Teste meipso apud Knapton prædicta,
Est et michi testis Maria Benedicta,
Quod vicesimo die Julij non inde relicta
Erat summa solidi, res hæc non est ficta.
[168.1] [From Fenn, iv. 458.] The ‘Black Knight,’ to whom this facetious doggrel was addressed, seems to me to have been most probably the later Sir John Paston, whose services the Earl of Oxford, as the reader is aware, continually made use of. The manor of Knapton came to John, 12th Earl of Oxford, who died in 1462, by his marriage with Elizabeth, grand-daughter of Sir John Howard.
[1074]
EAST BECKHAM[169.1]
1503
FEB. 6
Where Sir John Paston and Roger Townesende have agreed and promysed to obey as we, Jamys Hobart and John Yaxley will devyse for the varians of the maner of Estbekham: We devyse and a warde that Sir John Paston shall have the seid maner to hym, and to his heires; and he therfor shall paye to the seid Rogyr xlli. at Pentecoste nexte, and at Halowmesse nexte aftyr that xlli., and at Pentecoste next aftyr that xxli.; and the same Syr John shall have the arrerages of the seid maner. And if the seid Sir John refuse to have the maner, then the seid Rogyr to have the same maner, with the arrerages as is a forseid, payeng to the seid Sir John the seid Cli. at the dayes aforseid; and the seid Syr John to geve answer which he will chose the viij. daye of this moneth.
Yevyn the vj. daye of Februarii, anno R. R. H. vij. xviijo.
And all this to be perfurmyd and put in surte after our avise. And we devise that he that shall have the land, shall paie to th’ other at Halwemes come twelvemonyth, ten mark, besides the seid Cli., because th’arrerages have ben long in the tenauntes handes. John Yaxlee.
Jamys Hobart.