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of you, your own perfons defenfibly arrayed, with as many men as ye may goodly make, be on Friday next coming at Lynne, and fo forth to Newark; where, with the leave of God, I shall not fail to be at that time; intending from thence to go forth with the help of God, you, and my Friends to the re-counter of the faid Enemies; and that ye fail not hereof, as ye tender the weal of our faid Sovereign Lord, and all this his Realm. Written at Bury, the 19th day of March.

Bury,

19th of March,

1470, 11 E. IV. (49 H. VI.)

OXYNFORD.

LETTER XXXIX.

To the right worshipful and Special Singular Mafter, Sir John Pafton, knight, be this delivered.

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FTER due recommendation had, with all my service, &c. (Here follow Copies of Indictments and Appeals procured against Sir John Pafton, and his Servants ;-and likewife other law bufinefs.)

As for tidings, here in this Country be many Tales, and none accord with other; it is told me by the Under Sheriff, that my Lord of Clarence is gone to his Brother late King;

infomuch

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that his men have the Gorget on their breefts and y Rofe ou' it And it is feid that y Lord Howard hath p'clamed Kyng E Kyng of Inglond in Suff, &c.

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DODRE I recomande me to yow letyng yow wette ye

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blyffed be God my brother John is a lyffe and farethe well and in no p'ell off dethe. Neu' the leffe he is hurt w an Arow on hys ryght arme be nethe y elbow and I have fent hym a Serion whyche hathe dresfid hym and he tellythe me he truftythe yt he schall be all holl wt in ryght schort tyme. It is fo yt John Mylfent is ded God have m'cy on hys Sowle and Wyll'm Mylfent is on lyffe and hys other Servants all be afkepyd by all lyklihod.

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It'm as ffor me I ame in good cafe blyffyd be God and in no Jop'te off my lyffe as me lyft my felf for I am at my lyberte

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infomuch that his men have the Gorget on their breafts, and the Rofe over it. And it is faid, that the Lord Howard hath proclaimed King E (dward) King of England in Suffolk.

Latter end of March,

Yours, and at your Commandment,

or beginning of April,

1471, 11 E. IV. (49 H. VI.)

3 JAMES GRESHAM.

2 John Howard, afterwards the first Duke of Norfolk of that name.

3 Pl. 111. N° 28.

MOTHER

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THER, I recommend me to you, letting you weet, that, bleffed be God, my brother John (Pafton) is alive and fareth well, and in no peril of death; nevertheless he is hurt with an Arrow on his right arm, beneath the elbow; and I have fent him a Surgeon, which hath dreffed him, and he telleth me, that he trusteth that he shall be all whole within right fhort time.

It is fo that John Milfent is dead, God have mercy on his Soul! and William Milfent is alive, and his other Servants all be escaped by all likelihood.

Item, as for me, I am in good cafe bleffed be God; and in no jeopardy of my life, as me lift myself; for I am at my liberty if need be.

Item,

iff nede bee. It'm my Lorde' Archebyfshop is in the Towr neu'theleffe I trust to God yt he fchall do well I noghe he hathe a Saffe garde for hym and me bothe. Neu'theleffe we have ben troblyd fyns but nowe I undreftande y' he hathe a Pardon and so we hope well.

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Ther was kyllyd uppon the ffelde halffe a myle ffrom Bernett on Efterne daye the Erle of Warwyk, ye Marqweys Montacu S. Will'm 3 Terell S. Lewes Johns and dyu'fe other Efqers off owr Contre. Godm'fton and Bothe.

And on the Kynge Edwardes p'tye the Lord 4 Cromwell ye Lord Saye S. Omffrey Bowghfher off owr contre whyche is a fore moonyd man her and other peple off bothe p'tyes to ye nombre off mor then a m1

As for other tythynges is undreftande her yt the Qwyen Margrett

This curious Letter was written by Sir John Pafton, (Pl. iv. No 9.) to his Mother, the fourth day after the Battle of Barnet; wherein he had perfonally fought; and which may be faid to have fettled Edward almoft fecurely on the throne, by depriving him of his implacable Enemy the great Earl of Warwick, who here fell, moft furiously fighting.

His Brother, the Marquis of Montagu, fhared the fame fate; Sir John Pafton fhows himself a true Lancastrian, and even now entertains great hopes of a change of affairs favourable to Henry ;-thefe, I fuppofe, were raised by the landing of Queen Margaret and her Son, Prince Edward, in Dorfetfhire, but they proved of fhort continuance, for at the fatal Battle of Tewkesbury, fought on the 4th of May following, her Army was totally routed, and herself, and Son, taken Prifoners; when the latter was almost immediately most basely murdered, in the prefence of Edward; and our Historians say, that this young Prince fell by the Swords of the Dukes of Clarence and Gloucester, and of the Lords Dorfet and Haftyngs!

He was only eighteen years of age, and was buried without any funeral pomp, in the Church of the Black Friars, in Tewkesbury.

It seems somewhat furprising that Sir John fhould commit to paper his wishes and opinions

Item, my Lord Archbishop is in the Tower; nevertheless I trust to God, that he shall do well enough; he hath a Safeguard for him and me both; nevertheless we have been troubled fince, but now I understand, that he hath a Pardon; and fo we hope well.

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There was killed upon the Field, half a mile from Barnet, on Eafter day, the Earl of Warwick, the Marquis Montagu, Sir William' Tyrell, Sir Lewis Johns, and divers other Efquires of our Country, Godmerston and Booth.

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And on the King Edward's party, the Lord 4 Cromwell, the Lord Say, Sir Humphrey Bourchier of our Country, which is a fore moonyd [moaned] man here; and other people of both Parties to the number of more than a thoufand.

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As for other tidings, (it) is underflood here, that the Queen

opinions fo fully, at a time when he was fcarcely at liberty himself, and had reafon to fear that if his fentiments were discovered his life might be in danger.

George Neville, Archbishop of York ;-it was from the custody of this Prelate, that Edward escaped, after having been furprised and taken Prisoner by the Earl of Warwick, in 1470; perhaps the kind treatment of his then Prisoner, now procured his Pardon.

2 The Bodies of these two Noblemen were expofed three days to public view in St. Paul's Cathedral, and then conveyed to, and buried at Bifham Abbey, in Berkshire.

3 Sir William Tyrel, was Cousin to Sir James Tyrel, the afterwards supposed Murderer of Edward V. and his brother the Duke of York.

Humphrey Bourchier, third Son of Henry Earl of Effex, had fummons to parliament, in 1461, as Lord Cromwell, in right of his wife.

5 William Fienes, Lord Say.

Son of John Lord Berners.

7 This number is confiderably less than the least given by any of our Historians, who, fome of them, made the lift of flain to amount to 10,000 others to 4000, and those who speak the moft moderately to 1500 men.

The Battle of Barnet began on the morning, and lafted till afternoon on Easter Sunday, the 14th of April, 1471.

VOL. II.

K

Margaret

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