<B CMOFFIC4>
<Q M4 XX CORO WPASTON1>
<N LET BY WPASTON>
<A PASTON WILLIAM>
<C M4>
<O 1420-1500>
<M 1420-1500>
<K SAME>
<D EML>
<V PROSE>
<T LET NON-PRIV>
<G X>
<F X>
<W WRITTEN>
<X MALE>
<Y 40-60>
<H HIGH PROF>
<U X>
<E X>
<J INTERACTIVE>
<I FORMAL>
<Z X>
<S SAMPLE X>


[^PASTON, WILLIAM.
TEXT:  LETTER(S).
PASTON LETTERS AND PAPERS OF THE FIFTEENTH
CENTURY, PART I.
ED. N. DAVIS.
OXFORD: CLARENDON PRESS, 1971. 
PP. 4.1  - 5.39   (3)    
PP. 8.1  - 12.182 (5)
PP. 13.1 - 14.28  (6)^]

<P 4>
[} [\3. PROBABLY TO MASTER JOHN URRY: DRAFT                     #
1425, NOVEMBER\] }]
   Right worthy and worshepefull ser, I recomaunde [{me{] to    #
yow, preyeng
yow to wite +tat I haue resceyued yowr goodly lettres makyng    #
mencion
+tat Ser John Paston vt asserit hath optyned me condempnyd to   #
hym
in ccc marcz and c s. and +tat +te same John, atte reuerence    #
of yowr
right worthy persone, hath cesed of his sute of certeins        #
processes ageyns
me vp-on +te seyd condempnacion, takyng continuance of +te      #
same matier
vn-to Cristemasse next comyng; by whiche lettres ye conseille   #
me to
make ende with +te seyd John (\ne deterius inde contingat\) .
<P 5>
   I send yow closed with this bille copie of vn frendly        #
lettre +tat +te
seyd John hath sent to me late touchant +te same matier. +Te    #
seyd
Priour hath sent also to yow and to Mayster Will Swan, which    #
longe
tyme hath be his procuratour, a procuracie for my persone and   #
v marcz
of moneye onward. Wher-vp in +te seyd Prioures name and in myn
owyn also I prey yow hertily to sette al these matieres in      #
continuaunce
vn-to yowr comyng in-to Ingeland, and be-cause ye arn here      #
beneficed,
owr cuntre`man, and of worshepe and cunnyng worthyly endowed,   #
+te
seyd Priour, his brether, and I also willen gladdely in these   #
matieres
be treted by yow; and if +tis mesure be accepted and we may     #
haue knowyng
here ther-of, it shal cause +te attemptacion of diuerses        #
matieres a-geyn
summe frendes of +te seyd John to cese. And if +tis             #
continuance be refused
I prey yow with al my power +tat of yowr wysdom and good        #
discrecion ye
wille in +te seyd Prioures name and myn defenden +te seyd       #
sutes, and
alle other +tat +te seyd John sueth a-geyn +te seyd Priour and  #
me, in
yowr best maner, and to be of owr counseill in +tese matieres;  #
and as
ye lyke resonablely to write to vs so we wil be gouerned in     #
yowr rewarde
and al other circumstaunces of +te same matieres.
   I conceyve by yowr seyd lettres +tat +te grete of +te        #
matier conteigned
in +te same ye haue of +te informacion and assercion of +te     #
seyd John,
and as he hath enformed yow I wot weel ye trewely writen; but   #
I hope
and trust verrayly +te matier of his informacion is vntrewe.    #
+Te Priour
of Bromholm sued a-geyn +te seyd John and other in Ingeland a   #
wryt of
(\premunire facias\) , and I was ther-in of +te same Prioures   #
conseill, as +te lawe
of Ingelond and myn office willen, and more I haue nought       #
hadde to do
with +te seyd John; and I can nought beleue +tat in +tis cas    #
+te same John
myght by yowr lawe any swich sute haue ageyn me as yowr lettre  #
specifieth. 
Also Will, +te prest specified in yowr [{lettre{] , told me     #
+tat he, after
+tat ye told hym of +tis matier lyke as ye wr[{i{]te, he        #
comuned with 
Maister Will Swan, and he told +te seyd prest +ter [{was{] no   #
processe in +te
courte ageyn me in no maner. 


