LETTER LII.—(XXXIX. vol. iii. p. 169.)

I have copied this letter as containing a recipe against bad air; but whether or not cardamoms are meant I cannot tell, they are said to be warm and attenuating, and to comfort the head and stomach, and, therefore, I should suppose, proper to be taken in a morning as a preservative against the effects of bad air. The fair leaves of artichokes, when blanched and rendered less bitter, are likewise called chards; these as being flat, might be kept in a book, and in that state brought from foreign parts ready for use, as we had no artichokes till long after this time in England. These were accounted very wholesome; it is probable, therefore, that these are the things mentioned. [The complaint of the air of Norwich is also something remarkable, but probably means no more than the effect of a crowded city upon a person accustomed to the open air of the country. It is also a curious fact that two dozen wooden trenchers could not be procured in so large and commercial a town, but had to be sent for from London.] Margaret Paston's uncle, Philip Berney, died in 1453, therefore this letter must be written about that time.

To my right worshipful husband, John Paston, be this delivered in haste.

RIGHT Worshipful husband, I commend me to you, I pray you that ye will do buy two dozen trenchers, for I can none get in this town; also I pray you that ye will send me a book with chardeqweyns that I may have of in the morning, for the air be not wholesome in this town, therefore I pray you heartily let John Suffield bring it home with him.

No more, but the blessed Trinity have you in his keeping, and send you good speed in all your matters. Written on St. Leonard's

even.

My uncle Philip commends him to you, and he hath been so sick since that I came to Reedham, that I wend [weened-thought] he should never have escaped it, nor not is like

1 A device, or ornament for the neck.

2 Necklaces of beads, &c., appear to have been worn at this time, though she either did not think her's handsome or fashionable enough to be put on upon this occasion.

13 May not the word fresch mean French or foreign gentlewomen attendant on the queen? though it

to do but if (unless) he have ready help, and therefore he shall into Suffolk this next week, to mine aunt, for there is a good physician, and he shall look to him.

My Lady Hastyngs told me that Heydon hath spoken to Jeffrey Boleyn of London, and is agreed with him that he should bargain with Sir John Fastolf to buy the manor if Blickling as it were for himself, and if Boleyn buy it in truth Heydon shall have it. I came to Norwich on Soulmass day (2nd of November).

Yours,

MARGARET PASTON. Norwich, Sunday, 5th of November, 1452. 32 H. VI.

most probably means fresh, gay, or well-dressed or fashionable ladies. [We do not see why so farfetched a meaning should be sought,-fresh is new, and among so many new acquaintance, she was ashamed to appear without fitting dress and ornaments.]

[That is-nor is not like, &c.]

LETTER LIII.-(XL. vol. iii. p. 171.)

The conversation in this letter must refer to some offer of marriage made to his sister Elizabeth Paston, who afterwards married Robert Poynings; and I should suppose the letter to have been written in January 1452-3, from the request in it for him to buy his wife some ornament for her neck, as the same petition had been made in a previous letter (li.), which was dated April, 1452, and probably not yet complied with.

To my right worshipful husband, John Paston, be this delivered in haste.

RIGHT worshipful husband, I recommend me to you; praying you to weet that I spake yesterday with my sister, and she told me that she was sorry that she might not speak with you ere ye yede (went); and she desireth, if it pleased you, that ye should give the gentleman that ye know of such language as he might feel by you that ye will be well willing to the matter that ye know of; for she told me that he hath said before this time that he conceived that ye have set but little thereby; wherefore she prayeth you that ye will be her good brother, and that ye might have a full answer at this time whether it shall be yea or nay; for her mother hath said to her syth (since) that ye ridden hence, that she hath no fantasy [belief] therein, but that it shall come to a jape (come to nothing); and saith to her that there is good craft in daubing; and hath such language to her that she thinketh right strange, and so that she is right weary thereof; wherefore she desireth the rather to have a full conclusion therein. She saith her full trust is in you,

and as ye do therein she will agree her thereto.

Master Brackley was here yesterday to have spoken with you; I spake with him, but he would not tell me what his errand

was.

It is said here that the sessions shall be at Thetford on Saturday next coming, and there shall be my Lord of Norfolk and others with great people, as it is said. Other tidings have we none yet.

The blissful Trinity have you in his keeping. Written at Norwich on the Tuesday next before Candlemass.

I pray you that ye will vouchsafe to remember to purvey a thing for my neck, and to do make (have made) my girdle.

Yours, MARGARET PASTON.

My cousin Crane recommendeth her to you, and prayeth you to remember her matter, &c., for she may not sleep on nights for him.2

Norwich, Tuesday, 30th of January,
1452-3. 31 H. VI.

LETTER LIV.—(XLI. vol. iii. p. 175.)

