"God's curse on his hartt," saide William,105
"Thys day thy cote dyd on;
If it had ben no better then myne,
It had gone nere thy bone."
"Yelde the, Cloudeslè," sayd the justise,
"And thy bowe and thy arrowes the fro:"110
"Gods curse on hys hart," sayde fair Alice,
"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,115
"Hys wyfe and chyldren thre."
They fyred the house in many a place,
The fyre flew up on hye;
"Alas!" then cryed fayr Alice,
"I se we here shall dy."120
William openyd hys backe wyndow,
That [was in] hys chambre on hye,
And wyth shetes let hys wyfe downe,
And hys chyldren thre.
"Have here my treasure," sayde William,125
"My wyfe and my chyldren thre,
For Christes love do them no harme,
But wreke you all on me."
Wyllyam shot so wonderous well,
Tyll hys arrowes were all [ygo],130
And the fyre so fast upon hym fell,
That hys bowstryng brent in two.
The spercles brent and fell hym on,
Good Wyllyam of Cloudeslè!
But than wax he a wofull man,135
And sayde, "thys is a cowardes death to me.
"Leuer I had," sayde Wyllyam,
"With my sworde in the route to renne,
Then here among myne ennemyes wode,
Thus cruelly to bren."140
He toke hys sweard and hys buckler,
And among them all he ran;
Where the people were most in prece,
He smot downe many a man.