To begyn, God yeld yow for my hatys. The Kyng hathe ben in this contre, and worchepfully receyvyd in to Norwyche, and had ryght good cher and gret gyftys in thys contre, wherwythe he holdyth hym so well content that he wyll hastyly be her agayn, and the Qwen allso, with whom, by my power avyse, ye shall com, if so be that the terme be do by that tym that she com in to this contre. And as for yowr maters her, so God help me, I have don as myche as in me was, in laboryng of theym, as well to my Lord Revers[30.2] as to my Lord Scalys,[30.3] Syr John Wydwyll,[30.4] Thomas Wyngfeld, and othyr abowt the Kyng. And as for the Lord Revers, he seyd to myn oncyll William, Fayrfax, and me, that he shold meve the Kyng to spek to the two Dukys of Norffolk and Suffolk, that they shold leve of ther tytyls of syche lond as wer Syr John Fastolfs. And if so be that they wold do nowt at the Kyngs reqwest, and then the Kyng shold comand theym to do no wasts, nor mak non assawtys nor frayis upon your tenants nor plasys, tyll syche tym as the lawe hathe determynd with yow or ayenst yow; this was seyd by hym the sam day in the mornyng that he depertyd at noon. Whedyr he meved the Kyng with it or nowt I can not sey, myn oncyll Wyllyam thynkys naye. And the same aftyr none folowyng I told my Lord Scalys that I had spokyn with my Lord hys fadyr, in lyek forme as I have rehersyd, and axyd hym whedyr that my Lord hys fadyr had spokyn to the Kyng or nowt, and he gave me thys answer, that whedyr he had spokyn to the Kyng or nowt, that the mater shold do well inow.
Thomas Wygfeld told me, and swore on to me, that when Brandon meuvyd the Kyng, and besowght hym to shew my Lord favour in hys maters ayenst yow, that the Kyng seyd on to hym ayen, ‘Brandon, thow thou can begyll the Dwk of Norffolk, and bryng hym abow the thombe as thow lyst, I let the wet thow shalt not do me so; for I undyrstand thy fals delyng well inow.’ And he seyd on to hym, more over, that if my Lord of Norffolk left not of hys hold of that mater, that Brandon shold repent itt, every vayn in hys hert, for he told hym that he knew well inow that he myght reauyll [rule] my Lord of Norffolk as he wold; and if my Lord dyd eny thyng that wer contrary to hys lawys, the Kyng told hym he knew well inow that it was by no bodys menys but by hys; and thus he depertyd fro the Kyng.
Item, as by wordys, the Lord Scalys and Syr John Wydwyll tok tendyr your maters mor then the Lord Revers.
Item, Syr John Wydvyll told me, when he was on horsbak at the Kyngs depertyng, that the Kyng had comandyd Brandon of purpose to ryd forthe fro Norwych to Lyne, for to tak a conclusyon in your mater for yow; and he bad me that I shold cast no dowghtys but that ye shold have your entent, and so dyd the Lord Scalys also; and when that I preyd them at eny tyme to shew ther favor to your mater, they answered that it was ther mater as well as yours, consyderyng, the alyans[31.1] betwyx yow. Comon with Jakys Hawt, and he shall tell yow what langage was spekyn betwen the Duk of Suffolks consell, and hym, and me; it is to long to wryght, but I promyse yow ye ar be held to Jakys, for he sparyd not to spek.
Item, the Kyng rod thorow Heylysdon Waren towads Walsyngham, and Thomas Wyngfeld promysyd me that he wold fynd the menys that my Lord of Glowsestyr[31.2] and hym sylf bothe shold shew the Kyng the loge that was breke down, and also that they wold tell hym of the brekyng down of the plase. Contrary to thys maters, and all the comfort that I had of my Lord Scalys, Sir John Wydvyll, and Thomas Wyngfeld, myn oncyll Wylliam sethe that the Kyng told hym hys owne mowthe, when he had redyn for by the loge in Heylysdon Waren, that he supposyd as well that it myght fall downe by the self as be plukyd downe, for if it had be plukyd down, he seyd that we myght have put in our byllys of it, wehn hys jugys sat on the oyeer determyner in Norwyche, he beyng ther. And then myn oncyll seythe how that he answered the Kyng, that ye trustyd to hys good grace that he shold set yow thorow with both the Dwkys, by mene of trete; and he seythe that the Kyng answerd hym that he wold neythyr tret nor spek for yow, but for to let the lawe proced, and so he seyth that they depertyd. And by my trowthe, and my Lord Tresorer encorage you not more than he dyd us her, ye shall have but esy [indifferent] help as on that party. Wherfor labor your maters effectually; for by my trowthe it is nedy, for, for all ther wordys of plesur, I cannot undyrstand what ther labor in thys contre hathe don good; wherfor be not ovyr swyft tyll ye be swyr of your lond, but labor sore the lawe, for by my trowthe tyll that be passyd with yow, ye get but esy help as I can undyrstand.
I had with me on day at dener in my modyrs plase, she beyng owt, the Lord Scalys, Sir John Wydvyll, Sir John Haward, Nicolas Haward, John of Par, Thomas Gornet, Foscwe, Cheyny, Trussell, the Knyghts son, Thomas Boleyn, qua propter, Brampton, Barnard, and Broun, Perse, Howse, W. Tonstale, Lewes Debretayll, and othyr, and mad hem good cher, so as they held them content.
Item, my Lord of Norffolk gave Bernard, Broom, nor me no gownys at thys seson, wherfor I awaytyd not on hym; notwithstandyng I ofyrd my servyse for that seson to my Lady, but it was refusyd, I wot by avyse; wherfor I purpose no more to do so. As for Bernard, Barney, Broom, and W. Calthorp, ar sworn my Lord of Glowsetyrs men, but I stand yet at large; not withstandyng my Lord Scalys spok to me to be with the Kyng, but I mad no promes so to be, for I told hym that I was not woorthe a groote withowt yow, and therfor I wold mak no promes to nobody tyll they had your good wyll fyrst; and so we depertyd.
It was told me that ther was owt a preve seall for yow to attend upon the Kyng northeward; and if it be so, I thynk veryly it is do to have yow fro London be craft, that ye shold not labor your maters to a conclusyon thys terme, but put them [in] delaye. I pray yow purvey yow on it to be at hom as sone as the terme is doone, for be God I take gret hurt for myn absence in dyvers plasys, and the most part of your men at Caster wyll deperte withowt abod, and ye be not at hom within thys fortnyght. I pray yow bryng hom poynts and lasys of sylk for yow and me. J. P.
[30.1] [From Fenn, iv. 334.] Edward IV. arrived at Norwich in the middle of the month of June 1469. There are privy seals dated at Bury on the 15th and 16th of the month, at Norwich on the 19th and 21st, at Walsingham on the 21st and 22nd, at Lynn on the 26th, and at Stamford on the 5th July. Edward did not return with the Queen as he intended, but she visited Norwich without him a little later. See a paper on the subject of her visit by Mr. Harrod, in the Norfolk Archæology, vol. v. p. 32.
[30.2] Richard Woodville, Earl Rivers, father to the Queen, Lord Treasurer and Constable of England.