Then [went] they to supper,
Wyth suche meat as they had,
And thanked God of ther fortune;
They were both mery and glad.40
And when they had supped well,
Certayne without any leace,
Cloudeslè sayd, "We wyll to our kyng,
To get us a charter of peace.
"Alyce shall be [at] sojournyng,45
In a nunry here besyde;
My tow sonnes shall wyth her go,
And ther they shall abyde.
"Myne eldest son shall go wyth me,
For hym have I no care,50
And he shall [breng you] worde agayn
How that we do fare."
Thus be these yemen to London gone,
As fast as they might hye,
Tyll they came to the kynges pallace,55
Where they woulde nedes be.
And whan they came to the kynges courte,
Unto the pallace gate,
Of no man wold they aske no leave,
But boldly went in therat.60
They preced prestly into the hall,
Of no man had they dreade;
The porter came after and dyd them call,
And with them began to chyde.
The ussher sayed, "Yemen, what wold ye haue?
I pray you tell me;66
You myght thus make offycers shent:
Good syrs, of whence be ye?"
"Syr, we be outlawes of the forest,
Certayne without any leace,70
And hether we be come to our kyng,
To get us a charter of peace."
And whan they came before the kyng,
As it was the lawe of the lande,
The[y] kneled downe without lettyng,75
And eche held up his hand.