1

"pestry

and the stage streweth with rushes, with habits

accordingly

*

as we are assured in A Short Difcourfe

on the English Stage, fubjoined to Flecknoe's Love's

KINGDOM, 1674. 12mo.

I.

ADAM BELL, CLYM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY,

- were three noted outlaws, whofe 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 refidence was in the foreft of Englewood, not far from Carlisle, (called in the ballad Englishwood, which is probably the true etymology.) When 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. This feems to prove that they were generally thought to have lived before the popular hero of Sherwood.

Our northern archers were not unknown to their fouthern countrymen, their excellence at the long - bow is often allu

ded

* Puttenham tells us they used Vizards in his time partly to Supply the want of players, when there were moe parts then there were perfons, or that it was not "thought meet to trouble princes chambers with "too many folkes. [Art of Eng. Poef. 1589. p. 26. ] From the last claufe it Should Seem that they were chiefly used in the MASQUES at Court.

2

Act 1,

makes Benedicke

ded to by our ancient poets. Shakespeare, in his comedy of "MUCH adoe about nothing, confirm his refolves of not yielding to love, by this protestation, "If I do, bang me in a bottle like a cat * and "Shoot at me and be that hits me let him be clapt on "the Shoulder and called ADAM:,, meaning ADAM BELL, as Theobald rightly observes, who refers to one or two other paffages in our old poets wherein he is mentioned. The Oxford editor has also well conjectured that "Abraham Cupid, in Romeo and Juliet, A. 2. Sc. 1, Should be "ADAM CHpid,, in allufion to our archer. Ben Jonson has mentioned CLYM O' THE CLOUGH in his Alchemist, Act. 1. fc. 2. And Sir William Davenant, in a mock-poem of his, called THE long vacation in London defcribes the Atorneys and Proctors, as making matches to meet in Finsbury fields,

L

ووو

"With loynes in canvas bow - cafe tyde;

"Where arrowes stick with mickle、 pride;

.. Like ghosts of ADAM BELL and CLYMME, Sol fets for fear they'l Shoot at him. „

Works, p. 291, fol. 1673.

The following stanzas will be judged from the stile, orthography, and numbers, to be very ancient: they are given from an old black- letter quarto, Imprinted at London in Lothburye by Wyllyam Copland (no date): corrected

*Bottles formerly were of leather; though perhaps a wooden bottle might be here meant. It is still a diverfion in Scotland to hang up a cat in a small cash or firkin, half filled with foot and then a parcel of clowns on horseback try to beat out the ends of it, in order to Jhew their dexterity in escaping before the contents fall upon them.

in some places by another copy in the editor's folio MS. I« that volume this ballad is followed by another, intitled YOUNGE CLOUDESLEE, being a continuation of the present story, and reciting the adventures of William of Cloudefly's fon: but greatly inferior to this, both in merit and antiquity.

PART THE FIRST.

MERY

ERY it was in grene foreft
Amonge the levès grene,

Wheras men hunt eaft and weft

Wyth bowes and arrowes kene

To ryfe the dere out of theyr denne ;
Suche fightes hath ofte bene fene;

As by thre yemen of the north countrèy,
By them it is I meane.

The one of them hight Adam Bel,

5

Thefe yemen everychone;

They fwore them brethren upon a day,

To Englyfhe wood for to gone.

Now lith and lyften, gentylmen,
That of myrthe loveth to here:
Two of them were fingele men,

The third had a wedded fere.

Muche more than was hys care:

He fayde to hys brethren upon a day,
To Carleil he wold fare;

For to fpeke with fayre Alyce his wife,

And with hys chyldren thre.

By my trouth, fayde Adam Bel,
Not by the counsell of me :

For if ye go to Carleil, brother,
And from thys wylde wode wende,

If the juftice may you take,

Your lyfe were at an ende,

If that I come not to-moròwe, brother,

By pryme to you agayne,

Trufte not els, but that I am take,

Or else that I am flayne.

He toke hys leave of his brethren two,

And to Carleil he is gon;

There he knocked at his owne windowę

Shortlye and anone.

Wher be you, fayre Alyce my wyfe,

And my chyldren thre?

Lyghtly let in thyne own hufbàndę

Wyllyam of Cloudeflè.

Alas! then fayde fayre Alyce,

And fyghed wonderous fore,

Thys place hath ben befette for you

Thys halfe yere and more.

H S

Ver. 24. Caerlel. in P. C. paffim.

Now

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1

There lay an old wyfe in that place,
A lytle befyde the fyre,

Whych Wyllyam had found of charytyè

More than feven yere.

Up fhe rofe, and forth fhe goes,
Evel mote fhe fpede therefoore;

For she had not set no fote on ground
In feven yere before.

She went unto the juftice hall,

As faft as fhe could hye

65

Thys nyght is come unto thys town

Wyllyam of Cloudeílyè.

Thereof the juftice was full fayne,

And fo was the fhirife alfo :

Thou shalt not trauaill hether, dame, for nought,

Thy meed thou fhalt have or thou go.

They gave to her a ryght good goune

Of scarlate, and of graine :

She take the gyft, and home she wente,

And couched her doune agayne.

They

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