is from the mote side, where the brigg was, to the highway, or to the hedge all along the entry, and what breadth the entry is between the dikes. I pray you, if ye have a leisure in any wise, see this done yourself if ye may, or else if Pampyng do it, or who that ye think can do it; I would spend 20d., or as ye seem [more if you think proper], to have the certain of everything herein. And as for my father's tomb I charge you see it yourself, and when I speak with you I will tell you the causes why that I desire this to be done. As for tidings, the king and the queen and much other people are ridden and gone to Canterbury, never so much people seen in pilgrimage heretofore at once as men say. Also it is said that the Earl of Pembroke1 is taken unto Bretagne; and men say that the king shall have delivery of him hastily; and some say that the king of France will see him safe, and shall set him at liberty again. Item, Thomas Fauconbridge his head was yesterday set upon London Bridge looking into Kent ward; and men say that his brother was sore hurt, and escaped to sanctuary to Beverley. Sir Thomas Fulforth escaped out of Westmiuster with 100 spears as men say, and is into Devonshire, and there he hath stricken off Sir John Crokker's head and killed another knight of the Courtenays as men say: would ye had your very (absolute) pardon at once; wherefore I pray you fail not to be at London within four days after Saint Faith's; 3 ye shall do good in many things, and I pray you send me word hereof by the next messenger; and if it come to Mrs. Elizabeth Higgens, at the Black Swan, she shall convey it to me, for I will not fail to be there at London again within this six days. Mrs. Elizabeth hath a son, and was delivered within two days after Saint Bartholomew; and her daughter A. H. was, the next day after, delivered of another son, as she saith eleven weeks ere her time; it was christened John, and is dead, God save all; no more till I speak with you. Written at London on Michaelmas even. therefore in haste; I must else need sell all my woods, and that shall disavail him better than a cc. marks and I die; and if I should sell them now there will no man give so much for them by near an c. marks as they be worth, because there be so many wood sales in Norfolk at this time." She proceeds to recount how much she has given and paid for Sir John, and makes some threats as to what may take place on her death. The rest of the letter is of country news, deaths, sickness, &c., but she adds, "I send you half a rial (58.) for to buy with sugar, figs, and dates, for me; I pray ye do as well as ye can, and send it me as hastily as ye may; and send me word what price a pound of pepper, cloves, mace, ginger, cinnamon, almonds, rice, galangal, saffron, raisins of Corinth (currants), greynes (probably grains of Paradise), and comfits, of each of these send me the price of a pound, and if it be better cheap at London than it is here, shall send you money to buy with such as I will have."] LETTER CCCXVIII.—(XLIV. vol. ii. p. 87.) Margaret queen of Henry VI. was taken after the battle of Tewkesbury, and continued a prisoner till 1475, when she was ransomed by her father, for 50,000 crowns, which he borrowed of Lewis XI. king of France. To my most honourable and tender mother, Margaret Paston, be this letter delivered. 1 MOST worshipful and kind mother, I commend me to you, and beseech you of your daily blessing and remembrance. Please it you to weet that I have my pardon, as the bearer hereof can inform you, for comfort whereof I have been the merrier this Christmas; and have been part thereof with Sir George Browne,2 and with my lady mine aunt his wife; and before Twelfth3 I came to my lord archbishop, where I have had as great cheer, and been as welcome as I could devise; and if I had been in surety that Caister were had again I would have come homeward this day. 4 (Here follow directions about Caister, and a hope that it might be had again by the latter end of the term, when he would come home, and put his lands and houses into order.) And I beseech you to remember my brother to do his devyr (endeavour) that I may have again my stuff 5 my books, and vestments, and my bedding howsoever he do, though I should give 20 scutas by his advice to my Lady Brandon or some other good fellow. As for any tidings there be none here, save that the king hath kept a royal Christmas; and now they say that hastily he will north, and some say that he will into Wales, and some say that he will into the west country. As for Queen Margaret, I understand that she is removed from Windsor to Wallingford, nigh to Ewelm, my Lady of Suffolk's place in Oxfordshire. And men say that the Lord Rivers shipped on Christmas even into (unto) Portugal ward; I am not certain. Also there shall be a convocation of the clergy in all haste, which men deem will avail the king a dyme (tenth) and an half some say. I beseech God send you good health and greater joy in one year than ye have had these seven. Written at the Moor, the 8th day of January, in the 11th of Edward IV. LETTER CCCXIX.