The Paston Letters Volume Iii Part 25

[Footnote 113.1: [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 170.] The name of Dory occurs only once elsewhere in these letters, and then without a Christian name; but the person so referred to (at the end of No.

330) is probably the under-sheriff of Norfolk; and this letter, which is likewise concerned with Fastolf's business, may have been written about the same period.]

354

JOHN BOCKING TO JOHN PASTON[114.1]

[Sidenote: 1457(?) / APRIL 2]

Sire, lyke it your maisters.h.i.+p to wete that I sende you at this tyme the rolle of the copies of all patentes, and the appoyntement with Wentworth laste, and also a abstracte drawen as it come simply to my remembrance.

And I shalbe with you sumtyme the next weke. All men ar owte at this tyme, as the Parson,[114.2] Worcester, and Barker; and therfore til thei come, I may not owte. H. Wyndesor departid on Monday, and will doo that he can. He telleth me Lumleys patent is in his awarde, but it is of noo force. And also he hathe Constable is ij. [_second ?_] patente, and that is moste ayenst us, &c. He wil purveie therfore as ye knowe myn maister[114.3] comaundit hym to yow.

Here hath ben Wilton with the dede of feffement yesterday, and all men hadde ensealed sauf myn maister that now hathe ensealed, and H. Inglose is right soory. I can no newe tidinges, but that myn maister hath put his matier of Issabells in Scroudeby, and the rente of the priour of Norwiche dieu to Heilesdon in your hande and Thomas Grene. Ye shal the next weke have the evidences. And Jesu kepe you and youres.

I sende myn Maistres Crane a lettre fro hir brother, but I have the credence, whiche I can not say but if she appose me for certein materes of hir brotheres.

Writen at Castre, the ij. day of Aprill.

Your owen servaunt,

J. B.

[Footnote 114.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this letter is very uncertain. In 1456 the writer dates from Southwark on the 8th of May, and in 1458 from London on the 14th of March, so that there is rather a presumption against his being at Caister on the 2nd of April in either of these years.

But these points, it must be owned, are little to be relied on, as Bokking certainly pa.s.sed to and fro a good deal between London and Norfolk. The date must, however, be between 1455 and 1459. The letter has no address, but was doubtless intended for John Paston.]

[Footnote 114.2: Thomas Howes.]

[Footnote 114.3: Sir John Fastolf.]

355

BOTONER TO JOHN PASTON[115.1]

_To my Maister Paston._

[Sidenote: 1457 / APRIL 20]

Please you to wete that, after dew recommendacion, hyt yt so that my maister sendyth me to London for the mater of Rochestr, as for dyvers of hys oune particuler maters which concern not the lawe, &c.; and I am lyke to tarye till ye com, in case ye com wythynne iij. wekys.

Sir, at reverence of G.o.d, seth my maister ys fully yn wille to renew hys fefment, that it may be do be tyme by the surest grounde that may be had, for, be it nevyr so suerly don, hyt shall be thought lytille ynowgh to kepe hys lond owte of trouble; and to spare for no councell ne cost to make sure, for a peny yn seson spent wille safe a pounde. I comyned with my broyder Spyrlyng, which seyth he wille do hys attendaunce, and to kepe it ryzt close of the namys. Taryeng drawyth parell.

And ye meved a G.o.de mater to the Parson and to me at your last beyng at Castr, that my maister shud be lerned whate hys housold standyth uppon yerlye, seth he kept it holye to ghedr at one place; and that don, then to see by the revenues of hys yeerly lyfelode whate may be leyd and a.s.signed owte for that cause to meynteyn hys seyd housold, and over that, whate may be a.s.signed to beere owte hys plees, and also do pay for hys foreyn chargs[115.2] and dedes of almes to a convenyent somme.

And seth the grettist ordynarye charge most be hys housold kepyng, hyt were moste exspedyent that ye wold note well to remembre specially my maister to do hys audyt[or]es cast up and make rollys of hys accompts concernyng the seyd housold seth he came yn to Norffolk thys ij. yer and half, whych was nevyr so long to doo thys xl. wynter as ye now. And it ys pytee that hys audyt ys none ethyr wyse yn that entended; ye must nedys, yff ye wille my maister know how hyt stand with hym yerly of hys chargs, that thys be do fyrst, as it was allwey accustomed. My maister wille acord it to be don, but it ys forgete throwgh negligence of men yoven to sensualite, as Thomas Upton, me, and othyrs. My maister can not know wheder he go backward or forward till thys be doon.

I can not elles, but ye wille not foryete thys that the audyt[or]es go verraily aboute it to an ende. And Haylysdon accompts be behynde for ij.

yeer to [_too_] grete pite ys, and it wer yours or yn any wyseman gouveraunce.

At Norwich hastly, the Wenstay in Ester weke.

BOTO-H.R.-NER.

[Footnote 115.1: [From Fenn, iii. 294.] It appears from the contents of this letter that it was written two and a half years after Sir John Fastolf came to live in Norfolk, which he did in the autumn of 1454. The date therefore is certain.]

