Epigraph
“I never heard the old song of Percie and Douglas, that I found not my heart moved more than with a trumpet.”
—Sir Philip Sidney.
Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne
When shaws1 be sheen,2 and swards full fair,
And leaves both large and long,
It is merry walking in the fair forest
To hear the small birds’ song.
The woodweel3 sang, and would not cease,
Sitting upon the spray,
So loud, he wakened Robin Hood,
In the greenwood where he lay.
Now by my faith, said jolly Robin,
A sweaven4 I had this night;
I dreamt me of two wight5 yeomen
That fast with me can fight.
Methought they did me beat and bind,
And took my bow me fro’;
If I be Robin alive in this land,
I’ll be wroken6 on them two.
Sweavens are swift, master, quoth John,
As the wind that blows o’er a hill;
For if it be never so loud this night,
To-morrow it may be still.
Busk ye, bowne7 ye, my merry men all,
And John shall go with me,
For I’ll go seek yon wight yeomen,
In the greenwood where they be.
Then they cast on their gowns of green,
And took their bows each one,
And they away to the green forèst,
A shooting forth are gone;
Until they came to the merry greenwood,
Where they had gladdest be,
There were they aware of a wight yeoman,
His body leaned to a tree.
A sword and a dagger he wore by his side,
Of many a man the bane;
And he was clad in his capull8 hide
Top and tail and mane.
Stand you still, master, quoth Little John,
Under this tree so green,
And I will go to yon wight yeoman
To know what he doth mean.
Ah! John, by me thou settest no store,
And that I fairly find;
How oft send I my men before,
And tarry myself behind?
It is no cunning a knave to ken,
An9 a man but hear him speak;
An it were not for bursting of my bow,
John, I thy head would break.
As often words they breeden bale,10
So they parted, Robin and John;
And John is gone to Barnesdale:
The gates11 he knoweth each one.
But when he came to Barnesdale,
Great heaviness there he had,
For he found two of his own fellows
Were slain both in a glade.
And Scarlett he was flying a-foot
Fast over stock and stone,
For the proud sheriff with seven score men
Fast after him is gone.
One shot now I will shoot, quoth John,
(With Christe his might and main;)
I’ll make yon fellow that flies so fast,
To stop he shall be fain.
Then John bent up his long bende-bow,
And fettled12 him to shoot:
The bow was made of tender bough,
And fell down to his foot.
Woe worth, woe worth thee, wicked wood,
That ere thou grew on a tree;
For now this day thou art my bale,
My boote13 when thou shouldst be.
His shoot it was but loosely shot,
Yet flew not the arrow in vain,
For it met one of the sheriff’s men,—
Good William-a-Trent was slain.
It had been better for William-a-Trent
To have been a-bed with sorrow,
Than to be that day in the greenwood glade
To meet with Little John’s arrow.
But as it is said, when men be met,
Five can do more than three,
The sheriff hath taken Little John,
And bound him fast to a tree.
Thou shalt be drawn by dale and down,
And hang’d high on a hill.
But thou mayst fail of thy purpose, quoth John,
If it be Christe his will.
Let us leave talking of Little John,
And think of Robin Hood,
How he is gone to the wight yeoman,
Where under the leaves he stood.
Good morrow, good fellow, said Robin so fair,
Good morrow, good fellow, quoth he:
Methinks by this bow thou bear’st in thy hand,
A good archer thou shouldst be.
I am wilful14 of my way, quo’ the yeoman,
And of my morning tide.
I’ll lead thee through the wood, said Robin;
Good fellow, I’ll be thy guide.
I seek an outlaw, the stranger said,
Men call him Robin Hood;
Rather I’d meet with that proud outlaw
Than forty pounds so good.
Now come with me, thou wighty yeoman,
And Robin thou soon shalt see:
But first let us some pastime find
Under the greenwood tree.
First let us some mastery make
Among the woods so even,
We may chance to meet with Robin Hood
Here at some unset15 steven.
They cut them down two summer shoggs,16
That grew both under a briar,
And set them threescore rod, in twain,
To shoot the pricks17 y-fere.18
Lead on, good fellow, quoth Robin Hood,
Lead on, I do bid thee.
Nay by my faith, good fellow, he said,
My leader thou shalt be.
The first time Robin shot at the prick,
He miss’d but an inch it fro’;
The yeoman he was an archer good,
But he could never shoot so.
