It ys sayd here that the Duck of Suffolk shall com to Coshay in haste and logge ther for a season; I fyle well by your tenaunts that yf ye were peaseabyly possessyd and your cort holden in peaseabyll wyse, and that they myzt be in pease a yenst the other many, than they wold take accyons a yenste hem for such wrongs as have be don to hem, and ells they say that they thernot [dare not] take it uppon hem, for they dwelle so ney to the other many that thay knowe well thay shold never be in ease yf thay dyde soo whyle that thay dele amongs hem. On Thursday last John Doket, the bayly ys son y lawe, and Thomas Ponte, with other, erly in the mornyng, an owre by fore the sonne rose, com to your fold, and drove away the flock at Drayton, both Colyet and other, in to Coshay fee, or ever that the shipherd myght have knowlych therof and then he fowlyd one and desyryd to have hem a yen, and thay wold not suffer hym to have them no more but the Colyet and ther were c. and j. of yours and tho had thay forth with hem to Coshay, and the same day we had a replevyn for the cc. shype and replevyn for the hors that wer taken at Haylesdon, and how that thay were obbeyd Ric. Calle shall enforme you, and of other maters also, the whych I may not wryte to you of at thys tyme.
Item, I have spoke with [John] Strange of the mater that ye wrote to me of, and in gode feyth I[148.1] fynd hym, as me symyth, ryght well disposyd to you wards; and he hath, acordyng to your desyre, spoken with Yelverton yesterday to fyle his dysposicion in that mater, and Yelverton, as it symyth by hym, roght not gretely thogh the mater brake, so that he myght have any resonabell colour to breke, he ys so callyd uppon by Wayte and other of the Duck of Suffolk ys counsell that he ote [wot] not where to hold hym, and he ys put in so gret confort, as I am enformyd, to receve money for the lond, and that temptyth hym ryght sore; for with money he wold fayn be in handelyng, as ye know he hath nede therof. He told John Straunge that it ys informyd hym that ye have up an enquest to depreve ther wytnesse and ther with ys he sore movyd . . . . . . . . . that yf any thyngs be don in temporall maters other in spyryt[uall] . . . . . . maters tochyng executors or feoffeys or wyttnes tyll the day of . . . . . . trety be passyd, he wyll not abyde no trety therin, but do as . . . . . . . . . thynkyth best for to do therein. I told John Straunge that I kn[ew] . . . . . . . . thogh it were soo that shold passe any such enquest it shol n . . . . . . . . . . of them in provyng of her trothys, the whych shold be no hurt . . . . . . . . . for John Straunge desyryd me that I shuld send to you in al haste that . . . . . . . . . any such folks that thay shold not doo in the mater till the day of . . . . . . . . . may have knowlych howe he and other wold doo in such maters as sh . . . . . . . . . he wold be loth that he shold have any colour to breke for any thyng . . . . . . . . and Yelverton sayth it shall not breke thorf his defaute yf ye wyll n[ot] . . . . . . . . be ryght glad to have your gode wyll and to goo thorgh in all maner mate[rs] . . . . . . . . eschewyng of wastfull expens of the dede ys godes and that the godes myzt be dyspendyd to the welle of the dede. Straunge desyryd to knowe what appoyntements he desyryth to have in the trety, and he sayd he wold not let that be understond tyll the tyme of trety cam. Me symyth, save your beter avyse, it were wel do that thay that be com up for you myzt be kypt in som secryte place and not do [naught done ?] in the mater tyll the tyme of the trety were passyd. The cost there of shall not be grete to that it myzt hurte yf the trety were broken by that meane and then ye may have hem nyer; and yf ye thynk it be to doo ye may have hem to go to ther mater after the seyd tyme, for of ij. hurtes the grettyst ys best to be eschewyd.
Item, as for youre houshold at Caster, savyng your beter avyse, me thynkyth that v. or vj. of your folkes, such as ye wyll assyngne, were [enough to?][149.1] kype the place, and they for to go to bord with the prustes, and ye not to kype no houshold ther yet; and that ye shall fynd more profettabyll than for to doo as we do nogh; for ther expens, as I understond, have not be moch the lesse by fore Wytsontyde than it shold be thogh I had be at home by cause of resortyng of pepell theder; and yf the houshold were broke thay myzt have a gode excuse in that, whosome ever come. Ric. Call shall enforme you of thys maters, and mo other, more playnly than I may do wryte at thys tyme. It is necessary that possessyon be kypt hyre yett tyll ye be more ferther forth in other maters. The Blessyd Trynyte have you [in] Hys kypyng, and send you gode spyde in all your maters, and send you grace to have a gode conclusyon in hem in haste. Wryten on the Tewysday nex before Corpus Christi. By your faynt houswyff at thys tyme, M. P.
