Volume Ii Part 37 (1/2)

THOMAS DENYES.

This day I deme thei come beforn us. If ye help not now, Tudenham and Heydon shal achieve in their desese the conquest that thei coude never achieve in their prosperite.

[Footnote 173.1: [Add. MS. 34,888, f. 45.] This is evidently the same year as No. 142, in which William Wayte writes to Paston that Denyes ought to withdraw his garrison from Roydon. The MS.

is slightly mutilated at the top in the right-hand corner.]

[Footnote 173.2: The Earl of Oxford.]

142

WILLIAM WAYTE TO JOHN PASTON[174.1]

_To my mayster, John Paston, in ryght gret hast._

[Sidenote: 1450 / OCT. 6]

Syr, and it plese, I was in my Lord of Yorks[174.2] howse, and I herde meche thynge more thanne my mayster[174.3] wrytyth un to yow of; I herde meche thynge in Fletestrede. But, Sir, my Lord was with the Kynge, and he vesaged so the mater that alle the Kynges howshold was and is aferd ryght sore; and my seyd Lord hayth putte a bille to the Kynge, and desyryd meche thynge, qwych is meche after the Comouns desyre, and all is up on justice, and to putte all thos that ben indyted under arest with owte suerte or maynpryce, and to be tryed be lawe as lawe wyll; in so meche that on Monday Sir William Oldhall was with the Kynge atte Westminster more thanne to houres, and hadde of the Kynge good cher. And the Kynge desyryd of Sir William Oldhall that he shuld speke to hese cosyn York, that he wold be good Lord to John Penyc.o.c.k, and that my Lord of York shuld wryte un to hese tenance that they wold suffyr Peny c.o.c.ks officers go and gader up hys rents fermes with inne the seyd Dukes lordsheps. And Sir William Oldhall answherd ayen to the Kynge, and preyed hym to hold my Lord escusyd, for thow my Lord wrotte under hese seale of hys armes hys tenantez wyll not obeyet; in someche that whanne Sir Thomas Hoo mette with my Lord of Zork be yon Sent Albons, the Western men felle upon hym, and wold a slayne hym, hadde [not?] Sir William Oldhall abe [_have been_], and therfor wold the Westerne men affalle up on the seyd Sir William, and akyllyd hym. And so he tolde the Kynge.

Sir Borle Jonge and Josse labour sore for Heydon and Tudenham to Sir Wilem Oldhall, and profyr more thanne to thowsand pownde for to have hese good Lordshep; and therfor it is noon other remedye but late Swhafham men be warned to mete with my seyd Lord on Fryday nest comyng atte Pykenham on horssebak in the most goodly wyse, and putte sum bylle un to my Lord of Sir Thomas Tudenham, Heydon, and Prentys, and crye owte on hem, and that all the women of the same town be there also, and crye owte on hem also, and calle hem extorcionners, and pray my Lord that he wyll do sharp execucyons up on hem. And my mayster counceyll yow that ze shuld meve the Meyer and all the Aldermen with all her Comoners to ryde ayens my Lord, and that ther ben madde byllez, and putte them up to my Lord, and late all the towne cry owte on Heydon, Todenham, Wyndham, and Prentys, and of all here fals mayntenours, and telle my Lord how meche hurte thei have don to the cetye, and late that be don in the most lamentabyl wyse; for, Sir, but yf [_unless_] my Lord here sum fowle tales of hem, and sum hyddows noys and crye, by my feyth thei arne ellys lyke to come to grace. And therfor, Sir, remember yow of all these maters.

Sir, also I spake with William Norwych, and asked hym after the Lord Moleyns how he stod to my Lord ward; and he told me he was sor owte of grace, and that my Lord of York lovyth hym nought. William Norwych tolde me that he durste undertake for to brynge yow un to my Lord, and make hym your ryght good Lord; and, Sir, my mayster counceyllyd yow that ze shuld not spare, but gete yow hese good Lordshep.

Sir, be war of Heydon, for he wold destroyed yow be my feyth. The Lord Scales and Sir William Oldhall arne made frendys.

Sir, labour ze for [to] be knyth of the s.h.i.+re, and speke to my Mayster Stapulton[176.1] also that he be yt; Sir, all Swafham, and they be warned, wyll zeve yow here voyses. Sir, speke with Thomas Denys, and take hese good avys therin. Sir, speke to Denys that he avoyde hys garyson atte Rydon, for there is non other remedy but deth for Danyell, and for all thos that arne indyted. Sir, labour ze to the Meyer that John Dam[176.2] or Will Jenney be burgeys for the cetye of Norwych, telle them that he may be yt as well as Yonge is of Brystow, or the Recordor is of London, and as the Recordour of Coventre is for the cite of Coventre, and it so in many places in Ingland. Also, Sir, thynk on Yernemouth that ze ordeyne that John Jenney, or Limnour, or sum good man be burgeys for Yernemouth. Ordeyne ze that Jenneys mown ben in the Parlement, for they kun seye well.

Sir, it wore wysdam that my Lord of Oxenford wayte on my Lord of Yorke.

In good feyth, good Sir, thynke on all these maters; meche more I hadde to wryte on to yow, yf I kowde a remembryd me, but I hadde no leyser be my fyth. Hold me escused of my lewde rude wrytyng. Late John Dam be ware for the Lorde Moleyns; and, Sir, late the cetye be ware, for he wyll do hem a velony, but yf he may have hese men; and, Sir, yf he come to Norwych, look there be redy to wayte up on the Mayer a good fellawshep, for it is seyd her that they arne but bestys.

Sir, my mayster bad me wryte un to yow that ze shuld store the Mayer and alle the Alderman to crye on my Lord that they mown have justyce of these men that be indyted, and that my Lorde wyll speke un to the Kynge therof. And, Sir, in divers partes in the town there [_where_] my Lord comyth, there wolde be ordeyned many porcions of Comeners to crye on my Lord for justice of these men that arne indyted, and telle her nammes, in speciall Todenham, Heydon, Wyndham, Prentys. Sir, I cende yow a copy of the bylle[177.1] that my Lord of Yorke putte un to the Kynge; and, Sir, late copyes go abowte the cetye i now, for the love of G.o.d, wy[c]he have yow in hese kepyng.

Wretyn on Seynt Feyth daye, in hast.

Be your Servaunt,

W. WAYTE.

[Footnote 174.1: [From Fenn, iii. 154.] This letter must have been written just after the Duke of York came over from Ireland in 1450, when he demanded that justice should be fairly administered against persons accused. A Parliament was summoned, which met on the 6th November, and Sir William Oldhall was chosen as Speaker.]

[Footnote 174.2: Richard, Duke of York, afterwards Protector, the father of King Edward IV.]

[Footnote 174.3: The writer was clerk to Judge Yelverton.]

[Footnote 176.1: Sir Miles Stapleton.]

[Footnote 176.2: John Dam actually was returned to Parliament for the city of Norwich in November 1450.]