6)***


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Transcriber's note:

      This text file is intended for users whose text readers cannot
      display the Unicode/UTF-8 version. The oe-ligature is displayed
      as "oe." One Greek phrase is shown in transliteration between
      number signs (#O thea#).

      The Gairdner edition of the Paston Letters was printed in six
      volumes. Each volume is a separate e-text; Volume VI is further
      divided into two e-texts, Letters and Index. Volume I, the
      General Introduction, will be released after all other volumes,
      matching the original publication order.

      Except for footnotes and sidenotes, all brackets are in the
      original, as are parenthetical question marks and (_sic_)
      notations. Series of dots representing damaged text are shown
      as in the printed original.

      The year was shown in a sidenote at the top of each page; this
      has been merged with the sidenote at the beginning of each
      Letter or Abstract.

      A carat character is used to denote superscription. The
      character(s) following the carat is superscripted (example:
      vj^ti). Braces { } are used only when the superscripted
      text is immediately followed by non-superscripted letters
      or period (full stop). Subscripts (rare) are shown with
      single lines _.Errata and other transcriber's notes are
      shown in [[double brackets]].

      Footnotes have their original numbering, with added page
      number to make them usable with the full Index. They are
      grouped at the end of each Letter or Abstract.

      Typographical errors are listed at the end of each Letter,
      after the footnotes. In the primary text, errors were only
      corrected if they are clearly editorial, such as missing
      italics, or mechanical, such as u-for-n misprints. Italic
      "d" misprinted as "a" was a recurring problem, especially
      in Volume IV. The word "invisible" means that there is
      an appropriately sized blank space, but the letter or
      punctuation mark itself is missing. The form "corrected
      by author" refers to the Errata printed at the end of the
      Letters, in Volume VI.

      Specifics: The spelling "Jhon" is not an error. Gresham and
      Tresham are different people. Conversely, the inconsistent
      spelling of the name "Lipyate" or "Lipgate" in footnotes is
      unchanged. In this volume, the spelling "apostyle" for
      "apostille" is used consistently.

      Note that the printed book used z to represent original small
      letter yogh. This has not been changed for the e-text.





This edition, published by arrangement with Messrs. ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE
AND COMPANY, LIMITED, is strictly limited to 650 copies for Great
Britain and America, of which only 600 sets are for sale, and are
numbered 1 to 600.

No. 47

  [[The number 47 is handwritten.]]


       *       *       *       *       *
           *       *       *       *


              THE PASTON LETTERS

                A.D. 1422-1509


           *       *       *       *
       *       *       *       *       *


THE PASTON LETTERS
A.D. 1422-1509

New Complete Library Edition

Edited with Notes and an Introduction

by

JAMES GAIRDNER
of the Public Record Office

_VOLUME V_







London
Chatto & Windus

[Decoration]

Exeter
James G. Commin
1904

Edinburgh: T. and A. CONSTABLE, Printers to His Majesty




THE PASTON LETTERS

_Edward IV_




695

WILLIAM EBESHAM TO SIR JOHN PASTON[1-1]

_To my moost worshupfull maister, Sir John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: 1469(?)]

My moost woorshupfull and moost speciall maister, with all my servyce
moost lowly I recomande unto your gode maistirship, besechyng you most
tendirly to see me sumwhat rewardid for my labour in the Grete
Booke[1-2] which I wright unto your seide gode maistirship. I have often
tymes writyn to Pampyng accordyng to your desire, to enforme you hou I
have labourd in wrytyngs for you; and I see wele he speke not to your
maistership of hit. And God knowith I ly in seint warye [_sanctuary_] at
grete costs, and amongs right unresonable askers. I movid this mater to
Sir Thomas[1-3] late, and he tolde me he wolde move your maistirship
therein, which Sir Thomas desirid me to remembir wele what I have had in
money at soondry tymes of hym.[2-1]

     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

And in especiall I beseche you to sende me for almes oon of your olde
gownes, which will countirvale much of the premysses I wote wele; and I
shall be yours while I lyve, and at your comandement; I have grete myst
of it, God knows, whom I beseche preserve you from all adversite. I am
sumwhat acqueyntid with it. Your verry man,

  W. EBSHAM.

Folowyng apperith, parcelly, dyvers and soondry maner of writyngs, which
I William Ebesham have wreetyn for my gode and woorshupfull maistir, Sir
John Paston, and what money I have resceyvid, and what is unpaide.

