Right truste and right welbeloved, we grete you hertly wel. And where as Sir Nichol Bowet, Knight, sueth an appeelle in the countee of Norffolk ayenst oon Robert Offord of Berking for the deeth of oon Sir Henry Bowet, clerc, we being enformed that the matier is pitevous, praie you hertly that ye wul in our behalve moeve and entreete the Shirreve of the saide countee to surceese of the execucion of any processe upon the exigent[101.3] to hym directed in that behalve unto the next terme, so that resonable meanes maye be founden to save the saide Robert harmelesse; lating hym wite that we have written to the saide Sir Nichol for a convenient treetie to be taken in that behalve, as shalbe thought according to right. And God have you ever in his keping.
Written in our Manoir of Mortelake, the vij. daie of September. T., Archbysshopp of Canterbury.
[101.1] [From Fenn, iii. 276.] This letter may be presumed to have been written during the time that Archbishop Bourchier was Lord Chancellor, viz. between 7th March 1455 and 11th October 1456, when the Great Seal was given to Bishop Waynfleet. William Norwich, also, was Sheriff of Norwich in 1455, and is doubtless addressed in that capacity, but his year of office would not have begun so early as September. The letter therefore belongs to the following year.
[101.2] Sheriff of Norwich, 1455; Mayor, 1461. Died, 1463-4.—Blomefield.
[101.3] See vol. ii. p. 248, Note 4.
[345]
JOHN BOCKING TO JOHN PASTON[102.1]
To my right worshipful Maister, John Paston.
1456
OCT. 8
Right worshipful Sir, and my good maister, I recomaunde me to yow, and have receyvid a lettre from yow by Sir Thomas is man, berer here of. And as for the accions,[102.2] bothe of ravishement and th’attachement, the declaracions ar made tunc solvend’ and not solut’, and as moche amendid as we can or may be favour have amendid. We hadde be beguyled and they hadde not be sen in Norffolk, for here til this day come noo counsaill; and to have per manus Johannis Wyngfelde it wole not be, for we can not bringe it inne, and also it is to late.
And as for iiijxxli. [fourscore pounds],[102.3] Fenn and I mette with Worsop this day, and he spake soore to Fenn and me, and we put hym overe, saying we wolde doo as moche as we myghte. I thinke verily that Fenn wole deserve ther inne a thanke, but I can not understande hym what he wolde be doon to, or how rewardid, for whanne I speke of it he is desplesid, and seithe he desirith noo rewarde; but he farith as a man wole sey he wold noo silvere, and lokith awaywardes and takith a noble. And he hath written to yow of the matere of Sir Philip Wentworthe touching this writte of liberate,[102.4] whiche is but a color and noo warant sufficient, ner we owe not to doo no thinge that shuld obeye it, ner the Shireve nother dothe but of favor that he dothe to hem, and hym liste otherwise to doo, as Fenn writeth yow more pleinly. And as for a supersedies [sic], there lithe noon, as he seith, up on a liberate.