ADAM BEL, CLYM OF THE CLOUGH,AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLE
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Merry it was in green forest,
Among the leaves green,
Where that men walk east and west,
With bows and arrows keen.
To raise the deer out of their den,—
Such sights hath oft been seen,—
As by three yeomen of the north country,
By them it is I mean.
The one of them hight Adam Bel,
The other Clym of the Clough,
The third was. William of Cloudesle,
An archer good enough.
They were outlawed for venison,
These yeomen every one;
They swore them brethren upon a day,
To English-wood for to gone.
Now lith and listen, gentlemen,
That of mirths loveth to hear:
Two of them were single men,
The third had a wedded fere.
William was the wedded man,
Much more then was his care:
He said to his brethren upon a day,
To Carlisle he would fare,
For to speak with fair Alice his wife,
And with his children three.
"By my troth," said Adam Bel,
"Not by the counsel of me.
"For if ye go to Carlisle, brother.
And from this wild wood wend,
If the justice may you take,
Your life were at an end."
hight, was called. lith, listen. fere, mate.
"If that I come not tomorrow, brother,
By prime to you again,
Trust not else but that I am take,
Or else that I am slain."
He took his leave of his brethren two,
And to Carlisle he is gone;
There he knocked at his own window,
Shortly and anon.
"Where be you, fair Alice, my wife,
And my children three?
Lightly let in thine own husband,
William of Cloudeslè."
"Alas!" then said fair Alice,
And sighed wondrous sore,
"This place hath been beset for you,
This half year and more."
"Now am I here," said Cloudeslè,
"I would that I in were:—
Now fetch us meat and drink enough,
And let us make good cheer."
She fetched him meat and drink plenty,
Like a true wedded wife,
And pleased him with that she had,
Whom she loved as her life.
There lay an old wife in that place,
A little beside the fire,
Which William had found, of charity,
More than seven year.
Up she rose and walked full still,
Evil mote she sped therefore,
For she had not set no foot on ground
In seven year before.
She went unto the justice hall,
As fast as she could hie;
"This night is come unto this town
William of Cloudeslè."
Thereof the justice was full fain,
And so was the sheriff also;
"Thou shalt not travel hither, dame, for nought,
Thy meed thou shalt have or thou go."
They gave to her a right good gown,
Of scarlet it was, as I heard sayen;
She took the gift and home she went,
And couched her down again.
They raised the town of merry Carlisle,
In all the haste that they can,
And came thronging to Williams house,
As fast as they might gone.
found—i.e. found for, provided for. still, quietly
There they beset that good yeoman,
Round about on every side,
William heard great noise of folks,
That hitherward they hied.
Alice opened a shot-window,
And looked all about,
She was ware of the justice and sheriff both,
With a full great rout.
"Alas! treason," cried Alice.
"Ever woe may thou be!
Go into my chamber, my husband," she said,
"Sweet William of Cloudeslè."
He took his sword and his buckler,
His bow and his children three,
And went into his strongest chamber,
Where he thought surest to be.
Fair Alice followed him as a lover true,
With a pollaxe in her hand;
"He shall be dead that here cometh in
This door, while I may stand."
Cloudeslè bent a well good bow,
That was of trusty tree,
He smote the justice on the breast,
That his arrow burst in three.
shot-window, projecting window.
"Gods curse on his heart," said William,
"This day thy coat did on;
If it had been no better than mine,
It had gone near thy bone."
"Yield thee, Cloudeslè," said the justice,
"And thy bow and thy arrows thee fro:"
"Gods curse on his heart," said fair Alice,
"That my husband counselleth so."
"Set fire on the house," said the sheriff,
"Sith it will no better be,
And we burn therein William," he said,
"His wife and children three."
They fired the house in many a place,
The fire flew up on high;
"Alas!" then cried fair Alice,
"I see we here shall die."
William opened his back window,
That was in his chamber on high,
And with sheets let his wife down,
And his children three.
"Have here my treasure," said William,
"My wife and my children three,
For Christ's love do them no harm,
But wreak you all on me."
William shot so wondrous well,
Till his arrows were all ygo,
And the fire so fast upon him fell,
That his bowstring brent in two.
The spercles brent and fell him on,
Good William of Cloudesle!
But then wax he a woeful man,
And said, "this is a coward's death to me.
"Liever I had," said William,
"With my sword in the rout to renne,
Then here among mine ennemies wode,
Thus cruelly to bren."
He took his sword and his buckler,
And among them all he ran;
Where the people were most in press,
He smote down many a man.
There might no man stand his stroke,
So fiercely on them he ran;
Then they threw windows and doors on him,
And so took that good yeoman.
There they him bound both hand and foot,
And in deep dungeon him cast;
"Now, Cloudesle," said the high justice,
"Thou shalt be hanged in haste."
ygo, gone, brent, burst and burnt, spercles, sparks, renne, run. wode, fierce. press, crowd.
"One vow shall I make," said the sheriff,
"A pair of new gallows shall I for thee make,
And the gates of Carlisle shall be shut,
There shall no man come in thereat.
"Then shall not help Clym of the Clough,
Nor yet shall Adam Bel,
Though they came with a thousand more,
Nor all the devils in hell."
Early in the morning the justice uprose,
To the gates first gan he gone,
And commanded to be shut full close
Lightilè everyone.
Then went he to the market place,
As fast as he could hie;
A pair of new gallows there did he up set,
Beside the pillory.
A little boy stood them among,
And asked what meaned that gallow tree -,
They said, "to hang a good yeoman,
Called William of Cloudeslè."
That little boy was the town swine-herd,
And kept fair Alice swine,
Oft he had seen Cloudeslè in the wood,
And given him there to dine.
lightilè, quickly.
He went out at a crevice in the wall,
And lightly to the wood did gone;
There met he with these wight young men,
Shortly and anon.
"Alas!" then said that little boy,
"Ye tarry here all too long;
Cloudesle is taken and damned to death,
All ready for to hong."
"Alas!" then said good Adam Bel,
"That ever we see this day!
He might here with us have dwelled,
So oft as we did him pray!
"He might have tarried in green forest,
Under the shadows sheen,
And have kept both him and us in rest,
Out of trouble and teen!"
Adam bent a right good bow,
A great hart soon had he slain;
"Take that, child," he said, "to thy dinner,
And bring me mine arrow again."
"Now go we hence," said these wight young men,
"Tarry we no longer here;
We shall him borrow, by God's grace,
Though we buy it full dear."
teen, woe. borrow, rescue.
To Carlisle went these good yeomen,
On a merry morning of May:
Here is a fit of Cloudeslè,
And another is for to say.