These gates be shytso wonderly well
That we may not come here in
Than spake clymme of the cloughe
With a wyle we wyll vs in brynge
Let vs say we be messengers
Streyght comen from oure kynge
Adam sayd I haue a lettre wryten wele
Now let vs wysely werke
We wyll say we haue the kynges seale
I holde the porter no clerke
Than adam bell bete on the gate
With strokes greate and stronge
The porter herde suche noyse therate
And to the gate fa [...]e he thronge
Who is there nowe sayd the porter
That maketh all this knockynge
We be two messengers sayd clymme of the clo [...]
Be comen streyght frome oure kynge
We haue a lettre sayd adam bell
To the Iustyce we must it brynge
Let vs in oure message to do
That we were agayne to our kynge
Here cometh no man in sayd the porter
By hym that dyed on a tre
Tyll a false thefe be hanged
Called wyllyam of clowdy [...]
[...] we haue the kynges seale
[...]ordane arte thou wode
[...]orter had wende it had ben so
[...]yghtly dyd of his hode
[...]me be my lordes seale sayd he
[...]t shall ye come in
[...]ened the gate ryght shortly
[...]euyll openynge for hym
[...]we are we in sayd adam bell
[...]erof we are full fayne
[...]t cryst knoweth that herowed hell
[...]w we shall come oute agayne
[...] we the keys sayd clym of the clowgh
[...] well than sholde we spede
[...] myght we come out well ynough
[...] we se tyme and nede
[...] called the porter to a councell
[...] wronge his necke in two
[...]d kest hym in a depe dongeon
[...]d toke the keys hym fro
[...]w am I porter sayd adam bell [...]
[...]roder the keys haue we here
[...] worste porter to mery carlell
[...] had this hondreth yere
[...] wyll we oure bowes bende
[...]e wyll we go
[...] [...]oder
The market place of mery carlyll
They beset in that stounde
And as they loked them besyde
A payre of newe galowes there they se
And the iustyce with a quest of swerers
That had iuged clowdysle there hanged to be
And clowdysle hymselfe lay redy in a carte
Fall [...]ounde bothe fote and hande
And a stronge rope aboute his necke
All redy for to be hangde
The iustyce called to hym a sadde
Clowdysles clothes sholde he haue
To take the mesure of that good yoman
And therafter to make his graue
I haue sene as greate a merueyll sayd clowdy,
As bytwene this and pryme
He th [...] maketh this graue for me
Hymse [...]fe may lye therin
Thou spekest proudely sayd the iustyce
I shall hange the with my hande
Full well that herde his bretheren two
There styll as the dyd stande
Than clowdysle cast his eyen asyd [...]
And sawe his two bretheren stande
At a corner of the market place
With theyr good bowes bente in theyr hand
Redy the iustyce for to chase
I se good comforte sayd clowdysle
Yet hope I well to fare
Yf I myght haue my handes at wyn
[...]ll wolde I care
[...]pake good adam bell
[...]ie of the clowgh so fre
[...]e ye marke the iustyce well
[...]er ye may hym se
[...]e sheryf shote I wyll
[...]ly with an arowe kene
[...] shotte in mery carlyll
[...]ven yere was not sene
[...]sed theyr arowes bothe at ones
[...]an had they drede
[...]hyt the iustyce the other the sheryf
[...]the theyr sydes gan blede
[...]voyded that them stode nye
[...]e iustyce fell to the grounde
[...]sheryf fell nyghe hym by
[...]d his dethes wounde
[...]tezeyns fast gan fle.
[...]rste no lenger abyde
[...]ghtly they loused clowdysle
[...] with ropes lay tyde
[...] sterte to an offycer of the towne
[...]ut of his hande he wronge
[...]s [...]de he smote them downe
[...]ght he had taryed to longe
[...]sayd to his bretheren two
[...]et vs togyder lyue and deye
[...]ue nede as I haue nowe
[...]l ye fynde by me
[...]ell in that tyde
For theyr strynges were of sy [...]e full sure
That they kepte the stretes on euery syde
That batayll dyd longe endure
They fought togyder as bretheren true
Lyke hardy men and bolde
Many a man to the grounde they threwe
And made many an herte colde
But whan theyr arowes were all gone
Men presyd on them full fast
They drewe theyr swerdes than anone
And theyr bowes from them caste
They wente lyghtly on theyr waye
With swerdes and buckelers rounde
By that it was the myddes of the daye
They had made many a wounde
There was many an oute horne in carlyll [...]owen
And the belles backwarde dyd they rynge
Many a woman sayd alas
And many theyr handes dyd wrynge
The mayre of carlyll forth come was
And with hym a full grete route
These thre yomen dredde hym full sore
For theyr lyues stode in doubte
The mayre came armed a full greate pace
With a polaxe in his hande
Many a stronge man with hym was
There in that stoure to stande
The mayre smote at clowdysle with his byll
His buckeler he brast in two
Full many a yoman with grete yll
[...]s treason they cryed for wo
[...]e w [...]the gates fast they bad
[...]t these traytours theroute not go
[...]ur all for nought was that they wrought
For so [...]st they downe were layde
Tyll they all thre that so manfully fought
Were goten without at a brayde
Haue here your keys sayd adam bell
Myne offy [...] I here forsake
Yf ye do by my councell
A newe porter ye make
He threwe the keys there at theyr hedes
And bad them euyll to thryue
And all that letteth ony good yoman
To come and comforte his wyue
Thus [...] good yomen gone to the wode
As lyght as [...]efe on lynde
They laughe a [...]d be mercy in theyr mode
Theyr enemyes were farre behynde
Whan they came to Inglyswode
Vnder theyr trysty tre
There they founde bowes full gode
And arowes greate plente
So helpe me god sayd adam bell
And clymme of the clowgh so fre
I wolde we were nowe in mery carlell
[...]e that fayre meyne
[...] them downe and made good chere
And eate an [...] [...]ke full well
Here is a fytte [...]ese wyght yongemen
And another I shall you tell [...]
AS they sat in Inglyswode
Vnder theyr trysty tre
Them thought they herde a woma [...]
But her they myght not se
Sore syghed there fayre alyce
And [...] as that euer I se this day.
For no [...] is my dere husbonde slayne
[...]as and welawaye
[...]ght I haue spoken with his de [...]
With eyther of them twayne
My herte were out of payne
Clowdysle walked a lytell besyde
And loked vnder the grene wod [...]nde
He was ware of his wyfe and [...]
Full wo in herte and mynde [...]
Welcome wyfe than sayd [...]
Vnto this trysty tre
I had wende yester daye b [...]
Thou sholde me neuer ha [...]
Nowe wele is mesh [...]
My herte is out of [...]
Dame he sayd be me [...]
And thanke my [...]
He [...]
Iw [...]
The [...]
[...]we a harte of grece
[...]oude there se
[...]est alyce my wyfe
[...] of clowdysle
[...]oldely stode me by
[...]ayne full nye
[...] to theyr souper
[...]ete as they had
[...]od of theyr fortune
[...]he mery and glad
[...]y had souped well
[...]houten leace
[...]ayd we wyll to oure kynge
[...] a chartre of peace
[...] [...]o [...]ournynge
[...]er go
[...]
[...]ith me
[...]
[...]ayne
[...]
[...]don gone