THE GREAT CHANGE

Of luvis use, now soft now lowd among,
That all the gardynis and the wallis rong
Ryght of thaire song, and on the copill next
Of thaire suete armony, and lo the text:

"Worschippe, ye that loveris bene, this May,
For of your bliss the kalendis are begonne,
And sing with us, away winter, away,

Come somer, come, the suete seson and sonne,
Awake, for schame! that have your hevynis wonne,
And amourously lift up your hedis all,
Thank Lufe that list you to his merci call."

Quhen thai this song had song a littil thrawe,
Thai stent a quhile, and therewith unafraid,
As I beheld, and kest myn eyen a-lawe,

From beugh to beugh thay hippit and thai plaid,
And freschly in thair birdis kynd araid

Thair fatheris new, and fret thame in the sonne,
And thankit Lufe, that had thair makis wonne.

And therewith kest I doun myn eye ageyne,
Quhare as I saw walkyng under the Toure,
Full secretely, new cumyn hir to playne,

The fairest or the freschest younge floure
That ever I sawe, methought, before that houre,
For quhich sodayne abate, anon astert
The blude of all my body to my hert.

And though I stood abaisit tho a lyte,

No wonder was; for quhy? my wittis all
Were so ouercome with plesance and delyte,
Only through latting of myn eyen fall,
That sudaynly my hert become hir thrall,

For ever of free wyll, for of manace
There was no takyn in her suete face.

on the copil next as in the next verse.

51

thrawe=measure.

a-lawe below. makis mates. manace=compulsion. takyn=token.

And in my hede I drew rycht hastily,
And eft sones I lent it out ageyne,
And saw hir walk that verray womanly,
With no wight mo, bot only women tueyne,
Than gan I studye in myself and seyne :

Ah! suete, are ye a warldly creature,
Or hevinly thing in likeness of nature ?

"Or ar ye god Cupidis owin princesse ?
And cumyn are to louse me out of band,
Or are ye veray Nature the goddesse,

That have depayntit with your hevinly hand
This gardyn full of flouris, as they stand?
Quhat sall I think, allace! quhat reverence
Sall I minister to your excellence ?

"Giff ye a goddesse be, and that ye like
To do me payne, I may it not astert ;
Giff ye be warldly wight, that dooth me sike,
Quhy lest God mak you so, my derest hert,
To do a sely prisoner thus smert,

That lufis you all, and wote of nought but wo?
And, therefore, merci, suete! sen it is so."

Quhen I a lytill thrawe had maid my mone,
Bewailing myn infortune and my chance,
Unknawin how or quhat was best to done,
So ferre I fallyng into lufis dance,
That sodeynly my wit, my contenance,
My hert, my will, my nature, and my mynd,
Was changit clene rycht in ane other kind.
The Kingis Quhair.

astert escape. dooth me sike=makest me sigh. all-entirely.

lest=pleased.

JOHN AMEND-ALL

53

THE PASTON LETTERS

JOHN AMEND-ALL (1452)

PETITION

To the right reverent fader in God, Cardynale Archebusshop of York and Chaunceler of Inglond.

PLEASE it yowre gode Lordeshep to know that oon Roger Cherche, other wyse callyd Roger Bylaugh, Roger Wryte, and Roger Baly, late was at a gaderyng and assemble of xv. persones in a feleshep under a wode in the town of Possewyke, in the counte of Norffolk, which feleshep, as it is seid be hem, was procured and gaderyd be the seid Roger Cherche and by his councelores, the same Roger seyng to summe of the same feleshep, he had remembred a gode name for her capteyn, that shuld be John Amend Alle; and the seyd Roger aftyr the seyd gaderyng aggreyd hym self to be take and examyned be persones of his own covyne, and be color of his seid feleshep of xv. persones be hym gaderyd, enbilled divers gentilmen, and many thryfty and substanciall yomen, and thryfty husbondes, and men of gode name and fame, noysing and diffamyng to the Kyng and his Councell that the seid gentilmen, yomen, and thryfty husbondes, with other, to the nombre of ccc. persones, shuld have mad a gaderyng and a risyng ageyn the Kynges peas under the seid wode, contrary to the trought; which is veryly conceyved to be don of malyce to put the seid gentilmen and yomen in feer and trobill that thei as wele as alle the contre shuld not be hardy to attempt, ne lette the purposyd malyce of the seid Cherche and his councellores in divers riottes, extorciouns, forsibil entreys and unlawfull disherytauns of gentilmen and other of the Kynges liege peple in the seid shire that thei dayly use, which riottes, extorcions, aswele as the seid untrewe diffamacions, causyth gret grudgyng, trobill, and comocyon in the seid shire. Please it yowre gode grace, these premysses

