The Paston Letters Volume Iii Part 8

ABSTRACT[36.3]

[Sidenote: 1455 / JUNE 21]

Writ to the Treasurer and Barons of the Exchequer in pursuance of patent, 12th December last, granting to John Bokking and William Worcester the wards.h.i.+p, etc., of the heir of John Fastolf of Cowghawe.

_Above in William Worcester's hand:_-- 'Bre. ad allocand. Vicecomitem de proficuis terr. Thomae Fastolf in custodia Johannis Bokkyng.'

Inrolled, Trin., 33 Hen. VI., rot. 3.

[Memoranda below in William Worcester's hand as to certain statements of Hugh Fenn about the form of the writ of livery directed to the Sheriff.]

[Footnote 36.3: [From MS. Phillipps, 9735, No. 261.]]

293

SIR JOHN FASTOLF TO JOHN PASTON[37.1]

_To my ryght trusty cosyn, John Paston._

[Sidenote: 1455 / JUNE 22]

Worshypfull Sir and cosyn, I commaund me to yow. And lyke yow wete that accordyng to your desyre I sende John Russe to yow to hafe your informacion of such materis as shall be thought exspedient to be laboured yn your absence for the mater of Wentworth, and hafe geve hym in commaundment to entend it in all that he can or may. And, Cosyn, he hath a lettre of credence to the baylly of Dedham because of doubt of syght of the baylly ys lettre ther for disclosyng, &c., to do after the wrytyng of T. Denys. And y sende yow ij. lettres com to me from London that maketh mencyon of grete besynesse ayenst us, and an accion toke ayenst yow, Howys, Bokkyng, &c., that most nedys be tendred; in case an essoyn[37.2] can be take, so moche the better. And therfor, cosyn, at reverence of G.o.d, dispose yow to London yn all the haste that ye can.

For the atthacment can not be tille ye com. And on partie adverse besyeth hem sore in your absence, _facies hominis facies leonis_. And I have worde yn a nothere lettre that my Lord Chauncellor ys yn the lyke wyse disposed yn owre one syde, and therfor that ye kepe hym ynne to helpe bere the favour of thys mater yn all wyse; And Byngham Justys ys full well disposed also. Dyvers new processe ys ayenst Sir Thomas. And all othere materis I commyt to your discrecion; yf nede be, I com thedre my sylf. Y pray G.o.d kepe yow. Wryt hastly uppon Sonday before Seynt John Baptiste.

Your cosyn,

J. FASTOLF.

Item, after that I have word from yow, so wolle I be gouverned, and com to London yff ye sende me worde, and that I hafe word from yow yf nede be bytyme from London.

[Footnote 37.1: [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 171.] There can be no reasonable doubt that this letter is of the same date as Nos.

289 and 290, _i.e._ of the year 1455.]

[Footnote 37.2: An excuse allowed for not appearing in Court.]

294

JOHN JENNEY TO JOHN PASTON[38.1]

_To my wurs.h.i.+pfull maister, John Paston, Esquier._

[Sidenote: 1455 / JUNE 24]

Mi Maister Paston, I recomaunde me to you. And wher ye shulde be enformed that I shulde sey to Howard[38.2] that ye labored to be Knyght of the s.h.i.+re, I seid never soo to hym. I tolde my Lord of Norffolk atte London that I labored diverse men for Sir Roger Chaumberleyn, and they seid to me they wolde have hym, but not Howard, in asmeche as he hadde no lyvelode in the s.h.i.+re, nor convers.e.m.e.nt [_i.e._ acquaintance?]; and I asked them hom they wolde have, and they seid they wolde have you, and thus I tolde hym. And he seid on avysely, as he kan doo full well, I myght not sey ye labored ther, for I herde never sey ye labored therfor, be the feithe I vowe to G.o.d.

As for this writ of the Parlement of Norwich, I thanke you that ye will labour ther in; as for my frendys ther, I truste right well all the aldermen, except Broun[38.3] and sech as be in his dawnger.[38.4] I prey you spekith to Walter Jeffrey[38.5] and Herry Wilton,[38.6] and maketh them to labour to your entent. I prey you that yf ye thenke that it wull not be, that it like you that to sey that ye meve it of your self, and not be my desire. Sum men holde it right straunge to be in this Parlement, and me thenketh they be wyse men that soo doo.

Wreten atte Intewode,[39.1] on Sceint John day, in hast.

Your servaunt,

JOHN JENNEY.

[Footnote 38.1: [From Fenn, iii. 240.] The parliamentary election to which this letter refers is evidently the same as in Nos. 288 and 291. The election of Howard and Chamberlain actually took place on the 23rd June, the day before this letter was written, as I find by the original returns in the Record Office.]

[Footnote 38.2: John Howard, the Duke of Norfolk's cousin. He was afterwards created Duke of Norfolk himself by Richard III., in whose cause he fell fighting at the battle of Bosworth.]

[Footnote 38.3: Richard Brown was Mayor of Norwich in 1454, and member for that city in 1460.--F.]

[Footnote 38.4: This means _in his debt_, and therefore under his influence.--F.]

[Footnote 38.5: Walter Jeffrey was Under-Sheriff of Norwich in 1451, 1452, and 1459.--F.]

[Footnote 38.6: Henry Wilton was returned with John Jenney in 1477.--F.]

[Footnote 39.1: This estate came to Jenney by his marriage with Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Wetherby, a rich alderman of Norwich, who, after having twice served as Mayor, quarrelled with the city about the election of his successor in that office in 1433, and instigated various prosecutions against them. He died in 1445.]

295

JOHN JENNEY TO JOHN PASTON[39.2]

_To my wurs.h.i.+pfull maister, John Paston, Squier._

[Sidenote: 1455 / JUNE 25]

Mi wurs.h.i.+pfull maister, I recomaunde me to you; and I thanke you that it plesith you to take seche labour for me as ye doo. My servaunt tolde me ye desired to knowe what my Lord of Norffolk seid to me whan I spake of you; and he seid in asmeche as Howard[39.3] myght not be, he wolde write a lettre to the Under-Shreve that the s.h.i.+re shulde have fre eleccion, soo that Sir Thomas Todenham wer not, nor none that was toward the Duc of Suffolk; he seid he knewe ye wer never to hym ward. Ye may[39.4]

sende to the Under-Shreve, and see my Lord lettre. Howard was as wode as a wilde bullok; G.o.d sende hym seche wurs.h.i.+pp as he deservith. It is a evill precedent for the s.h.i.+re that a straunge man shulde be chosyn, and no wurs.h.i.+pp to my Lord off Yorke, nor to my Lord of Norffolk to write for hym; for yf the jentilmen of the s.h.i.+re will suffre sech inconvenyens, in good feithe, the s.h.i.+re shall not be called of seche wurs.h.i.+pp as it hathe be.

Wreten atte Intewode, this Wednesday next after Sceint John, in hast.

Your servaunt,

JOHN JENNEY.

[Footnote 39.2: [From Fenn, iii. 380.] This letter clearly refers to the same matters as the preceding, and was written the day after.]

[Footnote 39.3: _See_ p. 38, Note 2.]

[Footnote 39.4: The modern version in Fenn reads, 'The Mayor sent to the Under-Sheriff, and saw my Lord's letter.']

296

ALICE CRANE TO MARGARET PASTON[40.1]

_To my cosyn, Margeret Paston, be this letter delyvred._