Message to Sir William Yelverton

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MESSAGE TO SIR WILLIAM YELVERTON¹

This is the Instruction for the Messenger.

      THAT ye grete well Sir William Yelverton, letyng
         hym wete in our behalf we be informed that certeyn
         persones, in the name of the right worshipfull our
cosyn the Duc of Suffolk, have enterid in the manoir of
Drayton that was Fastolffes, and have dreven from the seid
manoir and other xiij^c. shep and other bestes pastured upon
the seid manoir. Notwithstandyng, we merveyle gretly that
the seid Sir William, his sones and servauntes, as it is seid,
assiste and comfort the seid persones so entryng and with-
drawyng the seid catell, seying that he is named both feffe and
executour. And all be it so that there is variaunce bithwene
hym and our welbelovid John Paston in our coort, consernyng
as well the seid manoirs as other goodes that were Sir John
Fastolffes, whom God assoyle, yit is may not acorde with
worship and consiens for the seid Sir William to assiste the
distruccion of the seid manoirs and goodes in the meane tyme.
Wherfore we desire hym that he woll do his devoir effect-
ually to help to save the seid manoirs from all such pretense
of titell, and to cause the seid catels to be restored to the
manoirs aforeseid, and not to be withdrawen and distroyed
as they be; and that he do his feithfull part in this behalf
acordyng to the trust that he was put in, as we may do for
hym in tyme to come.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This appears to be a message from the King
rebuking Judge Yelverton for partizanship in assisting the Duke of Suffolk against
Paston in his entry into the manor of Drayton. The date is therefore 1465. The
MS., however, is only a corrected draft, and it is not certain that such a message was
actually sent.