To John Paston, Esqer, be thys delyveryd.
1473
JUNE 3
Ryght wyrshypfull brother, I comand me to yow, letyng yow weet that thys daye I was in very purpose to Caleys ward, all redy to have goon to the barge, saff I teryed ffor a yonge man that I thoght to have had with me thyddr, on that was with Rows, whyche is in the cowntre; and because I cowde not geet hym, and that I have no mor heer with me butt Pampyng, Edward, and Jak, therffor Pampyng remembryd me, that at Caleys he tolde me that he purposed to be with the Duchesse off Norffolk, my Lady and yowrs. And Edward is syke and semythe nott abydyng; he wolde see what shold falle off thys worlde; and so I am as he that seythe ‘Come hyddr John, my man.’ And as happe was yisterday, Juddy went affor to Caleysward; wherffor I am nowe ille purveyd, whyche ffor owte that I knowe yit is lyke to kepe me heer thys Wytsontyd.[187.2] Wherffor iff ye knowe any lykly men, and ffayr condycioned, and good archers, sende them to me, thowe it be iiij. and I wyll have them, and they shall have iiij. mrks by yer, and my levere [livery].
He maye com to me hyddr to the Gott [Goat], or yit to Caleys with a riall[187.3] iff he be wyse, whyche iff nede bee, I wolde that Berker toke hym to come uppe with, iff it be suche one as ye tryst.
Item, I suppose bothe Pytte and Kothye Plattyng shall goo ffrom me in hast; I wyll never cherysshe knaves soo as I have don, ffor ther sakys.
Item, I praye yow sende me a newe vestment off whyght damaske ffor a dekyne, whyche is among myn other geer at Norwiche, ffor he shall ther too as ye woot off: I wyll make an armyng doblett off it, thow I sholde an other tyme gyff a longe gown of velvett ffor another vestment, and send it in all hast to Hoxon to send me.
I hopyd to have been verry mery at Caleys thys Whytsontyde, and am weell apparayled and apoyntyd, saff that thes ffolks ffayle me soo, and I have mater ther to make off ryght excellent. Som man wolde have hastyd hym to Caleys thowe he had hadd no better erand, and som men thynke it wysdom and profyght to be theer now weell owt off the weye.
Item, as ffor the Bysshop[188.1] and I, we bee nerrer to a poynt than we weer, so that my part is nowe all the londes in Flegge Holly, the maner off Heylesdon, Tolthorpe, and tenements in Norwyche and Erlham, excepte Fayrechylds, but ffarweell Drayton; the Devyll do ytt them.
Item, large and fferr comynycacion hathe ben bytwyen Sir John Fogge, Ric. Haulte, ffor ther suster and me, byffor Doctor Wyntborne and ellys wher, so that I am in better hope than I was, by Seynt Lawrens[188.2] that I shall have a delyveraunce.
Item, as ffor tydyngs heer, I trow ye have herde yowr parte, howe that the Erle off Oxenfford landyd by Seynt Osyes in Essexe, the xxviij. daye off Maye, saff he teryed nott longe, ffor iff he had, the Erle of Essexe[188.3] rod to hym wardys, and the Lords Denham and Durasse, and other mor, whyche by lyklyod sholde have dystrussyd hym; but yit hys comyng savyd Hogan hys hed, and hys profesye is the mor belevyd ffor he seyde that thys troble sholde begyn in Maye, and that the Kynge sholde northwards, and that the Scotts sholde make us werke and hym batayle.