"The Paston Letters represent the though and activities of a typical English quire's family in the fifteenth century. They were not people of any particular genius, but ordinary well-to-do-folk. They found, as did most of their neighbours, that if they wished to hold, or still more to increase what possessions they had, it was necessary to fight vigorously with every weapon law, use, experience or cunning could devise. Hence, a study of their many-sided...