are two editions printed by James
Roberts in 1605; and finally a MS. text in the Percy Folio (c. 1650).

Copland's text is obviously full of faults, and in emendations I have
mostly followed Child.

+The Story+, lively and admirably told, contains little extrinsic
interest, except in William's feat of shooting the apple from his son's
head. This is inevitably associated with the legend of William Tell,
which is told in the White Book of Obwalden, written about 1470; but
similar stories can be found in the Icelandic Saga of Dietrich of Bern
(about 1250) and in Saxo Grammaticus, who wrote his Danish History about
the year 1200. Three or four other versions of the story are to be found
in German and Scandinavian literature before the date of our ballad;
but they all agree in two points which are missing in the English
ballad--the shot is compulsory, and the archer reserves another arrow
for purposes of revenge in case he misses his mark. William of Cloudesly
volunteers a difficult and risky feat out of bravado.

The rescue of Cloudesly by Adam Bell and Clym of the Clough may be
compared with the rescue of Robin Hood by Little John and Much in _Robin
Hood and the Monk_, stt. 61-81 (see pp. 107-110).

ADAM BELL, CLYM OF THE CLOUGH AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY

1.
Mery it was in grene forest
Among the leves grene,
Wher that men walke both east and west
Wyth bowes and arrowes kene;

2.
To ryse the dere out of theyr denne;
Suche sightes as hath ofte bene sene,
As by thre yemen of the north countrey,
By them it is as I meane.

3.
The one of them hight Adam Bel,
The other Clym of the Clough,
The thyrd was William of Cloudesly,
An archer good ynough.

4.
They were outlawed for venyson,
These thre yemen everychone;
They swore them brethren upon a day,
To Englyshe-wood for to gone.

5.
Now lith and lysten, gentylmen,
And that of myrthes loveth to here;
Two of them were single men,
The third had a wedded fere.

6.
Wyllyam was the wedded man,
Muche more then was hys care:
He sayde to hys brethren upon a day,
To Carlile he would fare,

7.
For to speke with fayre Alyce his wife,
And with hys chyldren thre:
'By my trouth,' sayde Adam Bel,
'Not by the counsell of me:

8.
'For if ye go to Carlile, brother,
And from thys wylde wode wende,
If that the justice may you take,
Your lyfe were at an ende