Alas! treason, cryed Alyce,

Ever wo may thou be!

Goe into my chamber, husband, she sayd,
Swete Wyllyam of Cloudeslee.

He toke hys sweard and hys bucler,
Hys bow and hys chyldren thre,

And wente into hys strongest chamber,
Where he thought surest to be.

95

'A' curse on hys hart, sayd fair Alyce, That my husband councelleth so.

Set fyre on the house, saide the sherife,

Syth it wyll no better be,

And brenne we therin William, he saide,
Hys wyfe and chyldren thre.

115

They fyred the house in many a place,

The fyre flew up on hye:

Alas! then cryed fayre Alice,

I se we here shall dye.

77777

120

William openyd a backe wyndow,

That was in hys chamber hie,

And there with sheetes he did let downe
His wyfe and chyldren thre.

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

125

For Christès love do them no harme,

But wreke you all on me.

Wyllyam shot so wondrous well, p
Tyll hys arrowes were all agoe,
And the fyre so fast upon hym fell,
That hys bowstryng brent in two.
The sparkles brent and fell upon
Good Wyllyam of Cloudeslè:
Than was he a wofull man, and sayde,

130

135

This is a cowardes death to me.

Then they threw wyndowes, and dores on him,

And so toke that good yeman.

There they hym bounde both hand and fote,

150

And in deepe dungeon him cast:

Now Cloudesle, sayd the justice,

Thou shalt be hanged in hast.

V. 151, sic MS., hye justice. P. C.

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

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,

Nor all the devels in hell.

155

Though they came with a thousand mo,

160

Early in the mornynge the justice uprose,
To the gates first gan he gone,

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

Oft he had seene William in the wodde,

175

And geuen hym there to dyne.

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.

Alas! then sayde that lytle boye,
Ye tary here all to longe;

V. 153, 4, are contracted from the fol. MS. and P. C.

men. P. C.

180

V. 179, yonge

Under the shadowes greene,

190

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;

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

195

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.

200

To Caerleil wente these good yemen,

All in a mornyng of maye.

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.

V. 190, sic MS., shadowes sheene.. P. C. V. 197, jolly yeomen. MS., wight yong men. P.C.

4 See Gloss.

Alas! then sayd good Adam Bell,

That ever we were made men!
These gates be shut so wonderous fast,
We may not come therein.

Then bespake him Clym of the Clough,
Wyth a wyle we wyl us in bryng;
Let us saye we be messengers,

Streyght come nowe from our king.

5

10

Adam said, I have a letter written,

Now let us wysely werke,

We wyl saye we have the kynges seale;
I holde the porter no clerke.

15

Then Adam Bell bete on the gates

With strokes great and stronge,

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

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.

Then spake the good yeman Clym of the Clough,

And swore by Mary fre,

And if that we stande long wythout,

Lyk a thefe hanged thou shalt be.