Volume Ii Part 51 (1/2)
On Thurisday the wall was mad zarde hey, and a good wylle be fore evyn it reyned so sore that they were fayne to h.e.l.le the wall, and leve werke. And the water is fallyn so sore that it standyt ondyr the wall a fote deppe to Ballys warde [i.e. _towards the land of a neighbour named Ball_]. And on Friday after sakeryng, one come fro cherch warde, and schoffe doune all that was thereon, and trad on the wall and brake sum, and wente over; but I cannot zet wete hoo it was. And Warne Kynges wyfe, as she went over the style, she cursyd Ball, and seyde that he had zevyn aweye the waye, and so it prevyt be John Paston is words. And after, Kyngs folke and odyr come and cryid on Annes Ball, seying to her the same. Zystyrnevyn wan I xul goo to my bede, the Vycare[244.1] seyde that Warne Kyng and Warne Harman, betwyxte messe and matynsse, toke Sir Roberd[244.2] in the vestry, and bad hym sey to me, verely the wall xulde doun a gayne. And wan the Vycar tolde me I wyste ther of no worde, nor zet do be Sir Roberde, for he syth he were loth to make any stryfe.
And wan I com out of the cherch, Roberd Emundes schowyd me how I was amercyde for seute of corte the laste zer vj_d._, and seyd it was xij_d._ tylle Warne Kyng and he gat it awey vj_d._
I send zou word how John Jamys was demenyd at Cromere, to send to Jamys Gressham how he xall be demenyd. Gaffrey Benchard, Alexander Glover, heywards,[244.3] tokyn a dystresse of John Jamys or the bond tenent of A. Paston, calde Reynalds, in Cromer, the xxviij^ti yer of thys Kyng, and W. Goodwyn, Baly of Cromer, with the seyd J. Jamys, with forsse toke awey the dysstres, wech was ij. horsse and a plowe. And Good be with zou.
Be ANNES PASTON, your Modur.
[Footnote 243.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] As this letter refers to the 28th year of Henry VI., seemingly as a past date, it cannot well be earlier than 1451. But probably it is not much, if at all, later.]
[Footnote 243.2: The Christian name _Herry_ is crossed out, and _Meye_ (?) appears to be written over.]
[Footnote 244.1: William Pope was vicar of Paston from 1447 to 1455.]
[Footnote 244.2: Probably the Vicar's Curate.]
[Footnote 244.3: Haywards were (originally) persons who guarded a farm and crops in the night, and blew a horn on an alarm or robbers.--Halliwell.]
195
AGNES PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[245.1]
_To John Paston be thys byll deliverd in hast._
[Sidenote: 1451 or later]
I s.p.a.cke thys day with a man of Paston syde, and he told me that a man of Paston told hym that Paston men wold not goo presessyon ferther than the chyrche yerde on Sent Markys day,[245.2] for he seyd the presessyon wey was stoppyd in, and seyd with in chort tyme men hopyd that the wall chuld be broke doun ageyn. Item, he seyd that I was amercyid for stoppyng of the seyd [way][245.3] at the last generall court, b.u.t.t he cowd not tell who meche the mercyment was. And he that told it me askyd the man that told it hym if he had the mercyment in hys exstrete for to distreyn there fore; and he seid nay, but seyd he that chuld do it chuld bettyr doe take it up on hym than he chuld. Item, the same man told me that he mett with a man of Blyclyng, hyght Barker, that cam late fro London, and he told hym that I had a sute att London ageyn Wareyn Herman of Paston, and seyd that Roberd Branton was hys attornnye, and seyd he seygh hym ryght besy for hym att London. And for yete not yor sustyr;[245.4] and G.o.d have yow in kepyng. Wretyn att Norwyche the xij.
day of May,
Be yor modyr,
A. PASTON.
[Footnote 245.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter has the appearance, to judge from its contents, of being perhaps a few weeks later than the preceding one. It is, however, in a different hand.]
[Footnote 245.2: April 25.]
[Footnote 245.3: Omitted in MS.]
[Footnote 245.4: Elizabeth Paston?]
196
AGNES PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[246.1]
_John Paston, dwellyng in the Tempyll at London, be thys letter delyverd in hast._
[Sidenote: 1451 or later]
I grete yow wele, and lete yow wete that on the Sonday befor Sent Edmond, after evyn songe, Augnes Ball com to me to my closett and bad me good evyn, and Clement Spycer with hyr. And I acsyd hym what he wold?