Paston Letters Volume 3 303. 28 Oct 1455. James Gresham to John Paston¹

To my right worshipfull maister, John Paston, at Norwiche, be this delyvred.

Please it your maistership to wete² ...

Here be many marvaylos tales of thynggs that shall falle this next moneth, as it is seyd; for it is talked that oon Doktor Grene, a preest, hath kalked [calculated?] and reporteth, that by fore Seynt Andreu day next comyng shall be the grettest bataill that was sith the bataill of Shrewisbury³, and it shall falle bytwene the Bisshoppes Inne of Salesbury and Westminster Barres, and there shall deye vij. Lords, whereof iij. shuld be bisshoppes. Althis and meche more is talked and reported. I trust to God it shall not falle so.

Also there is gret varyance bytwene the Erll of Devenshire (age 41) and the Lord Bonvyle (age 63), as hath be many day, and meche debat is like to growe therby; for on Thursday at nyght last passed, the Erll of Denshyres sone and heir come with 60 men of armes to Radford's⁴ place in Devenshire, whiche was of counsell with my Lord Bonvyle; and they sette an hous on fyer at Radfords gate, and cryed and mad an noyse as though they had be sory for the fyer; and by that cause Radfords men set opyn the gats and yede owt to se the fyer; and for with th'erll sone forseid entred into the place and intreted Radford to come doun of his chambre to sp[e]ke with them, promyttyng hym that he shuld no bodyly harm have; up on whiche promysse he come doun, and spak with the seid Erll sone.

In the mene tyme his menye robbe his chambre, and ryfled his huches⁵, and trussed suyche as they coude gete to gydder, and caryed it awey on his own hors. Thanne th'erll sone seid, 'Radford, thou must come to my lord my fadir.' He seid he wold, and bad oon of his men make redy his hors to ride with hem, whiche answerd hym that alle his hors wern take awey; thanne he seid to th'erll sone, ' Sir, your men have robbed my chambre, and thei have myn hors, that I may not ride with you to my lord your fadir, wherfor, I pray you, lete me ride, ifor I am old, and may not go.'

It was answerid hym ageyn, that he shuld walke forth with them on his feete; and so he dede till he was a flyte⁶ shote or more from his place, and thanne he was ... softly, for cawse he myght not go fast. And whanne thei were thus departed, he turned ... oon; forwith come ix. men ageyn up on hym, and smot hym in the hed, and fellid ... of them kyt his throte.

This was told to my Lord Chaunceler (age 37)⁷ this fornoon .... messengers as come of purpos owt of the same cuntre. This matier is take gretly .... passed at two after mydnyght rod owt of London, as it is seid, more thanne .... the best wyse. Summe seyne it was to ride toward my Lord of York, and summe .... k, so meche rumor is here; what it menyth I wot not, God turne it .... at Hertford⁹, and summe men ar a ferd that he is seek ageyn. I pray God .... my Lords of York, Warwyk, Salesbury and other arn in purpos to conveye hym .... &c. The seid N. Crome, berer her of, shall telle you suche tydynggs .... in hast, at London, on Seint Simon day and Jude.

Yowr poer J. GR.

Note 1. [From Fenn, i. 114.] This letter was written in 1455, at the time of the King's second attack of illness, which happened while he was under the control of the Duke of York and the Earls of Warwick and Salisbury, as mentioned at the end of the letter. In the latter part of the letter some words are lost by the decay of the original MS.

Note 2. Here, says Fenn, follows an account of some law business, etc.

Note 3. Fought in 1403 between King Henry iv. and the rebel Percies.

Note 4. 'Nicolas Radford,' says Fenn in a note, 'was an eminent lawyer, and resided at Poghill, near Kyrton.' In Pole's Description of Devonshire, p. 219, we find that one Nicolas Radford dwelled at Upcot in Henry vi.'s time, 'after whose death controversy arose betwixt John Radford of Okeford and Thomazin, sister of the said Nicholas,' who had married Roger Prous.

Note 5. A hutch was a coffer or chest standing on legs.

Note 6. A flight was ' a light arrow formed for very long and straight shots.'-^Halliwell.

Note 7. Archbishop Bourchier.

Note 8. The King was at Hertford, as appears by the Privy Seals, in August and September 1455, and not improbably in October also.