Goe fetch him downe the Eldridge sworde, The gyaunt he stepped into the lists, And sayd, Awaye, awaye: I sweare, as I am the hend soldàn, Then forth the stranger knighte he came "That this were my true knighte!" And now the gyaunt and knighte be mett Within the lists so broad: And now with swordes so sharp of steele, The soldan strucke the knighte a stroke, And made the bloude to flowe: The soldan strucke a third fell stroke, And she shriekt loud shriekings three. The knighte he leapt upon his feete, All recklesse of the paine; Quoth he, But heaven be now my speede, Or else I shall be slaine. He grasped his sword with mayne and mighte, That had reskewed her from thrall. Was fallen into a swounde, Come downe, come downe, my daughter deare, Than this good knighte sholde spille. To helpe him if she maye; But when she did his beavere raise, It is my life, my lord, she sayes, And shriekte and swound awaye. Sir Cauline juste lifte up his eyes When he heard his ladye crye: ladye, I am thine owne true love; For thee I wisht to dye. Then giving her one partinge looke, But when she founde her comelye knighte And thus she made her moane: O staye, my deare and onlye lord, § 104. Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne. "In this time (about the year 1190, in the reign of Richard I.) were many robbers and out-lawes, among the which Robin Hood and Little John, renowned theeves, continued in woods, despoyling and robbing the goods of the rich. They killed none but such as would invade them; or by resistance for their own defence. "The said Robert entertained an hundred tall men and good archers with such spoiles and thefts as he got, upon whom four hundred (were they ever so strong) durst not give the onset. He suffered no woman to be oppressed, violated, or otherwise molested; poore men's goods he spared, abundantlie relieving thein with that, which by theft he got from abbeys and the houses of rich carles; whom Maior the historian blameth for his rapine and theft, but of all theeves he affirmeth him to be the prince and the most gentle theefe." Stowe's Annals, p. 159. WHAN shaws beene sheene, and shraddes full fayre, And leaves both large and longe, Itt's merrye walkyng in the fayre forrest So lowde, he wakened Robin Hood, Ile be wroken on them towe. As the wind blowes over the hill; Buske yee, bowne yee, my merry men all, Untill they came to the merry greenwood, A sworde and a dagger he wore by his side, Stand still, master, quoth Lyttle John, Ah! John, by me thou settest noe store, It is no cunning a knave to ken, An a man but heare him speake; An it were not for bursting of my bowe, John, I thy head would breake. As often wordes they breeden bale, So they parted Robin and John; And John is gone to Barnesdale, The gates he knoweth eche one. But when he came to Barnesdale, # Great heavinesse there hee hadd, For he found tow of his owne fellowes Were slaine both in a slade, And Scarlette he was flying a-foote Fast over stocke and stone, For the proud sheriffe with seven score men One shoote now I will shoote, quoth John, Then John bent up his long bende-bowe, Woe worth, woe worth thee, wicked wood, For now this day thou art my bale, Yet flew not the arrowe in vaine, And William a Trent was slaine. It had bene better of William a Trent The sheriffe hath taken Little John, Thou shalt be drawen by dale and downe, But thou mayst fayle of thy purpose, quoth [John, Lett us leave talking of Little John, And thinke of Robin Hood, How he is gone to the wight yeomàn, Good morrow, good fellowe, sayd Robin so fayre, Good morrow, good fellow, quo he: Methinks, by this bowe thou beares in thy hande, A good archere thou sholdst bee. I am wilfulle of my waye, quo' the yeman, Ile lead thee through the wood, sayd Robin: I seeke an outlawe, the straunger sayd, Rather I'd meet with that proud outlawe Now come with me, thou wighty yeman, First let us some masterye make We may chance to meet with Robin Hood They cut them down two summer shroggs, And set them threescore rood in twaine Leade on, good fellowe, quoth Robin Hood, Nay by my faith, good fellowe, hee sayd, The first time Robin shot at the pricke, The yeoman he was an archer good, The second shoote had the wightye yeman, A blessing upon thy heart, he sayd; Goode fellowe, thy shooting is goode; For an thy heart be as good as thy hand, Thou wert better than Robin Hood. Now tell me thy name, good fellowe, sayd he, Nay by my faith, quoth bolde Robin, I dwelle by dale and downe, quoth hee, My dwelling is in this wood, says Robin, I am Robin Hood of Barnesdale, * Ways, passes, paths. He that had neyther been kithe nor kin, And Guy was quicke and nimble withall, Ah deere Ladye, said Robin Hood, thou I think it was never mans destinye Robin thought on our Ladye deere, And soon leapt up againe; And strait he came with a backward stroke, Iff thou have had the worst strokes at my hand, Robin did off his gowne of greene, Thy bowe, thy arrows, and little horne, To see how my men doe fare. Robin Hood sett Guys horne to his mouth, Hearken, hearken, sayd the sheriffe, Yonder I heare Sir Guyes horne blowe, Come hyther, come hyther, thou good Sir Guy, OI will none of thy gold, sayd Robin, Nor I will none of thy fee: But now I have slaine the master, he sayes, Thou art a madman, sayd the sheriffe, Thou sholdst have had a knightes fee: But seeing thy asking hath beene soe bad, Well granted it shall bee. When Little John heard his master speake, Stand abacke, stand abacke, sayd Robin; Itt was never the use in our countryè, And gave him Sir Guyes bow into his hand, And bade it be his boote. Then John he took Guyes bow in his hand, His bolts and arrowes eche one; When the sheriffe saw Little John bend his bow, Towards his house in Nottingham towne But he cold neither runne soe fast, But Little John with an arrowe soe broad, § 105. Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, and William of Cloudesly. They were three noted outlaws, whose skill in archery rendered them formerly as famous in the North of England, as Robin Hood and his fellows were in the midland counties. Their place of residence was in the forest of Englewood, not far from Carlisle (called corruptly in the ballad English-wood, whereas Engle or Ingle wood signifies wood for firing). At what time they lived does not appear. The author of the common ballad on the pedigree, education, and marriage, of Robin Hood, makes them contemporary with Robin Hood's father, in order to give him the honor of beating them; viz. The father of Robin a forester was, And he shot in a lusty long bow Two north-country miles and an inch at a shot, For he brought Adam Bell, and Clim of the Clough, To shoot with our forester for forty mark; Collect. of Old Ballads, 1727, 1st vol. p. 67. This seems to prove that they were commonly thought to have lived before the popular hero of Sherwood. I have only to add further concerning the principal hero of this ballad, that the Bells were noted rogues in the north so late as the time of Q. Elizabeth. See, in Rymer's Foedera, a letter from Lord William Howard to some of the officers of state, wherein he mentions them. Part the First. MERY it was in grene forèst Among the levès grene, To ryse the dere out of theyr denne : The one of them hight Adam Bel, The other Clym of the Clough They were outlawed for venyson, Wyllyam was the wedded man, Muche more than was hys care: For to speke with fayre Alyce his wife, For if ye go to Carleil, brother, And from thys wylde wode wende, If the justice may you take, If that I come not to-morrow, brother, He took his leave of his brethren two, Wher be you, fayre Alyce my wyfe, Alas! then sayde fayre Alyce,, Thys place hath ben besette for Thys halfe yere and more. Now am I here, said Cloudeslè, I wold that in I were: you Now fetche us meate and drynke ynoughe, And let us make good chere. She fetched hym meate and drynke plentyè, And pleased hym with that she had, There lay an old wyfe in that place, A lytle besyde the fyre, Up she rose, and forth she goes, She went unto the justice-hall, Thereof the justice was full fayne, Thou shalt not trauaill hither, dame, for nought, They gave to her a ryght good goune They rysed the towne of mery Carleile And came thronging to Wyllyames house, Theyre they besette that good yemàn Wyllyam hearde great noyse of folkes, Alyce opened a back wyndow, She was ware of the justice and shirife bothe, Alas! treason, cryed Alyce, Goe into my chamber, husband, she sayd, He toke hys sweard and hys bucler, Hys bow and hys chyldren thre, Cloudeslè bente a wel-good bowe, A curse on his harte, said William, • Clym of the Clongh, means Clem. (Clement) of the Valley; for so Clough signifies in the North Set fyre on the house, saide the sherife, And brenne we therein William, he saide, They fyred the house in many a place; William openyd a back wyndow, Have here my treasure, sayde William, With my sworde in the route to renne, He toke hys sweard and hys buckler, There myght no man abyde his stroke, There they hym bounde both hande and fote, A payre of new gallowes, sayd the sherife, And the gates of Carleil shal be shutte, Then shall not helpe Clym of the Cloughe, Early in the mornynge the justice uprose, Then went he to the markett place, A payre of new gallous there he set up A lyttle boy among them asked, What meaneth that gallow-tree? They sayde, To hang a good yeaman, Called Wyllyam of Cloudeslè. That lytle boye was the towne swyne-heard, And kept fayre Alyces swine: He went out att a crevis in the wall, Alas! then sayde that lytle boye, Cloudesle is taken, and dampned to death, Alas! then sayd good Adam Bell, He myght have dwellyd in grene forèste, And have kept both hym and us in reste, Adam bent a ryghte good bow, A great hart sone had he slayne: We shall hym borowe by God his grace, To Carleil wente these good yemen, And another is for to saye. Part the Second. And when they came to merry Carleil, Alas! then sayd good Adam Bell, That ever we were made men! Then bespake him Clym of the Clough, Streyght come nowe from our king. Who is there nowe, sayde the porter, We be tow messengers, sayde Clim of the Clough, We have a letter, sayde Adam Bel, |