-(XLV. vol. ii. p. 91.) We have in this letter a clue to conduct us towards a discovery of the reason for the Duke of Gloucester's dislike to his brother the Duke of Clarence, and if this account be true it had a reasonable foundation. The Duke of Gloucester was desirous of marrying Anne (now the widow of Prince Edward, so cruelly murdered at Tewkesbury), daughter and co-heir of the great Earl of Warwick, and sister to Isabel Duchess of Clarence. This alliance we here find was opposed by the Duke of Clarence; not from any point of delicacy respecting the murder of this lady's late husband, (for according to our historians he was equally concerned in that horrid act with his brother,) but because he did not relish the thought of parting with her share of the possessions now vested in him, by his wife Isabel, the eldest daughter and co-heir of Richard Nevile, Earl of Warwick; his apparent design being to deprive the younger daughter of her moiety of her paternal inheritance, and retain it all himself. This was the part not only of a covetous but of an unjust man, and very probably produced that spirit of revenge which afterwards ended in his destruction. To John Paston, Esq., be this letter delivered. BROTHER, I commend me to you, and pray you to look up my Temple of Glass, and send it me by the bearer hereof. Item, as for tidings, I have spoken with Mrs. Anne Hawte at a pretty leisure, and blessed be God we be as far forth as we were tofore, and so I hope we shall continue; and I promised her, that at the next leisure that I could find thereto, that I would come again and see her; which will take a leisure as (1) deem now, since this observance is over done; I purpose not to tempt God no more so. Yesterday the king, the queen, my Lords of Clarence and Gloucester, went to Shene to pardon; men say not all in charity; what will fall men cannot say. The king entreateth my Lord of Clarence for my Lord of Gloucester; and as it is said he answereth that he may well have my lady his sister-in-law, but they shall part no livelihood as he saith, so what will fall can I not say. This day I purpose to see my Lady of Norfolk 2 again, in good hour be it. There is proffered me merchants for Sporle Written the first Tuesday of Lent. LETTER CCCXX.-(XLVI. vol. ii. p. 93.) The proportioning of the money left, amongst the creditors, to pay the debts, seems to be fair, but how Sir John's part should be justly worth three the best I do not understand. The letter is a favourable specimen of the epistolary style of the age. The subjects are various though not important, and are all touched upon with a lightness and ease that make the whole interesting. Ilis praise of the Earl of Arran, however, seems somewhat extravagant, though extremely well said.] To my right worshipful brother, Sir John Paston, Knight. RIGHT worshipful Sir, I recommend me to you. (Here follows an account of some money transactions, &c.) Item, Master John Smythe telleth me that Sir T. Lyney's goods are not able to pay a quarter of his debts that be asked him, wherefore such money as is beleft, it must be divided to every man a part after 1 A poem, written by Stephen Hawes, who flourished in the 15th century. the quantity, which division is not yet made, but when it is made he hath promised me that your part shall be worth three the best, &c. Item, as for one of Berney's horse, whoso hath least need to him, he shall cost him 20 marks (137. 68. 8d.) not a penny less. 2 Elizabeth Duchess of Norfolk, was the daughter of John Talbot the first Earl of Shrewsbury. Ye sent me word of the marriage of my Lady Jane; one marriage for another one, Norse and Bedford were asked in the church on Sunday last past. As for my sister Anne, my mother will not remove from W. Yelverton for Bedyngfeld, for she hath communed farther in that matter since ye were in this country, as it appeareth in her letter that she sendeth you by Thyrston. Tidings here, my Lady of Norfolk is with child she weneth (thinketh) herself, and so do all the women about her, insomuch she waits the quickening within these six weeks at the farthest. Also W. Gurney weneth that Heydon is sure of Saxthorpe, and that Lady Boleyn of Guyton. John Osbern adviseth you to take breath for the wood sale at Sporle, for he hath cast it that it is worth as good as nine score pounds. Beware of Montayn, for he may not pay you so much money with his ease. I pray you recommend me to Sir John Parre with all my service, and