[4.2] Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset.
[4.3] John Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, in whose household R. Southwell had an appointment.—F.
[263]
THOMAS HOWES TO [JOHN PASTON?][5.1]
1454
OCT. or NOV.
Please your maistreship to wete, for as mych as the wryt directed to the exchetor cam not tyl in the Vigil of Symond and Jude,[5.2] at viij. of the clocke at evyn, whiche coude in no wyse profit us that day; notwithstondynge we had a yoman of my Lords chamber, and were at Cowhaw, havyng Bertylmeu Elys with us, and ther was Long Bernard sytting to kepe a court. And we at the furst Noy come in the court, and Bertylmeu havynge this termys to Bernard, seying, ‘Sir, forasmych as the Kyng hathe grauntyd be hese lettres patent the wardship with the profites of the londes of T. Fastolf duryng hese nun age to you[5.3] and T. H., wherfor I am comyn as ther styward, be ther comaundement, upon ther pocession to kep court and lete, whiche is of old custum usyd upon thys day; wherfor I charge you, be the vertu herof, to seas and kepe nouthir court nor lete, for ye have non autoryte.’ Quod Bernard, ‘I wyll kepe bothe court and lete, and ye shal non kepe here; for there is no man hath so gret autoryte.’ Than quod Bertylmeu, ‘I shal sytte by you, and take a reconysaunce as ye do.’ ‘Nay,’ quod Bernard, ‘I wyl suffre you to sytte, but not to wryte.’ ‘Well,’ quod Bertylmeu, ‘thanne forsybly ye put us from our pocession, whiche I doute not but shalbe remembryd you anothir day,’ &c. ‘But, Seres,’ quod he, ‘ye that be tenaunts to this manoyr, we charge you that ye do nowthir seute nor servise, no[r] paye ony rents or fermys but to the use of John Paston and T.; fo[r] and ye do, ye shal paye it ageyn; and as for on yeer past, we have sewyrte of Skylly, whiche hath resevid it of you to ther use.’ And thus we departid, and Bernard kept court and lete.
And ther was Ser P. Wentworth and hise brothir, yong Hopton, yong Brewse, yong Calthorp, with xxiiij. horse; and we spoke with non of hem, nor they with non of us, for we wold not seke upon hem. And we have enteryd in all othir plasis undir this forme. I wold we had had the wryte betymes lever than xxs. of myn owne, but it farith thus in many othir maters, God amende hem.
Memorandum.—To sende hom wyn and ij. quart botelys.
[5.1] [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This letter is anonymous, but appears to be in the handwriting of Thomas Howes. It must belong to the year 1454, when the wardship of Thomas Fastolf of Cowhaw was granted to Howes and John Paston.
[5.2] St. Simon and St. Jude’s day is the 28th October. The Vigil is the 27th.
[5.3] So in MS. The writer seems to be confusing the direct and indirect mode of reporting a speech.