The second shoot had the wighty yeoman,
He shot within the garlànd;19
But Robin he shot far better than he,
For he clave the good prick-wand.
A blessing upon thy heart, he said;
Good fellow, thy shooting is good;
For an thy heart be as good as thy hand,
Thou wert better than Robin Hood.
Now tell me thy name, good fellow, said he,
Under the leaves of lyne.20
Nay, by my faith, quoth bold Robin,
Till thou have told me thine.
I dwell by dale and down, quoth he,
And Robin to take I’m sworn;
And when I am called by my right name,
I am Guy of good Gisbòrne.
My dwelling is in this wood, says Robin,
By thee I set right nought:
I am Robin Hood of Barnèsdale,
Whom thou so long hast sought.
He that had neither been kith nor kin,
Might have seen a full fair sight,
To see how together these yeomen went
With blades both brown and bright.
To see how these yeomen together they fought
Two hours of a summer’s day:
Yet neither Robin Hood nor sir Guy
Them fettled to fly away.
Robin was reachles21 of a root,
And stumbled at that tide;
And Guy was quick and nimble withal,
And hit him o’er the left side.
Ah dear Lady, said Robin Hood, thou,
Thou art both mother and may’,22
I think it was never man’s destiny
To die before his day.
Robin thought on our Lady dear,
And soon leapt up again,
And straight he came with a backward stroke,
And he sir Guy hath slain.
He took sir Guy’s head by the hair,
And stuck it upon his bow’s-end:
Thou hast been a traitor all thy life,
Which thing must have an end.
Robin pull’d forth an Irish knife,
And nick’d sir Guy in the face,
That he was never o’ woman born,
Could tell whose head it was.
Says, Lie there, lie there now, sir Guy,
And with me be not wroth;
If thou have had the worst strokes at my hand,
Thou shalt have the better cloth.
Robin did off his gown of green,
And on sir Guy did throw,
And he put on that capull hide,
That clad him top to toe.
The bow, the arrows, and little horn,
Now with me I will bear;
For I will away to Barnèsdale,
To see how my men do fare.
Robin Hood set Guy’s horn to his mouth,
And a loud blast in it did blow,
That beheard the sheriff of Nottingham,
As he leaned under a lowe.23
Hearken, hearken, said the sheriff,
I hear now tidings good,
For yonder I hear sir Guy’s horn blow,
And he hath slain Robin Hood.
Yonder I hear sir Guy’s horn blow,
It blows so well in tide,
And yonder comes that wighty yeoman,
Clad in his capull hide.
Come hither, come hither, thou good sir Guy,
Ask what thou wilt of me.
O I will none of thy gold, said Robin,
Nor I will none of thy fee.
But now I have slain the master, he says,
Let me go strike the knave;
For this is all the reward I ask;
Nor no other will I have.
Thou art a madman, said the sheriff,
Thou shouldst have had a knight’s fee:
But seeing thy asking hath been so bad,
Well granted it shall be.
When Little John heard his master speak,
Well knew he it was his steven:24
Now shall I be loosed, quoth Little John,
With Christe his might in heaven.
Fast Robin he hied him to Little John,
He thought to loose him belive;25
The sheriff and all his company
Fast after him did drive.
Stand back, stand back, said Robin;
Why draw you me so near?
It was never the use in our country,
One’s shrift another should hear.
But Robin pull’d forth an Irish knife,
And loosed John hand and foot,
And gave him sir Guy’s bow into his hand,
And bade it be his boote.
Then John he took Guy’s bow in his hand,
His bolts and arrows each one:
When the sheriff saw Little John bend his bow,
He fettled him to be gone.
Towards his house in Nottingham town,
He fled full fast away;
And so did all the company:
Not one behind would stay.
But he could neither run so fast,
Nor away so fast could ride,
But Little John with an arrow so broad,
He shot him into the back-side.
Footnotes
1 Woods.
2 Shining.
3 A kind of thrush.
4 Dream.
5 Strong.
6 Revenged.
7 Make ready.
8 Horse-hide.
9 If.
10 Mischief.
11 Ways.
12 Made ready.
13 Help.
14 Missing.
15 Unexpectedly.
16 Twigs.
17 Marks.
18 Together.
19 A ring round the prick.
20 Lime.
21 Careless.
22 Maid.
23 Little hill.
24 Voice.
25 Immediately.