Humbly besecheth your good lordshepe, your dayly servaunt and beedman, John Paston, more kayteff than knyght, that it may please you of your specyall grace to dyrect ought your lettres, sygned with your hand and sealid with your seall, to the dreedfull man, Jamys Radcliff of Byllingforth, Sqwyer, fermour of your wareyn ther, ought of wheys wareyn no maner of man nor vermyn dare take on hym, for dought of your seyd dredfull [man], to take or carye awey eny of your game ther, for fere [of being] hangyd up among other mysdoers and forfaytours, as wesellis, lobsters [stoats], polkattys, bosartys [hawks], and mayne currys,—that the seyd Jamys shall, upon the syght of your seyd wryghtyng, delyver, or cause to be delyverd, to your seyd besecher or to hys depute, delyverer of your seyd lettres, at hys fyrst syght of the same, vj. coupyll blake conyes or rennyng rabbettys, or some blake and some whyght to the seyd nombre, to store with a newe grownd of your seyd besechers at Oxenhed, more lyeke a pynnefold than a parke. And your seyd besecher shall daylye prey to God for the preservacyon of your noble estate longe t’endure.
[133.1] [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This humorous petition, though it bears no address, was certainly drawn up for presentation to Sir John Radcliff, Lord Fitzwalter, the writer of Letters 1024 and 1025, for he was lord of the manor of Billingford in Norfolk, and James Radcliff, the farmer of his warren, was evidently his kinsman. The date is probably, as Fenn suggests, ‘about 1490,’ certainly before 1495, when Lord Fitzwalter was beheaded. The MS. is a rough draft in Paston’s hand.
[1043]
THE EARL OF SURREY TO SIR JOHN PASTON[134.1]
To my right worshipfull cousine, Sir John Paston, Knyght.
1490,
or later
Right worshipfull cousine, in right harty wyse I commaunde me unto you. And where I understand by Thomas Hartforde, a bower of Norwiche, berer herof, hath been putt to grete vexacion and trouble by oon Thomas Hogan, scomaker, of Norwiche, and that I perceyve ye have harde the matier depending in travers bitwixt the saide parties; I therfore desire you that, in the right of the forsayd Thomas Hartford, ye wolbe unto hym gode maistir, and the bettir for this myn instaunce, as my singler trust is in you.
And where I conceyve also that the same Thomas is noysed in Norffolk for a Scotesman borne, ye shall understande that I perceyve wele, by suche honest folkes as I have hard speke within the citie of York, that the saide Thomas was borne their, and his fathir there inhabityng, and his god fathirs and mothers, the which bee right honest persones; and for that this is true, and not feyned, ye shall understand the Maiour of the citie of York and his brethern hath made grete instaunce unto me to writ for the saide Thomas, for whom I must nedes do, because thaye arre my nye neighbours, as our Lord knoweth, Who have you in His blissid saufegard.
Written in the castell of Shirefhoton, the xxiiijth day of Aprill. Your lovyng cousin, Thomas Surrey.
[134.1] [From Paston MSS., B.M.] Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, the writer of this letter, fought for Richard III. at the battle of Bosworth, and was taken prisoner. He was, however, after some years’ confinement, liberated from the Tower, and taken into favour. In 1489 the King sent him into the North to put down the rebellion in which the Earl of Northumberland was slain, and afterwards made him his lieutenant-general north of Trent; and for ten years he resided continually in those parts. The date of this letter, therefore, cannot be earlier than 1490, though it may be several years later.