They had not fetten but a whyle

Certayne without lefynge,

There came meffengers out of the north

With letters to our kyng.

And whan the came before the kynge,
They knelt downe on theyr kne;

Sayd, Lord, your officers grete you well,
Of Carleile in the north cuntrè.

140

"Adam Bell, and Clime of the Clough,

The kyng hee opened the letter anone,

Himfelfe he red it tho,

And founde how these outlawes had flain
Thre hundred men and mo:

Fyrft the juftice, and the fheryfe,

And the mayre of Carleile towne ;

165

Of all the conftables and catchipolles
Alyve were fcant left one:

The baylyes, and the bedyls both,

And the fergeaunte of the law,

170

And forty fofters of the fe,

These outlawes had yslaw:

And broke his parks, and flayne his dere;

175

Of all they chose the best;

So perelous out-lawes, as they were,

Walked not by eafte nor weft.

When the kynge this letter had red,

In harte he syghed fore:

Take up the tables anone he bad,

For I may eat no more.

The kyng called hys beft archars

To the buttes wyth hym to go:
I wyll se these felowes fhote, he fayd,
In the north have wrought this wo.

M 4

180

The

The kynges bowmen busket them blyve,
And the quenes archers alfo ;
So dyd thefe thre wyghtye yemen;
With them they thought to go.

There twyfe, or thryfe they fhote about
For to affay theyr hande;

There was no fhote thefe yemen shot,

That any prycke † myght stand.

Then fpake Wyllyam of Cloudeflè;
By him that for me dyed,

I hold hym never no good archar,
That fhoteth at buttes fo wyde.

"At what a butte now wold ye fhote,

Wyllyam wente into a fyeld,

With his two brethèrene:

There they fet up two hafell roddes
Full twenty fcore betwene.

I hold him an archar, faid Cloudeflè,
That yonder wande cleveth in two.

Ver. 185. blythe. MS.

185

190

195

200

205

Here

+ i. e. mark, Ver, 202, 203, 212, to. PC. Ver. 204. Twenty fcore paces. PC. i. e. 400 yards.

Here is none fuche, fayd the kyng,

Nor none that can fo do.

I fhall affaye, fyr, fayd Cloudeflè,
Or that I farther go.

Cloudefly with a bearyng arowe

Clave the wand in two.

Thou art the beft archer, then said the king,

For fothe that ever I fe.

And yet for your love, fayd Wyllyam,

I wyll do more maystery.

210

215

220

Shall cleve the apple in two.

Now hafte the, then fayd the kyng,

225

By hym that dyed on a tre,

But yf thou do not, as thou hest sayde,

Hanged fhalt thou be.

And

Ver.

r. 222. Six-fcore paces. PC. i. s. 120 yards.

And thou touche his head or gowne,

In fyght that men may se,

By all the fayntes that be in heaven,
I fhall hange you all thre.

That I have promised, faid William,
That wyll I never forfake.

And there even before the kynge

In the earth he drove a stake :

And bound therto his eldest fonne,
And bad hym ftand ftyll thereat ;
And turned the childes face him fro,

Because he should not fterte.

An apple upon his head he fet,

And then his bowe he bent:

230

235

240

He prayed the people, that wer there,
That they ftill wold ftand,

250

For he that hoteth for fuch a wager,

Behoveth a ftedfaft hand.

Muche

Ver. 252. fteedye. MS.