Volume V Part 8 (1/2)

723

SIR JOHN PASTON TO MASTER WRITTILL[41-1]

[Sidenote: 1469 / SEPT. 10]

Ryght wershypfull syr, I recomaund me to you, thankyng you of your grete labour whych I have nozt as yet, but I shall deserve to my power; and ferthermore lyke yow to wyte that I have thoght ryght long after you; nevyrthelesse I remember well that ye delt wythe ryght delayous peple.

My Lord Archbyshop and other of my Lords, and I, dempte by cawse of your long tarryng, that by youre sad dyscrescyon all hadde ben sett thorow.

Neverthelesse I understend by your wrytyng that my Lord of Norffolks concell thynketh that hys entent, whych ye sertefyed me by your wrytyng, sholde be more to hys wyrshep than the appoyntements and rewll made by the Lords of the Kyngs concell whych be to my seyd Lord of Norffolk ner kyne [_near kin_]; whych appoyntements sythen yourr departyng hath be largely remembryd amongs the seyd Lords here, thynkyng it in hem self so honorabyll to my Lord of Norffolk, that ther shuld non of my Lords concell well avysed mevyd to the contrary.

Jamys Hobard[42-1] was sent fro my [Lord] of Norffolk heder, and spake with my Lord Archbyshop,[42-2] and answer he had of my seyd Lord; and howe my Lord tendryd the mater yet and wyll I trowe he have told you, and yf he have not, the brynger her of schall informe you; and he broght thys same appoyntement from my Lord, that my Lord was well agryed that I shulde ocupye. For my parte, iff I shud take no other apoyntement but acordyng to your letter, it wer hard for me and for my tytell to putte my Lord in that possessyon; for ther ys thyngs in erthe [_uneath_, _i.e._ scarcely] to myn esse in your letter, G.o.de for me in that appoyntement, savyng the suerty of my brothers lyffe and my servants, whych ye thynke dowtefull yf so be that thay lakke stuff, shotte, and vytayll; mervaylyng sore, and thynk it impossybell in thys shorte season, or in iiij. tyme the season heder towards, that thay shuld lakk other [_either_], with owte it s...o...b.. that my Lords men have enterd owght the place, and so had ther stuffe from hem, whych I cannot thynk.

Also, sir, for [_fore_] the tyme of your comyng to my Lord of Norffolk, servaunts of [my Lords wer with][42-3] my moder at Norwych, mevyng to send to my brother hyr sone, to delyver the place under such a forme as youre lettere specefyeth, and so I cannot understand what regard my Lords concell takyth to my Lords letter, and to your labour in thys behalf, but that they offeryd as largely afore. Ze wryteth in your letter that ye durst not pa.s.se your credens; please you to remember that seyd your credens affore the Lords was ryght large, and as large as myght well be in thys mater, both to my Lords concell of Norffolk to withdrawe the seege, with moor other mater as ye knowe; and to the Justice of the Peas and to the Shyryff and hys offycers, your awtoryte was grete inow to iche of them.

Wherfor, Mayster Wretell, I never for this, nere zet wyll, take appoyntement in thys mater, but as my Lords wyll and my Lord Archbyshop, whych, as well as I my self, have holy putte our tryst to youre dyscrete dyreccyon; and my seyd Lord sythen youre departer, zour zoyng,[43-1]

thynkyng you alls mete a man in executyng ther comaundement as cowde be chosyn. Neverthelesse for awnswer to you at thys season, my Lord Archbyshop ys north wards towards the Kyng; how be it, it ys seyd, uppon a metyng with my Lord of Clarens, my Lord shuld retourne a yen; and as zester evyn he send a servaunt of hys to me, wenyng to hys Lords.h.i.+p that Sir Humfray[43-2] and ye wer in Caster as was appoynted, and ye shuld send to hys Lordshyp answer of the gydyng ther by wrytyng, comaundyng me that yff any such wrytyngs cam from you, yf hys Lordshyp wer not past xx. myle fr[om Lond]on,[43-3] to com to hys Lordshyp with the same.