considered, not to suffre the seid Cherche to have no pardon of the comune grace graunted by the Kyng owre soverayn Lorde un Gode Fryday last past,1 un to the tyme that he hath fownde sufficient suerte of wel namyd persones of the seid shire of his gode beryng; and to direct a comyssion un to such notabill persones in the seid shire as please you, to take and examyn the seid Roger Cherche, as wele as other that them semyth necessary to examyn in this behalf, so that thei that be giltles in this may be so declared, and that thei that be gilty may be ponysshed acordyng to her demerytes; and to beseche the Kyng owre soverayn Lord in the behalf of the gentilmen of the seid shire that his Hignesse wull not take hem, ne any of hem, in conceyt to be of such rewle and disposicion up un enformacion of such a mysse rewled and encredibill man as the seid Roger. And thei shall pray to God for you.

INFORMATION AGAINST ROBERT LEDHAM

THESE be divers of the ryottis and offensis done in the hundred of Blofeld in the counte of Norffolk, and in other townys, be Robert Lethum, otherwyse callyd Robert Ledham of Wytton be Blofeld in the counte of Norffolk, and by his ryottys men and by other of his affinitez and knowleche, whose names folowyn, and that they continually folow and resorte unto his hous, and ther be supported and maynteynet and confortid.

These be the principall menealle men of the sayd Robert Ledham ys house, be the whiche the sayd ryottys have be done, that use in substaunce non other occupacion but ryottys :-In primis, John Cokett, Thomas Bury, Thomas Cokowe, Cristofer Bradlee, Elys Dukworth, William Donmowe, Cristofer Grenesheve, Roger Chirche. ... With the which persons, and many moo unknowyn, the sayd

On Good Friday the 7th April, 1452, Henry VI. offered general pardons for offences against himself to all who would sue them out of Chancery.

be by. be been. moo more.

INFORMATION AGAINST R. LEDHAM

55

Robert Ledham kept atte his house in maner of a forcelet, and issith ouute atte here pleaysour and atte his lust, the sayd Ledham to assigne, sometyme vi. and sometyme xij. sometyme xxx. and moo, armyd, jakkid, and salettyd, with bowys and arrowys, speris, billys, and over ryde the countrey and oppressid the Kyngs peple, and didde mony oryble and abhomynable dedes, like to have be destruccion of the enhabitantes in the sayd hundred, in the forme that folowyth, and warse.

In primis, on the Monday next before Ester day and the shire daye, the xxx. yere of oure soverayne Lord the Kyng, x. persons of the sayd riottors, with a brother of the wyff of the sayd Robert Letham, laye in awayte in the hygh way, under Thorpe Wode, upon Phillip Berney esquyer, and his man, comyng from the shire, and shette atte hym and smote the hors of the sayd Phillipp with arowes, and than over rode hym, and toke hym and bette hym and spoillid hym. And for thayr excuse of this ryot, they ledde hym to the Bysshopp of Norwiche, axyng seuerte of the peas, wher they hadde never waraunt hym to areste. Which affray shorttyd the lyffdayes of the sayd Phillippe, which dyed withynne shorte tyme after the said affray.

Item, iij. of the sayd riottys feloshippe the same day, yere and place, laye on awayte uppon Edmond Broune, gentilman, and with naked swerdes and other wepyng faght with hym be the space of on quarte of an houre, and toke and spoillyd hym, and kepte hym as long as them lyst, and after that lette hym goo.

Item, xl. of the sayd riottys felowshipp, be the commaundement of the same Robert Lethum, jakket and saletted, with bowes, arowys, billys and gleyves oppon Mauyndy Thursday at iiij. of the clokke atte after nonne, the same yere, comyn to the White Freres in Norwyche, and wold have brokyn theyr yates and dorys, feynyng thaym that they wold hire thayre evesong. Where they ware aunswered suche service was non used to be there,

forcelet fortress. here their. jakkid, jakket=jacketed in leather coats. salettyd-in steel caps. shette-shot. bette beat. gleyves= lances or halbuts. hire hear.

C