454 / JUNE 8]

Worshypfull Syr, and my G.o.de maister, after dewe recomendacion, wyth alle my trewe servyce precedyng, lyke you wete that as to nouveltees, &c., the Prince shall be create at Wyndesour, uppon Pentecost Sonday,[321.1] the Chaunceller,[321.2] the Duc of Bokyngham, and manye othyre Lordys off astate, present wyth the Quene.

As to my Lord Yorke, he abydyth aboute Yorke tille Corpus Crist Feste[321.3] be pa.s.syd, and wyth grete wors.h.i.+p ys there resseyved.

And certeyn Justices, Prysot,[321.4] Byngham,[321.5] Portyngton,[321.6]

and &c., be thedre for execucion of justice uppon such as hafe offendended yn cause creminall.

It ys seyd the Duc of Exceter[321.7] ys here coverdtlye. G.o.d send hym G.o.de councell hereafter.

And the Pryvee Sele[321.8] ys examynyd how, and yn whate maner, and be whate autorite prevye selys were pa.s.sed forthe in that behalf, whych ys full innocent and ryght clere yn that mater, as it ys welle knowen.

The Frenshmen hafe be afore the Isles of Gersey and Gernessey, and a grete navey of hem, and v^c. [500] be taken and slayn of hem by men of the seyd trew Isles, &c.

Syr Edmond Mulso ys come from the Duc of Burgoyne;[321.9] and he seyth, by hys servaunts rapport, that he wolle not discharge the G.o.des of the mrchaunts of thys land, but so be that justice be don uppon the Lord Bonevyle, or els that he be sent to hym to do justice by hym self, as he hath deserved, or satisfaccion be made to the value.

Yowr mater[10] is enseled as of the thyng ye wote of.

I can no more for haste and lak of leyser, but our Lord kepe you. Wryt hastly viij. of June.

I sende a lettre to Maister Berney to lete you see for the gouvernaunce yn Yorkshyr.

BOTO-H.R.-NER.[322.1]

[Footnote 320.2: [From Fenn, i. 76.]]

[Footnote 321.1: June 9 in 1454.]

[Footnote 321.2: Richard Nevill, Earl of Salisbury, was appointed Chancellor on the 2nd April 1454.]

[Footnote 321.3: June 20 in 1454.]

[Footnote 321.4: John Prisot, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.]

[Footnote 321.5: Richard Bingham, a Justice of the King's Bench.]

[Footnote 321.6: John Portington, a Justice of the Common Pleas.]

[Footnote 321.7: Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter. On the 11th May this year he had been ordered to appear before the Council on the following Thursday (16th May). --_See_ Nicolas's _Privy Council Proceedings_, vi. 180.]

[Footnote 321.8: His name was Thomas Lyseux.--See _Patent Roll_, 32 Hen. VI., m. 14.]

[Footnote 321.9: Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy.]

[Footnote 321.10: Doubtless the grant of the wards.h.i.+p of Thomas Fastolf of Cowhawe. --_See_ p. 322, Note 2.]

[Footnote 322.1: William Worcester, or Botoner, as he called himself indifferently, secretary to Sir John Fastolf. He frequently introduces the letters 'H. R.' into or above his signature, and sometimes at the top of his letter. Fenn reads the name 'Botener,' which is certainly wrong according to the facsimile given of the signature in this place.]

248

R. DOLLAY TO JOHN PASTON[322.2]

_Un to my ryght worshypfull Mastyr Paston, be thys byll delyveryd in haste._

[Sidenote: 1454 / JUNE 29]

Ryght trusty and well belovyd master, I recomande me un to yow, desyryng to her of your good prosperite and wellfar. And as towchyng for Ser Phylyp Wentforde, he rood on to London ward up on Seynt Jon ys day, and on the evyn afor he sent to my master for to have sum of hys men for to ryd with hym to Colchester; and for be cawse he shulde not have no suspesion to me, I rod myself and a felaw with me; and he rood with an C. [_hundred_] hors with jakks[322.3] and saletts,[322.4] and rusty habyrjons;[322.5] and ther rood with hym Gyboun of Debnem, and Tympyrle, and all the felashyp that they cowd make. And Gyboun seyde that he wolde endyte as many as he cowde understonde that wer of the toder party; and longe Bernard was ther also; and he mad Ser Phylyp Wentforde to torne ageyn, and maad every men to beende her bowys, and lyth down of her hors for to wyte and ony man wolde come ageynstem, and he seyde how he shulde not let hys wey nor for Ser John Fastolf nor for Paston, nor for noon of hem all.

And as for the ward,[323.1] he was not ther, but ther was had anoder chyld lyk hym, and he rood next hym, and whan that he was ij. myle be zonde Colchester, he sent hym hoomageyn with a cer tey[n] meyny. And Ser Phylyp Wentforde, and Gyboun of Debnem, and Tymperle, and Bernard, they took a man of Stratford, a sowter,[323.2] and hys name ys Persoun; and they enqueryd hym of every manys name of the toder party, and he tolde hem as many as he cowde; and they bad hym enquer ferther for to knowe all, for they desyryd of hym for to enquer as fer as he cowde, and he shulde have well for hys labor.

No mor to yow at thys tyme, but the Holy Gost have yow in hys kepyng.

Wretyn at Hadley, the Sat.u.r.day after Seynt John ys day. And I beseeche yow hertyly recomande me to my Master Alblaster.

By yowr man,

R. DOLLAY.

[Footnote 322.2: [From Fenn, iii. 210.] This letter gives an account of certain proceedings for taking possession of the person of a minor in opposition to the claims of Paston and Sir John Fastolf as guardians. Fenn supposes the ward in question to have been Thomas Fastolf of Ipswich; but it appears, by a pet.i.tion afterwards presented to Parliament (see _Rolls of Parl._ v. 371), that he was another Thomas Fastolf, viz. the son of John Fastolf, Esq. of Cowhawe, Suffolk, whose wards.h.i.+p was granted on the 6th June 1454 to John Paston, Esq., and Thomas Howes, clerk. The St. John's day mentioned in this letter is therefore St. John the Baptist's day, 24th June, not St. John the Evangelist's, 27th December.]

[Footnote 322.3: The jack or jacket was a military vestment, calculated for the defence of the body, composed of linen stuffed with cotton, wool, or hair quilted, and commonly covered with leather.--F.]

[Footnote 322.4: A salet was a light helmet of various construction.--F.]

[Footnote 322.5: The haubergeon was a coat composed either of plate or chain-mail without sleeves. For a fuller account and view of these, the reader is referred to Mr. Grose's accurate _Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons_, 4to, 1785.--F.]

[Footnote 323.1: Thomas, son of John Fastolf, Esq. of Cowhawe.]

[Footnote 323.2: A shoemaker.]

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