[THE THIRD FIT.]
As they sat in English-wood,
Under their trysty tree,
Them thought they heard a woman weep,
But her they might not see.
Sore then sighed the fair Alice,
And said, "Alas that ever I saw this day!
For now is my dear husband slain,
Alas and well a way!
"Might I have spoken with his dear brethren,
Or with either of them twain,
[To let them know what him befell]
My heart were out of pain!"
Cloudeslè walked a little beside,
And looked under the greenwood lind;
He was ware of his wife and children three,
Full woe in heart and mind.
"Welcome, wife," then said William,
"Under this try sty tree;
I had weened yesterday, by sweet saint John,
Thou should me never have see."
"Now well is me," she said, "that ye be here,
My heart is out of woe:"
"Dame," he said, "be merry and glad,
And thank my brethren two."
"Hereof to speak," said Adam Bel,
"I-wis it is no boot;
The meat that we must sup withal
It runneth yet fast on foot."
Then went they down into a laund,
These noble archers all three,
Each of them slew a hart of grice,
The best they could there see.
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"Have here the best, Alice, my wife,"
Said William of Cloudeslè,
"Because ye so boldly stood by me,
When I was slain full nigh.
Then went they to supper,
With such meat as they had,
And thanked God of their fortune;
They were both merry and glad.
laund, glade. grice, grey.
And when they had supped well,
Certain without any lease,
Cloudesle said, "We will to our king,
To get us a charter of peace.
"Alice shall be at sojourning,
In a nunnery here beside;
My two sons shall with her go,
And there they shall abide.
"Mine eldest son shall go with me,
For him have I no care,
And he shall bring you word again
How that we do fare."
Thus be these yeomen to London gone,
As fast as they might hie,
Till they came to the kings palace,
Where they would needs be.
And when they came to the king's court,
Unto the palace gate,
Of no man would they aske no leave,
But boldly went in thereat.
They pressed prestly into the hall,
Of no man had they dread;
The porter came after and did them call,
And with them began to chide.
lease, lies. prestly, quickly.
The usher said, "Yeomen, what would ye have?
I pray you tell me;
You might thus make officers shent:
Good sirs, of whence be ye?"
"Sir, we be outlaws of the forest,
Certain without any lease,
And hither we be come to our king,
To get us a charter of peace."
And when they came before the king,
As it was the law of the land,
They kneeled down without letting,
And each held up his hand.
They said, "Lord, we beseech thee here,
That ye will grant us grace,
For we have slain your fat fallow deer,
In many a sundry place."
"What be your names?" then said our king,
"Anon that you tell me:"
They said, "Adam Bel, Clym of the Clough,
And William of Cloudeslè."
"Be ye those thieves," then said our king,
"That men have told of to me?
Here to God I make a vow,
Ye shall be hanged all three.
shent, disgraced.
Ye shall be dead without mercy,
As I am king of this land."
He commanded his officers everyone
Fast on them to lay hand.
There they took these good yeomen,
And arrested them all three:
"So may I thrive," said Adam Bel,
"This game liketh not me.
"But, good lord, we beseech you now,
That you grant us grace,
Insomuch as we be to you comen,
Or else that we may fro you pass,
"With such weapons as we have here,
Till we be out of your place;
And if we live this hundreth year,
We will ask you no grace."
"Ye speak proudly," said the king,
"Ye shall be hanged all three:"
"That were great pity," then said the queen,
"If any grace might be.
"My lord, when I came first into this land,
To be your wedded wife,
The first boon that I would ask,
Ye would grant it me belife;
belife, at once.
"And I asked never none till now,
Therefore, good lord, grant it me."
"Now ask it, madam," said the king,
"And granted shall it be."
"Then, my good lord, I you beseech,
These yeomen grant ye me:"
"Madam, ye might have asked a boon
That should have been worth them all three.
"Ye might have asked towers and towns,
Parks and forests plenty."
"None so pleasant to me pay," she said,
"Nor none so lief to me."
"Madam, sith it is your desire,
Your asking granted shall be;
But I had liefer have given you
Good market towns three."
The queen was a glad woman,
And said, "Lord, gramercy;
I dare undertake for them,
That true men shall they be.
"But, good lord, speak some merry word,
That comfort they may see."
"I grant you grace," then said our king,
"Wash, fellows, and to meat go ye."
They had not setten but a while,
Certain without leasing,
There came messengers out of the north,
With letters to our king.
And when they came before the king,
They kneeled down upon their knee,
And said, "Lord, your officers greet you well,
Of Carlisle in the north countrè."
"How fares my justice," said the king,
"And my sheriff also?"
"Sir, they be slain, without leasing,
And many an officer moe."
