ver true,
With a pollaxe in her hande:
'He shall be deade that here cometh in
Thys dore, while I may stand.'

26.
Cloudeslee bente a wel good bowe,
That was of trusty tre,
He smot the justise on the brest,
That hys arowe brest in thre.

27.
'God's curse on his hart,' saide William,
'Thys day thy cote dyd on!
If it had ben no better then myne,
It had gone nere thy bone.'

28.
'Yelde thee, Cloudesle,' sayd the justise,
'And thy bowe and thy arrowes the fro.'
'God's curse on hys hart,' sayd fair Alyce,
'That my husband councelleth so.'

29.
'Set fyre on the house,' saide the sherife,
'Syth it wyll no better be,
And brenne we therin William,' he saide,
'Hys wyfe and chyldren thre.'

30.
They fyred the house in many a place,
The fyre flew up on hye:
'Alas!' than cryed fayr Alice.
'I se we shall here dye.'

31.
William openyd hys backe wyndow,
That was in hys chamber on hie,
And with sheetes let hys wyfe downe
And hys children three.

32.
'Have here my treasure,' sayde William,
'My wyfe and my chyldren thre:
For Christes love do them no harme,
But wreke you all on me.'

33.
Wyllyam shot so wonderous well,
Tyll hys arrowes were all go,
And the fyre so fast upon hym fell,
That hys bowstryng brent in two.

34.
The spercles brent and fell hym on,
Good Wyllyam of Cloudesle;
But than was he a wofull man, and sayde,
'Thys is a cowardes death to me.

35.
'Lever I had,' sayde Wyllyam,
'With my sworde in the route to renne,
Then here among myne enemyes wode
Thus cruelly to bren.'

36.
He toke hys sweard and hys buckler,
And among them all he ran,
Where the people were most in prece
He smote downe many a man.

37.
There myght no man stand hys stroke,
So fersly on them he ran:
Then they threw wyndowes and dores on him
And so toke that good yeman.

38.
There they hym bounde both hand and fote,
And in a deepe dongeon him cast:
'Now, Cloudesle,' sayd the hye justice,
'Thou shalt be hanged in hast.'

39.
'One vow shal I make,' sayde the sherife,
'A payre of new gallowes shal I for thee make;
And all the gates of Carlile shal be shutte:
There shall no man come in therat.

40.
'Then shall not helpe Clym of the Cloughe,
Nor yet Adam Bell,
Though they came with a thousand mo,