A Bundle of Ballads [15]
we be come to our King, To get us a charter of peace."--
And when they came before the King, As it was the law of the land, They kneel-ed down without lett-ing, And each held up his hand. They said: "Lord, we beseech thee here, That ye will grant us grace: For we have slain your fat fallow deer In many a sundry place."--
"What be your names?" then said our King, "Anon that you tell me." They said: "Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, And William of Cloudeslie."-- "Be ye those thieves," then said our King, "That men have told of to me? Here to God I make avowe Ye shall be hanged all three!
"Ye shall be dead without merc-y, As I am King of this land." He commanded his officers every one Fast on them to lay hand. There they took these good yeomen; And arrested them all three. "So may I thrive," said Adam Bell, "This game liketh not me.
"But, good lord, we beseech you now, That ye will grant us grace, Insomuch as we be to you comen; Or else that we may fro you pace With such weapons as we have here, Till we be out of your place; And if we live this hundred year, Of you we will ask no grace."--
"Ye speak proudly," said the King; "Ye shall be hanged all three." "That were great pity," then said the Queen, "If any grace might be. My lord, when I came first into this land, To be your wedded wife, Ye said the first boon that I would ask, Ye would grant it me belife.
"And I asked never none till now: Therefore, good lord, grant it me." "Now ask it, madam," said the King, "And granted shall it be."-- "Then, good my lord, I you beseech, These yeomen grant ye me."-- "Madam, ye might have asked a boon, That should have been worth them all three:
"Ye might have ask-ed towers and towns, Parks and for-ests plent-y."-- "None so pleasant to my pay," she said, "Nor none so lief to me."-- "Madam, sith it is your desire, Your asking granted shall be; But I had liever have given you Good market town-es three."
The Queen she was a glad wom-an, And said: "Lord, gramerc-y, I dare well undertake for them That true men shall they be. But, good lord, speak some merry word, That comfort they may see."-- "I grant you grace," then said our King; "Wash, fellows, and to meat go ye."
They had not sitten but a while, Certain, without leas-ing, There came two messengers out of the north, With letters to our King. And when they came before the King, They kneeled down upon their knee, And said: "Lord, your officers greet you well Of Carlisle in the north countree."--
"How fareth my Justice?" said the King, "And my Sheriff also?"-- "Sir, they be slain, without leas-ing, And many an officer mo."-- "Who hath them slain?" then said the King, "Anon thou tell-e me."-- "Adam Bell, and Clym of the Clough, And William of Cloudeslie."--
"Alas, for ruth!" then said our King, "My heart is wondrous sore; I had liever than a thousand pound I had known of this before; For I have y-granted them grace, And that forthinketh me: But had I known all this before, They had been hanged all three."--
The King he opened the letter anon, Himself he read it tho, And found how these three outlaws had slain Three hundred men and mo; First the Justice and the Sheriff, And the Mayor of Carlisle town, Of all the const-ables and catchipolls Alive were left but one;
The bailiffs and the bedels both, And the serjeants of the law, And forty fosters of the fee, These outlaws have they slaw; And broken his parks, and slain his deer, Over all they chose the best, So perilous outlaws as they were, Walked not by east nor west.
When the King this letter had read, In his heart he sigh-ed sore: "Take up the table," anon he bade: "For I may eat no more." The King called his best archers To the butts with him to go; "I will see these fellows shoot," he said, "That in the north have wrought this woe."
The King-es bowmen busk them blive, And the Queen's archers also, So did these three wight yeomen; With them they thought to go. There twice or thrice they shot about, For to assay their hand; There was no shot these yeomen shot, That any prick might them stand.
And when they came before the King, As it was the law of the land, They kneel-ed down without lett-ing, And each held up his hand. They said: "Lord, we beseech thee here, That ye will grant us grace: For we have slain your fat fallow deer In many a sundry place."--
"What be your names?" then said our King, "Anon that you tell me." They said: "Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, And William of Cloudeslie."-- "Be ye those thieves," then said our King, "That men have told of to me? Here to God I make avowe Ye shall be hanged all three!
"Ye shall be dead without merc-y, As I am King of this land." He commanded his officers every one Fast on them to lay hand. There they took these good yeomen; And arrested them all three. "So may I thrive," said Adam Bell, "This game liketh not me.
"But, good lord, we beseech you now, That ye will grant us grace, Insomuch as we be to you comen; Or else that we may fro you pace With such weapons as we have here, Till we be out of your place; And if we live this hundred year, Of you we will ask no grace."--
"Ye speak proudly," said the King; "Ye shall be hanged all three." "That were great pity," then said the Queen, "If any grace might be. My lord, when I came first into this land, To be your wedded wife, Ye said the first boon that I would ask, Ye would grant it me belife.
"And I asked never none till now: Therefore, good lord, grant it me." "Now ask it, madam," said the King, "And granted shall it be."-- "Then, good my lord, I you beseech, These yeomen grant ye me."-- "Madam, ye might have asked a boon, That should have been worth them all three:
"Ye might have ask-ed towers and towns, Parks and for-ests plent-y."-- "None so pleasant to my pay," she said, "Nor none so lief to me."-- "Madam, sith it is your desire, Your asking granted shall be; But I had liever have given you Good market town-es three."
The Queen she was a glad wom-an, And said: "Lord, gramerc-y, I dare well undertake for them That true men shall they be. But, good lord, speak some merry word, That comfort they may see."-- "I grant you grace," then said our King; "Wash, fellows, and to meat go ye."
They had not sitten but a while, Certain, without leas-ing, There came two messengers out of the north, With letters to our King. And when they came before the King, They kneeled down upon their knee, And said: "Lord, your officers greet you well Of Carlisle in the north countree."--
"How fareth my Justice?" said the King, "And my Sheriff also?"-- "Sir, they be slain, without leas-ing, And many an officer mo."-- "Who hath them slain?" then said the King, "Anon thou tell-e me."-- "Adam Bell, and Clym of the Clough, And William of Cloudeslie."--
"Alas, for ruth!" then said our King, "My heart is wondrous sore; I had liever than a thousand pound I had known of this before; For I have y-granted them grace, And that forthinketh me: But had I known all this before, They had been hanged all three."--
The King he opened the letter anon, Himself he read it tho, And found how these three outlaws had slain Three hundred men and mo; First the Justice and the Sheriff, And the Mayor of Carlisle town, Of all the const-ables and catchipolls Alive were left but one;
The bailiffs and the bedels both, And the serjeants of the law, And forty fosters of the fee, These outlaws have they slaw; And broken his parks, and slain his deer, Over all they chose the best, So perilous outlaws as they were, Walked not by east nor west.
When the King this letter had read, In his heart he sigh-ed sore: "Take up the table," anon he bade: "For I may eat no more." The King called his best archers To the butts with him to go; "I will see these fellows shoot," he said, "That in the north have wrought this woe."
The King-es bowmen busk them blive, And the Queen's archers also, So did these three wight yeomen; With them they thought to go. There twice or thrice they shot about, For to assay their hand; There was no shot these yeomen shot, That any prick might them stand.