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But how many months be in the year? | |
There are thirteen, I say; | |
The midsummer moon is the merryest of all | |
Next to the merry month of May. | |
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I IN summer time, when leaves grow green, | 5 |
And flowers are fresh and gay, | |
Robin Hood and his merry men | |
Were [all] disposed to play. | |
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II Then some would leap, and some would run, | |
And some use artillery: | 10 |
Which of you can a good bow draw, | |
A good archer to be? | |
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III Which of you can kill a buck? | |
Or who can kill a doe? | |
Or who can kill a hart of grease, | 15 |
Five hundred foot him fro? | |
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IV Will Scadlock he killd a buck, | |
And Midge he killd a doe, | |
And Little John killd a hart of grease, | |
Five hundred foot him fro. | 20 |
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V Gods blessing on thy heart, said Robin Hood, | |
That hath [shot] such a shot for me; | |
I would ride my horse an hundred miles, | |
To finde one could match with thee. | |
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VI That causd Will Scadlock to laugh, | 25 |
He laughd full heartily: | |
There lives a curtal friar in Fountains Abbey | |
Will beat both him and thee. | |
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VII That curtal friar in Fountains Abbey | |
Well can a strong bow draw; | 30 |
He will beat you and your yeomen, | |
Set them all on a row. | |
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VIII Robin Hood took a solemn oath, | |
It was by Mary free, | |
That he would neither eat nor drink | 35 |
Till the friar he did see. | |
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IX Robin Hood put on his harness good, | |
And on his head a cap of steel, | |
Broad sword and buckler by his side, | |
And they became him weel. | 40 |
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X He took his bow into his hand, | |
It was made of a trusty tree, | |
With a sheaf of arrows at his belt, | |
To the Fountains Dale went he. | |
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XI And coming unto Fountain[s] Dale, | 45 |
No further would he ride; | |
There was he aware of a curtal friar, | |
Walking by the water-side. | |
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XII The friar had on a harness good, | |
And on his head a cap of steel, | 50 |
Broad sword and buckler by his side, | |
And they became him weel. | |
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XIII Robin Hood lighted off his horse, | |
And tied him to a thorn: | |
Carry me over the water, thou curtal friar, | 55 |
Or else thy lifes forlorn. | |
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XIV The friar took Robin Hood on his back, | |
Deep water he did bestride, | |
And spake neither good word nor bad, | |
Till he came at the other side. | 60 |
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XV Lightly leapt Robin Hood off the friars back; | |
The friar said to him again, | |
Carry me over this water, fine fellow, | |
Or it shall breed thy pain. | |
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XVI Robin Hood took the friar ons back, | 65 |
Deep water he did bestride, | |
And spake neither good word nor bad, | |
Till he came at the other side. | |
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XVII Lightly leapt the friar off Robin Hoods back; | |
Robin Hood said to him again, | 70 |
Carry me over this water, thou curtal friar, | |
Or it shall breed thy pain. | |
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XVIII The friar took Robin Hood ons back again, | |
And stept up to the knee; | |
Till he came at the middle stream, | 75 |
Neither good nor bad spake he. | |
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XIX And coming to the middle stream, | |
There he threw Robin in: | |
And chuse thee, chuse thee, fine fellow, | |
Whether thou wilt sink or swim! | 80 |
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XX Robin Hood swam to a bush of broom, | |
The friar to a wicker wand; | |
Bold Robin Hood is gone to shore, | |
And took his bow in hand. | |
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XXI One of his best arrows under his belt | 85 |
To the friar he let flye; | |
The curtal friar, with his steel buckler, | |
He put that arrow by. | |
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XXII Shoot on, shoot on, thou fine fellòw, | |
Shoot on as thou hast begun; | 90 |
If thou shoot here a summers day, | |
Thy mark I will not shun. | |
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XXIII Robin Hood shot passing well, | |
Till his arrows all were gone; | |
They took their swords and steel bucklers, | 95 |
And fought with might and maine; | |
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XXIV From ten o th clock that day, | |
Till four i th afternoon; | |
Then Robin Hood came to his knees, | |
Of the friar to beg a boon. | 100 |
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XXV A boon, a boon, thou curtal friar! | |
I beg it on my knee; | |
Give me leave to set my horn to my mouth, | |
And to blow blasts three. | |
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XXVI That will I do, said the curtal friar! | 105 |
Of thy blasts I have no doubt; | |
I hope thoult blow so passing well | |
Till both thy eyes fall out. | |
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XXVII Robin Hood set his horn to his mouth | |
He blew but blasts three; | 110 |
Half a hundred yeomen, with bows bent, | |
Came raking over the lee. | |
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XXVIII Whose men are these, said the friar, | |
That come so hastily? | |
These men are mine, said Robin Hood | 115 |
Friar, what is that to thee? | |
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XXIX A boon, a boon, said the curtal friar, | |
The like I gave to thee! | |
Give me leave to set my fist to my mouth, | |
And to whute whutès three. | 120 |
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XXX That will I do, said Robin Hood, | |
Or else I were to blame; | |
Three whutès in a friars fist | |
Would make me glad and fain. | |
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XXXI The friar he set his fist to his mouth, | 125 |
And whuted whutès three; | |
Half a hundred good ban-dogs | |
Came running the friar unto. | |
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XXXII Heres for every man of thine a dog, | |
And I my self for thee! | 130 |
Nay, by my faith, quoth Robin Hood, | |
Friar, that may not be. | |
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XXXIII Two dogs at once to Robin Hood did go, | |
T one behind, the other before; | |
Robin Hoods mantle of Lincoln green | 135 |
Off from his back they tore. | |
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XXXIV And whether his men shot east or west, | |
Or they shot north or south, | |
The curtal dogs, so taught they were, | |
They kept their arrows in their mouth. | 140 |
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XXXV Take up thy dogs, said Little John, | |
Friar, at my bidding be. | |
Whose man art thou, said the curtal friar, | |
Comes here to prate with me? | |
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XXXVI I am Little John, Robin Hoods man, | 145 |
Friar, I will not lie; | |
If thou take not up thy dogs soon, | |
Ile take up them and thee. | |
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XXXVII Little John had a bow in his hand, | |
He shot with might and main; | 150 |
Soon half a score of the friars dogs | |
Lay dead upon the plain. | |
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XXXVIII Hold thy hand, good fellow, said the curtal friar, | |
Thy master and I will agree; | |
And we will have new orders taken, | 155 |
With all the haste that may be. | |
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XXXIX If thou wilt forsake fair Fountains Dale, | |
And Fountains Abbey free, | |
Every Sunday throughout the year, | |
A noble shall be thy fee. | 160 |
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XL And every holy day throughout the year, | |
Changed shall thy garment be, | |
If thou wilt go to fair Nottingham, | |
And there remain with me. | |
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XLI This curtal friar had kept Fountains Dale | 165 |
Seven long years or more; | |
There was neither knight, lord, nor earl | |
Could make him yield before. | |
| GLOSS: raking] advancing. whute] whistle. |
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