that the county of Norfolk had been highly spoken of to the king, not only for the riches and hospitality of its inhabitants, but for the beauty and agreeable behaviour of its women; a reason sufficient for so long a stay amongst them, as seemed intended to be made, by an amorous and handsome monarch.

To his brother Sir John Paston, Knight, be this letter delivered.

SIR, I recommend me unto you, letting you weet that, (Here follows some account relative to a grant from the crown, &c.)

As for my lord treasurer1 he was not with the king of all the council time, the which was ended on the 3d day of March. And thither came my Lord of Northumberland,3 the first day of March, and departed the even afore the making of this letter; and hath indented with the king for the keeping out of the Scots, and warring on them; and shall have large money, I cannot tell the sum for certain.

Also there is a rover taken at Bristol, one Cowper, as I ween, and he is like to be hanged, and he confesseth more of his fellows. Also Edward Heestowe of Dover is appeached of treason of many strange points; and his accuser and he were both afore the king, and then they were taken apart; and he himself confessed it that his accuser accused him of, and many other things more than he was accused of. And he had many lords and gentlemen to answer for his truth and his demeaning afore time, for as I heard say, both the king in a manner, nor none of the other lords nor gentlemen, believed not his accuser till that he confessed it himself, and so he is in the Tower, and like to be dead."

As for the king's coming into the country; on Monday come fortnight he will lie at the abbey of Stratford, and so to Chelmsford; then to Sir Thomas Montgomery's; then to Heveningham; then to Colchester; then to Ipswich; then to Bury; then to Dame Anne Wingfield's, and so to Norwich; and there

1 William Grey, Bishop of Ely. 2 The sitting of parliament.

3 Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland; this contract was entered into by him most probably as Warden of the Marches; a place of trust, honour, and profit. This nobleman was cruelly murdered by 1 mob, in Yorkshire, when he was there levying a public tax in 1489.

This expression seems to insinuate that he would be executed privately in the Tower. [We see no reason for this supposition. We think it is merely meant that he was not likely to be pardoned.]

will he be on Palm Sunday even; and so tarry there all Easter, and then to Walsingham; wherefore ye had need to warn William Gogney and his fellows to purvey them of wine enough, for every man beareth me in hand that the town shall be drank dry as York was when the king was there.

Sir, Master Sampson recommend him unto you, and he hath sent you a ring by Edmond Dorman; and besides that, he required me to write unto you that it were best for you to purvey you of some gentlemany (gentlemanlike) things against the king's coming, for sure he will bring you guests enough, and therefore purvey you thereafter. Also, he sendeth you word that it is my lord's mind that my sister, with all other goodly folks thereabout, should accompany with Dame Elizabeth Calthorp, because there is no great lady thereabout, against the king's coming; for my lord hath made great boast of the fair and good gentlewomen of the country; and so the king said he would see them sure.

Sir, my lord hath sent unto the most part of the gentlemen of Essex to wait upon him at Chelmsford, whereas he intendeth to meet with the king, and that they be well appointed, that the Lancashire men may see that there be gentlemen of so great substance that they be able to buy all Lancashire. Men think that ye among you will do the same.

Your country is greatly boasted of, also the inhabitors of the same. I beseech you to remember my horse that you promised me. God keep you.

Written at Sheen, in haste, the 7th day of
March, with the hand of your brother,
WILLIAM PASTON.

Sheen, Monday, 7th of March,
1473. 14 E. IV.

LETTER CCCXLV.-(XIV. vol. v. p. 67.)

[IN this letter John Paston writes to his brother Sir John on the subject of his wooing. He appears a thoroughly careful and wary suitor, as he has two if not three ladies in view, although his "fantazy" inclines him to Mistress Elizabeth Eberton, even if "Eberton wold not geve so moche wt Maistress Elyzabet his dowghter as I myght have wt the other." But we will let him speak for himself. He requests his brother, "ere that ye depart out of London to speak with Harry Eberton's wife, draper, and to inform her that I am proffered a marriage in London which is worth six hundred marks (4007.) and better, with whom I prayed you to commune, inasmuch as I might not tarry in London myself; always reserving, that if so be that Mrs. Eberton will deal with me, that ye should not conclude in the other place, though so were that Eberton would not give so much with Mrs. Elizabeth his daughter as I might have with the other, for such fantasy as I have in the said Mrs. Elizabeth Eberton; and that it like you to say to Eberton's wife that such as I spake to her of shall be bettered rather than empeyred [impaired] as for my part." If the proffered marriage was not a mere ruse, it may or may not refer to the following extracts, which, however, would not justify the assertion of a "proffered marriage" worth six hundred marks. Before giving the passages we may observe that the word "thing," which he applies to her was at that time, and afterward, frequently used as a term of endearment and not of contempt.

