124.

'Ye speake proudly,' sayd the kynge; 'Ye shall be hanged all thre.'

'That were great pitye,' sayd the quene, 'If any grace myght be.

125.

'My lorde, whan I came fyrst into this lande To be your wedded wyfe, The fyrst boone that I would aske, Ye would graunt me belyfe:

126.

'And I asked you never none tyll now; Therefore, good lorde, graunt it me.'

'Now aske it, madam,' sayd the kynge, 'And graunted shal it be.'

127.

'Than, good lord, I you beseche, These yemen graunt you me.'

'Madame, ye myght have asked a boone, That shuld have been worth them thre.

128.

'Ye myght have asked towres, and townes, Parkes and forestes plentie.'

'None soe pleasant to my pay,' shee sayd; 'Nor none so lefe to me.'

129.

'Madame, sith it is your desyre, Your askyng graunted shal be; But I had lever have given you Good market townes thre.'

130.

The quene was a glad woman, And sayde, 'Lord, gramarcy; I dare undertake for them, That true men shal they be.

131.

'But, good lord, speke som mery word, That comfort they may se.'

'I graunt you grace,' than sayd our kyng; 'Washe, felos, and to meate go ye.'

132.

They had not setten but a whyle Certayne without lesynge, There came messengers out of the north With letters to our kyng.

133.

And whan they came before the kynge, They kneled downe upon theyr kne; And sayd, 'Lord, your officers grete you well, Of Carlile in the north c.u.n.tre.'

134.

'How fareth my justice,' sayd the kyng, 'And my sherife also?'

'Syr, they be slayne, without lesynge, And many an officer mo.'

135.

'Who hath them slayne?' sayd the kyng; 'Anone thou tell me.'

'Adam Bell, and Clim of the Clough, And Wyllyam of Cloudesle.'

136.

'Alas for rewth!' than said our kynge: 'My hart is wonderous sore; I had lever than a thousande pounde, I had knowne of thys before;

137.

'For I have y-graunted them grace, And that forthynketh me: But had I knowne all thys before, They had been hanged all thre.'

138.

The kyng opened the letter anone, Himselfe he red it tho, And founde how these thre outlawes had slain Thre hundred men and mo:

139.

Fyrst the justice, and the sheryfe, And the mayre of Carlile towne; Of all the constables and catchipolles Alyve were left not one:

140.

The baylyes, and the bedyls both, And the sergeauntes of the law, And forty fosters of the fe, These outlawes had y-slaw:

141.

And broke his parks, and slayne his dere; Over all they chose the best; So perelous out-lawes as they were Walked not by easte nor west.

142.

When the kynge this letter had red, In hys harte he syghed sore: 'Take up the table,' anone he bad, 'For I may eat no more.'

143.

The kyng called his best archars To the b.u.t.tes wyth hym to go: 'I wyll se these felowes shote,' he sayd, 'That in the north have wrought this wo.'

144.

The kynges bowmen buske them blyve.

And the quenes archers also; So dyd these thre wyght yemen; With them they thought to go.

145.

There twyse or thryse they shote about For to a.s.say theyr hande; There was no shote these thre yemen shot.

That any prycke myght them stand.

146.

Then spake Wyllyam of Cloudesle; 'By G.o.d that for me dyed, I hold hym never no good archar, That shoteth at b.u.t.tes so wyde.'

147.

'Whereat?' than sayd our king, 'I pray thee tell me.'

'At suche a but, syr,' he sayd.

'As men use in my countree.'

148.

Wyllyam wente into a fyeld, And his two brethren with him: There they set up two hasell roddes Twenty score paces betwene.

149.

'I hold him an archar,' said Cloudesle, 'That yonder wande cleveth in two.'

'Here is none suche,' sayd the kyng, 'Nor none that can so do.'

150.

'I shall a.s.saye, syr,' sayd Cloudesle, 'Or that I farther go.'

Cloudesly with a bearyng arowe Clave the wand in two.

151.

'Thou art the best archer,' then said the king, 'Forsothe that ever I se.'

'And yet for your love,' sayd Wyllyam, 'I wyll do more maystry.

152.

'I have a sonne is seven yere olde, He is to me full deare; I wyll hym tye to a stake; All shall se, that be here;