<P 7>
[} [\5. MEMORANDUM TO ARBITRATORS   1426-7\] }]
<P 8>
   Be it remembred +tat where, on +te nyght next biforn +te     #
feste of +te Circumcision
of owre Lord Jesu +te [{secunde{] yeer of +te regne of Kyng     #
Henry
+te Sexte, certeyns maffaisours, felons, and brekeres of +te    #
Kynges peas
vnknowyn, to +te noumbre of iiij=xx= and more by estimacion,    #
of malice and
jmaginacion forn-thowght felonowsly +te dwellyng place of John  #
Grys of
Wyghton in Wyghton in +te shyre of Norffolk brokyn, and wyth    #
carpenteres
axes +te yates and +te dores of +te seyd place hewen, and +te   #
seyd John
Grys and hys sone and a seruaunt man of hese by here bodyes     #
tokyn and
fro +te seyd dwellyng place by +te space of a myle to a peyre   #
galwes ledden,
+tere hem for to have hangyd; and by-cause hem fayled ropes     #
convenient
to here felonowse purpos +te seyd John Grys, hese sone, and     #
hys man +tere
felonowsely slowen and mordered in +te most orrible wyse +tat   #
euer was
herd spoken of in +tat cuntre`. Wher-vp-on Walter Aslak,        #
purposyng and
jmaginyng to putte William Paston in drede and intollerable     #
fere to be
slayn and mordered in +te seyd forme wyth force and ageyn +te   #
Kynges
peas, on +te shyre day of Norffolk halden at Norwiche +te       #
xxviij day of
August in +te seyd secunde yeer, beyng +tere +tanne a grete     #
congregacion of
poeple by-cause of +te seyd shyre, in hese owne persone and by  #
Richard 
Kyllyngworth, +tat tyme hese seruaunt, to +te seyd William      #
Paston swiche and
so many manaces of deth and dismembryng maden and puttyn by     #
certeyns
Englishe billes rymed in partye, and vp-on +te yates of +te     #
priorie of +te
Trinite` chirche of Norwiche and on +te yates of +te chyrche    #
of +te Freres
Menures of Norwiche and +te yates of +te same cite` called      #
Nedeham yates
and Westewyk yates, and in othre places wyth-inne +te seyd      #
cite`, by +te
seyd Walter and Richard sette, makyng mension and beryng +tis   #
vndyrstondyng
+tat +te seyd William and hese clerkes and seruauntes schuld
be slayn and mordered in lyke fourme as +te seyd John Grys in   #
+te seyd
fourme was slayn and mordered; conteynyng also +tese too        #
wordes in
Latyn, (\'et cetera'\) , by whiche wordes commvnely it was      #
vndyrstandyn +tat
<P 9>
+te forgeers and makers of +te seyd billes jmagyned to +te      #
seyd William,
hese clerkes, and seruauntz more malice and harm +tan in +te    #
seyd billes
was expressed; wherfore +te seyd William, hese seyd clerkes,    #
and seruauntz
by longe tyme aftyr were in gret and intollerable drede and     #
fere by +te
seyd maffaisours and felons to be slayn and mordered, wherfore  #
+te seyd
William, hese clerkes, and seruauntz ne durst not at here       #
fredom nothyr
goon ne ryde. Wher-vp-on +te seyd William for hese owyn persone
affermyd a pleynt of trespas ageyn +te seyd Walter and          #
Richard. Processe
contynued +ter-vp-on til +te seyd Walter and Richard were       #
founden gilty
of +te seyd trespas by an jnquisicion +ter-of takyn in dwe and  #
lawefull
fourme, by whiche jnquisicion +te damages of +te seyd William   #
for +te
seyd trespas were taxed to cxx li.; aftyr whiche pleynte        #
affermyd, and tofore
ony plee vp-on +te seyd pleynt pleded, +te seyd Walter and      #
William by
Thomas Erpyngham, knyght, a myghty and a gret supportour of     #
+te seyd
Walter in alle +tese matiers and circumstaunces +ter-of ageyn   #
+te seyd
William, were induced to trete in +te same matier in +te        #
fourme +tat folwith;
+tat is to seyne +tat +te seyd William schuld sue forth +te     #
seyd pleynt and +te
execucion +ter-of at hese owne will, and +te seyd Walter        #
schuld defende hymself
in +te seyd pleynt at hese owne will, except +tat he schuld no  #
benefice
take by noon proteccion ne wrytte of (\corpus cum causa\) ne    #
of no lordes
lettres vp-on +te seyd sute. And what-so-euer fortunyd in +te   #
seyd pleynt,
+te proces, execucion, or +te sute +ter-of, +te seyd Walter     #
and William
schuld stonde and obeye to +te ordinaunce of certeyns persones  #
by +te seyd
William and Walter arbitratores +tat tyme named, if +tei        #
myghten accordyn;
and ellys of a noounpier also +tat same tyme named of all +te   #
seyd trespas,
pleynt, and sute and all +te circumstaunces +ter-of, so +tat    #
+te seyd arbitrement
and ordinaunce of +te seyd arbitratores, or ellys of +te seyd   #
nounpier, were
made wythinne xl dayes next folwyng aftyr +te jugement yeven in 
+te seyd pleynt.