Understandyng for sertayn that he ys nott yet so ferr, wherfor I will in althe hast possybell ryde nygt and day till I see hys Lordshyp, and after comunicacyon had with hys Lordshyp, as sone as ys possybell that a man may go be twext, ye shall have an answer of hys dysposicyon; for hys intres is such that, as I have wryten, I shall never do therin withoute hym, as my cosyn, brynger herof, more playnly shall enforme you; for I canne thynke ryght well, that as ze wryteth to me, my broder wyll not delyver the place to non erthly person, but yf he see wrytyng fro my Lord.

It semyt be yowr wrytyng that my Lord of Norffolk conseyll intende not that my Lord Archbyshop shuld dele in thys mater, for he ys not named in your letter, wherof I mervayle; for it was movyd to you at your departyng hens, the Kyngs concell shuld have take dyreccyon in thys mater, or els my Lord Cardenall,[44-1] my Lord of Clarens, my Lord Archbyshop, and my Lord of Ess.e.x,[44-2] &c. Neverthelesse, Mayster Wryttyll, all profytht, maner, or lyflod, leyd apart, if it be so that thorow reklesnese my brother and servaunts be in such joperte as ye have wryten to me (whych shold be half impossybell in my mynd that thay shold myssuse so mech stuff in iiij. tymes the s.p.a.ce), and that ye have evident knowlych by my seyd brother hym self therof, I woll praye yow to se hym and them in suerte of ther lyffys, what so ever shold fall of the lyfflode; how be it I wold not that my brother and servaunts shold gyff upp the place not for a m^l_li._, yf thay myght in any wyse kepe it and save ther lyves. And therfor, at the reverens of G.o.d, sycht it ys so, that my Lord Archbyshop and my Lords all, and I, have putte our trust in you, that ye wyll do your devoyer to have the verrey knowlech of my brother hymself, and not of my Lords men, wheder he stante in such jopertye as your letter specefyeth or net, for I dowte not uppon the syzth of thys letter, and of the letter that ye had before, that my brother will put no mystrust in you, consyderyng that he knowyth that ye com from my Lords, and my Lord Archbyshop, and have my wrytyng; and as for my Lord Archbyshop wrytyng and aunswere, such as it shalbe, ye shall have it in all the haste possybell. But I thynke veryly that my Lord eschewyth to telle you any thyng without that he myght speke with you allone, and me thynketh veryly that thay ought not to lette [_hinder_]

you to speke with hym allone, consyderyng that ye have auctoryte and wrytyng from the Lords so to do. And as for the justificacyon of entryng the place, and sege layng to [the same][44-3] and the comaundement of the Justice of the Pease and the Sherewe to a.s.syste my Lord in thys gydyng, I wote ye understond that the Lords knowe all that mater, and ye herd it comened, and how thay toke it in ther consayts.

Ther ys no more, Mayster Wryttell, but I commyth all thys wrytyng unto your dyscrescyon; and as ye thynk best acordyng to such menys desyre as have entretyd you therin, and for my moyst avayle, I pray you, sir, soo doo, and I shall se un to your besynes and labour, that ye shall have cause to do for me in tyme comyng, and as the brynger herof shall tell you. And I pray G.o.d have you in Hys kepyng.

Wryten at London, the x. day of Septembr.

By your frend for ever,

JOHN PASTON, K.

[Footnote 41-1: [From Fenn, iv. 372.] See preliminary note to last letter. We have adopted a different punctuation from that of Fenn in some parts of this letter.]

[Footnote 42-1: This most probably was James Hobart, who, in 1478, was Lent-Reader at Lincoln's Inn, and in 1487 Attorney-General.--F.]

[Footnote 42-2: George Neville, Archbishop of York.]

[Footnote 42-3: The original MS. was indistinct in these places.]

[Footnote 43-1: The words 'zour zoyng' (your going) seem to be redundant.]

[Footnote 43-2: Sir Humphrey Talbot was a Captain at this siege, under the Duke of Norfolk.--F.]

[Footnote 43-3: The original MS. was indistinct in these places.]

[Footnote 44-1: Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Cardinal.]

[Footnote 44-2: Henry Bourchier, Earl of Ess.e.x.]

[Footnote 44-3: Here the original MS. was indistinct.]