Chapter VII: Letter 944: , p. 11, note 2 (6)

Ryght trusty and ryght welbelovyd cousyn, we grete yow well, &c. In that we desyer all the dogers [_fishing smacks_] of thos partes schuld have our licens to departe in the viage towardes Islond, as they have ben accustommyd to do yerly in tyme passyd, and that ye woll undertak they shall have with them no more quantites of graynes then woll only suffice for ther vitallyng and expensis; we late yow witte that owr fully interly belovyd cousyn the Kyng of Demarke hath showyd and compleynyd un to us by dyverse his letters, that when our subjectes come to the seid Islelond, beyng in hys obeissiance, they stelle, robbe, and exstorte his subjectes ther ageynse ryght and conciens. Wherfore, the seyd doggeres fyndyng sufficient surte be forne yow, such as ye will answer unto us, that they shall not have with them no graynes mo then shall only suffice for ther vitallyng, nor odyr thyng woth them that ys for bedyn, and that also they shall not in goyng, comyng, nor in ther beyng at the seyd Islond, take noo thyng but that they treuly pay or agre for, and frendly entrete our seyd cousyns subjectes withowth eny robbyng or exstartyng them in there bodyes ner goodys; we be content the seyd doggeres make ther viages thedyr at ther libertes, eny our wrytyng or comandment mad in to the contrary nat withstandyng; and ellys we woll that our restraynte of ther thedyr goyng stond styll in his strenthe and vertu.

Yovyn ondir our signet, at our maner of Shene, the vj^th day of Aprile.

* * *

JOHN VER, Erle of Oxynford, Gret Chambyrleyn and Admirall of Ynglond, Viscount Bulbek, and Lord Skalys, to all them that this present writyng shall see or here, gretyng. And for asmuch as I late have recevyd the Kyng our Sovereyn Lords letters, beryng date the vj^th day of this monyth of Aprile, accordyng to a copy of the same, signyd with myn hand, wiche my ritht trusty servant, John Rowe, Marchall of my Admyralite, hath for to showe;

Know ye that I, the seyd Erle and Admirall, have assygned and deputyd my seyd servant to see our seyd Sovereyn Lordes lettyrs pleynly executyd acordyng to the tenure of the same, and by thys present wrytyng have yevyn to hym full autoryte and pouer to put undyr arest all such doggeres as be dysposyd to mak the viage towardes Islond, to such tyme as they have fownd surte afor me, accordyng to owr seyd Sovereyn Lordys comandment, for ther demenyng in the seyd viagys.

Yovyn under myn signett and signee manuell the x^th day of Aprile the vj. yere of the reygne of our seyd Sovereyn Lord Kyng Hery the vij^{th}.

[Footnote 136-3: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

[[our seyd Sovereyn Lord Kyng Hery the vij^{th}.
_final . missing or invisible_]]

1047

THE EARL OF OXFORD TO SIR JOHN PASTON[138-1]

_To the right worshipfull and my right welbeloved Sir John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: 1491(?) / JULY 31]

Right worshipfull and right welbeloved, I comaunde me to you. And where as I late receyved your wrytyng, beryng date the xxvj. day of this present monthe, by the whiche I understand that one Richard Calle toke certeyne men of werre robbyng upon the coste there; and in somoche as I understand that they be under the obeissaunce of the Kyng of Denmarke, I wolle and desyre you that ye delyver theym unto the seid Richard Calle to take his avauntage of theym as prisoners, seyng my dutee reserved in every thyng, as my trust is in you. And Almyghty God kepe you.

Writen at my castell of Hedyngham, the last day of Jule.

OXYNFORD.

[Footnote 138-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this letter
is uncertain, but, as Fenn suggests, it is not unlikely to have
been written in the year 1491, when it may be supposed that Danish
sailors endeavoured to requite the injuries inflicted by the
English in Iceland, of which mention is made in the last letter.]

1048

THE OLD AND NEW BAILIFFS OF YARMOUTH TO SIR JOHN PASTON[138-2]

_To oure right reverent and worshipfull and special good maister, Maister Paston._

[Sidenote: 1491 / [SEPT.]]

Right reverent and worshipfull sir, and oure veray lovyng and curteys good mayster, we recomaund us on to you in as feythefull wyse as on oure part aperteynith; and hertely we thanke you for your labour and letter, whiche ye sent to us be your servaunt, be the whiche we wer asserteynid of the Kynges pleasure, and to acomplyshe the same, we with the assistens of youre maistirship wyll put us in oure devoir.

We were at your manoir of Castir to have sen your maistirshyp, but ye were departyd as well from Yermouth yistirday, as this day from Castre. We wold have ben joyous to have seen your maistirship, if our fortune so had ben.

Sir, we be enfourmyd that ore old special good Lord of Oxford, in whom we founde as gret favour be the mediacion of your maystirship, as ever we had of any creature, as we have wryting to shewe, in recumpens of whiche at all tymes sethyn hise lordshyp hathe had our preyeris; and now we wold have waytid upon hise lordshyp, but your maystirship knowith well we may not be absent on Mychilmesse Day for dyverse consederacions. Wherfore we beseke your good maystirshyp, ye lyke of your jentilnesse, to recomaund us unto our seyd good lord, and to make our exkuse to hym, and to do hyse lordshyp [to be] presentyd with a porpeyse, whiche we send yow be the brynger of thys; and if we had any othyr deyntes to do hym a pleasure, we wold, that knowyth God, Whom we beseke of Hyse infenit mercy to preserve the Kyng our Soverayn Lord, and oure seyd good lord, and you, and all the frutys of you from all adversite.

