[Enlarged View]

[118.1] [From Fenn, iii. 418.] It is difficult to assign with confidence either a date or a meaning to this strangely worded epistle. The signature itself is a mystery. The order of the Temple of Sion is unknown to archæologists, and the place from which the letter is dated cannot be identified. From the peculiar device used as a signature, resembling what in heraldry represents a fountain, Fenn threw out a suggestion that Fountaine was the writer’s name, remarking that a family of that name resided at Salle, in Norfolk, and might have been related to Paston as the writer claimed to be. But there seems to be an air of irony about the whole communication which forbids us to construe any of its statements seriously; nor do we find the slightest allusion to this letter or its contents in all the rest of the correspondence. For my part, I am inclined to think it was a mocking letter addressed to John Paston by one of the prisoners in the Fleet, where Paston had himself been confined in 1464. His imprisonment on that occasion was probably of short duration, but I cannot tell the precise date of his release. He was committed to the Fleet, as we are informed by William Worcester (Itinerary, p. 366), on Saturday the 3d November. If I am right in my conjecture about this letter, he had, perhaps, been already liberated; but some of his late fellow-prisoners, probably members of the Inner or Middle Temple like himself, who had formed themselves into a fancy ‘Order of the Temple of Sion,’ amused themselves by speculating on the probability that he was not yet quite clear of the toils of the law, and that he would be obliged to come back and spend Christmas in gaol, among the jolly companions whom he had recently deserted. I may remark that the name of Thomas Babington occurs in Dugdale’s Origines Juridiciales, p. 163, as having been elected a reader in the Inner Temple in 22 Hen. VII., when he seems to have been an old man; for, owing to his sight failing, he was excused from reading, and John Port, who was afterwards Attorney General, and, later still, Justice of the King’s Bench, read in his place.

[119.1] i.e. your fellow-Christians.

[119.2] Fenn interprets this word free will, which I cannot think to be the meaning intended.

[575]
[JOHN PASTON] TO MARGARET PASTON AND OTHERS[121.1]

To my mastres Margrete Paston, and to my welbelovid Frendis, John Daubeney and Richard Calle.

1465
JAN. 15

I pray yow, see to the god governaunce of my housold and guydynge of other thynges touchyng my profite, and that ye, with Daubeney and Richard Calle, and with other such of my frendis and servauntis as can avise yow aftir the mater requireth, wekely take a sad comunecacion of such thynges as be for to do, or oftenner and nede be, takyng avise of the master, and of the viker[121.2] and Sir Jamis,[121.3] that is for to say, as well for provision of stuffe for myn howsold as for the gaderyng of the revenew of my livelode or greynes, or for setting awerk of my servauntis, and for the more poletik meane of sellyng and carryng of my malt, and for all other thynges necessari for to be do; and that whanne I come home I have not an excuse, seying that ye spoke to my servauntis and that Daubeney and Calle exkuse them that thei wer so besy thei myght not attende; for I woll have my mater so guided that if on man may not attende a nother shall be comaunded to do it; and if my servauntis faile I had lever wage some other man, for a jorny or a season, thanne my mater should be on sped.

As for my livelode, I left with Daubeney a bille of many of my dettis, wherby ye alle myght have be indused whedir ye shulde have sent for silver.