"I pray you that ye will, as I desired you,
commune with John Lee, or his wife, or both,
and to understand how the matter at the
Black Friars doth, and that ye will see and
speak with the thing yourself, and with her
father and mother, ere ye depart. . . . . . Also
that it like you to speak to your apothecary,
which was sometime the Earl of Warwick's
apothecary, and to weet of him what the
widow of the Black Friars is worth, and what
her husband's name was; he can tell all, for
he is executor to the widow's husband."
Here he seems to think his own consent to be

all that is necessary. We give another pas-
sage to show the nature of a gentleman's
wardrobe at that time. "I pray you that
Pitt may truss in a mail [trunk], which I
left in your chamber at London, my tawny
gown furred with black, and the doublet of
purple satin and the doublet of black satin, and
my writing-box of cypress, and my 'Book of
the Meeting of the Duke and of the Emperor,"
(probably Charles Duke of Burgundy and
the Emperor Frederic III.) The writing-
desk of cypress-wood could not have been a
common article at this period, and, together
with the book, show he had a literary taste.
The rest of the letter is uninteresting, except
perhaps the statement that his mother will la-
bour that the two hundred marks (133
68. 8d.) may be had for the wood, so that it
seems he could not borrow for his brother, but
was forced, like many others since, to "fell
and sell." Dated Norwich, Monday, July 25,
1475.]

LETTER CCCXLVI.—(XV. vol. v. p. 73.)

[SIR John Paston here writes to his mother about the means of raising money, but the details are uninteresting. He had been on a visit to his mother, and had been ill, but says he had quite recovered, thanks to her

care.

He mentions that Courby the carrier hath had "40d. to pay for the third hired horse, and he bringeth the three horses with him, and is content for the labour and the

meat largely;" this seems a small sum for a journey from Norwich to London and back; the more so as in the previous letter his brother sends him ten shillings for the conveyance of the trunk with his clothes and writing-desk. He concludes the letter in a style that does credit to his taste, and displays some humour. "As for the books that were Sir James's (Gloys, the priest's), if it

LETTER CCCXLVII.-(XVI. vol. v. p. 79.)

[THIS letter is again about money from Sir John to his mother. His uncle William had lent him money, which enabled him to redeem the manor of Sporle, but only on sufficient security, for he says, "I am as much afraid of this land that is in his hand as I was of that that was in Townshend's (his former creditor) hand." He again reverts to the books. "As for the books that were Sir

LETTER CCCXLVIII.-(LXI. vol. ii. p. 165.)

I have given the former part of this letter as a specimen of the free and easy epistolary style of an age which we are too apt to consider as almost entirely illiterate; on a similar subject a modern gentleman could scarcely have expressed himself in easier terms, or with more propriety, though in one instance perhaps with more politeness.

LETTER CCCXLIX.-(LXII. vol. ii. p. 171.)

We are in this letter brought acquainted with the manners of the time. The lady shows herself a woman of honour, and above giving hope when she meant not to encourage the addresses of J. Paston. She was the widow of Sir Richard Walgrave, knight, a Yorkist, who was with the Earl of Kent at the taking of the town of Coquet and the isle of Rhée; he died young, and was succeeded by his brother Sir Thomas Walgrave. Another unsuccessful attempt by poor John Paston.]

To John Paston, Esq.

LETTER CCCL.-(LXIII. vol. ii. p. 175.)

Though this letter has no signature, yet it is written by Sir John Paston, knight. The business mentioned in the first part of this letter, on which Sir John was so anxious to attend the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, was relative to Caister, &c.; and his journey into Flanders, to purchase horse and harness, was in consequence of the treaty entered into between Edward and the Duke of Burgundy, which would be productive of a war with France.

To the right worshipful John Paston, Esq., at Norwich, or to his mother, Margaret Paston, in his absence, in haste.