[Footnote 115.2: Charges not connected with his household accounts.--F.]

356

BOTONER TO JOHN PASTON[116.1]

_To the ryght worshypfull Sir, John Paston, Escuier, beyng in Norwych, yn haste._

[Sidenote: 1457 / MAY 1]

Ryght worshypfull Sir, aftyr dewe recommendacion, please yow to wete that I wrote a remembraunce to yow the day that I departed owte of Norwich, by Rychard, the Parson ys servaunt of Blofeld, concernyng certeyn maters to be remembred by your wysdom for my maister ys avaylle, whych your grete wysdom can well undrestand ys ryght nedefull, as one thyng yn especiall, that Shypdam and Spyrlyng ought to labour, fyrst of onye thyng that belongyth, to audyt the accompts of the resseyt and despense of my maister housold at Castr seth he came last in to Norffolk, whych aswell for the provisyons that ys had of hys oune grownyng as in money payd; for till the seyd accompts be made ordynatlye, whych be of a grete charge yeerlye, wete ye for certeyn my maister shall nevere know whethyr he goth bakward or forward. And manye othere accomptants that maken lyvere of provysyons of cornys and catell to the household by the resseyvour and by the bayllyfs can not approve theyr liberatz just tille the seyd housold bokes be made upp; and seth it hath be kept ordynarylye seth my maister begen to kepe house thys l.

yeer almoste, and when he hath be absent beyond see, &c., hyt ought to be more redelyer be doon and made upp whyle he is present, and well the rathere that hys housold menye were not so hole to ghedr thys xl. yer as be now at Castr. Also hyz minustrs of accompts of hys chieff maner of Haylysdon for iij. yeer to make upp and to examyn; and I ensure yow full simplye approwed hys wollys and hys fermys.

And the iij^d ys that so wold Jesus my maister audytors wold faythfully and playnlye enforme my maistr of the trouth of the yeerly grete damage he beryth in debursyng hys money aboute shyppes and botes, kepyng an house up at Jermuch [_Yarmouth_] to hys grete harme, and resseyvyth but chaffr and waare for hys cornys and wollys, &c. and then most abyde along day to make money; of such chaffr takyng he shall nevere[117.1] be monyed, ne be aunsuerd clerly of hys revenues yeerly but [_unless_]

those thyngs abofeseyd be amended be tyme. Yn Lowys days xij. yeer to gheder my maister was wont to ley upp money yeerly at London and Castr, and now the contrarye--_de malo in pejus_.

I dar not be know of thys bille, but ye may question and vele of the disposicion of thys maters of otheres, and then I undrstand yff I wryt justlye or no; and ye, as of your mocion for my maister worshyp and profyt, exortyng hym, the stuard, Shypdam, and Spyrlyng to take a labour and a peyn that thys be reformed.

I pray yow, and require yow kepe thys mater to your sylf.

Yowr,

BOTONER.

As for nouveltes none comth,[118.1] but yt ys seyd the sege shall com to Calix. The Erle of Warwyk[118.2] ys yhyt at Caunterbury with the Archbys.h.i.+p,[118.3] and the Erle younger brothere[118.4] maryed to Sir Eadmund Yngylthorp doughter uppon Seynt Marks Day. The Erle of Worcestr[118.5] broght aboute the maryage. The Queen and the Kyng at Herford,[118.6] the Lordes Bokyngham,[118.7] Shrewsbury,[118.8] and otheres ther. And now it ys seyd Herbert[118.9] shall com ynne, and apper at Leycester before the Kyng and the Lordes, hys lyfe graunted and G.o.des, so he make amendys to theym he hath offended. Manye be endyted, som causelese, which makyth Herbert partye streng, and the burgeys and gentlemen aboute Herford wille goo wyth the Kyng wyffe and chylde, but a pease be made or the Kyng part thens, for ell[es] Herbert and hys affinite wille acquyt them, as it ys seyd.

The Erle of Warwyk hath had the folks of Caunterbury and Sandwych before hym, and thanked hem of her G.o.de herts and vytaillyng of Calix, and prayeth hem of contynuaunce.

I sende a bille of the namys endyted to my maister and yow, to see and laugh at theyr Wellsh names descended of old pedegris. Our Lord be with yow.

Wryt hastly at London, the fyrst day of May.

BOTONER.

[Footnote 116.1: [From Fenn, iii. 298.] That this letter was written in the year 1457 appears pretty clear from its agreement with the last, in which Botoner speaks of the expediency of getting the accounts of Fastolf's household audited, and mentions that his master was sending him up to London. A further confirmation of the date may be found in the dates of the Privy Seals of the 35th year of Henry VI., which show that the King was at Hereford during April, though he had removed to Worcester on the 4th of May.]

[Footnote 117.1: The left-hand copy in Fenn reads 'neide,' but the modern version 'never,' which is clearly the true reading.]

[Footnote 118.1: So in Fenn, but qu. 'couth.' --_See_ p. 41.]

[Footnote 118.2: Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.]