"Who hath them slain?" said the king,
"Anon thou tell me:"
"Adam Bel, and Clym of the Clough,
And William of Cloudeslè."
"Alas for ruth!" then said our king,
"My heart is wondrous sore;
I had liefer than a thousand pound,
I had known of this before.
"For I have granted them grace,
And that forthinketh me,
But had I known all this before,
They had been hanged all three."
leasing, lying. forthinketh, repenteth.
The king opened the letter anon,
Himself he read it thro,
And found how these three outlaws had slain
Three hundred men and moe.
First the justice and the sheriff,
And the mayor of Carlisle town;
Of all the constables and catchpolls
Alive were left not one.
The bailiffs and the beadle both,
And the sergeants of the law,
And forty fosters of the fee,
These outlaws had yslaw,
And broke his parks, and slain his deer;
Over all they chose the best;
So perilous outlaws as they were,
Walked not by east nor west.
When the king this letter had read,
In his heart he sighed sore;
"Take up the table anon," he bad,
"For I may eat no more."
The king called his best archers,
To the butts with him to go;
"I will see these fellows shoot," he said,
"In the north have wrought this woe."
catchpolls, bumbailiffs. fosters, foresters. of the fee, in the pay of the king. yslaw, slain.
The kings bowmen busk them blithe,
And the queen's archers also,
So did these three wight yeomen,
With them they thought to go.
There twice or thrice they shot about,
For to essay their hand;
There was no shot these yeomen shot,
That any prick might them stand.
Then spake William of Cloudeslè,
"By Him that for me died,
I hold him never no good archer
That shooteth at butts so wide."
"Whereat?" then said our king,
"I pray thee tell me:"
"At such a butt, sir," he said,
"As men use in my countre."
William went into a field,
And his two brethren with him,
There they set up two hazel rods,
Twenty score paces between.
"I hold him an archer," said Cloudeslè,
"That yonder wand cleaveth in two:
"Here is none such," said the king,
"Nor none that can so do."
busk, make ready. prick, peg in target
"I shall essay, sir," said Cloudeslè,
"Or that I farther go:"
Cloudeslè, with a bearing arrow,
Clave the wand in two.
"Thou art the best archer," then said the king,
"Forsooth that ever I see
"And yet for your love," said William,
"I will do more maistry.
"I have a son is seven year old,
He is to me full dear;
I will him tie to a stake,
All shall see that be here;
"And lay an apple upon his head,
And go six score paces him fro,
And I myself, with a broad arrow,
Shall cleave the apple in two."
"Now haste thee," then said the king,
"By Him that died on a tree;
But if thou do not as thou hast said,
Hanged shalt thou be.
"And thou touch his head or gown,
In sight that men may see,
By all the saints that be in heaven,
I shall hang you all three."
maistry, mastery.
"That I have promised," said William,
"I will it never forsake;"
And there even before the king,
In the earth he drove a stake,
And bound thereto his eldest son,
And bad him stand still thereat,
And turned the child's face fro him,
Because he should not start.
An apple upon his head he set,
And then his bow he bent;
Six score paces they were out met,
And thither Cloudesle went.
There he drew out a fair broad arrow,
His bow was great and long,
He set that arrow in his bow,
That was both stiff and strong.
He prayed the people that was there,
That they would still stand,
"For he that shooteth for such a wager,
Behoveth a stedfast hand."
Much people prayed for Cloudeslè,
That his life saved might be,
And when he made him ready to shoot,
There was many a weeping eye.
met, meted, measured.
Thus Cloudeslè cleft the apple in two,
That many a man might see;
"Over God's forbode," said the king,
"That thou shoot at me!
"I give thee xviii. pence a day,
And my bow shalt thou bear,
And over all the north count re,
I make thee chief rider,"
"And I give thee xvii. pence a day," said the queen,
"By God and by my fay;
Come fetch thy payment when thou wilt,
No man shall say thee nay.
"William, I make thee a gentleman,
Of clothing and of fee,
And thy two brethren yeomen of my chamber,
For they are so seemly to see.
"Your son, for he is tender of age,
Of my wine-cellar shall he be,
And when he cometh to man's estate,
Better avaunced shall he be.
"And, William, bring me your wife," saidthe queen,
"Me longeth her sore to see;
She shall be my chief gentlewoman,
To govern my nursery."
fay, faith. Over God's forbode, on God's prohibition, i.e. God forbid.
The yeomen thanketh them full courteously,
And said, "To some bishop will we wend,
Of all the sins that we have done
To be assoiled at his hand."
So forth be gone these good yeomen,
As fast as they might hie,
And after came and dwelled with the king,
And died good men all three.
Thus endeth the lives of these good yeomen,
God send them eternal bliss,
And all that with hand bow shooteth,
That of heaven may never miss.
assoiled, absolved.