Chapter XXIV: Book V: 112. Robyn and Gandelyn (4)

The priests they could not him gainsay,
But down they kneel’d with speed;
‘Send us, O send us,’ then quoth they,
‘Some money to serve our need!’

XIII

The priests did pray with mournful chear,
Sometimes their hands did wring,
Sometimes they wept and cried aloud,
Whilst Robin did merrily sing.

XIV

When they had pray’d an hour’s space,
The priests did still lament;
Then quoth bold Robin, ‘Now let’s see
What money heaven hath us sent.

XV

‘We will be sharers all alike
Of the money that we have;
And there is never a one of us
That his fellows shall deceive.’

XVI

The priests their hands in their pockets put,
But money would find none:
‘We’ll search ourselves,’ said Robin Hood,
‘Each other, one by one.’

XVII

Then Robin took pains to search them both,
And he found good store of gold;
Five hundred pieces presently
Upon the grass was told.

XVIII

‘Here’s a brave show,’ said Robin Hood,
‘Such store of gold to see!
And you shall each one have a part,
’Cause you pray’d so heartily.’

XIX

He gave them fifty pound a-piece,
And the rest for himself did keep;
The priests they durst not speak one word,
But they sighèd wondrous deep.

XX

With that the priests rose up from their knees,
And thought to have parted so;
‘Nay, stay,’ said Robin Hood, ‘one thing more
I have to say ere you go.

XXI

‘You shall be sworn,’ said Robin Hood,
‘Upon this holy grass,
That you will never tell lies again,
Which way soever you pass.

XXII

‘The second oath that you here must take,
All the days of your lives
You never shall tempt maids to sin,
Nor covet other men’s wives.

XXIII

‘The last oath you shall take, it is this,
Be charitable to the poor;
Say you have met with a holy friar,
And I desire no more.’

XXIV

He set them upon their horses again,
And away then they did ride;
And he return’d to the merry green-wood,
With great joy, mirth and pride.

_124. The Noble Fisherman_

_or Robin Hood’s Preferment_

I

In summer time, when leaves grow green,
When they doe grow both green and long,
Of a bold outlaw call’d Robin Hood
It is of him I sing this song.

II

When the lilly leafe and the elephant[1017]
Doth bud and spring with a merry good cheere,
This outlaw was weary of the wood-side,
And chasing of the fallow deere.

III

‘The fisherman brave more mony have
Then any merchant, two or three;
Therefore I will to Scarboro’ goe,
That I a fisherman brave may be.’

IV

This outlaw call’d his merry men all,
As they sate under the green-wood tree:
If any of you have gold to spend,
I pray you heartily spend it with me.

V

‘Now,’ quoth Robin, ‘I’le to Scarboro’ goe,
It seemes to be a very faire day’--
He tooke up his inne at a widdow-woman’s house,
Hard by upon the water gray:

VI

Who asked of him, ‘Where wert thou born?
Or tell to me, where dost thou fare?’--
‘I am a poore fisherman,’ saith he then,
‘This day intrappèd all in care.’

VII

‘What is thy name, thou fine fellòw?
I pray thee heartily tell to me’;
‘In mine own country where I was born,
Men called me Simon over the Lee.’

VIII

‘Simon, Simon,’ said the good wife,
‘I wish thou maist well brook[1018] thy name’;
The outlaw was ware of her courtesie,
And rejoyc’d he had got such a dame.

IX

‘Simon, wilt thou be my man?
And good round wages I’le give thee;
I have as good a ship of mine owne
As any sayle upon the sea.

X

‘Anchors and planks thou shalt want none,
Masts and ropes that are so long’--
‘And if that you thus furnish me,’
Said Simon, ‘nothing shall goe wrong.’

XI

They pluckt up anchor, and away did sayle,
More of a day then two or three;
When others cast in their baited hooks,
The bare lines into the sea cast he.

XII

‘It will be long,’ said the master then,
‘Ere this great lubber do thrive on the sea;
I’le assure you he shall have no part of our fish,
For in truth he is of no part worthỳ.’

XIII

‘O woe is me,’ said Simon then,
‘This day that ever I came here!
I wish I were in Plomton Parke,
In chasing of the fallow deere.

XIV

‘For every clowne laughs me to scorne,
And they by me set nought at all;
If I had them in Plomton Park,
I would set as little by them all.’

XV

They pluckt up anchor, and away did sayle,
More of a day then two or three;
But Simon spied a ship of warre,
That sayld towards them most valourouslie.

XVI

‘O woe is me,’ said the master then,
‘This day that ever I was borne!
For all our fish we have got to-day
Is every bit lost and forlorne[1019].

XVII

‘For your French robbers on the sea,
They will not spare of us one man,
But carry us to the coast of France,
And ligge us in the prison strong.’

XVIII

But Simon said, ‘Doe not feare them,
Neither, master, take you no care;
Give me my bent bow in my hand,
And never a Frenchman will I spare.’--

XIX

‘Hold thy peace, thou long lubber,
For thou art nought but braggs and boast;
If I should cast thee over-board,
There were nothing but a lubber lost.’

XX

Simon grew angry at these words,
And so angry then was he
That he tooke his bent bow in his hand,
And to the ship-hatch goeth he.

