| |
| COME, 1 all you brave gallants, and listen awhile, | |
| With hey down, down, an a down, | |
| That are in the bowers within; | |
| For of Robin Hood, that archer good, | |
| A song I intend for to sing. | 5 |
| |
| Upon a time it chancëd so, | |
| Bold Robin in forrest did ’spy | |
| A jolly butcher, with a bonny fine mare, | |
| With his flesh to the market did hye. | |
| |
| ‘Good morrow, good fellow,’ said jolly Robin, | 10 |
| ‘What food hast? tell unto me; | |
| Thy trade to me tell, and where thou dost dwell, | |
| For I like well thy company.’ | |
| |
| The butcher he answer’d jolly Robin, | |
| ‘No matter where I dwell; | 15 |
| For a butcher I am, and to Notingham | |
| I am going, my flesh to sell.’ | |
| |
| ‘What’s the price of thy flesh?’ said jolly Robin, | |
| ‘Come, tell it soon unto me; | |
| And the price of thy mare, be she never so dear, | 20 |
| For a butcher fain would I be.’ | |
| |
| ‘The price of my flesh,’ the butcher repli’d, | |
| ‘I soon will tell unto thee; | |
| With my bonny mare, and they are not dear, | |
| Four mark thou must give unto me.’ | 25 |
| |
| ‘Four mark I will give thee,’ saith jolly Robin, | |
| ‘Four mark it shall be thy fee; | |
| The money come count, and let me mount, | |
| For a butcher I fain would be.’ | |
| |
| Now Robin he is to Notingham gone, | 30 |
| His butchers trade for to begin; | |
| With good intent to the sheriff he went, | |
| And there he took up his inn. | |
| |
| When other butchers they open their meat, | |
| Bold Robin he then begun; | 35 |
| But how for to sell he knew not well, | |
| For a butcher he was but young. | |
| |
| When other butchers no meat could sell, | |
| Robin got both gold and fee; | |
| For he sold more meat for one peny | 40 |
| Than others could do for three. | |
| |
| But when he sold his meat so fast, | |
| No butcher by him could thrive; | |
| For he sold more meat for one peny | |
| Than others could do for five. | 45 |
| |
| Which made the butchers of Notingham | |
| To study as they did stand, | |
| Saying, ‘Surely he was some prodigal, | |
| That hath sold his fathers land.’ | |
| |
| The butchers they stepped to jolly Robin, | 50 |
| Acquainted with him for to be; | |
| ‘Come, brother,’ one said, ‘we be all of one trade, | |
| ‘Come, will you go dine with me?’ | |
| |
| ‘Accurst of his heart,’ said jolly Robin, | |
| ‘That a butcher doth deny; | 55 |
| I will go with you, my brethren true, | |
| As fast as I can hie.’ | |
| |
| But when to the sheriffs house they came, | |
| To dinner they hied apace, | |
| And Robin he the man must be | 60 |
| Before them all to say grace. | |
| |
| ‘Pray God bless us all,’ said jolly Robin, | |
| ‘And our meat within this place; | |
| A cup of sack so good will nourish our blood, | |
| And so do I end my grace.’ | 65 |
| |
| ‘Come fill us more wine,’ said jolly Robin, | |
| ‘Let us be merry while we do stay; | |
| For wine and good cheer, be it never so dear, | |
| I vow I the reckning will pay. | |
| |
| ‘Come, brothers, be merry,’ said jolly Robin, | 70 |
| ‘Let us drink, and never give ore; | |
| For the shot I will pay, ere I go my way, | |
| If it cost me five pounds and more.’ | |
| |
| ‘This is a mad blade,’ the butchers then said; | |
| Saies the sheriff, ‘He is some prodigal, | 75 |
| That some land has sold, for silver and gold, | |
| And now he doth mean to spend all. | |
| |
| ‘Hast thou any horn beasts,’ the sheriff repli’d, | |
| ‘Good fellow, to sell unto me?’ | |
| ‘Yes, that I have, good master sheriff, | 80 |
| I have hundreds two or three; | |
| |
| ‘And a hundred aker of good free land, | |
| If you please it to see: | |
| And I’le make you as good assurance of it, | |
| As ever my father made me.’ | 85 |
| |
| The sheriff he saddled his good palfrey | |
| With three hundred pound in gold, | |
| Away he went with bold Robin Hood, | |
| His horned beasts to behold. | |
| |
| Away then the sheriff and Robin did ride, | 90 |
| To the forrest of merry Sherwood; | |
| Then the sheriff did say, ‘God bless us this day | |
| From a man they call Robin Hood!’ | |
| |
| But when that a little farther they came, | |
| Bold Robin he chancëd to spy | 95 |
| A hundred head of good red deer, | |
| Come tripping the sheriff full nigh. | |
| |
| ‘How like you my horn’d beasts, good master sheriff? | |
| They be fat and fair for to see;’ | |
| ‘I tell thee, good fellow, I would I were gone, | 100 |
| For I like not thy company.’ | |
| |
| Then Robin set his horn to his mouth, | |
| And blew but blasts three; | |
| Then quickly anon there came Little John, | |
| And all his company. | 105 |
| |
| ‘What is your will,’ then said Little John, | |
| ‘Good master, come tell it to me;’ | |
| ‘I have brought hither the sheriff of Notingham | |
| This day to dine with thee.’ | |
| |
| ‘He is welcome to me,’ then said Little John, | 110 |
| ‘I hope he will honestly pay; | |
| I know he has gold, if it be but well told, | |
| Will serve us to drink a whole day.’ | |
| |
| Then Robin took his mantle from his back, | |
| And laid it upon the ground: | 115 |
| And out of the sheriffs portmantle | |
| He told three hundred pound. | |
| |
| Then Robin he brought him thorow the wood, | |
| And set him on his dapple gray; | |
| ‘O have me commended to your wife at home;’ | 120 |
| So Robin went laughing away. | |