Youre loveres and bedmen, the old Baliffes of Yermouth,
and the newe Balyffes that now shalbe.

[Footnote 138-2: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] ‘Several ordinances,’
says Fenn, ‘respecting corporation business, made by the men of
Yarmouth, through Sir John Paston and Lord Oxford’s attention to
them, received the King’s assent by his Attorney-General in 1491.
It was for their activity in those matters, I presume, that this
letter of thanks, etc. was addressed to Sir John.’ The time of
year appears by the letter itself to be about Michaelmas.]

1049

THE EARL OF OXFORD TO SIR JOHN PASTON[140-1]

_To the right worshipfull and my right intierly welbelovyd counceillor, Sir John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: About 1491(?) / OCT. 20]

Right worshipfull and right intierly welbelovyd counceillor, I comaund me to you. And where as I late have receyved your writing, wherby I . . . . . . the demeanyng of Richard Barkeley and his shipp as other, I have ta . . . . . . . . of hym to be redy at all tymes to answer to all suche thynges as can be l . . . . . . . . . he demeanyng. I woll therfor that ye suffre hym, his men and shippys, . . . . . . . . d as for a last of hering and an half, whiche I undirstond by hy . . . . . . of his, I woll that ye delyver hit to the countroller of my howshold. A . . . . . . . o put undyr suertie all suche hering so takyn or revid by the carveyll of . . . . . . . any other. And God kepe you.

Wretin at Melford, the xx. day of Octobre.

And where as I am enformyd that ye take hym nat for my servaunt, and so he ys noysed in the contrey ther, I woll that hit be knowin that I take hym as my servaunt, and so will do as long as I know no cause of the contrary.

OXYNFORD.

[Footnote 140-1: [From a MS. in the Bodleian Library.] The MS. of
this letter is mutilated, but it is perfectly intelligible, as it
is the first of three relating to the same subject, of which Fenn
has printed the second in his fifth volume. The date of the matter
referred to is, however, uncertain, and I follow the example of
Fenn in assigning the correspondence conjecturally to the year
1491, in which we have other letters from the Earl, as Admiral, to
Sir John, as his Vice-Admiral.]

1050

THE EARL OF OXFORD TO SIR JOHN PASTON[141-1]

_To the right worshipfull and my right intierly welbelovyd councellour, Sir John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: About 1491(?) / OCT.]

Right worshipfull and right intierly welbeloved councellour, I comaund me to you. And where as I undirstond, by your writing to me delyverid by this berar, the roborye and dispoyling of certayn Corvers of Holond and Selond, done by the shipp callyd _the Foole_, wherof Robert Spenser was maister, aswell in herryng, vitayle, and takelyng, as ye be enfourmyd by iij. personnys of the same shippe, and of th’entent and disposicion of the master and feleshyp of the same, whiche shewe, as ye write, that Barkeley, aswell with that shipp as with a prise that he hathe bought, late takyn of the Frenchemen, were disposid and determenyd to do myche harme, wherupon ye have indevorid you to breke the same; how be hit that the seid Barkeley hath be late with me, and found suertie in a C_li._ to answer to all suche demeanyng, when he shall be callyd; and therupon I wrote to you to suffre hym, his men, and shippis to departe at libertie; yet nevyrtheless, concidering your large writing, I can nat be content in my mynde to suche tyme as I may here bothe you and Barkeley to geder; willing therf[or that ye do] kepe the shippys and goodes in suertie, and to be with me your selfe . . . . . . . . well may, bringyng with you suche iij. personnys as have . . . . . . . . . certaynte of this mater; and so I have wretin to Barkeley . . . . . se to answer to the same. And God kepe you.

Wretin . . . . . . . of Octobre.

Also yf the be eny of the Duchemen . . . . . . . . any sute for ther gode, that ye then cause one of . . . . . . . to shewe and clayme ther owne.

OXYNFORD.

[Footnote 141-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] _See_ preliminary note
to last letter.]

1051

THE EARL OF OXFORD TO SIR JOHN PASTON[142-1]

_To the right worshipfull and my right welbeloved counceilour, Sir John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: About 1491(?) / OCT. 28]

Right worshipfull and right welbeloved counceilour, I comaunde me to you. Certifieint you that I wolde have be right glad to have had you, the iij. persones that enformed you of Berkeleys demenyng, and Berkeley togeder, to th’entent that I myght have had ripe knowleche of their demenyng, to have shewed the Kynge at my comyng unto His Grace. Nevertheles, sith I understand by your late wrytyng, to me brought by the seid Berkeley the xxviij. day of this present monthe, beryng date the Monday next before Seynt Symond Day and Jude, that ther is nat so grete defaute in the same Berkeley as ye by your former writinges to me sent wend [_thought_] ther had be, and that the defaute, if eny be, is in one Spenser, maister of the shippe belongyng to the seid Berkeley, and that ye thynke also that such suretee as I have take of the same Berkeley is sufficient inogh, better or more than nedeth for that cause, and that in your mynde ye thynke he woll be of gode guydyng and demenyng in tyme comyng; I woll and desire you that ye delyver hym his shippes, men, and goodes, accordyng to my first wrytyng to you sent in that behalve. And Almyghty God kepe you.

Writen at my castell of Hedingham, the xxviij. day of Octobre.

OXYNFORD.

[Footnote 142-1: [Douce MS. 393, f. 90.] _See_ preliminary note to