   And aftyrward, +te Thursday next biforn Pentecost +te        #
thrydde yeer of
+te regne of +te seyd Kyng, at London in +te presence of +te    #
right excellent
high and myghty prynce +te Duc of Gloucestre, and by hese       #
commaundement,
atte sute and instaunce of +te seyd Thomas Erpyngham it was
accordyd bytwen +te seyd William and Walter +tat +tei schuld    #
stande and
obeye to +te ordinaunce and award of all +te seyd matiers of    #
tweyne of +tese
iiij persones: William Phelip, knyght, Henry Inglose, knyght,   #
Oliuer
Groos, and Thomas Derham chosen on +te partye of +te seyd       #
William
Paston; and tweyne of +tese iiij persones: Symond Felbrygge,    #
knyght,
Bryan Stapilton, knyght, Roberd Clyfton, knyght, and John of    #
Berneye of
<P 10>
Redeham chosen on +te partie of +te seyd Water; and elles +te   #
decree
and iugement of a nounpier to be chosen by +te same             #
arbitrores. +Te whiche
William Phelip, Bryan Stapilton, Roberd Clyfton, Oliuer Groos,  #
John of
Berneye, and Thomas Derham takyng vp-on hem +te charge of +te   #
makyng
of +te seyd award and ordinaunce by +te assent of +te seyd      #
Thomas Erpyngham,
+te Fryday next aftyr +te feste of +te Assumpcion of Owre Lady  #
in
+te seyd thrydde yeer, at Norwiche tokyn ensurauns of +te seyd  #
William
and Walter by here feyth and here trowthez to stonde and obeye  #
to here
ordinaunce of alle +te seyd matiers; and +te same day biforn    #
noon maden
here full ordinaunce and arbitrement of alle +te same matiers   #
in +te chyrche
of +te Greye Frerys at Norwich, and aftyrward, vp-on +te same   #
award and
ordinaunce mad, hadden a commvnicacion +ter-of wyth +te seyd    #
Thomas
Erpyngham, and aftyr +te same commvnicacion +te same day aftyr  #
noon
+te same ordinaunce and award wretyn was red byforn +te seyd    #
arbitrores
and +te seyd Walter and William, and examyned, agreed, and      #
assented,
and by +te seales of +te same vj arbitrores and +te seyd        #
Walter and William
was affermed and ensealed and left in +te handes of +te seyd    #
Ser Bryan,
saueliche to be kept in pleyn remembraunce of +te seyd award    #
and
ordinaunce, +te whiche award and ordinaunce +te seyd William    #
was at all
tymes redy to obeye and parfourme on-to +te seyd feste of       #
Michelmesse
+tat +te seyd Walter to holde or parfourme +te seyd award       #
pleynly refused.
   And where +te seyd Walter, by iugement of +te Chaunceller    #
of Inglond
+te xvj day of Jull +te seyd thrydde yeer, was remytted to +te  #
Kynges prison
at Norwich by-cause of +te seyd sute, the seyd Walter yede at   #
large owt
of warde fro +te seyd xvj day of Jull to +te seyd day of +te    #
makyng of +te
seyd arbitrement and award, and fro +tat day in-to Michelmesse  #
+tanne
next aftyr, +te seyd William +tat meene tyme euermore           #
supposyng +tat +te
seyd Walter wold have holde and parfourmyd +te seyd             #
ordinaunce, arbitrement,
and award. And at +te comyng of +te right high and myghty       #
prynce
+te Duc of Norffolk fro hys castell of Framyngham to +te cetie  #
of Norwyche
aftyr +te seyd day of +te makyng of +tis arbitrement and        #
ordinaunce, and
tofore +te feste of Michelmesse +tan next folwyng, +te seyd     #
Walter by hese
sotill and vngoodly enformacion caused +te seyd Duke to be      #
hevy lord to
+te seyd William, where +te seyd William +te tyme of +te seyd   #
enformacion
was, wyth Ser John Jermy, knyght, and othre of +te counseill    #
of +te seyd
Duk of Norffolk in hys lordshipes in Norffolk and Suffolk       #
+tanne to hym
falle by +te deth of +te right worthy and noble lady hys        #
