The mildew of myth spreads, of course, from William to his comrades. J. Grimm, in his Gedanken über Mythos, etc., 1813, interprets Clim, Cloudesly, and Clough all in the sense of nail, sharp point, arrow; and as Bell is βέλος, Tell is telum, Toko τόξον, and Egil is igel, hedgehog, and therefore the spine of the hedgehog, and therefore dart, the names are all one as to meaning. But Grimm appears to have been less confident about these etymologies in later days. Sir G. W. Cox, on the other hand, says that Cloudesly’s name marks him as an inhabitant of Cloudland. (Meanwhile, every likelihood favors the derivation of Cloudesly from clúd, rock, and leáh, lea, and the interpretation of Clim as Clem and of Clough as ravine.) Cloudesly and his mates are all the more mythical because they are three, and because, as it is asserted, Robin Hood is mythical, with whom they are, one and all, assumed to be identical.
[26]. Camden, Britannia, II, 175, ed. 1772. King Edward the First, when hunting in this forest, is said to have killed two hundred bucks in one day. For Arthur’s hunting there, see Robson, Three Early English Metrical Romances, p. 26, LV7, p. 59, V1; Madden’s Syr Gawayne, p. 298, v. 16; this book, I, 294, st. 9, etc.
[27]. Cronykil of Scotland, Book vii, v. 3523 f, ed. Laing, II, 263.
[28]. John Bell robbed the Chamberlain’s men of cattle, 1337: Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, II, 437. The Bells are included with the Grahams, Armstrongs, and others, among the bad and more vagrant of the great surnames of the border, by the Lord Warden of the Marches of England, 1593 (Rymer’s Fœdera, XVI, 183, ed. 1727, cited by Bishop Percy), and had no better estimation in Scotland.
[29]. a preserves stanzas 1–834, 1184–2083, 3142–3493; with defects at 22,3, 71, 1234–1273, 133–1363. It has therefore about 200 stanzas out of 456.
c preserves 264–603; d, 280–350, very much mutilated; e, 4354–4501, very much mutilated. e, inserted among the Douce fragments, was presented by Mr Halliwell-Phillips.
[30]. Dr Farmer considered these leaves to be of Rastell’s printing, and older by some years than b; which is not quite intelligible, since Rastell’s work is put at 1517–38. c is cited under Rastell’s name in Ritson’s second edition as well as his first.
[31]. 94, a, allther moste: b, all other moste. (f, g, of all other; b, 2833, all ther best; 2841, all theyre best; f, g, al of the best.) 614, a, Muche in fere: b, Much also. 684, a, By xxviii (eight and twenty) score: b (f, g), By eyghtene score, which gives no meaning. 1383, a, frembde bested: b (f, g), frend. 1734, a, same nyght: b, same day. 1764, a, wode hore: b (f, g), wode tre. 3332, a, on rode: b (f, g), on a tre. 3432, a, The sherif: b (f, g), The knyght.
[32]. 133, a, b, husbonde: f, g, husbandeman. 2561, b, in yonder other corser: f, on the other courser: g, in the other coffer. 2744, 2862, 3874, 4122, b, trystell-tre: f, g, trusty tre. 3851, b, “tarpe”: f, g, seale. 3714, b, blyve: f, g, blythe, etc.
[33]. 1112, That all this worldë wrought; 1632, The whilë that he wolde; 3164, To metë can they gone; 724, But his bowë tree; 291, They brought hym to the lodgë dore.