[75.1] Possibly John Damme.
[75.2] This looks like a mistake, for no Speaker of the name of Fynes is met with during this period. The expression, however, suggests that the letter was written about the beginning of a new Parliament, which could only have been that which met on the 29th April 1463. On the following day the Commons elected John Say as their Speaker, whose name Margaret Paston seems to have confounded with the family name of William Fenys, Lord Say, the trusty friend of Edward IV. who accompanied him into exile when he fled from his kingdom in 1470. It does not appear, however, that John Say, the Speaker, was related to that family.
[75.3] The Sacrist or Sexton of the Priory of Norwich was the officer who had the care of Sacra, or Holy Things, as the Church Plate, Copes, etc.; he was likewise Secretary, Auditor, and Chancellor of the Convent, and had a Sub-sacrist or Deputy to perform the servile parts of his office. In 1444 Brother Richard de Walsham was appointed Sacrist.—F.
[75.4] John de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk.—F.
[76.1] Crouchmas Day, or the Invention of the Cross, was on the 3rd of May.—F.
[545]
[JAMES GRESHAM] TO JOHN PASTON[76.2]
To mygth rigth good and speciall maister, John Paston, dwellyng at Heylesdon be syde Norwich.
1463
JULY
Rigth reverent, &c. Please your maisterchip wete that I resseived your letter whiche ye sent by Crome, and as for the examinacion of, &c. that I wrot to you of in my former letter to be taken on the Munday or on Tewysday, &c. this was the cause. Ye yaff me informacion at my last departyng fro you that the murdre was don uppon the day nexst after Seynt Petre. And for doute lesse ye had be ougth at the comyng of my seid letter, and for dowte that I supposed that my maistres, your wyf, had not be remembred of the day, it caused me, accordyng to your informacion, to wryte the uttermost day for her remembrans. Neverthelesse, if ye certifie that ye toke the examinacion with in the yere and day, and sette the day in certayn, your certificat is sufficiant in lawe and shall bynd any of the parties to sey the contrary. And also the writte is that ye schuld certefie sine dilatione, and no day expresly yoven you whan to certifie it; wherfor ye may kepe uncertefiet tyl the nexst terme. And so do sir, for it schal do no hurt; but if ony questions or jangelyng schuld be mad when the examinacion was, let a sufficiant day with inne the yere be noysed, and if the teste be to schort we schal fynd the mene it schal be amendyd by hym that wrot it. For after the informacion that I had of Crome the Sunday was the uttermest day, and therefor it was happy that sche was examined thenne. And where that ye wold I schuld tak the advice of Maister Markham, &c., if all thyng were laufull, and elles not, it is full hard to my self to determine the certaynte of every circumstans of the mater, and it is not gretely to be comuned of with other, nor to comune of casez lyke; for whan the mater schuld come in revelysshon it wold cause prevy titlers and flaterers ougth of suche questions to ymagyn, and contryve mater of distourbans. Wherfor uppon the certeynte of myn determinacion I brak the mater to Master Markham, which called to hym Master Byngham, and so thei ij. meved Y.[77.1]; and after that mocion he kept not his owyn councell but brak to every man of it. Hou be it he was sore mevyd with it, I wote it well, and glad to take avyse and comfort of other personez than of Masters Markham and Byngham. Al circumstans were to long to wryte, but I hope to speke with you be tymes i nougth or ye schall nede to certefye, &c. And, sir, in conclucion, Masters Markham and Byngham thynk it sufficiant i nougth to take his promys and his othe with ougth obligacion that he schal mak amends if profe here after can be mad uppon hym. And to this Maister Markham prayed you to agre by the same token ye mevyd hym to sette an ende be twyx you and my masters your brethern. Neverthelesse if ye thynk this wey not sufficiant, ye may lete sum other handele the mater at hom to hym if that ye hope to gete good pref in the mater, for with ougth evydent proffe the mater schall be but noysefull to you, and cause men to thynk that it growyth of your ille wyll to hym ward, &c.; for he noyseth and seyth, because of ille wyll ye have caused a mad woman to take apell a yens hym.
Item, sir, as for Leukenore he is not at London, but peraventure I schal make hym to be meved in the mater here after.