John Pafton and his feid ffellathip beyng in the feid Maneur shall depart and goo out of the feid Maneur without delay and make therof deliu'aunce to fuche p'fones as we will affigne the feid ffellaship havyng their lyves and Goods horffe and harneys and other goods beyng in the kepyng of the feid John Paston except Gonnes Croffebows and Quarells and alle other hostelments to the feid Maneur annexed and belonginge And to have xv Dayes refpyte aftir their feid departing out to goo in to what place fhall like theim without any accions or quarell to be taken or made by us in our name to theim or any of theim within our ffraunchise or without duryng the feid tyme. Yoven under our fignet at Yermouth the xxvj Day of Septembr the ixte yere of King Edward the iiijth.

R

LEI TER XIX.

To S. John Pafton Knyght.

IGHT worshipfull and my efpeciall true h'rtid ffrende

I comaunde me un to you, P'ying you to ordeyne me iij horffe harneys as godely as ye and Genyn' kan devyfe as it were for yourselfe and yat I may have thyme in all haft orde' Alfo Skern' faith ye wolde ordeyne ij standarde ftavys. this I

I

pray

being in the faid Manor, fhall depart and go out of the faid Manor without delay, and make thereof deliverance to fuch Perfons as we will affign, the faid Fellowship having their Lives and Goods, Horfe and Harness, and other Goods being in the keeping of the faid John Pafton; except Guns, Crofs bows, and Quarrels and all other Hostelments [warlike Implements] to the faid Manor annexed and belonging; and to have 15 Days refpite after their faid departing out, to go into what place fhall like them, without any Actions or Quarrel to be taken or made by us, or in our name to them, or any of them, within our Franchife or without, during the said time.

Given under our Signet at Yarmouth the 26th day of September, the 9th year of King Edward the IVth.

Yarmouth,

Tuesday, 26th of September,

1469, 9 E. IV.

NORFOLK.

R1

IGHT worshipful, and my efpecial true hearted Friend,

I commend me unto you, praying you to ordain [order far] me three horfes harness as goodly as ye and Genyns can devife, as it were for yourfelf; and, that I may have them in all hafte, order; alfo Skern faith, ye would ordain two ftandard

E 2

pray you to remembre and my wife fhalle deliv' you filu', and yit fhe most borowed it, vj or vijli I wold be ftowe on a horffe harneys, And fo Skern' tolde me I might have, the Lord Hafts had for ye fame price but I wolde not myn' were lik his, and I trust to God we fhalle do right welle, who p'ferve you. Wreten at Cant'bury in haft the xviij day of Juyll.

11 2 by 34.

Drynford.

John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, (Pl. iv. N° 5.) retaining his loyalty to the House of Lancaster, in whofe caufe his Father and elder Brother had loft their heads upon the Scaffold in 1461-2, and for whofe fake he himself had fuffered a long imprisonment, seems now privately to be preparing to join the Earl of Warwick, in favour of the depofed King Henry.

I fhould fuppofe this Letter to have been written either in July 1469, at the time that the Earl of Warwick and his Adherents were meditating the plan for dethroning Edward, or in 1470, when they had come to a refolution of reinftating Henry on the Throne. Pl. xiv. N° 24.

The

I

To John Pafton Efqer beyng at Norwyche be thys Lett' delyu'yd.

Comande me to yow letyng yow wete, &c. (Here follows an account of bills and receipts, &c.)

Itm As ffor Meftreffe Kateryn Dudle I have many tymes recomandyd yow to hyr and fhe is noo thynge difpleafyd w

itt

standard staves; this I pray you to remember, and my wife shall deliver you filver, and yet fhe muft borrow it. Six or feven pounds I would beftow on a Horfe-harness; and fo Skern told me I might have. The Lord Haftyngs had for the fame price, but I would not mine were like his; and I trust to God we shall do right well, who preferve you. Written at Canterbury in hafte, the 18th day of July.

66

Canterbury, 18th of July,

1469 or 1470,

9 or 10 E. IV.

OXYNFORD.

The Order to Sir John Pafton, for providing the horse-harness was to be executed, as it were for himself," and the referring him to the Countess for Money, shews it to be at a time when his finances were very low. The expreffion "Yet she must borrow it,” implies too that his Lady had not already the Money, but that she had it fill to procure. Though the Earl defired that his horse-harness might be of the fame price with one which Lord Haftyngs had purchased, yet he wifhed it not to be like his; the reason feems to be, he did not choose to appear with Caparisons fimilar to those of a Yorkist.

The words "I trust to God we fhall do right well" refer to fome scheme then in agitation; and on the fuccefs of which he had placed great confidence.

LETTER XXX.

To John Pafton, Efquire, being at Norwich, be this Letter delivered.

I

Recommend me to you, letting you weet, &c. (Here follows an account of bills, and receipts, &c. of no confequence.) Item, as for Miftrefs Katherine Dudley, I have many times recommended you to her, and the is nothing difpleased with it;

fhe

itt she rekkythe not howe many Gentylmen love hyr fhe is full of love, I have betyn the mat' ffor yow, your onknowleche as I tolde hyr She anfwery the me y fche woll noon thys ij yer and I beleve hyr ffor I thynke fche hathe the lyffe y sche can holde hyr content wt I trowe fhe woll be a fore laboryng woman yi ij yer ffor mede off hyr fowle.

I

And Meftreffe Gryfeacreffe is fur' to Selenger wt my Lady of Exeftr' a ffowle loffe.

Itm I praye yow fpeke wt 2 Harcort off the Abbeye ffor a lytell Clokke whyche I fent bym by James Grefsh'm to amend and yt ye woll get it off hym and it be redy and fende it me and asfor mony ffor hys labor he hathe another cloke off myn' whyche Sr. Thom's Lyndes God have hys fowle gave me he maye kepe that tyll I paye hym, thys Klok is my Lordys Archebyfshopis but late not hym wete off it and y' itt eafely caryed hyddr by yowr advyse. Also as ffor Orenges I fchall fende yow a Serteyn by the next Caryer. And as for tydynge the berer hereoff fchall infforme yow ye moft geve credence to hym.

As for my goode fpede I hope well I am offryd yit to have Meftreffe Anne Hault' and I fchall have helpe i nowe as fome feye.

(Here

1 Anne, Daughter of Richard, Duke of York, and Sifter of King Edward IV. married Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter, and in 1462 had poffeffion of his forfeited Estates, and remained with her brother, Edward IV. She afterwards married Sir Thomas St. Leger, and died in 1475.

2 This fhews that our curious mechanical Arts were practised in the religious Houses, and performed there by the Monks, &c. for money.

This Letter was written in February or March 1469, 1470, or 1471, for in these

years