Comedies at Venice, he says, "The house is very beggarly and base in comparison of our stately playhouses in England: neyther can their actors compare with ours for apparrell, shewes, and musicke. Here I observed certaine things that I never saw before; for, I saw women act, a thing that I never saw before, though I have heard that it hath been sometimes used in London: and they performed it with as good a grace, action, gesture, and whatsoever convenient for a player, as ever I saw any masculine actor." * It ought, however, to be observed, that amid such a multitude of play-houses as subsisted in the metropolis before the civil wars, there must have been a great difference between their several accommodations, ornaments, and prices: and that some would be much more showy than others, though probably all were much inferior in splendour to the two great theatres after the Restoration. * Coryate's Crudities, 4to. 1611, p. 247. The preceding ESSAY, although some of the materials are new arranged, hath received no alteration deserving notice, from what it was in the second edition, 1767, except in Section IV., which, in the present impression, hath been much enlarged. This is mentioned, because, since it was first published, the History of the English Stage hath been copiously handled by Mr. Thomas Warton in his "History of English Poetry, 1774," &c., 3 vols. 4to. (wherein is inserted whatever in these volumes fell in with his subject); and by Edmond Malone, Esq., who, in his "Historical Account of the English Stage," (Shaksp. vol. i. pt. ii. 1790,) hath added greatly to our knowledge of the economy and usages of our ancient theatres. END OF THE ESSAY. I. Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, and Were three noted outlaws, whose skill in archery rendered them formerly as famous in the North of England, as Robin Hood and his fellows were in the midland counties. Their place of residence was in the forest of Englewood, not far from Carlisle, (called corruptly in the ballad English-wood, whereas Engle- or Ingle-wood, signifies wood for firing.) At what time they lived does not appear. The author of the common ballad on The Pedigree, Education, and Marriage of Robin Hood, makes them contemporary with Robin Hood's father, in order to give him the honour of beating them: viz. The father of Robin a Forester was, Two north-country miles and an inch at a shot, For he brought Adam Bell, and Clim of the Clough, And William a Clowdéslee To shoot with our Forester for forty mark; And our Forester beat them all three. Collect. of Old Ballads, 1727, vol. i. p. 67. This seems to prove that they were commonly thought to have lived before the popular hero of Sherwood. Our northern archers were not unknown to their southern countrymen, their excellence at the long-bow is often alluded to by our ancient poets. Shakspeare, in his comedy of Much ado about Nothing, act i., makes Benedicke confirm his resolves of not yielding to love, by this protestation, "If I do, hang me in a bottle like a cat,* and shoot at * Bottles formerly were of leather; though perhaps a wooden bottle might be here meant. It is still a diversion in Scotland to me; and he that hits me, let him be clapt on the shoulder and called Adam :" meaning Adam Bell, as Theobald rightly observes, who refers to one or two other passages in our old poets wherein he is mentioned. The Oxford editor has also well conjectured that "Abraham Cupid," in Romeo and Juliet, act ii., sc. 1, should be " Adam Cupid," in allusion to our archer. Ben Jonson has mentioned Clym o' the Clough in his Alchemist, act i., sc. 2. And Sir William Davenant, in a mock poem of his, called The long Vacation in London, describes the attorneys and proctors as making matches to meet in Finsbury-fields. "With loynes in canvas bow-case tyde :* Where arrowes stick with mickle pride; . . . . Sol sets for fear they'l shoot at him." Works, p. 291, fol. 1673. I have only to add further, concerning the principal hero of this ballad, that the BELLS were noted rogues in the North so late as the time of Queen Elizabeth. See, in Rymer's Fodera, a letter from Lord William Howard to some of the officers of state, wherein he mentions them. As for the following stanzas, which will be judged from the style, orthography, and numbers, to be very ancient, they are given (corrected in some places by a MS. in the Editor's old folio) from a black-letter quarto, Emprinted at London in Lothburye by Wyllyam Copland, (no date). That old quarto edition seems to be exactly followed in "Pieces of Ancient Popular Poetry, &c., Lond. 1791," 8vo., the variations from which, that occur in the following copy, are selected from many others in the folio MS. hang up a cat in a small cask, or firkin, half filled with soot ; and then a parcel of clowns on horseback try to beat out the ends of it, in order to show their dexterity in escaping before the contents fall upon them. * i. e. Each with a canvas bow-case tied round his loins. above mentioned; and when distinguished by the usual inverted 'comma,' have been assisted by conjecture. In the same MS. this ballad is followed by another, entitled Young Cloudeslee, being a continuation of the present story, and reciting the adventures of William of Cloudesly's son: but greatly inferior to this both in merit and antiquity. PART THE FIRST. MERY it was in the grene forèst Wyth bowes and arrowes kene; To raise the dere out of theyr denne ; As by thre yemen of the north countrèy, By them it is I meane. 5 The one of them hight Adam Bel, The other Clym of the Clough,* 10 The thyrd was William of Cloudesly, They were outlawed for venyson, These yemen everychone; They swore them brethren upon a day, 15 To Englyshe wood for to gone. *Clym of the Clough, means Clem. [Clement] of the Cliff: for so Clough signifies in the North. Now lith and lysten, gentylmen, That of myrthes loveth to here: Two of them were single men, The third had a wedded fere. Wyllyam was the wedded man, He sayde to hys brethren upon a day, 20 If that I come not to-morowe, brother, By pryme to you agayne, Truste you then that I am 'taken' Or else that I am slayne. He toke hys leave of hys brethren two, And to Carlile he is gon: There he knocked at his owne windòwe Shortlye and anone. Ver. 24, Caerlel, in PC. passim. 35 40 V. 35, take. PC., tane. MS |