  First, I did write to his maistership a litill booke of Pheesyk,
  for which I had paide by Sir Thomas Leevys[2-2] in Westminster
    xx_d._

  Item, I had for the wrytyng of half the prevy seale of Pampyng
    viij_d._

  Item, for the wrytynge of the seid hole prevy seale of Sir Thomas
    ij_s._

  Item, I wrote viij. of the Witnessis in parchement, but aftir
  xiiij^d. a peece, for which I was paide of Sir Thomas
    x_s._

  Item, while my seide maister was over the see in Midsomerterme

  Calle sett me a warke to wryte two tymes the prevy seale in papir,
  and then after cleerely in parchement
    iiij_s._ viij_d._

  And also wrote the same tyme oon mo of the lengist witnessis,
  and other dyvers and necessary wrytyngs, for which he promisid me
  x^s. whereof I had of Calle but iiij^s. viij^d. car. v^s. iiij^d.
    v_s._ iiij_d._

  I resceyvid of Sir Thomas at Westminster, penultimo die Oct., anno
  viij.
    iij_s._ iiij_d._

  Item, I did write to quairs of papir of witnessis, every quair
  conteynyng xiiij. leves after ij^d. a leff
    iiij_s._ viij_d._

  Item, as to the Grete Booke--First, for wrytyng of the Coronacion,
  and other tretys of Knyghthode, in that quaire which conteyneth
  a xiij. levis and more, ij^d. a lef
    ij_s._ ii_d._

  Item, for the tretys of Werre in iiij. books, which conteyneth
  lx. levis aftir ij^d. a leaff
    x_s._

  Item, for _Othea_[3-1] pistill, which conteyneth xliij. leves
    vii_s._ ij_d._

  Item, for the Chalengs, and the Acts of Armes which is xxviij^ti
  lefs
    iiij_s._ viij_d._

  Item, for _De Regimine Principum_, which conteyneth xlv^ti leves,
  aftir a peny a leef, which is right wele worth
    iij_s._ ix_d._

  Item, for Rubrissheyng of all the booke
    iii_s._ iiij_d._

  Summa rest'
      xxij_s._ iiij_d._

  Summa non solut'
      xlj_s._ j_d._,
      unde pro magno[4-1] libro scripto xxvij^s cum diu' chal.[4-2]

  Summa Totalis
    iij_li._ iij_s._ v_d._

  WILLIAM EBESHAM.


  In further illustration of the payments made in that age for
  writing, etc., Sir John Fenn gives the following extracts from an
  original quarto MS. then in his possession, containing--

The various expences of Sir John Howard, Knight, of Stoke by Neyland, in
Suffolk (afterwards Duke of Norfolk), page 136.

Item, the vij^th yere of Kynge Edward the iiij^th, and the xxviij. day
of July (1467). My master rekened with Thomas Lympnour of Bury, and my
master peid hym--

  For viij. hole vynets... prise the vynett, xii_d._,
    viij_s._

  Item, for xxj. demi vynets... prise the demi vynett, iiij_d._
    vij_s._

  Item, for Psalmes lettres xv^c. and di'... the prise of
  C. iiij_d._
    v_s._ ij_d._

  Item, for p'ms letters lxiij^c.... prise of a C., j_d._
    v iij_d._

  Item, for wrytynge of a quare and demi... prise the quayr, xx_d._
    ij_s._ vj_d._

  Item, for wrytenge of a calender,
    xij_d._

  Item, for iij. quayres of velym, prise the quayr, xx_d._
    v_s._

  Item, for notynge of v. quayres and ij. leves, prise of the quayr,
  viij[_d._]
    iij_s._ vij_d._

  Item, for capital drawynge iij^c. and di', the prise,
    iij_d._

  Item, for floryshynge of capytalls, v^c.
    v_d._

  Item, for byndynge of the boke,
    xij_s._

  c_s._ ij_d._

The wyche parcellis my master paid hym this day, and he is content.

This is an account of a limner or illuminator of manuscripts, who
resided at Bury.

