Item, I remembred hym of the promyses that he hath made to Temperley, and that if he wold make yow very trew promys, ye wold rewarde hym as meche as he wold desire, or any other resonable man for him, and asmoche and mor then any adverserry ye have wold gef hym; than he seyde he toke never no mony of non of hem alle. There was proferid hym at Walsyngham for the Lord Molyns xx. nobles, he had not a peny; moreover, I proferid hym, if he wold make yow promys that ye myght veryly trust upon hym, ye wold geff hym in hande as he wold desire, or to leve a summe if he wold a named it in a mene mannys hand, and seche as he hath trust to. And then he seyde, if he myght do for yow, or if he do any thyng for yow, then he wol take yowre mony wyth a good wyl; and other promys I coude not have of hym, but that he wol do for yow all that he may, excepte for the inditements. I conceyve veryly he hath made promys to do hese part that they shul be a quytte, but I suppose he hath made non other promys ayens yow for the lyvelode; but he lokyth aftyr a gret brybe, but it is not for to trust hym veryly wyth owte that he may not chese. I suppose he had no wrytyng fro my Lord of Norffolk as he seyde.
I was at Framyngham for to a spoke wyth Tymperley, Debnam, or Berry, and they were all ought. My Lord, as he came from London, he was at Yepysweche on Moneday, and when he wythowth the town toward Framyngham, he had all hese men ryde forth afore a gret pase, for he wolde felwe softely; and when hese men were owte of syght, he rode wyth v. men to a squieris place of hese therby, and on Tewsday, rodde my Lady to hym; and so I dede nought at Framyngham. No more at thys tyme, but All myghty Jesu spede yow, and have yow in hese kepyng. Wrete at Norwiche, the Thursday next aftyr Sent Austyn, &c. Be your servunt, John Osbern.
[241.1] [From Fenn, iii. 308.] At the date of this letter Lord Molyns had probably been acquitted, but the action against his men was still pending. The year must therefore be 1451. The date ‘Thursday next after St. Austin’ is understood by Fenn to be after the Feast of St. Austin, or Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, which was celebrated on the 28th of August; but the dates of the preceding letters make it more probable that the writer means St. Augustine, the apostle of England, whose day was the 26th of May.
[241.2] John Jermyn.—See [page 183, Note 2].
[194]
AGNES PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[243.1]
To [Herry][243.2] Barker of Synt Clements Parys, in Norwych, to delyver to my Master John Paston, in haste.
1451
or later
On Thurisday the wall was mad zarde hey, and a good wylle be fore evyn it reyned so sore that they were fayne to helle 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 vjd., and seyd it was xijd. tylle Warne Kyng and he gat it awey vjd.
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 xxviijti 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.
[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.