Source.—Paston Letters, vol. ii., No. 620.

Margaret Paston to Sir John Paston.

I greet you well, letting you wit that your brother and his fellowship stand in great jeopardy at Caister, and lack victuals; and Dawbeney and Berney be dead, and divers others greatly hurt; and they fail gunpowder and arrows, and the place sore broken with guns of the other party, so that, but they have hasty help, they be like to lose both their lives and the place, to the greatest rebuke to you that ever came to any gentleman, for every man in this country marvelleth greatly that ye suffer them to be so long in so great jeopardy without help or other remedy.

The Duke hath been more fervently set there upon, and more cruel, since that Wretyll, my Lord of Clarence's man, was there, than he was before, and he hath sent for all his tenants from every place, and others, to be there at Caister at Thursday next coming, that there is then like to be the greatest multitude of people that came there yet. And they purpose them to make a great assault—for they have sent for guns to Lynn and other place by the seaside—that, with their great multitude of guns, with other shoot and ordnance, there shall no man dare appear in the place. They shall hold them so busy with their great people, that it shall not lie in their power within to hold it against them, without God help them, or have hasty succour from you.

Therefore, as ye will have my blessing, I charge you and require you that ye see your brother be helped in haste. And if he can have no means, rather desire writing from my Lord of Clarence, if he be at London, or else of my Lord Archbishop of York, to the Duke of Norfolk, that he will grant them that be in the place their lives and their goods; and in eschewing of insurrections with other inconveniences that be like to grow within the shire of Norfolk, this troublous world, because of such conventicles and gatherings within the said shire for cause of the said place, they shall suffer him to enter upon such appointment, or other like taking by the advise of your council there at London, if ye think this be not good, till the law hath determined otherwise; and let him write another letter to your brother to deliver the place upon the same appointment....

Do your devoir now, and let me send you no more messengers for this matter; but send me by the bearer here of more certain comfort than ye have done by all other that I have sent before. In any wise, let the letters that shall come to the Earl of Oxenford come with the letters that shall come to the Duke of Norfolk, that if he will not agree to the tone, that ye may have ready your rescue that it need no more to send therefore. God keep you.

Written the Tuesday next before Holy Rood Day.

In haste by your mother.