    [Footnote 1-1: [From Fenn, ii. 10.] By the date of one item in the
    account subjoined to this letter it must have been written after
    the year 1468, probably in the year following.]

    [Footnote 1-2: This 'great book' has been identified, on evidence
    which at first sight seems conclusive, with MS. 285 in the
    Lansdowne library in the British Museum. But probably this latter
    is only another transcript by Ebesham of a very similar volume.
    _See_ Account of this MS. in 'Sailing Directions for the
    Circumnavigation of England,' published by the Hakluyt Society in
    1889.]

    [Footnote 1-3: Sir Thomas Lewis, a priest.]

    [Footnote 2-1: Here (according to Fenn) follows the account as
    stated more at large in the subjoined Bill.]

    [Footnote 2-2: Fenn's modern transcript reads Lewis. Is 'Leevys'
    in the other a misprint for 'Lewys'?]

    [Footnote 3-1: _Othea_ means a treatise on Wisdom.--F.
    The name is derived from the Greek #O thea#, but was used in the
    Middle Ages as a proper name. See a poem beginning

      'Othea of prudence named godesse,'

    mentioned in the Third Report of the Historical MSS. Commission,
    p. 188.]

    [Footnote 4-1: _magno_,'m^o' in Fenn.]

    [Footnote 4-2: So in Fenn. Qu. _cum diurnali challengiorum_? Fenn
    omits the whole of this clause, unde.... chal', but notices
    its occurrence in a footnote.]

  [[_In this section, many italic "d"s were misprinted as "a".
  They have not been individually noted._

 ... the Chalengs, and the Acts of Armes which is xxviij^ti lefs
  _text has "less"; corrected from Fenn ("lefs" with "f" misread as
  "le[s]s" with long "s")_

 ... prise the vynett, xii_d._,
  _anomalous final comma in original_

  Item, for p'ms letters lxiij^c.... prise of a C., j_d._
  v iij_d._
  _text unchanged: _s._ after "v" missing_]]


696

THE EARL OF OXFORD TO SIR JOHN PASTON[5-1]

_To the worshipfull, and with alle myn hert right entierly bilovyd Sir
John Paston, Knyght, this lettre be delivered._

TH'ERLE OF OXINFORD.

[Sidenote: 1469(?) / JAN. 7]

Right hertly welbilovyd, I grete you wele. And where I am for trowth
enformyd that the Duchesse of Suffolk wolle hold a court on Monday next
commyng at Coton, to th'entent that she wolle fynde the maner of
Thempnals holde of hir by knyghts service and they that ben
possessioners of the same shulde payle certeine of the Parke of
Weverston; and by cause this is nat performyd nor don, thoo that ben
possessioners shall at the said court be amersid. And it is agreed that
Sir William Yelverton, Sir Thomas Hoo, shalle be at the said court and
wolle pay the amercyment, and to delyver the said Duchesse possession of
the said service and palyng, and so by this meane to be come tenauntes
to the said Duchesse. And what wolle be falle more herof I kan nat sey.
Wherfor me thinkith it were welle don ye were at the said court with
your councell, and to do therin as they wolle avise you. Also as ye come
to the said court take your wey by the said Duchesse to th'entent that
ye come to se hir welfare, &c. Do herin as your councell wolle avyse
you. I wolde ye dud welle. And to my power I wolle help you. And our
Lorde kepe yow. Writyn at Tatyngston the vij. day of Januer.

  _Endorsed_: Th'Erle off Oxenfford.

    [Footnote 5-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] It will be seen by No.
    690, that in October 1468 the Duchess of Suffolk had a design of
    suddenly entering the manor of Cotton and dispossessing Sir John
    Paston. This letter, in which it is said she proposes to hold a
    court there, was probably written in the beginning of the
    following year.]


697

ABSTRACT[6-1]

[Sidenote: 1469 / JAN. 9]

W. COTING to JOHN COOK, draper of Norwich, 'and that he deliver or send
this bill to Richard Kalle in all goodly haste, for the matter is of
substance.'

This day in the grey morning three men of my Lord of Norfolk with long
spears carried off three good horses from John Poleyn, 'one of your
farmers at Tichewell,' telling him to treat with my Lord of Norfolk.
Wishes to know what to do, 'for such an open wrong unremedied knew I
never.' Saturday after Epiphany.

'Anno viij^