ome, wife, then said William,
Under this trusty tree:
I had ween'd yesterday, by sweet saint John,
Thou shouldst me never have see.

Now well is me that ye be here,
My heart is out of woe;
Dame, he said, be merry and glad,
And thank my brethren two.

Hereof to speak, said Adam Bell,
I think it is no boot:
The meat, that we must sup withal,
It runneth yet fast on foot.

Then went they down into a lawn,
These noble archers all three;
Each of them slew a hart of grease,[60]
The best that they could see.

Have here the best, Alice my wife,
Said William of Cloudesly;
Because ye so boldly stood by me
When I was slain full nigh.

Then went they all into supper
With such meat as they had;
And thanked God of their fortune:
They were both merry and glad.

And when they all had supped well,
Certainly without lease,[61]
Cloudesly said, We will to our king,
To get us a charter of peace.

Alice shall be at our sojourning
In a nunnery here beside;
My two sons shall with her go,
And there they shall abide.

Mine eldest son shall go with me;
For him have you no care:
And he shall bring you word again,
How that we do fare.

Thus be these yeomen to London gone,
As fast as they might hie,
Till they came to the king's palace,
Where they would needs be.

And when they came to the king's court,
Unto the palace gate,
Of no man would they ask no leave,
But boldly went in thereat.

They pressed prestly[62] into the hall,
Of no man had they dread:
The porter came after, and did them call,
And with them began to chide.

The usher said, Yeoman, what would ye have?
I pray you tell to me:
You might thus make officers shent:[63]
Good sirs, of whence be ye?

Sir, we be outlaws of the forest
Certainly without lease;
And hither 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 kneeled down without hindrance,
And each held up his hand.

They said, Lord, we beseech thee here,
That you 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