115. A Little Geste of Robin Hood and his Meiny. The Eighth Fytte. Quiller-Couch, Arthur, ed. 1910. The Oxford Book of Ballads

Verse > Anthologies > Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. > The Oxford Book of Ballads

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Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. (1863–1944). The Oxford Book of Ballads. 1910.

115. A Little Geste of Robin Hood and his Meiny

The Eighth Fytte

How Robin Hood lived a while at the King’s Court, but returned to the Green-wood

CCCCXVIII

‘Hast thou any green cloth?’ said our King,

‘That thou wilt sell now to me?’—

‘Yea, ’fore God,’ said Robin,

‘Thirty yards and three.’

CCCCXIX

‘Robin,’ said our King,

‘Now pray I thee,

To sell me some of that cloth,

To me and my meinèe.’

CCCCXX

‘Yes, ’fore God,’ then said Robin,

‘Or else I were a fool;

Another day ye will me clothe,

I trow, against the Yule.’

CCCCXXI

The King cast off his coat then,

A green garment he did on,

And every knight had so, i-wis,

They clothèd them full soon.

CCCCXXII

When they were clothed in Lincoln green,

They cast away their gray.

‘Now we shall to Nottingham,’

All thus our king gan say.

CCCCXXIII

Their bows bent and forth they went,

Shooting all in fere,

Toward the town of Nottingham,

Outlaws as they were.

CCCCXXIV

Our King and Robin rode together

Forsooth as I you say,

And they shot pluck-buffet,

As they went by the way;

CCCCXXV

And many a buffet our King won,

Of Robin Hood that day:

And nothing spared good Robin

Our King in his pay.

CCCCXXVI

‘So God me help,’ said our King,

‘Thy game is nought to lere,

I should not get a shot of thee,

Though I shot all this year.’

CCCCXXVII

All the people of Nottingham

They stood and beheld,

They saw nothing but mantles of green

That cover’d all the felde;

CCCCXXVIII

Then every man to other gan say,

‘I dread our King be slone;

Come Robin Hood to the town, i-wis,

On life he leaveth not one.’

CCCCXXIX

Full hastily they began to flee,

Both yeoman and knaves,

The old wives that might evil go,

They hippèd on their staves.

CCCCXXX

The King laughed full fast,

And commanded them again;

When they saw our comely King,

I-wis they were full fain.

CCCCXXXI

They ate and drank, and made them glad,

And sang with notès high.

Then bespake our comely King

To Sir Richard at the Lee:

CCCCXXXII

He gave him there his land again,

A good man he bade him be.

Robin thanked our comely King,

And set him on his knee.

CCCCXXXIII

Robin had dwelt in the Kingès court

But twelvè months and three,

That he had spent an hundred pound,

And all his mennès fee.

CCCCXXXIV

In every place where Robin came,

Evermore he laid down

Both for knightès and for squires,

To get him great renown.

CCCCXXXV

By then the year was all agone

He had no man but twain,

Little John and good Scathèlock

With him all for to gane.

CCCCXXXVI

Robin saw the young men shoot

Full far upon a day;

‘Alas!’ then said good Robin Hood,

‘My wealth is went away.

CCCCXXXVII

‘Sometime I was an archer good,

A stiff and eke a strong;

I was counted the best archèr

That was in merry Englond.

CCCCXXXVIII

‘Alas!’ then said good Robin Hood,

‘Alas and well-a-way!

If I dwell longer with the King.

Sorrow will me slay.’

CCCCXXXIX

Forth then wentè Robin Hood

Till he came to our King:

‘My lord the King of Engèland,

Grant me mine asking!

CCCCXL

‘I made a chapel in Barnèsdale

That seemly is to see,

It is of Mary Magdalen,

And thereto would I be.

CCCCXLI

‘I might never in this seven night

No timè sleep nor wink,

Neither all these seven days

Neither eat nor drink.

CCCCXLII

‘Me longeth sore to Barnèsdale,

I may not be therefro;

Barefoot and woolward I have hight

Thither for to go.’

100

CCCCXLIII

‘If it be so,’ then said our King,

‘It may no better be;

Seven night I give thee leave,

No longer, to dwell from me.’

CCCCXLIV

‘Gramerci, lord,’ then said Robin,

105

And set him on his knee:

He took his leave full courteously,

To green-wood then went he.

CCCCXLV

When he came to greenè-wood

In a merry mornìng,

110

There he heard the notès small

Of birds merry singìng.

CCCCXLVI

‘It is far gone,’ said Robin Hood,

‘That I was latest here;

Me list a little for to shoot

115

At the dunnè deer.’

CCCCXLVII

Robin slew a full great hart;

His horn then gan he blow,

That all the outlaws of that forèst

That horn they couldè know,

120

CCCCXLVIII

And them together gatherèd

In a little throw;

Seven score of wight young men

Came ready on a row,

CCCCXLIX

And fairè didden off their hoods,

125

And set them on their knee:

‘Welcome,’ they said, ‘our dear mastèr,

Under this green-wood tree!’

CCCCL

Robin dwelt in greenè-wood

Twenty year and two;

130

For all dread of Edward our King,

Again would he not go.

CCCCLI

Yet he was beguiled, i-wis,

Through a wicked woman,

The prioress of Kirksley,

135

That nigh was of his kin,

CCCCLII

For the love of a knight,

Sir Roger of Doncastèr,

That was her own special;

Full evil might they fare!

140

CCCCLIII

They took together their counsel

Robin Hood for to sle,

And how they might best do that deed,

His banis for to be.

CCCCLIV

Then bespake good Robin,

145

In place where as he stood,

‘To-morrow I must to Kirksley,

Craftily to be letten blood.’

CCCCLV

Sir Roger [and the prioress

A springe for him did] lay,

150

And there they betray’d good Robin Hood,

Through their falsè play.

CCCCLVI

Christ have mercy on his soul,

That died upon the rood!

For he was a good outlàw,

155

And did poor men much good.

GLOSS: pluck-buffet] ‘app a competition between archers, in which he who missed or failed “caught” a buffet from his competitor’ (N. E. D.). lere] learn. hippèd] hopped, limped. laid down] spent money. By then] by the time that. therefro] turned from it. woolward] in a rough woollen shirt (as penance). hight] promised. Me list] it pleases me. throw] interval of time. Again] back. banis] bane, destruction. craftily] skilfully. springe] trap.

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