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I.

ADAM BELL, CLYM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY,

were three noted outlaws, whose skill in archery rendered them formerly as famous in the North of England, as Robin Hobin and his fellows were in the midland counties. Their place of refidence was in the foreft of Englewood, not far from Carlisle, (called corruptly in the ballad Englifb-wood, whereas Engle, or Ingle-wood fignifies Wood for firing.) At what time they lived does not appear. The author of the common ballad on "THE PEDIGREE, EDU66 CATION, AND MARRIAGE, OF ROBIN HOOD," makes them contemporary with Robin Hood's father, in order to give him the honour of beating them: viz.

The father of ROBIN a Forefter swas,
And he foot in a lufty long-bow

Two north-country miles and an inch at a shot,
As the Pindar of Wakefield does know :

For he brought Adam Bell, and Clim of the Clough,
And William a Clowdeflee

To fhoot with our Forefter for forty mark ;

And our Forefter beat them all three.

Collect. of Old Ballads. 1727. vol. p. 67.

This feems to prove that they were commonly thought to have lived before the popular Hero of Sherwood.

Our

Our northern archers were not unknown to their fouthern countrymen, their excellence at the long-bow is often alluded to by our ancient poets. Shakespeare, in his comedy of "MUCH adoe about nothing," Act 1. makes Benedicke confirm his refolves of not yielding to love, by this proteftation, "If I do, bang me in a bottle like a cat *, and shoot at me, "and he that hits me, let him be clapt on the shoulder and "called ADAM :" meaning ADAM BELL, as Theobald rightly obferves, who refers to one or two other passages in our old poets wherein he is mentioned. The Oxford editor has also well conjectured that " Abraham Cupid" in Romeo and Juliet, A. 2. S. 1. fhould be " ADAM Cupid," in allufion to our archer. Ben Johnson has mentioned CLYM O' THE CLOUGH in his Alchemift, A&t 1. fc. 2. And Sir William Davenant, in a mock poem of his, called "THE long vacation in London," defcribes the Attorneys and Proctors, as making matches to meet in Finfbury fields.

"With loynes in canvas bow-cafe tyde;

"Where arrowes stick with mickle pride ; . .
"Like ghofts of ADAM BELL and CLYMME.
"Sol fets for fear they'l foot at him."

Works, p. 291. fol. 1673.

I have only to add further concerning the principal Hero of this Ballad, that the BELLS were noted rogues in the North fo late as the time of 2 Elizabeth. See in Rymer's Fadera, a letter from lord William Howard to fome of the officers of ftate, wherein he mentions them.

As for the following ftanzas, they will be judged from the flyle, orthography, and numbers, to be very ancient : they are given from an old black-letter quarto, Imprinted at London in Lothburge by Wyllyam Copland (no date): corrected

*Bottles formerly were of leather; though perhaps a wooden bottle might be bere meant. It is ftill a diverfion in Scotland to hang up a cat in a small cafk or firkin, half filled with foot: and then a parcel of clowns on horfeback try to beat out the ends of it, in order to fhew their dexterity in escaping before the contents fall upont bem.

corrected in fome places by another copy in the editor's folia MS. In that volume this ballad is followed by another, intitled YOUNGE CLOUDESLEE, being a continuation of the prefent ftory, and reciting the adventures of William of Cloudefly's fon: but greatly inferior to this both in merit and antiquity.

PART THE FIRST.

MERY it was in grene forèst
Amonge the levès grene,

Wheras nien hunt eaft and weft

Wyth bowes and arrowes kene;

To ryfe the dere out of theyr denne;
Suche fightes hath ofte bene fene;
As by thre yemen of the north countrèy,
By them it is I meane.

The one of them hight Adam Bel,
The other Clym of the Clough,
The thyrd was William of Cloudefly,
An archer good ynough.

10

They were outlawed for venyfon,

Thefe yemen everychone;

They fwore them brethren upon a day,
To Englyshe wood for to gone.

15

3

Now

Now lith and lyften, gentylmen,

That of myrthe loveth to here : Two of them were fingele men,

The third had a wedded fere.

Wyllyam was the wedded man,
Muche more than was hys care:

He fayde to hys brethren upon a day,
To Carleil he wold fare;

20

For to fpeke with fayre Alyce his wife,
And with hys chyldren thre.
By my trouth, fayde Adam Bel,
Not by the counsell of me :

25

For if ye go to Carleil, brother,

And from thys wylde wode wende,

30

If the juftice may you take,

Your lyfe were at an ende.

If that I come not to-morowe, brother,

By pryme to you agayne,

Trufte not els, but that I am take,

35

Or else that I am slayne.

He toke hys leave of hys brethren two,

And to Carleil he is gon:

There he knocked at his owne windowe

Shortlye and anone.

Wher

Ver. 24. Caerlel, in PC. passim.

Wher be you, fayre Alyce my wyfe,

And my chyldren thre?

Lyghtly let in thyne owne husbànde,
Wyllyam of Cloudeflè.

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And fyghed wonderous fore,

Thys place hath ben befette for you

Thys halfe yere and more.

45

Now am I here, fayde Cloudeflè,

I wold that in I were:

50

Now fetche us meate and drynke ynoughe,

And let us make good chere.

She fetched hym meate and drynke plentyè,

Lyke a true wedded wyfe;

And pleased hym with that fhe had,

Whome she loved as her lyfe.

There lay an old wyfe in that place,

A lytle befyde the fyre,

55

Whych Wyllyam had found of charytyè

60

More than seven yere.

Up fhe rofe, and forth she goes,

Evel mote fhe fpede therefoore;

For fhe had not fet no fote on ground

In feven yere before.

VOL. I.

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