LETTER CCLXXXVI.-(XXVIII. vol. ii. p. 25.)

This letter is endorsed in an ancient hand. "The Duke of Norff' Lr'e upon his entrie into Caister Ao E. 4. ix." This is given to show the regal style used by the nobility of these times. In Blomefield's History of Norfolk,' vol. v. p. 1552, a particular account of the siege of Caister Castle is given, with the names of the principal persons engaged on both sides. The mark of the signet remains, but the impression is defaced. It is likewise signed with the Duke's own hand.

LETTER CCLXXXVII.—(XCVIII. vol. iv. p. 411.)

Caister yielded. J. P.

On reading this letter no one can withhold the praise due to John Paston as a brave soldier and a kind and generous master, and at the same time wishing that he and his companions had been able to have kept possession of Caister: the noble manner in which he speaks of his companions interests us both in his aud their favour; these are the same four soldiers that his brother Sir John had so particularly recommended to him in his letter dated November 9, 1468.

To Sir John Paston, Knight.

myself; as for John Chapman and his three fellows I have purveyed that they be paid each of them forty shillings with the money that they had of you and Daubeney; and that is enough for the season that they have done you service; I pray you give them their thank, for by my troth they have as well deserved it as any men that ever bore life; but as for money ye need not to give them without ye will, for they be pleased with their wages.

Wryttill promised me to send you the certainty of the appointment, we were for lack of victuals, gunpowder, men's hearts, lack of

surety of rescue, driven thereto to take appointment.1

If ye will that I come to you send me word and I shall purvey me for to tarry with you a two or three days; by my troth the rewarding of such folks as hath been with me during the siege, hath put me in great danger for the money; God preserve you, and I pray you be of good cheer till I speak with you, and I trust to God to ease your heart in some things. JOHN PASTON.

September, 1469. 9 E. IV.

LETTER CCLXXXVIII.—(XCIX. vol. iv. p. 413.)

The advice given to Sir John Paston by his brother relative to his servants, who had faithfully served him during the siege, &c. shows the goodness of his heart, and interests the reader in wishing that he had been of ability to have retained them himself. It seems odd that a man who had so lately commanded a garrison against the forces of the Duke of Norfolk, should, so immediately after the surrender of the place, have any thoughts of engaging himself in his grace's service, as it fully appears by this letter that J. Paston had. We learn from it, however, that, in disputes of this kind, whenever the cause of dispute was ended all animosity ceased, and the different parties forgot they had so lately been enemies. We find a great deal of similar behaviour between the partisans of the White and Red Rose during the civil wars of this distant period. [This is true, but very contradictory of Sir J. Fenn's opinions expressed in other places.] To my master, Sir John Paston, in Fleet-street.

RIGHT worshipful Sir, I recommend (me) unto you; praying you that ye will in all haste send me word how that ye will that Sir John Styll, John Pampyng, William Milisent, Nicholas Maudent, (and) T. Tomson shall be ruled, and whether that they shall seek them new services or not; and Matthew Bedford also, for he hath been with me this season, and is from my mother; and if so be that ye will have these to abide with you, or any of them, send word which that

1 [The original has-" we wer sor (with a long s, probably a typographical error) lak of vetayl gonepoudyr menys herts lak of suerte of rescwe dreuyn therto to take apoyntement." Fenn translates it thus: "we were sore lack of victuals (and) gunpowder, men's hearts lack of surety of rescue (were), driven thereto to take appointment." Two words are here driven in, and the sentence is made nonsense. With the correction of sor into for we think the meaning is quite clear. Lack of men's hearts means, that the hearts of the men, having done all they could, had at length given way-they were no longer manly.]

they be, for betwixt this and Hallowmas my mother is agreed that they shall have meat and drink of her for such a certain weekly as my mother and ye and I can accord when we meet, notwithstanding if ye could get Berney, or any of these said fellows which that ye will not keep, any service in the mean season, it were more worship for you than to put them from you like masterless hounds, for by my troth they are as good men's bodies as any alive, and specially Sir John Still and John Pampyng; and (if) I were of power to keep them and all these before rehearsed, by troth they should never depart from me while I lived.

If ye send me word that I shall come to you to London for to commune with you of any matter, so God help me, I have neither money to come up with nor for to tarry with you when I am there, but if (unless) ye send me some; for by my troth these works have caused me to lay out for you better than ten or twelve pounds,b esides

LETTER CCLXXXIX.-(C. vol. iv. p. 417.)

Two men having been killed during the siege at Caister, the Duke of Norfolk's counsel instigate their widows to lodge an appeal for the murder against John Paston and others. An appeal is an accusation of a murderer by a person who had interest in the person killed, as the wife had interest in the life of her husband, and must be brought within a year and day after the fact committed; and in this appeal of death the king cannot pardon the defendant. The latter part of this letter contains Latin, French, and English, by which we may judge how liberally J. Paston had been educated. He seems likewise in good spirits though threatened with this appeal. [The appeal in cases of murder is now abolished.]

To Master Sir John Paston, Knight.

As this letter contains a variety of matter I have given it to the reader. The bargain with the archbishop was I suppose relative to the expenses attending the probate of the will, &c. It seems extraordinary that the Norfolk family should speak favourably of J. Paston, and yet pursue the appeal against him for murder. His device to interrupt the keeping of the court at Saxthorp deserves notice, and shows the plain dealing of

the times.

To my right worshipful brother, Sir John Paston, Knight, be this delivered.