[147.1] [From Paston MSS.] This letter, in which it is anticipated that the Duke of Suffolk will obtain possession, first of Drayton, and then of Hellesden, is evidently a little later in date than [Nos. 578] and 581, and can only be of the year 1465.
[148.1] The MS. has ‘in’ instead of ‘I,’ evidently by mistake.
[149.1] Paper decayed.
[586]
JOHN PASTON THE YOUNGEST TO HIS FATHER[150.1]
1465
JUNE 15
Ryth reverent and worchepfull fadyr, I recomand me on to yow, beschyng yow lowly of your blyssyng. Plesit yow to have knowlage how that I have be in Sowthefolk for syche materys as my cosyn Dawbeney took my modyr a byll of, towchyng the materys be twyx yow and Jenney. And of all the jentylmen that ye wold my modyr schold send to for thys mater ther ar no more at home bot John Alyngton; and I schewyd hym the byll of the namys of the Inqwest and knew no more of hem all bot thes, John Depden, Thomas Wodborne, John Donemowe, Herry Chesten, and Adam Wrene. And to all them Alyngton sent a man of hys for to fele hem how they wer dysposyd. Thys was the answer of John Depden and Thomas Wodborne, they sayd the last tyme they wer at London iche of ther costys stood hem on xs., and they seyd they wold no mor come at London bot if[150.2] they knew who schod pay for ther costis; but me thowt by Alyngtonys man that they wold have had a brybe of yow be syd the paying for ther costys for to have bedyn at home, for they have non othyr levyng but brybys. As for John Donemow and Herry Chesten, so that ther issuys may be payd they wyll not come ther; nor in trowthe they scholl not come ther. Wher for Alyngton prayith yow that ther issuys may be payid. Adam Wrene was not spoke to, for he is Jenneys baly or hys fermour. As for the quest they ar not yet somoned to aper, and but if[151.1] they be somonyd ther scholl non of hem all aper. The most part of the todyr dwell a bowt Ippyswyche and they be Debnamys tenauntys and Brewsys, and I knowd get no man to spek with hem but if[151.1] I schold have spok with hem my selve; and my spekyng with hem schold rather aperyd [have impaired] the mater than a mendyd it. And also I hyid me the faster home a geyn, for I lay at my cosyn Lovedays on Corpus Christi Day at nyth; and he told me that the Duches of Sofokys consell wold entre in to Calcot Hall, and they wold kep it tyll the Duches knew who schold be her tenaunt, owthyr ye or Debnam. Thus told one of the men of the seyd cowncell to Loveday; whyche man schold ryd thedyr with hem. And thys schold be do as to morow at aftyr non; bot I trow they wole but tak a distres for the servys of the maner, whych is dwe; but I have sent word to Rysyng and to the tenauntis that they schold dryve a wey ther catell. And as for the maner, my brodyr and I scholl kepe it so that they schall not entyr as that daye, by the grase of God, nor aftyr nowthyr and [i.e. if] we may knowe of it, but if[151.1] ye send us othyr wys word. As for the namys that ye wold have for to pase upon the mater betwyx yow and Hogan, I spok to Alyngton and Loveday therof, and Loveday seyd he knew non that wold pas up on ony inquest for hym, for he medylyd with no syche men; and Alyngton seyd that he kowd assyne me none men for serteyn, not tyll he had spok with some, whyche he seyd wold aske gret leyser, for he knew bot fewe in Sofolk; if it had be in Cambrygge schyre he kowd have get you j now. My modyr spak with old Banyard of Sibton Abbey for the same mater, and he knew none that wold pase upon the mater at his desyer, but he asygnyd dyvers men that love not Jeney, whyche he kowd thynk wold pase upon it at yowr desyer if ye spok with hem your selve; or at the lest iche of hem kowd get yow ij. or iij. men that wold sey as they wold in cas ye spok with hem your selve, whoys namys I send you in a byll by Loveday. Item, as for the gape at Nakton Rychard Calle seyth that it was a thorn busche was leyd in with owt a stake betwyx ij. thornys that grew; and as for Jeneys netes, ther was not one lost her calfe that I can inquer of. And I pray God farther yow in all youyr materys to Hys plesans and to youer hertys desyir. Wretyn in hast at Hallysworthe the Saterday next aftyr Trinite Sonday.
My cosyn Hevenyngham is at London, and he kowd asygne you men that wold say as he wold mor than Syr John Wyngfeld, Alyngton, and all. Your sone and lowly servant, John Paston the Yongest.