1459(?)
AUG. [22]

Wurshipful sire, and my right gode mayster, I recomaunde me to zou, and hertely I thanke zour gode maystership that ze liked to sende my mayster zour sone to Sporle with suych felaship as ze dede, for which I am ever bounde to doo zou service, prayeng zou of zour gode contenuaunce.

Sire, the cause why I kam not was this: I was falle seek with an axez [ague], and truly that caused me that I and my felaship taryed; and so be cause theroffe I caused my lady to wryte a specyall lettre to my Lord Scales. But for al that Blake hath hoom the corn in my Lady of Suffolkys name. And the cause why I sent no wurd of my seknes was, that I wuld not myn enmy shuld be rejoysed be the knowlych of my seknesse. So God help me, the felaship that was redy to goo was right sory that thei myght not goo furth with me; and my lordes and my ladyes wyl was that thei shuld have goon further. But if I had been heil and not seek, there shuld have kome a wurshipful felaship out of Suffolk of so litel warnyng; but truly I lay seek at Ipeswych of the axcez bothe Sunday and Monday. But, sire, syn ze have shewed me so kyndely zour gode maystership, I praye zou I may have your felaship redy at a nothir tyme to help to execute a commyssion touchyng Blake, and that thei may be redy withinne ij. dayez after ze have warnyng. And, sire, my service is redy to zou at alle tymys, as ze shewe me gret cause to doo zou service. Wreten at Thelton,[147.1] the Wednysday next before Seynt Bertilmew Day in haste. Your servaunt, William Jenney.

[146.1] [From Fenn, iv. 38.] This letter is referred by Fenn to the beginning of Edward IV.’s reign, but on a careful examination I think it must be earlier, as William Jenney’s proceedings, even in the first year of Edward IV., were by no means friendly to John Paston. The Lord Scales here mentioned must therefore be the Lord Scales of Henry VI.’s time, who was murdered in July 1460, and the letter, having been written in August, cannot be later than 1459. In that year, as will be seen by Letter 377, John Paston’s eldest son had already begun active life, and I am inclined to think that it is the precise year in which the present letter was written. John Paston, the second, was at that time not more than nineteen years of age, and we hear nothing of his doings earlier. The manor of Sporle was inherited by John Paston, senior, from his father the judge.

[147.1] Thelveton, near Diss, in Norfolk.

The sections headed First Draft and Second Draft were printed in facing columns. Asterisks and brackets are in the original, as explained in the first Footnote. Missing or misplaced brackets have been left as printed. All sections originally labeled Second Draft are shown on a shaded background.

[385]
WILL OF SIR JOHN FASTOLF[147.2]

1459
NOV. 3

In the name and the wurship of the holy, blyssydfull Trynite [in the year] of our Lord Jesu Crist, MlCCCCLIX., and in the xxxviij. yeer of [our souerayn Kyng] of Englonde and of Fraunce, Herry the Sexte, the iij. day of the moneth [of] Novembre,[147.3] I, John Fastolf of Castre, be Gret Jernemuth, of the counte of [Norfolk], Knyght, beynge in good remembraunce, albeit I am sykly and thorwh age infeb[led], bryngyng to mende and often revolvynge in my soule how this world is tra . . . and how, amongs all e[r]thely thynges that is present or for to come, there is noe thynge in this onstable world so serteyn to creature of man kende as is departynge out of this world be dethe, the soule from the wrechyd body; and noo thynge erthely so onserteyn as the oure and tyme of deth—Therefore I, willynge and desyringe that of suche goodes of substaunce worldly, mevabill and onmevable, that God of hise bounteuous grace hathe sent me in my lif to dispose and ocupye, that they be disposed as it may be thowght best for the helthe of my soule and to the plessaunce of God, and also for the relyf, soccour, and helpe of the soulez that I am most oblygid and bounde to purveye and doo . . . for, as the soule of John Fastolf, my fadyr, Dame Mary, doutyr of Nicholas . . . . . my modir, and the soule of Dame Milcent, my wiff, the dautyr of [Sir Robert] Tibtot, knyght, and for the soulez of othyr of myn . . . . . . . kynsefolke and speciall frendes here undir wretyn,—I ordeyn and . . . . . this my last will in fourme and maner folwyng:—

[Second Draft.]