She went unto the justice hall,

65

As faft as the could hye:

Thys night is come unto thys town

Wyllyam of Cloudeflyè.

Thereof the juftice was full fayne,

And fo was the fhirife alfo :

Thou shalt not trauaill hither, dame, for nought, Thy meed thou fhalt have or thou go.

They gave to her a ryght good goune

Of fcarlate, and of graine:

She toke the gyft, and home she wente,

And couched her doune agayne.

They ryfed the towne of mery Carleile

In all the hafte they can;

And came thronging to Wyllyames house,
As faft as they might gone.

There they befette that good yemàn

About on every syde :

Wyllyam hearde great noyfe of folkes,
That theyther-ward they hyed.

Alyce opened a back wyndòw,

And loked all aboute,

She was ware of the justice and fhirife bothe,

Wyth a full great route.

Ver. 85. fhop window. PC.

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85

Alas!

Alas! treafon, cryed Alyce,

Ever wo may thou be!

90

Goe into my chamber, husband, she sayd,

Took a pollaxe in her hande:

He fhal be deade that here commeth in
Thys dore, whyle I may stand.

Cloudeflè bente a wel-good bowe,
That was of trusty tre,

He fmot the juftife on the breft,
That hys arowe breft in three.

100

A curfe on his harte, faide William,
Thys day thy cote dyd on!

105

If it had ben no better then myne,
It had gone nere thy bone.

Yeld the Cloudeflè, fayd the juftise,
Thy bowe and thy arrowes the fro.
A curfe on hys hart, fayd fair Alyce,
That my hufband councelleth fo.

L 2

Set fyre on the house, faide the fherife,

Syth it wyll no better be,

And brenne we therin William, he saide,

115

Hys wyfe and chyldren thre.

They fyred the house in many a place,

The fyre flew up on hye:

Alas! then cryed fayre Alice,

I fe we here shall dy.

William openyd a backe wyndòw,
That was in hys chamber hie,
And wyth fhetes let downe his wyfe,
And eke hys chyldren thre.

120

Than was he a wofull man, and fayde,

135

Thys is a cowardes death to me.

Lever

Lever had I, fayde Wyllyam,

With my fworde in the route to renne,

Then here among myne enemyes wode

Thus cruelly to bren.

He toke hys fweard and hys buckler,
And among them all he ran,
Where the people were most in prece,
He fmot downe many a man.

There myght no man abyde hys ftroke,

So ferfly on them he ran :

Then they threw wyndowes, and dores on him,

And fo toke that good yeman..

There they hym bounde both hand and fote,

And in depe dongeon caft:

Now Cloudefle, fayd the hye juftice,

Thou shalt be hanged in haft,

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A payre of new gallowes, fayd the sherife,

Now fhal I for the make;

And the gates of Carleil fhal be fhutte:"

155

No man fhal come in therat.

Then fhall not helpe Clym of the Cloughe,

Nor yet shal Adam Bell,

Though they came with a thousand mo,

Nor all the devels in hell.

L 3

160

Early

Early in the mornynge the justice uprofe,
To the gates firft gan he gon,

And commaundeth to be fhut full clofe
Lightilè everychone.

Then went he to the markett place,

A

As faft as he coulde hye;

payre of new gallous there he fet up
Befyde the pyllorye.

A lytle boy amonge them asked,

"What meaneth that gallow-tre?"

They fayde to hange a good yeamàn,
Called Wyllyam of Cloudeflè.

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That lytle boye was the towne fwyne-heard,

And kept fayre Alyces fwyne;

Oft he had feene Cloudefle in the wodde,
And geuend hym there to dyne.

$75

He went out att a crevis in the wall,

And lightly to the woode dyd gone;

Ye tary here all to longe;

Cloudefle is taken, and dampned to death,

All readye for to honge.

Alas!