Leever had I, sayde Wyllyam,

With my sworde in the route to renne,
Then here among myne enemyes wode

Thus cruelly to bren.

He toke hys sweard and hys buckler,

And among

them all he ran,

Where the people were most in prece,

He smot downe many a man.

140

There myght no man abyde hys stroakes,

145

So fersly on them he ran :

Then they threw wyndowes, and dores on him,

And so toke that good yeman.

There they hym bounde both hand and fote,

And in deepe dungeon him cast:

Now Cloudesle, sayd the justice,

Thou shalt be hanged in hast.

A payre of new gallowes, sayd the sherife,
Now shal I for the make;"

And the gates of Carleil shal be shutte:

No man shal come in therat.

Then shall not helpe Clym of the Cloughe,
Nor yet shall Adam Bell,

V. 151, sic MS., hye justice. PC. from the fol. MS. and PC.

150

155

V. 153, 4, are contracted

Though they came with a thousand mo,

Nor all the devels in hell.

Early in the mornynge the justice uprose,

To the gates first gan he gone,

And commaunded to be shut full close
Lightilè everychone.

Then went he to the markett place,

As fast as he coulde hye;

There a payre of new gallowes he set up
Besyde the pyllorye.

A lytle boy' amonge them asked,'

What meaneth that gallow-tre?

160

165

170

They sayde to hang a good yemàn,

Called Wyllyam of Cloudeslè.

That lytle boye was the towne swyne-heard,
And kept fayre Alyces swyne;

Oft he had seene William in the wodde,
And geuen hym there to dyne.

175

He went out att a crevis in the wall,

And lightly to the woode dyd gone;

There met he with these wightye yemen

Shortly and anone.

180

V. 179, yonge men. PC.

Alas! then sayde that lytle boye,

Ye tary here all to longe;

Cloudeslee is taken, and dampned to death,

All readye for to honge.

Alas! then sayd good Adam Bell,

That ever we see thys daye!

He had better with us have taryed,
So often as we dyd hym praye.

He myght have dwelt in grene forèste,

Under the shadowes greene,

And have kepte both hym and us att reste,

Out of all trouble and teene.

Adam bent a ryght good bow,

A great hart sone hee had slayne;

185

190

Take that, chylde, he sayde, to thy dynner, 195
And bryng me mine arrowe agayne.

Now go we hence, sayed these wightye yeomen,

Tary we no longer here;

We shall hym borowe by God his grace,

Though we bye itt full dere.

To Caerleil wente these good yemen,

All in a mornyng of maye.

V. 190, sic MS., shadowes sheene. PC. MS., wight yong men. PC.

200

V. 197, jolly yeomen.

Here is a FYT * of Cloudeslye,

And another is for to saye.

PART THE SECOND.

AND when they came to mery Carleile,
All in the' mornyng tyde,

They founde the gates shut them untyll
About on every syde.

Alas! then sayd good Adam Bell,

That ever we were made men!

These gates be shut so wonderous fast,

We may not come therein.

5

With strokes great and stronge,

The porter marveiled who was therat,
And to the gates he thronge.

VOL. I.

* See Gloss.

I

20

Who is there nowe, sayde the porter,

That maketh all thys knockinge?

We be tow messengers, quoth Clim of the Clough,
Be come ryght from our kyng.

We have a letter, sayd Adam Bel,
To the justice we must itt bryng;
Let us in our message to do,

That we were agayne to the kyng.

Here commeth none in, sayd the porter,
By hym that dyed on a tre,
Tyll a false thefe be hanged up,

Called Wyllyam of Cloudeslè.

25

30

Then spake the good yeman Clym of the Clough,

And swore by Mary fre,

And if that we stande long wythout,

35

Lyk a thefe hanged thou shalt be.

Lo! here we have the kyngès seale :

What, Lurden, art thou wode?
The porter went* it had ben so,

And lyghtly dyd off hys hode.

V. 38, Lordeyne. PC.

40

* i. e. weened, thought, (which last is the reading of the folio MS.) Calais or Rouen was taken from the English by showing the governor, who could not read, a letter with the king's seal, which was all he looked at.