They sayde "to hange a good yeman,
Called Wyllyam of Cloudeslè.
That lytle boye was the towne swyne-heard,
And kept fayre Alyces swyne;
Oft he had seene William in the wodde,
And geuen hym there to dyne.
He went out att a crevis of the wall,
And lightly to the woode dyd gone;
There met he with these wightye yemen
Shortly and anone.
"Alas!" then sayde the lytle boye,
"Ye tary here all too longe;
Cloudeslee is taken, and dampned to death,
And readye for to honge."
"Alas!" then sayd good Adam Bell,
"That ever we saw thys daye!
He had better have tarryed with us,
So ofte as we dyd him praye.
"He myght have dwelt in grene forèste,
Under the shadowes grene,
And have kepte both hym and us att reste,
Out of all trouble and teene."
Adam bent a ryght good bow,
A great hart sone hee had slayne:
"Take that, chylde," he sayde, to thy dynner,
"And bryng me myne arrowe agayne."
"Now go we hence," sayed these wightye yeomen,
Tarry we no longer here;
We shall hym borowe by God his grace,
Though we buy itt full dere."
To Caerleil wente these bold yemen,
All in a mornyng of maye.
Here is a FYT[4] of Cloudeslye,
And another is for to saye.
PART THE SECONDAND when they came to mery Carleile,
All in the mornyng tyde,
They founde the gates shut them untyll
About on every syde.
"Alas!" then sayd good Adam Bell,
"That ever we were made men!
These gates be shut so wonderous fast,
We may not come therein."
Then bespake him Clym of the Clough,
"Wyth a wyle we wyl us in bryng;