Margaret Paston to John Paston

599

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON²

To my ryght worschipful husbond, John Paston,
be this delyverd in hast.

      RIGHT wurchepfull husbond, I recomaund me to you.
           Please it you to wete that I sent on Lammesse day³
           to Drayton, Thomas Bonde and Sir James Gloys to
hold the court in your name, and to clayme your tytill; for I
cowde gete none other body to kepe the court, ner that wuld
go theder but the seide Thomas Bonde, be cause I suppose thei
were a ferd of the pepill that shuld be there of the Duke of
Suffolks parte. The said Thomas and James, as the Duke of
Suffolks men, that is to sey, Harlesdon, the parson of Salle,
Mayster Phillip and William Yelverton, the which was styward,
with a lx. persones or more be estymacion, and the tenauntes
of the same town, sum of hem havyng rusty pollexis and
byllys, comyn in to the maner yard to kepe the courte, met
with them, and told them that thei were comyn to kepe the
court in your name, and to clayme your titill. Wherfore the
seid Harlesdon, with ought any mor words or occasion yovyn
of your men, comytted the seid Thomas Bonde to the kepyng
of the new Baly of Drayton, William Dokett, seyng that he
shuld go to my lord and do his herand hym self, notwith-
standyng that Sir James dede the erands to them, and had the
words; wherfor thei toke the seid Thomas with ought occasion.
Thei wuld have mad the seid Thomas to have had the words,
and the seid James told hem that had hem, because he was the
more pesibill man, whan afterward thei bade avoyde, and sithen
led forth Thomas Bonde to Cossey, and bownde his armes be
hynde hym with whippe cord like a theffe, and shuld have led
hym forth to the Duke of Suffolk, ner had be that I had spokyn
with the juges in the morwyn or thei yede to the shirehous and
enformed hem of such ryottes and assaugthis as thei had mad
up on me and my men; the baly of Cossey and all the Duke
of Suffolks councell beyng ther present, and all the lerned men
of Norffolk, and William Jenney and my[che] pepill of the
contre; the juge callyng the baly of Cossey befor them all, and
yaffe hym a gret rebuke, comaundyng the shereffe to se what
pepill thei had gadred at Drayton; which came after to Heles-
don to se the pepill ther, with weche [pe]pill he held hym wele
content; and fro thens he rode to Drayton to se ther pepill,
which wer avoyded or he came. And ther he desired to have
delivered the seid Thom. Bonde to hym; and thei excusid
hem and seid thei had send hym to the Duke of Suffolk.
Notwithstandyng, afterward thei sent hym to Norwhich to
hym, desiryng hym that he shuld delivere hym not withought
he mad a fyne, be cause he trobilled the Kynges lete; for
which thei mad I . . . . to juges. But after that I
understod it, I sent Danyell of Mershlond and Thomas Bonde¹
to enforme the juges how the seide Thomas was entreted
amonges hem, and so he ded. And the juges were gretly
. . . . . with the Dukes men, and forwith comaunded
the sheryf to delyver the seide Bone withoute any fyne
m[aking], seyng that he out non to make. And in goode
feythe I founde the juges ryght gentell and forborable to me
in my matres, notwithstandyng the Duckes councell had made
her compleynt to them or I come in ther werst wice, noysyng
us of gret gatheryng of peopell and many riotes thynges don
be me and your men. And after I enformed the juges of ther
untrouthe and of ther gidyng, and of our gidyng in like wice.
And after the juges undrestod the trouthe he gave the baly of
Cossey befor me and many other a passyng gret rebuke, seyng
without he amended hes condicion and governaunce, thei wuld
enforme the Kynge and helpe that he schuld be punyschet.
And wher as ye avyced me . . . . . a felaschip to
kepe the coorte at Drayton with easy cost, it was thought be
your councell it wer better otherwise, and not to gather no
people, for it was told me that the Dukes men had to the
nombre of v. C. men, and your councel avised me to gete a
felischip to kepe my place at Heylesdon, for it was told me
that they schuld come and pulle me out of the place, weche
cauced me to kepe the place the strenger at that tyme. And
as for kepyng of any coort for you at Drayton, I can not wete
how it cowde be brought a boute withoute helpe of other but
if there schuld growe gret inconvenyence of it. And at the
ass[izes] . . . . made gret labor to endite your men,
notwithstandyng it was letted. And as for the writtes of
replevyn, they were delyverd openly be for the juges to the
scheryf, and also other writtes wech Jamys Gresham brought;
and aftre that Ric. Calle spake with the high scheref for the
servyng of hem. And so he promysed to serve it and to send
men of hes owne to serve it; and so he sent ij. of his men with
Ric. Lynsted, and with ij. of Scheperdes to Cossey for the
schepe. And ther they wer answer that Yelverton cleymeth
the properte, and so wer they answerd in all other places wher
as any catell was. And so they departed and come to the
scheryf and enformed hym; and I undrestande the scheryf
taketh it for an answere; notwithstandyng I send hym word
withoute that Yelverton had ben ther in hes owne persone he
myte not cleyme the properte, and aviced hym to be ware
what retorne he made that he were not hurte by it. And so he
hathe made no retorne yet. What he wul doo I wat ner. He
is stylle in this contre yet and schal be this iiij. or v. dayes, but
your councell thynketh it were well don that ye gete an allias¹
and a pluries that it myght be sent don to the scheryf and than
he can mak non excuse but nedys . . . . .² it well (?)
to make a retorne as he wol abide by. I can not wete how
the catell woll be goten ayen withoute other processe be had
more than we have yet.

