Volume V Part 2 (2/2)

[Footnote 10-1: [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 202.] This letter must have been written in 1469, after the Duke of Norfolk and Sir William Yelverton had taken possession of Fastolf's lands.]

[Footnote 10-2: _swemeful_, sorrowful.--Halliwell.]

[Footnote 11-1: With Anne Haute.]

[Footnote 11-2: Omitted in MS.]

[Footnote 11-3: Cardinal Bourchier.]

[Footnote 12-1: George Nevill, Archbishop of York. He surrendered the Great Seal on the 8th June 1467.]

[[ride with speris and launyegays _text unchanged; expected form is ”launzegays” (laun?egays)_]]

702

CARDINAL BOURCHIER'S DECLARATION[12-2]

[Sidenote: 1469]

To all cristen men to whom this present writyng shall come, Thomas, by the providence of G.o.d, Preeste Cardinall Archiebisshopp of Caunterbury, Primat of all Inglond and Legat of the Appostallic See, gretyng. Where now late Alice, d.u.c.h.esse of Suffolk, come to us and desirid of us to dismysse us of oure estate and to enseall a deed of a relees of the maner of Haylysdon with the appurtenaunce in the counte of Norffolk; which we denyed, in as myche as wee stode infeoffyd in the seid maner with othirs to the use of Sir John Paston knyght, sone and heire to John Paston sqwyer; to the whiche the seid d.u.c.h.esse replied, seying and affermyng that she was accordyd and agreed with the seid Sir John Paston by the meane of the ryght Reverent fader in G.o.d, George Archebysshop of York, and that the seid Sir John Paston was fully a.s.sented and agreed that the seid d.u.c.h.esse shuld have the seid manere wyth th'appurtenaunce to hir, hir heyris and a.s.signes for ever more, and that all the feoffees enfeoffid and seisid in the seid manere wyth the appurtenaunce shuld relees and make astate to hir or such as shee wolde a.s.signe of the seid manere wyth th'appurtenaunce; the wehych we answerde and seid upon condicion that the seid Sir John Paston weere so agreed we wold relees wyth a goodwyll, and els not; and yff so were that we cowde understand hereafter by the seid Right reverent Fadir in G.o.d, George Archebisshop of York, or by the seid Sir John Paston, that ther ware noon such accorde made by twex the seid d.u.c.h.esse and the seid Sir John, that than oure deed and relees by us so ensealed off the seid maner wyth th'appurtenaunce shuld stond as voyd, and of no force nor effecte; to the wehyche the seid d.u.c.h.es agreed, and prayd us that we wold sealle hir a deed of the same maner, wyche shee had theere redy, uppon the same condicion and uppon noone other. And wee than, at hir specyall request upon the condicion aforeseyd rehersid, sealid the seyd deed and delyvered it; and the seid d.u.c.h.esse at the same tyme promitted us that she wold use and kepe the seid writyng noo notherwise, nor to noon othir use but uppon the same condicion as is aforeseid. In witnesse whereoff, to this oure present writyng we have sette oure seall.

[Footnote 12-2: [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 127.] From what Margaret Paston writes to her son Sir John in the end of the last letter about his father's will, and also from what she says a little later about the d.u.c.h.ess of Suffolk (_see_ page 15), we may a.s.sign this doc.u.ment with great probability to the year 1469.]

[[_page 15 = Letter 704_]]

703

SIR JOHN PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[13-1]

_To myght' well belovyd brother, John Paston, or to John Dawbeney, in his absence._

[Sidenote: 1469 / MARCH 17]

Ryght worschypful and well belovyd brother, I comand me to yow, letyng you wete that Sir Thomas Howes hadde a free chapell at Castr, wher of the gyfte longyth to me, whyche chapell, as I understande, scholde be in the olde tyme, er the place at Caster wer bylte, with in the motte, wherfor I ame but the better pleased; and soo it is now that at the speciall request of the Qwen and other especiall good Lordes of myn, I have gevyn it to the berer her of, callyd Master John Yotton, a chapleyn of the Qwenys. Neverth.e.l.le[ss] in tyme pa.s.syd I proposyd that the master of the colegg scholde have hadd it, and so er longe to I hope he schall, wherfor I thynke he most take possession, and that is the cawse of hys comyng. Wherfor I pray yow make hym good cher. He is informyd that it scholde be worthe C_s._ be yer, whyche I belyve not; I thynke it der jnow xl_s._ by yeer. He most have it as it was hadde befor.

Item, thys daye I understonde that ther be comen letteris from my moder and yow, and Dawbeney, wherin I schall sende yow answer when I have seyn them.

No mor at this tyme, for within this iij. dayes I shall lette yow have kneleche of other maters.

Wretyn the xviij. day of Marche.

Whether he nedyth indoccion, or inst.i.tucion, or non, I wot not; if it nede, brother, ye may seale any suche thynge as well as I. Master Stevyn kan tell all suche thynges.

JOHN PASTON, K.

[Footnote 13-1: [From Fenn, iv. 308.] Sir Thomas Howes appears to have died in the latter part of the year 1468. Before the end of that year his living of Pulham was vacant, and his death is alluded to in a letter of Margaret Paston's, written on the 30th September 1469, as having occurred 'within this twelvemonth.' It would appear by the following extract, quoted by Fenn, from the Inst.i.tution Books of the Bishop of Norwich, that Sir John's presentation referred to in this letter was not allowed, or was not made out in time, and that the Bishop presented by a lapse:--

'Cantaria in Cayster-hall.

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