I have given this curious letter as a specimen of the outrages committed by the great upon respectable gentlemen; for though the writer has put no name to his letter, he appears to have been a man of property, and of some consequence, and most probably had married an heiress of fortune, as he mentions his wife's place in Norwich. There being an act of parliament passed, shows that he was a man of some consideration. At this time the most arbitrary methods were used to obtain the possession of estates, and entries were made in the most forcible manner; though perhaps in this case there might be some proper reasons for these proceedings under the direction of the Cardinal and Lord Oxford. His wife's daughter was also most probably an heiress, of whom Ingham had obtained the wardship, by which means he would demand a sum of money on her marriage. The Inghams were a most ancient and knightly family, situated at Ingham, in Norfolk, of which the male line in the capital branch had failed in 1344: this person was therefore some collateral issue. The cardinal here mentioned must have been John Kemp, first Bishop of Rochester, next of Chichester, then of London, from which see he was removed to York, and in 1452 became Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1439 he was made Cardinal of St. Balbine, and a short time before his death was removed to the cardinalship of St. Rufine: these various preferments were briefly recorded in the following line :"Bis Primas, ter Præses, et bis Cardine functus."

1 John Bracklee or Brackley, was a brother of the Convent of Grey Friars, or Friars Minors, in Norwich; he took a Doctor of Divinity's degree, and was a famous preacher.

2 Who the gentleman was, or what the important

matter could be, which prevented her cousin Crane from sleeping, must be left in doubt, unless some of my fair readers, who shall do me the honour to peruse these letters, may have penetration enough to discover either the one or the other.

He died very old, and very rich, in the beginning of the year 1453, and was buried in his own cathedral. John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, was beheaded in 1461, 1 E. IV. The conclusion of this letter conveys an insinuation that the king was improperly fettered by the ruling of this archbishop. [Notwithstanding all Sir John's assertions about" outrages," and "arbitrary" methods, there appears nothing in this letter but what might be related now by a chancery suitor. Of the justice or injustice of the case we of course know nothing; but the arresting of a surety for a debt, which had been paid by the principal, might have happened till the recent abrogation of arrest upon mesne process; and the committal of a lady to the Fleet for contempt is no uncommon Chancery process: in this case also the warden of the Fleet is stated to have conducted himself with humanity and proper feeling.]

To my right worshipful master, John Paston.

LETTER LV.-(XVI. vol. i. p. 73.)

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 Serjeant at Law, and in 1458 appointed King's Serjeant. He became Chief Justice of England, in 1472.

To his worshipful brother, John Paston.

RIGHT worshipful brother, I recommend (me) to you; and as for tidings, my Lord of York1 hath taken my Lord of Exeter into his award; the Duke of 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 saith ye are the heartiest kinsman and friend that he knoweth, he would have you at Mauteby 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 countrymen 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

1452, or 1453,

31 or 32 H. VI.

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 (667. 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,

WILLIAM PASTON.4 Much other thing I can tell you, and I had leisure; recommend me to my sister Margaret, and cousin Elizabeth Clere, I pray you. my

ebyllyam pastoin

LETTER LVI.—(XLII. vol. iii. p. 179.)

On the margin of this letter, towards the bottom, in a hand nearly coeval with the letter itself, is written "Md. qd. dict. lré dnor' direct. Archiepco Cant. est apd."-The paper is then unfortunately torn off, so that what followed is missing. Enough, however, remains to inform us that the letter to the archbishop was from the lords that is, I presume, from the Duke of York and the lords in his party; and was, I suppose, a counterpart of what is contained in this letter, which appears to have been a copy of that seut to the king, and sent by some friend of J. Paston's to him, and which, by the words of the direction "Vadatur J. P." seems to have been sent to him under a solemn promise to be delivered. As several petitions and remonstrances were sent from the Duke of York and his party during these civil contests to the king, the exact date of this cannot be ascertained, though it was probably during the chancellorship of John Kemp, Archbishop of Canterbury, between the years 1452 and 1454. The address of this letter beginning with "Moste Cristen Kyng" is very particular; nor do I remember ever before to have seen the words "Magestee Royall," so early used in an address to the sovereign; it is well drawn up, and the purport of it is loyal and manly; it seems too to have been sent at a time when they supposed themselves sure of assistance, if we advert to the

1 Richard Duke of York.

* Henry Holland Duke of Exeter.

3 Edmund Beaufort Duke of Somerset, was im

prisoned by the Duke of York's party in 1452, and again, for a considerable time, in 1453.

A younger son of Sir William Paston.

steadiness of the concluding words :-" Whereynne we wolle persever wyth the gr'ce of our lorde." By sending a duplicate to the king they seemed to doubt whether or no the Archbishop would inform his highness of their letter addressed to him as Lord Chancellor.

Vadatur, J. P.

LETTER LVII.—(XLIII. vol. iii. p. 183.)

This letter may be called a modern obituary, as it informs us of the death, and likewise of the manner of the death, of two gentlemen of consequence in the county of Norfolk.

To my well-beloved son, John Paston.