I lowly recomaund me to your maistership, thankyng you as a pouer man may do his maister for soccuryng my wyf, which I wete wele is wo begone; praying you for love of our Lord Jhesu Criste to take no displesir though I not sent ne wrote to you herbeforn in this troble that I haf. For parde ye may conceyve that I was besy j nogh to shifft my self til now. Truly the noise cam sodeynly and I was withynne the walles of your Cite, God sauf the governour therof, for he was besy to trappe me, more besy than he wole be a know, et per fenestram in sporta dimissus sum per murum, et sic effugi manus ejus; but he shal abye, by God, if I lyf, for serchyng myn house. And, Sir, as for the fals noise, sauf your reverence, that he leyth on me and on tweyn servauntz of myn, he lyeth falsly, your reverence savid; for I may haf an C. persones notable and thrifty, whan tyme comyth, that wole prove and make good by every meane, that my servauntz, which he nameth, wer that same our at Brisle which is thens more than xvj. myle, and that the same our and the same day and a greet space bothe beforn and afftir. But ever I besech your maistership of contynuaunce, and that ye like to do my wif help and comfort in hir dissese; for if she wer not, God knowith, I shuld soone shyfft. And truly I haf no thought ne sorwe but for hir. Wherfore I beseche you lowly for His love that all socourith and susteyneth to be good maister and comfort to her. It shal not be long to but that I shall send to hir to labour hir to other place, as for ony thyng touchyng me ellis but that. I pray you also, if the boy that is hurt dey, to meve your tenauntz in that hundrid wher he was bete to do for me and myn; ellis can I not desire ne write at this tyme for lak of remembraunce, for I am not yet myn own man. Besechyng yow alwey of good maistership, for Almyghty God knowith that the mater was falsly begunne on me and usurie it is and acursid, so wold our Lord I never had knowyn it; but sith I delid therwith I myght never reche it to handle the mater to trouth or reson. Wherfore I am compellid to do therwith unresonably. But, gentill Sir, socour my wif, and be not displesid with me, and than shal I do wele with Goddis mercy, Who Almyghty preserve yow for His mercy. Wretyn onavised, &c.
I pray you socour my wif, for she is wedow yet for me, and shal be til more is done, sith I se that neyther plee, trety ne werre may make my peas; for I leve hir undir your proteccion til I write to hir to go thens, which shal be hastily, I suppose, praying you to be alwey hir good maister, for I purpose not to se hir of a while, though she remeve. Wrete with sorwfull hert, &c. Yours, Denyes.
[272.1] [Add. MS. 34,888, f. 175.] The date of this letter is probably a little earlier than that of the next (No. 455).
[455]
THOMAS DENYES TO JOHN PASTON[274.1]
To my Maister Paston.
1461
MAY
Right wurshipfull and myn especiall good maister, I recomaund me to yow with all my service, besechyng you hertily, at the reverence of God, to helpe me now in the grettest extremite that I cam at sith my greet trobil with Ingham.[274.2] It is not oute of your remembraunce how Twyer in Norff[olk] vexith me bothe by noise and serchyng myn house for me, so that theer I can not be in quyete; and all that, I am verily acerteyned, is by Heydens crafft. And heer in the Kyngs house annenst Howard,[274.3] wher I had hopid to a’ relevid myself, I am supplanted and cast oute from hym by a clamour of all his servaunts at onys, and ne wer oonly that his disposicion acordyth not to my pouer conceyte, which maketh me to gif lesse force, be cause I desire not to dele ther [where] bribery is like to be usid, ellis by my trouth this unhappy unkyndenes wold I trow a’ killed me. I pray yow, at the reverence of Jesu Criste, to enfourme my Lord of Warwyk of me. Parde I haf do hym service; I was with hym at Northampton, that all men knew; and now agayn at Seynt Albones, that knowth James Ratcliff; and ther lost I xxli. wurth horse, herneys, and mony, and was hurte in diverse places. I pray yow to gete me his good Lordship, and that I may be toward hym in Norffolk in his Courts holdyng, or ellis, if ony thyng he haf to do; and that ye wole gete me a letter to Twyer to late me to sit in rest. For now if I made any felaship agayn Twyer, I can haf no colour now the Shirref and I be oute, so I must kepe me aparte, which I am lothe to do, be God, if I myght better do.
I besech yow to send me your intent by the next man that come from yow. I shuld a’ come to zow, but, so help me God, my purs may no ferther. The Holy Trinite preserve yow.
Wretyn hastily at York, &c. Your to his power, Denyes.
[274.1] [From Fenn, iv. 10.] The writer of this letter speaks of having served with the Earl of Warwick at the battle of Northampton in July 1460, and again at the second battle of St. Albans in February 1461. We know from later letters that he was murdered in the beginning of July following. As he dates from York, and speaks of being ‘here in the King’s house,’ the date would appear to be about the 10th of May, on which day we find by the dates of the Privy Seals that Edward IV. was at York.