tell him by my troth I longed never sorer to see my lady than I do to see his mastership; and I pray God that he arise never a morning from my lady his wife, without it be against her will, till such time as he bring her to our Lady of Walsingham. Also I pray you to recommend me in my most humble wise unto the good lordship of the most courteous, gentlest, wisest, kindest, most companionable, freest, largest, and most bounteous knight, my lord the Earl of Arran, which hath married the king's sister of Scotland. Hereto he is one the lightest, delynerst (nimblest), best spoken, fairest archer; devoutest, most perfect, and truest to his lady of all the knights that ever I was acquainted with; so would God, my lady liked me as well as I do his person and most knightly conditions, with whom I pray you to be acquainted as (to) you seemeth best; he is lodged at the George in Lombardstreet. He hath a book of my sister Anne's of the Siege of Thebes, when he hath done with it he promised to deliver it you. I pray you let Portland bring the book home with him. Portland is lodged at the George in Lombard-street also. And this I promise you, ye shall not be so long again without a bill from me, as ye have been, though I should write how oft the wind changeth, for I see by your writing ye LETTER CCCXXI.—(IV. vol. v. p. 17.) [JOHN Paston in this letter proceeds with the affairs of Sir J. Lyney's (or Lynes), whose effects he says, in this country draweth but 51.; he recommends his brother to send an inventory of Sir J. Lyney's goods, &c., in London, "which inventory if once had, ye shall have as cometh to your part and more also;" but that "his debts draw 301. 18s. 6d. He states also that there is some objections to Sir J. Paston's bill for the funeral, in which twenty shillings is charged for wax (lights, we suppose) "which to Master John Smith's 1 Banns of marriage we here find were published at this time in the church. lightly; all that we do is ill-done, and all that Sir James and Peacock doth is well-done. Sir James and I be twain: we fell out before my mother, with thou proud priest,' and 'thou proud squire,' my mother taking his part, so I have almost beshut the bolt (barred myself out) as for my mother's house." This is a curioas picture of the discontent and un happiness arising from the improper pred›minance of a domestic (Sir James Gloys was priest and confessor to his mother) in a family. Sir James, however, died in 1473, when administration of his effects was granted to Margaret Paston. The letter is dated Wednesday, July 8, 1472.] LETTER CCCXXII.—(XLVII. vol. ii. p. 99.) This letter exhibits to us almost a picture of modern manners, in the terms and address used in recommending a member of parliament to the corporation of Maldon. The agent of the great lady writes to the bailiff of the borough, and to the tenants, &c., to use their influence with the electors in favour of Sir John Paston, a friend of the lady's, in the good graces of the king, and in the interest of the council and the lord chamberlain. It appears too, that a seat in parliament was then an object of pursuit, and not a burden laid upon the representative as we are informed by some of our historians; and although we are apt to suppose that there is now more interest made and more bribery used in obtaining a seat in the House of Commons than there was three hundred years ago; the desire of parliamentary interest, we here see, was much the same.Engines were set at work, the patronage of the great was held out, and promises were made even as at this day; and though the friends of a candidate would not now come from divers parts of the country to Norwich, (see the next letter) break their fasts, and return home again at the expense of the candidate, for a bill amounting to nine shillings and one penny halfpenny, yet the motive is still the same, the manners, customs, and expenses of the times forming the only difference. [The postscript contains also a gently insinuated threat, that he is coming for the rents.] To my right trusty friend John Carenton, bailiff of Maldon. RIGHT trusty friend, I commend me to you, any my lady's servants, tenants, and well-willers, to give their voices to the said Sir John Paston, and that ye fail not to speed my lady's intent in this matter as ye intend to do her as great a pleasure as if ye gave her an 1007 And God have you in his keeping. Written at Fishly, the 20th day of September. JAMES ARBLASTER.1 Jar blafter. I pray you be ready with all the accounts belonging to my lady, at the farthest within eight days next after Pardon Sunday, for then I shall be with you with God's grace, who have you in keeping. Fishly, Sunday, 20th of September, 1 James Arblaster, Esq., a gentleman of fortune in the county of Norfolk. |