modyr, occupied
abowte +te dwe seruice of wryttes of (\diem clausit extremum\)  #
aftyr +te deth of
+te seyd lady; and where as +te seyd William Paston, by         #
assignement and
commaundement of +te seyd Duk of Norffolk at hese fyrst         #
passage ouer +te
see in-to Normandye in +te Kynges tyme Henry +te Fyfte, was     #
+te styward
<P 11>
of +te seyd Duc of Norffolk of all hese lordshipes in Norffolk  #
and
Suffolk fro hys seyd passage vn-to +te seyd feste of            #
Michelmesse. [^HERE BEGINS A PASSAGE CANCELLED BY W. PASTON^]   #
And
ouer +tat as sergeaunt of lawe, thow he be vnworthy,            #
withholdyn wyth
+te seyd Duc of Norffolk all +te tyme +tat he was sergeaunt     #
bifore +te same
feste of Michelmesse. And all be it +tat +te fees and +te       #
wages of +te seyd
William for hys seyd seruice vnpayed draweth a gret somme to    #
his pouere
degree, jf +te seyd Duk of Norffolk lyked of hys noble and      #
plentifous
grace to graunte to +te seyd William in right ony part of +te   #
fauour of hese
good lordship, +te seyd William wold euere be hys pouere and    #
trewe bedeman 
and euere in hys herte thenke all hys seyd seruice and all +te  #
seruice
+tat euere he dede to +te seyd [{Duke{] of Norffolk             #
plentefousely weell
rewardyd. [^HERE ENDS A PASSAGE CANCELLED BY W. PASTON^] And    #
where +te seyd Walter +te tyme of +te seyd trespas and of
+te seyd bylles makyng ne longe tofore, ne neuer aftyr biforn   #
+te seyd
comyng of +te seyd Duc of Norffolk to Norwich, ne no tyme       #
hangyng +te 
seyd sute, ne +te tyme of makyng of +te seyd arbitrement and    #
ordinaunce,
neuer was seruaunt to +te seyd Duc of Norffolk at fees ne at    #
wages, ne
wythhaldyn in hese seruice, ne to hym sued to be supported by   #
hese high
lordship in +tis seyd matier, to +te knowleche of +te seyd      #
William ne to no
commvne knowleche in +te shyres of Norffolk, Suffolk, ne        #
Norwiche; the
sute +tat +te seyd Walter made for supportacion in +tis seyd    #
matier was be
+te meene of +te seyd Thomas Erpyngham to +te seyd Duk of       #
Gloucestre
by whose reule and commaundement +te seyd arbitrement and award
was mad in +te fourme aforn seyd.
   And not with-stondyng +te seyd trespas and greuaunce by +te  #
seyd
Walter doon to +te seyd William, ne +tat +te seyd William ne    #
is not satisfied
of +te seyd cxx li. ne no peny +ter-of, and hath absteyned hym  #
of al  
maner of execucion, sewyng of godes or catelles +tat by force   #
of +te seyd
processe or ony othyr he myght have had ageyn +te seyd Walter   #
or hese
borwes, ne +tat +te seyd William hath suffred +te seyd Walter   #
to gon at
large by long tyme whan he myght haue had hys body in warde in  #
lawefull
fourme, the seyd Walter be billes in +te too last parlementz    #
holden at 
Westminster and at Leycestre, and at diuers tymes in diuers     #
other maneres
hath noysed and skaundered +te seyd William vngoodly and othyr  #
wyse
+tan othyr gentilnesse or trowthe wolde, and ouermore caused    #
+te seyd
William orribly to be manassed of hys deth, betyng, and         #
dismembryng of
hys persone by certeyns seruauntz of +te Lordes Fitz-wauter     #
and othre
persones and by ferefull and ouere felle lettres and sondes,    #
wherfore +te
seyd William nothyr hese frendes ne hese seruauntz in hys       #
companye at
<P 12>
here fredam sithen +te seyd parlement at Leycestre durst not,   #
ne yet ne
dar not, rydyn ne goo abowte swyche occupacion as he arn vsed   #
and
disposed, to here grete and importable drede and vexacion in    #
here
spirites and gret harme and damage and losse of here pouere     #
goodes.
