TO JOHN PASTON II 1469,  09, 
12  
I grete you wele, letyng you wete that your brothere and his 
felesshep stond in grete joparté at Cayster and lakke vetayll; and 
Dawbeney and Berney be dedde and diuerse othere gretly hurt, and thei 
fayll gonnepowder and arrowes, and the place sore brokyn wyth gonnes 
of þe toder parte; so that, but thei haue hasty help, thei be like to 
lese bothe there lyfes and the place, to the grettest rebuke to you that 
euer came to any jentilman, for euery man in this countré 
marvaylleth gretly that ye suffre them to be so longe in so gret 
joparté wyth-ought help or othere remedy. The Duke hath be 
more fervently set þer-vp-on, and more cruell, sith þat 
Wretyll, my lord of Claraunce man, was ther than he was be-fore, and 
he hath sent for all his tenauntes from euery place, and othere, to be 
there at Cayster on Thorysday next comyng, that there is than like to be 
the grettest multitude of pepill þat came þer yet. And thei 
purpose than to make a gret assaught, for thei haue sent for gonnes to 
Lynne and othere place be the seeys syde, þat wyth ther gret 
multitude of gonnes, wyth othere shoot and ordynaunce, ther shall no 
man dar appere in þe place. Thei shall hold them so besy wyth 
ther gret pepill þat it shall not lye in there pore wyth-in to hold it 
a-geyn them wyth-ought God help them or [thei] haue hasty socour from 
you. There-fore, as ye wull haue my blyssyng, I charge you and require 
you þat ye se your brothere be holpyn in hast. And if ye can haue 
non meane, rathere desire writyng fro my lord of Clarens, if he be at 
London, or ell of my lord Archebusshop of York, to þe Duke of 
Norffolk, þat he wull graunte them þat be in þe place 
here lyfes and ther goodes. And in eschewyng of insurreccions, wyth 
othere inconuenyens þat be like to growe wyth-in the shire of 
Norffolk, this  
trobelows werd, be-cause of such conuenticles and gaderynges wyth-in 
the seid shire for cause of þe seid place, thei shall suffre hym to 
entre vp-on such appoyntment, or othere like, takyn be the advyse of 
your councell there at London, if ye thynk this be not good, till the law 
hath determyned othere-wyse; and lete hym write a-nothere letter to your 
brother to deliuere the place vp-on the same appoyntment. And if ye 
thynk, as I can suppose, that the Duke of Norffolk wull not 
aggré to this be-cause he graunted this a-forn and thei in the 
place wuld not accept it, than I wuld the seid massangere shuld wyth the 
seid letteres bryng fro the seid lord of Clarence, or ell my lord 
Archebusshop, to my lord of Oxenford othere letteres to rescuse them 
forth-wyth, thoughe the seid Erle of Oxenford shuld haue the place 
duryng his lyffe for his labour. Spare not this to be don in hast if ye wull 
haue there lyves and be sett by in Norffolk, though ye shuld leys the best 
maner of all for the rescuse. I had lever ye lost þe lyffelode than 
there lyfes. Ye must gete a massangere of the lordes or summe othere 
notabill man to bryng thes letteres. Do your devour now, and lete me 
send yow nomore massangeres for this materes; but send me be the 
berere here-of more certeyn comfort than ye haue do be all othere that I 
haue sent be-fore. In any wyse, lete the letteres þat shall come to 
þe Erle of Oxenford comyn wyth the letteres that shall comyn to 
þe Duke of Norffolk, þat if he wull not aggree to the ton, 
that ye may haue redy your rescuse þat it nede nomore to send 
þer-fore. God kepe you. Wretyn the Tuesday next before Holy 
Rood Day, in hast. Be your modere