XXI

‘Master, tye me to the mast,’ saith he,
‘That at my mark I may stand fair,
And give me my bended bow in my hand,
And never a Frenchman will I spare.’

XXII

He drew his arrow to the very head,
And drew it with all might and maine,
And straightway, in the twinkling of an eye,
To the Frenchman’s heart the arrow did gain.

XXIII

The Frenchman fell downe on the ship-hatch,
And under the hatches down below;
Another Frenchman that him espy’d
The dead corps into the sea doth throw.

XXIV

‘O master, loose me from the mast,
And for them all take you no care;
And give me my bent bow in my hand,
And never a Frenchman will I spare!’

XXV

Then straight they did board the Frenchman’s ship,
They lying all dead in their sight;
They found within the ship of warre
Twelve thousand pound of money bright.

XXVI

‘One halfe of the ship,’ said Simon then,
‘I’le give to my dame and children small;
The other halfe of the ship I’le bestow
On you that are my fellowes all.’

XXVII

But now bespake the master then,
‘For so, Simon, it shall not be;
For you have won her with your own hand,
And the owner of it you shall bee.’--

XXVIII

‘It shall be so, as you have said;
And, with this gold, for the opprest
An habitation I will build,
Where they shall live in peace and rest.’

FOOTNOTES:

[1017] elephant = a weed of the scabious order.

[1018] brook = enjoy, or earn the name of Simon, as a fisherman.

[1019] forlorne = lost.

_125. The Death of Robin Hood_

I

When Robin Hood and Little John
_Down a-down, a-down, a-down_
Went o’er yon bank of broom,
Said Robin Hood bold to Little John,
‘We have shot for many a pound
_Hey, down a-down, a-down!_

II

‘But I am not able to shoot one shot more,
My broad arrows will not flee;
But I have a cousin lives down below,
Please God, she will bleed me.

III

‘I will never eat nor drink,’ he said,
‘Nor meat will do me good,
Till I have been to merry Kirkleys
My veins for to let blood.

IV

‘The dame prior is my aunt’s daughter,
And nigh unto my kin;
I know she wo’ld me no harm this day,
For all the world to win.’

V

‘That I rede[1020] not,’ said Little John,
‘Master, by th’assent of me,
Without half a hundred of your best bowmen
You take to go with yee.’--

VI

‘An thou be afear’d, thou Little John,
At home I rede thee be.’--
‘An you be wroth, my deare mastèr
You shall never hear more of me.’

VII

Now Robin is gone to merry Kirkleys
And knockèd upon the pin:
Up then rose Dame Priorèss
And let good Robin in.

VIII

Then Robin gave to Dame Priorèss
Twenty pound in gold,
And bade her spend while that did last,
She sho’ld have more when she wo’ld.

IX

‘Will you please to sit down, cousin Robin,
And drink some beer with me?’--
‘No, I will neither eat nor drink
Till I am blooded by thee.’

X

Down then came Dame Priorèss
Down she came in that ilk[1021],
With a pair of blood-irons in her hands,
Were wrappèd all in silk.

XI

‘Set a chafing-dish to the fire,’ she said,
‘And strip thou up thy sleeve.’
--I hold him but an unwise man
That will no warning ’leeve[1022]!

XII

She laid the blood-irons to Robin’s vein,
Alack, the more pitye!
And pierc’d the vein, and let out the blood
That full red was to see.

XIII

And first it bled the thick, thick blood,
And afterwards the thin,
And well then wist good Robin Hood
Treason there was within.

XIV

And there she blooded bold Robin Hood
While one drop of blood wou’d run;
There did he bleed the live-long day,
Until the next at noon.

XV

He bethought him then of a casement there,
Being lockèd up in the room,
But was so weak he could not leap,
He could not get him down.

XVI

He bethought him then of his bugle-horn,
That hung low down to his knee;
He set his horn unto his mouth,
And blew out weak blasts three.

XVII

Then Little John he heard the horn
Where he sat under a tree:
‘I fear my master is now near dead,
He blows so wearilye.’

XVIII

Little John is gone to merry Kirkleys,
As fast as he can dree;
And when he came to merry Kirkleys,
He broke locks two or three:

XIX

Until he came bold Robin to see,
Then he fell on his knee;
‘A boon, a boon!’ cries Little John,
‘Master, I beg of thee!’

XX

‘What is that boon,’ said Robin Hood,
‘Little John, thou begs of me?’--
‘It is to burn fair Kirkleys-hall,
And all their nunnerye.’

XXI

‘Now nay, now nay,’ quoth Robin Hood,
‘That boon I’ll not grant thee;
I never hurt woman in all my life,
Nor men in their company.

XXII

‘I never hurt maid in all my time,
Nor at mine end shall it be;
But give me my bent bow in my hand,
And a broad arrow I’ll let flee;
And where this arrow is taken up
There shall my grave digg’d be.

XXIII

‘But lay me a green sod under my head,
And another at my feet;
And lay my bent bow at my side,
Which was my music sweet;
And make my grave of gravel and green,
Which is most right and meet.

XXIV

‘Let me have length and breadth enough,
And under my head a sod;
That they may say when I am dead,
--_Here lies bold Robin Hood!_’

FOOTNOTES:

[1020] rede = advise.

[1021] in that ilk = in that same (moment), then and there.

[1022] ’leeve = believe.