I. Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, and William of 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 Englishwood, 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 honour of beating them: viz. The father of Robin a forrester 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; And our Forester beat them all three. Collect. of Old Ballads, 1727, vol. i. p. 67. This seems to prove that they were commonly thought to have lived before the popular hero of Sherwood. Our northern archers were not unknown to their southern countrymen, their excellence at the long-bow is often alluded to by our ancient poets. Shakspeare, in his comedy of Much Ado about Nothing, act i., makes Benedicke confirm his resolves of not yielding to love by this protestation, "If I do, hang me in a bottle like a cat1, and shoot at me; and he that hits me, let him be clapt on the shoulder and called Adam:" 1 Bottles formerly were of leather; though perhaps a wooden bottle might be here meant. It is still a diversion in Scotland to hang up a cat in a small cask, or firkin, half filled with soot; and then a parcel of clowns on horseback try to beat out the ends of it, in order to show their dexterity in escaping before the contents fall upon them. Percy. I. 16 meaning Adam Bell, as Theobald rightly observes, who refers to one or two other passages in our old poets wherein he is mentioned. The Oxford editor has also well conjectured that "Abraham Cupid," in Romeo and Juliet, act ii. sc. 1, should be "Adam Cupid," in allusion to our archer. Ben Jonson has mentioned Clym o' the Clough in his Alchemist, act i. sc. 2. And Sir William Davenant, in a mock poem of his, called The long Vacation in London, describes the attorneys and proctors as making matches to meet in Finsbury-fields. "With loynes in canvas bow-case tyde2: .... Works, p. 291, fol. 1673. 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 Queen Elizabeth. See in Rymer's Fadera, a letter from Lord William Howard to some of the officers of state, wherein he mentions them. As for the following stanzas, which will be judged from the style, orthography, and numbers, to be very ancient, they are given (corrected in some places by a MS. in the Editor's old folio) from a black-letter quarto, Imprinted at London in Lothburye by Wyllyam Copland (no date). That old quarto edition seems to be exactly followed in "Pieces of Ancient Popular Poetry, &c. Lond. 1791," 8vo., the variations from which that occur in the following copy, are selected from many others in the folio MS. above mentioned; and when distinguished by the usual inverted 'comma,' have been assisted by conjecture. In the same MS. this ballad is followed by another, entitled Young Cloudeslee, being a continuation of the present story, and reciting the adventures of William of Cloudesly's son: but greatly inferior to this both in merit and antiquity. 2 i. e. Each with a canvass bow-case tied round his loins. PART THE FIRST. MERY it was in the grene forèst Wheras men hunt east and west To raise the dere out of theyr denne; Suche sightes hath ofte bene sene; 5 As by thre yemen of the north countrèy, The one of them hight Adam Bel, The other Clym of the Clough3, 10 The thyrd was William of Cloudesly, They were outlawed for venyson, They swore them brethren upon a day, Now lith and lysten, gentylmen, Wyllyam was the wedded man, Muche more then was hys care: For to speke with fayre Alyce his wife, By my trouth, sayde Adam Bel, Not by the counsell of me: Ver. 24, Caerlel in P. C. passim. rank od 459 3 Clym of the Clough means Clem. [Clement] of the Cliff: for so Clough signifies in the North. For if ye go to Carlile, brother, And from thys wylde wode wende, If that I come not to-morrowe, brother, Truste you then that I am 'taken' Or else that I am slayne. He toke hys leave of hys brethren two, There he knocked at his owne windowe Shortlye and anone. Wher be you, fayre Alyce, he sayd, My wife and chyldren three? Lyghtly let in thyne owne husbande, Whych Wyllyam had found of charytyè Up she rose, and forth shee goes, She went unto the justice hall, As fast as she could hye: Thys night, shee sayd, is come to town Thereof the justice was full fayne, And so was the shirife also: Thou shalt not trauaile hither, dame, for nought, They gave to her a ryght good goune She toke the gyft, and home she wente, They raysed the towne of mery Carleile In all the haste they can; And came thronging to Wyllyames house, There they besette that good yemàn Round about on every syde: Wyllyam hearde great noyse of folkes That thither-ward fast hyed. Alyce opened a backe wyndòwe And loked all aboute, She was ware of the justice and shirife bothe, Wyth a full great route. V. 85, sic MS., shop window. P. c. 80 85 |