l I for thee make;
And the gates of Carlisle shall be shut:
No man shall come in thereat.

Then shall not help Clym of the Clough,
Nor yet shall Adam Bell,
Though they came with a thousand more,
Nor all the devils in hell.

Early in the morning the justice uprose,
To the gates first gan he to gon',
And commanded to be shut full close
Lightly every one.

Then went he to the market place,
As fast as he could hie;
There a pair of new gallows he set up
Beside the pillory.

A little boy among them asked,
What meaneth that gallows-tree?
They said to hang a good yeoman,
Called William of Cloudesly.

That little boy was the town swine-herd,
And kept fair Alice's swine;
Oft he had seen William in the wood,
And given him there to dine.

He went out at a crevice in the wall,
And lightly to the wood did gon';
There met he with these wight yeomen
Shortly and anon.

Alas! then said that little boy,
Ye tarry here all too long;
Cloudesly is taken, and dampned[44] to death,
All ready for to hong.[45]

Alas! then said good Adam Bell,
That ever we see this day!
He had better with us have tarried,
So oft as we did him pray.

He might have dwelt in green forest,
Under the shadows green,
And have kept both him and us at rest,
Out of all trouble and teen.[46]

Adam bent a right good bow,
A great hart soon he had slain;
Take that, child, he said, to thy dinner,
And bring me mine arrow again.

Now go we hence, said these wight yeomen,
Tarry we no longer here;
We shall him borrow[47] by God his grace,
Though we buy it full dear.

To Carlisle went these bold yeomen,
All in the morning of May.
Here is a FYT[48] of Cloudesly,
And another is for to say.

PART THE SECOND.

And when they came to merry Carlisle,
All in the morning tide,
They found the gates shut them against
About on every side.

Alas! then said good Adam Bell,
That ever we were made men!
These gates he shut so wondrous fast,
We may not come therein.

Then bespake him Clym of the Clough,
With a wile we will us in bring;
Let us say we be messengers,
Straight come now from our king.

Adam said, I have a letter written,
Now let