RIGHT worshipful Sir, I recommend me to you in my best wise. Liketh it you to weet that I have this day delivered your mantle, your ray gown, and your cross-bows with telers and windlass, and your Normandy bill, to Kerby, to bring with him to London.

Item, in any wise and (if) ye can, ask the probate of my father's will to be given you with the bargain that ye make with my Lord of Canterbury, and I can think that ye may have it; and as soon as it is proved ye or I may have a letter of administration upon the same, and an acquittance of my lord cardinal even forthwith; and this were one of the best bargains that ye made this two year I assure you; and he may make you acquittance, or get you one of the Bishop of Winchester for Sir John Fastolf's goods also, and in my reason this were light to be brought about with the same bargain; and (if) ye purpose to bargain with him ye had need to hie you, for it is told me that my Lord of Norfolk will enter into it hastily, and if he so do it is the worse for you, and it will cause them to proffer the less silver.

Item, I pray you send me some secret tidings of the likelihood of the world by the next messenger that cometh between, that I may be either merrier or else more sorry than I am, and also that I may guide me thereafter.

Item, as for Sir Robert Wingfield, I can get no ten pounds of him, but he saith that

This means a gown made of cloth that was never either coloured or dyed.

I shall have the fairest harness that I can buy in London for silver, but money can I none get.

2

I cannot yet make my peace with my Lord of Norfolk nor my lady by no means, yet every man telleth me that my lady saith passingly well of me always; notwithstanding I trow that they will sue the appeal this term, yet there is no man of us indicted, but if (unless) it were done afore the coroners ere then we came out of the place; there is now but three men in it, and the bridges always drawn. No more, but God lat you mine her. Written the Tuesday next after Saint Agnes the first.3 JOHN PASTON.

Item, yesterday W. Gornay entered into Saxthorp, and there was he keeping of a court, and had the tenants attorned to him; but ere the court was all done I came thither with a man with me and no more, and there, before him and all his fellowship, Gayne, Bomsted, &c. I charged the tenants that they should proceed no further in their court upon pain that might fall of it; and they letted for a season, but they saw that I was not able to make my party good, and so they proceeded

2 This sentence I wish to have explained.

3 The festival of St. Agnes the first (and the most noted of the two), was kept on the 21st of January; her second festival was on the 28th of the same month, which it is to be observed was not the octave of the former, but a distinct feast upon a different occasion, and it is sometimes written " Agnetis Nativitas;" but it was on account of a miracle wrought at her tomb that this second feast was instituted.

further I saw that, and sat me down by the steward, and blotted his book with my finger as he wrote, so that all the tenants affirmed that the court was interrupted by me as in your right, and I requested them to record

that there was no peaceable court kept, and so they said they would.

Tuesday,

23 January, 1469-70. 9 E. IV.

LETTER CCXCI.—(CII. vol. iv. p. 425.)

This letter shows the means that were laboured by the enemies of the Pastons to prosecute this appeal. To John Paston, Esq., be this delivered.

I GREET you well, and send you God's blessing and mine; letting you weet that the woman that sueth the appeal1 against your brother and his men is come to London to call thereupon, and when that she should come to London there was delivered her an hundred shillings for to sue with, so that, by that I hear in this country, she will not leave it, but that she shall call thereupon (at) such time as shall be to your most rebuke but if (unless) ye lay the better watch; she hath evil counsel, and that will see you greatly uttered (outed or displayed), and that ye may understand by the money that was taken her (given her) when she came up, and ye should find it, I know it well, if they might have you at advantage; therefore for God's sake make diligent search by the advice of your counsel, that there be no negligence in you in this matter nor other for default of labour, and call upon your brother, and tell him that I send him God's blessing and mine, and desire him that he will now awhile, while he hath the lords at his intent, that he seek the means to make an end of his matters, for his enemies are greatly couraged now of late; what is the cause I know not.

Also I pray you speak to Playters that there may be found a mean that the sheriff or the gatherer of the green-wax may be discharged of certain issues that ran up on Fastolf for Maryot's matter, for the bailiff was at him this week, and should have distrained him, but that he promised him that he should within this eight days labour the means that he should be discharged, or else he must content him, &c.

Also I send you by the bearer hereof closed in this letter, five shillings of gold, and pray you to buy me a sugar-loaf, and dates, and almonds, and send it me home, and if ye beware (lay out) any more money, when ye come home I shall pay it you again; the Holy Ghost keep you both, and deliver of your enemies. Written on Saint Agas (Agatha's) day in haste.

you

Item, I pray you speak to Master Roger for my syrup; for I had never more need thereof, and send it me as hastily as ye can.

Monday,

By

MARGARET PASTON.

5th of February, 1469-70. 9 E. IV.

LETTER CCXCII.-(XXIX. vol. ii. p. 27.)

John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, retaining his loyalty to the House of Lancaster, in whose cause his father and elder brother had lost their heads upon the scaffold in 1461-2, and for whose sake he himself had suffered a long imprisonment, seems now privately to be preparing to join the Earl of Warwick in favour of the deposed King Henry. I should suppose this letter to have been written either in July, 1469, at the time

1 [Two men were killed of the Duke of Norfolk's party; and the finding of the coroner's inquest, though asserted to be invalid, was unfavourable to the Pastons. But we hear of no trial preceding the appeals or appeal, for though appeals are talked of, there appears to have been actually but one.]

2 Estreats delivered to the sheriff out of the Exche quer, to be levied in his county under the seal of that court, made in green wax, were from thence called green-wax.

3 [Master Roger was, I suppose, some level, famous for his syrups, &c.]