The mayre came armed a full great pace,
With a pollaxe in hys hande;150
Many a strong man with him was,
There in that stowre to stande.
The mayre smot at Cloudeslè with his bil,
Hys bucler he brust in two;
Full many a yeman with great [yll],155
"Alas, treason!" they cryed for wo.
"Kepe we the gates fast" they bad,
"That these traytours thereout not go."
But al for nought was that they wrought,
For [so] fast they downe were layde,160
Tyll they all thre, that so manfulli fought,
Were gotten without at .
"Have here your keys," sayd Adam Bel,
"Myne office I here forsake;
Yf you do by my councèll,165
A new porter do [ye] make."
[He threw the keys there at theyr heads,]
And bad them evell to thryve,
And all that letteth any good yeman
To come and comfort hys wyfe.170
Thus be these good yemen gon to the wod,
[As lyght as] lefe on lynde;
They lough and be mery in theyr mode,
Theyr ennemyes were ferre behynd.
When they came to Englyshe wode,175
Under the [trysty] tre,
[There] they found bowes full good,
And arrowes full great plentye.
"So God me help," sayd Adam Bell,
And Clym of the Clough so fre,180
"I would we were [nowe] in mery Caerlel,
Before that fayre meyny."
They set them downe and made good chere,
And eate and [drank] full well:
Here is a fet of these wyght yong men,185
[And another I shall] you tell.
[7], wonderous. R. (Ritson.)