[{Ouermore +te seyd Walter hath sued, and yet rigerously        #
sueth, a wrytte
of (\decies tantum\) ageyns x persones of +te seyd jnquisicion  #
and ij of +te 
seruauntz of +te seyd William and iiij othre persones,          #
supposyng by hese
seyd sute hem to have taken of +te seyd William in hys seyd     #
sute lxij li. and
more of moneye; the whiche sute of (\decies tantum\) +te seyd   #
Walter betwyx
God and hym knowith verraly is vntrewe. And also +te seyd       #
Walter hath
sued and yet pursuyth Adam Aubre`, on of +te seyd jnquisicion,  #
in +te court
of +te seyd Duc of Norffolk of hys manoir of Fornsete by cause  #
and
occasion of +te seyd matiers, in whiche sute in +te seyd court  #
it is proceded
ageyn +te seyd Adam in other maner +tanne othyr lawe,           #
conscience, or good
feyth wolde.{]
   Ouermore +te seyd William, atte commaundement of +te seyd    #
Duc of
Norffolk, hath submytted hym to stonde to +te ordinaunce of     #
diuers
persones of alle +te seyd matiers: ones at Leycestre +te        #
Wednesday next
biforn Palme Soneday +te iiij yeer of +te regne of +te seyd     #
Kyng, a-nothyr
tyme atte Reed Clyf in Aprill +te same iiij yeer, aftyr +te     #
fourme of certeyns
billes endented +ter-of made; the whiche submission wyth alle   #
+te circumstaunces
+ter-of +te seyd William hath be at alle tymes redy to obeye.
   The cause why +te seyd Walter by +te seyd Englyshe bylles    #
and in othyr
fourme putte and sette +te seyd William and hese seyd clerkes   #
and seruauntz
in drede and fere intollerable to be slayn and mordered, and    #
to hem trespaced
in +te fourme aforn seyd, was onely for as moche as +te seyd    #
William
was wyth +te Priour of Norwich of counseill in hese trewe       #
defence ageyn
+te entent of +te seyd Walter in a sute +tat he made ageyn +te  #
seyd Priour
of a voweson of +te chyrche of Sprouston in +te counte` of      #
Norffolk, wher-to
+te seyd Walter hath nothyr title suffisaunt ne right in no     #
maner wyse by
ony matier by hym declared byforn thys tyme.

Thys scrowe is mad only for +te jnformacion of +te worthy and   #
worshepfull
lordes +te arbitrores, sauyng euere to +te maker +te benefice   #
resonably to
adde and amenuse, &c., his ignoraunce in swiche occupacion and  #
defaute
of leyser also tendrely considered. 



[} [\6. TO THE VICAR OF THE ABBOT OF CLUNY: DRAFT
PROBABLY 1430, APRIL\] }]
<P 13>
   My ryghte worthy and worshepeful lord, I recomaunde me to    #
yow.
And for as meche as I conseyue verrayly +tat ye arn vicar       #
general in Inggelond
of +te worthy prelate +te Abbot of Clunie, and have hys powre   #
in
many grete articles, and a-mong other in p[{ro{]fession of      #
monkes 
in Inggelond of +te seyd ordere. And in my cuntre`, but a myle  #
fro +te place
where I was born, is +te povre hous of Bromholm of +te same     #
ordre, in
wheche are diuers vertuous yongge men, monkes clad and          #
vn-professyd,
+tat have abedyn +tere [{wythow{]t abbyte ix or x yeere, and    #
be lenger
delaye of here profession many inconuenientez arn lyke to       #
falle. And also
+te Priour of [{+te seyd hous{] hath resigned in-to yowre       #
worthy handes by
certeins notables and resonables causes, as it apperyth by an   #
instrument
and a symple lettre vnder +te comune seal of +te seyd hous of   #
Bromholm,
which +te berare of this hath redy to shewe yow. Wher-vp-on I   #
prey yow
wyt al my herte, and as I euere may do yow seruice, +tat it     #
lyke to yowr
grace to graunte of yowr charite` by yowre worthy lettres to    #
+te Priour of
Thetford in Norffolk, of +te seyde ordre of Clunye, autorite`   #
and powere as
yowr ministre and depute`, to professe in dwe forme +te seyd    #
monkes of
Bromholm vn-professed; and +tat it lyke yow ouermore to         #
accepte and
admitte +te seyd resygnacion by yowr seyd autorite` and powere  #
wyth +te
<P 14>
fauour of yowr good lordshepe, in confort and consolacion of    #
yowr pouere
prestes +te monkes of +te seyd hous of Bromholm; and ther-vp    #
to graunte
yowr worthy lettres wittenessyng +te same acceptacion and       #
admyssion of
+te seyd resignacion, and al yowr seid lettres to delyuere to   #
my clerk, to
wham I prey yow to gyve feith and credence touchant +tis        #
matier, and to
delyuere hym in alle +te hast resonable.
   And I am yowr man and euere will be, by +te grace of God,    #
which euere
haue yow in his kepyng. Writen at Norwich +te [\LEFT BLANK\] of #
Aprill.
Yowres, William Paston