     Item, on Tuesday next comyng schal the sescions of the
pees be at Wolsyngham. What schal be do ther I wot not
yet; for as for any indytementes that we schuld labor a yenst
them it is but wast werk; for the scheryf ner the jerrours
wol no thyng do ayenst them.

     Item, wher as ye desire to knowe what gentelmen wolde do
for you at this tyme, in goode feythe I founde Herry Greye,
Lomnor, Alblastre, Wer . . . . (?), Berney of Redham,
Skyppewith, and Danyell of Merchelond, ryght weele disposed
to you ward at this tyme in helpyng and in zevyng ther goode
avice to me for suche maters as I had to doo. Ye schal have
more pleyne undrestondyng of all thynges her after than I may
write to you at this tyme.

     Item, the supersedias³ and the supplicavit³ is delyverd to
Alblastre and to Wechyngham, and they have mad out bothe
warantes and supersedias;⁴ nevertheles ther is non servyd yet.

     Item, I received the box with the writt and the letter that
Berney sent to me on Friday last and non er [no earlier].

     Item, as for the pris of malte it is fallen here sore, for it is
worthe but ijs. viijd. j. quarter at Yermoth.

     Item, as for your wolle, I may selle a stoone for xld., so
that I wol geve halfe yere day of payment. I prey you sende
me word how I shal do in this matre and in all other, &c.
And God kepe you. Wreten in haste the Wednesday next
aftre Lammes daye.

                                               Your                      M. PASTON.

     ² [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This is another of the series of letters relating to
Paston’s dispute with the Duke of Suffolk about Drayton and Hellesdon in 1465.

     ³ August 1.

     ¹ At this point the letter is continued in a different ink upon a new sheet of paper,
which was formerly stitched to the first sheet. A line which was formerly covered by
the sewing shows that Margaret Paston intended at first to have written: ‘to the
justice, and he . . . . . (five words illegible, the paper being cut) thei toke the
seid Thomas with ought warant, afftre trobillyng of the lete.’

     ¹ So in MS.                                           ² A word illegible.

     ³ So in MS.

     ⁴ Supersedeas is a writ to stay certain proceedings; supplicavit a writ for taking
surety of the peace when violence is threatened by any one.

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1465
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1465
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1465
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