99 Sore syghed there fayre Alyce, and sayd, Alas that euer I se this daye! For now is my dere husbonde slayne, Alas and welawaye! 100 Myght I haue spoken wyth hys dere breth[eren], With eyther of them twayne, [To shew to them what him befell] My herte were out of payne. 101 Clowdysle walked a lytell besyde, And loked vnder the grene wodde lynde; He was ware of his wyfe and his chyldre[n thre], Full wo in herte and mynde. 102 ‘Welcome, wyfe,’ than sayd Wyllyam, ‘Unto this trysty-tre; I had wende yesterdaye, by swete Sai[nt John], Thou sholde me neuer haue se.’ 103 ‘Now wele is me,’ she sayd, ‘that [ye be here], My herte is out of wo:’ ‘Dame,’ he sayd, ‘be mery and glad, And thanke my bretheren two.’ 104 ‘Here of to speke,’ sayd Ad[am] Bell, ‘I-wys it [is no bote]; The me[at that we must supp withall, It runneth yet fast on fote.’ 105 Then went they down into a lau_n_de, These noble archares all thre, Eche of the]m slewe a harte of grece, [The best t]hey coude there se. 106 ‘[Haue here the] best, Alyce my wyfe,’ [Sayde Wyllya]m of Clowdysle, ‘[By cause ye so] boldely stode me by, [Whan I w]as slayne full nye.’ 107 [Than they] wente to theyr souper, [Wyth suc]he mete as they had, [And than]ked God of theyr fortune; [They we]re bothe mery and glad. 108 [And whan] they had souped well, [Certayne] withouten leace, [Clowdysle] sayde, We wyll to oure kynge, [To get v]s a chartre of peace. 109 [Alyce shal] be at soiournynge, [In a nunry] here besyde; [My tow sonn]es shall with her go, [And ther the]y shall abyde. 110 [Myne eldest so]ne shall go with me, [For hym haue I] no care, [And he shall breng] you worde agayne [How that we do fare. 111 Thus be these wig]ht men to London gone, [As fast as they ma]ye hye, [Tyll they came to the kynges] palays, #c.# There they woulde nedës be. 112 And whan they came to the kyngës courte, Unto the pallace gate, Of no man wold they aske leue, But boldly went in therat. 113 They preced prestly into the hall, Of no man had they dreade; The porter came after and dyd them call, #a.# And with them began to [chyde.] 114 The vssher sayd, Yemen, what wolde ye haue? I praye you tell me; Ye myght thus make offycers shent: Good syrs, of whens be ye? 115 ‘Syr, we be outlawes of the forest, Certayne withouten leace, And hyther we be come to our kynge, To get vs a charter of peace.’ 116 And whan they came before our kynge, As it was the lawe of the lande, They kneled downe without lettynge, And eche helde vp his hande. 117 They sayd, Lorde, we beseche you here, That ye wyll graunte vs grace. For we haue slayne your fatte falowe dere, In many a sondry place.