William openyd a backe wyndòw,

That was in hys chamber hie,
And wyth fhetes let downe his wyfe,

And eke hys chyldren thre.

Have here my treasure, fayde William,
My wyfe and my chyldren thre:

125

Than was he a wofull man, and fayde,
Thys is a cowardes death to me.

135

Lever had I, fayde Wyllyam,

With my fworde in the route to renne,

Then here among myne enemyes wode

Thus cruelly to bren.

140

He toke hys fweard and hys buckler,
And among them all he ran,
Where the people were most in prece,

He fmot downe many a man.

There

There myght no man abyde hys ftroke,

So ferfly on them he ran :

Then they threw wyndowes, and dores on him,

And fo toke that good yemàn.

There they hym bounde both hand and fote,

And in depe dongeon caft:

Thou shalt be hanged in haft.

145

150

Now Cloudefie, fayd the hye juftice,

A payre of new gallowes, fayd the sherife,

Now fhal I for the make,

And the gates of Carleil fhal be shutte:

155

No man fhal come in therat.

Then shall not helpe Clym of the Cloughe,

Nor yet fhal Adam Bell,

Though they came with a thousand mo,

Nor all the devels in hell.

Early in the mornynge the juftice uprofe,

To the

gates faft gan he gon,

And commaundeth to be shut full close

Lightilè every chone,

Then went he to the markett place,

As faft as he coulde hye ;

A payre of new gallous there he fet up

Befyde the pyllorye.

160

165

A lytle

A lytle boy amonge them asked,

"What meaneth that gallow-tré ?”

170

They fayde to hange a good yeaman,

Called Wyllyam of Cloudeflè.

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

Oft he had feene Cloudefle in the wodde,
And geuend 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 thefe wightye yemen

Shortly and anone.

Alas! then fayde that lytle boye,

Ye tary here all to longe;

Cloudefle is taken, and dampned to death,

All readye for to honge.

Alas! then fayd good Adam Bell,

That ever we fee thys daye!

He had better with us have taryed,

So ofte as we dyd hym praye.

He myght have dwellyd in grene forèste,

Under the fhadowes grene,

180

185

190

And

Ver. 179. yonge men. P. C. Ver. 190. fhadowes fheene. P.C.

And have kepte both hym and us in refte,
Out of trouble and teene.

Adam bent a ryght good bow,

A great hart fone had he flayne:

Take that, chylde, he fayde, to thy dynner,
And bryng me myne arrowe agayne.

Now go we hence, fayed these wightye yeomen,

Tary we no lenger here;

We fhall hym borowe by God his
Though we bye it full dere.

195

grace,

200

To Caerleil-wente these good yemen,
In a mery mornyng of maye.
Here is a FYT † of Cloudeflye,
And another is for to faye.

PART THE SECOND,

A

ND when they came to mery Carleil,

All in the mornyng tyde,

They founde the gates fhut them untyll

About on every fyde.

Ver. 197. wight yong men. P.C. + Sec Glofs.

Alas!

Alas! than fayd good Adam Bell,

That ever we were made men!

Thefe gates be fhut fo wonderous wel,
We may not come here in.

Then befpake him' Clym of the Clough,

Wyth a wyle we wyl us in bryng, Let us faye we be messengers,

Streyght come nowe from our king.

Adam faid, I have a letter written,
Now let us wyfely werke,

We wyl faye we have the kynges feales;
I holde the porter no clerke,

With ftrokes great and ftrong:

The porter herde fuche noyfe therat,

And to the gate he throng.

Who is there nowe, fayde the porter,
That maketh all thys dinne?

We be tow meffengers, fayde Clim of the Clough,
Be come ryght from our kyng.

20

We have a letter, fayde Adam Bel,
To the justice we must it bryng;

25

Let us in our message to do,

That we were agayne to the kyng.

Here