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They fyred the house in many a place, the fyre flew up on
hye;
Alas! then, cryed fayre Alyce, I se we here shall dye.
Wyllyam opened a backe wyndow that was in hys chamber
hye,
And wyth shetes let down hys wyfe, and eke his chyldren
three.
Have here my treasure, sayde Wyllyam, my wyfe and chyldren
thre,
For Christe's love do them no harme, but wreke you all on
me.
Wyllyam shot so woundrous well tyll hys arrows were all
agoe;
And the fyre so fast upon hym fell, that hys bowstring bent
in two.
The sparkles brent and fell upon good Wyllyam of
Cloudesle,
Than he was a wofull man, and syde, Thys ys a coward's death
to me.
Lever had I, sayd Wyllyam, with my sweard in the route to
rene,
Than here among myne enemy's wode, thys cruelly so bren.
He toke his sweard and his buckler, and among them all he
ran;
Where the people were most in prece he smot down many a
man.
There myght no man abyde hys stroke, so fersly on them he
ran:
Then they threw wyndows and dores on him, and so toke that
good yeman.
There they hym bound both hand and fote, and in deep dungeon
cast;
Now Cloudesle, sayd the hye justyce, thou shalt be hanged yn
hast.
A payre of new gallowes, sayd the sheryff, now shall I for
the make;
And the gates of Carleyl shall be shutte, that no man shall
come yn thereat.
Then shall not helpe, Clym of the Clough, nor yet shall Adam
Bell,
Though they come wyth a thousand mo, nor all the devels yn
hell.
Early in the mornyng the justyce up rose, to the gates first
gan he gon,
And commandeth to be shut full close, lyghtyly every one.
Then went he to the market place, as fast as he could
hye,
A payre of new gallowes there set he up, besyde the
pyllorye.
A lyttle boy among them asked, "What meaneth that
gallows-tre?"
They sayd to hange a good yeman, called Wyllyam of
Cloudesle.
That lyttle boye was the towne swyne-heard, and kept fayre
Alyces swyne;
Oft he had seene Cloudesle yn the wodde, and geuend him
there to dyne.
He went out at a crevys in the wall, and lyghtyly to the
wode dyd gone,
There met he with these wyghtye yemen shortly and anon.
"Alas!" then sayde that lyttle boye, "Ye tarry here all to
longe,
Cloudesle is taken, damned to death, all readye for to
honge."
"Alas!" then said good Adam Bell, "that ever we see thys
day!
"He had better with us have taryed, so oft as we dyd hym
praye;
"He myght have dwellyed yn grene foreste, under the shadows
grene,
"And have kept both hym and us in reste, out of trouble and
teene."
Adam bent a ryght good bow, a great hart son had he
slayn;
"Take that, chylde," he sayd, "to thy dynner, and bryng me
myne arrowe agayne."
Now we go hence, sayd these wyghtye yemen, tary we no longer
here;
We shall hym borowe, by God his grace, though we bye it full
dere.
To Carleyl went these good yemen, in a mery mornyng of
May;
Here ys a FYT of Cloudesle, and another ys for to saye.
END OF PART FIRST.
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