Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar
In the summer time, when leaves grow green,
And flowers are fresh and gay,
Robin Hood and his merry men
Were all disposed to play.
Then some would leap, and some would run,
And some would use artillery;
Which of you can a good bow draw,
A good archer for to be?
Which of you can kill a buck?
Or who can kill a doe?
Or who can kill a hart of grease,129
Five hundred foot him fro’?
Will Scarlet he kill’d a buck,
And Midge he kill’d a doe;
And Little John kill’d a hart of grease,
Five hundred foot him fro’.
God’s blessing on thy heart, said Robin Hood,
That shot such a shot for me;
I would ride my horse an hundred miles
To find one to match thee.
That caused Will Scarlet to laugh,
He laugh’d full heartily;
There lives a friar in Fountain’s Abbey
Will beat both him and thee.
The curtal friar in Fountain’s Abbey
Well can draw a good strong bow;
He will beat both you and your yeomen,
Set them all on a row.
Robin Hood took a solemn oath,
It was by Mary free,
That he would neither eat nor drink,
Till the friar he did see.
Robin Hood put on his harness good,
On his head a cap of steel;
Broad sword and buckler by his side,
And they became him well.
He took his bow into his hand,
(It was of a trusty tree)
With a sheaf of arrows by his side
And to Fountain Dale went he.
And coming unto fair Fountain Dale,
No farther would he ride:
There was he ‘ware of a curtal friar,
Walking by the water-side.
The friar had on a harness good,
On his head a cap of steel;
Broad sword and buckler by his side,
And they became him well.
Robin Hood lighted off his horse,
And tied him to a thorn:
Carry me over the water, thou curtal friar,
Or else thy life’s forlorn.
The friar took Robin Hood on his back,
Deep water he did bestride,
And spake neither good word nor bad
Till he came to the other side.
Lightly leap’d Robin off the friar’s back,
The friar said to him again,
Carry me over the water, fine fellow,
Or it shall breed thee pain.
Robin Hood took the friar on his back,
Deep water he did bestride,
And spake neither good nor bad
Till he came to the other side.
Lightly leap’d the friar off Robin Hood’s back,
Robin said to him again,
Carry me over the water thou curtal friar,
Or it shall breed thee pain.
The friar he took Robin Hood on his back again
And stepp’d up to his knee;
Till he came to the middle of the stream
Neither good nor bad spake he;
And coming to the middle of the stream
There he threw Robin in;
And choose thee, choose thee, fine fellow,
Whether thou wilt sink or swim.
Robin Hood swam to a bush of broom,
The friar to the willow wand;
Bold Robin Hood he got to the shore,
And took his bow in his hand.
One of the best arrows under his belt
To the friar he let fly:
The curtal friar with his steel buckler
Did put that arrow by.
Shoot on, shoot on, thou fine fellow,
Shoot as thou hast begun;
If thou shoot here a summer’s day,
Thy mark I will not shun.
Robin Hood shot so passing well,
Till his arrows all were gone;
They took their swords and steel bucklers,
They fought with might and main.
From ten o’clock that very day,
Till four i’ the afternoon;
Then Robin Hood came on his knees,
Of the friar to beg a boon.
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.
That I will do, said the curtal friar,
Of thy blasts I have no doubt;
I hope thou wilt blow so passing well,
Till both thy eyes drop out.
Robin Hood set his horn to his mouth,
And he blew out blasts three,
Half a hundred yeomen, with their bows bent,
Came ranging over the lea.
Whose men are these, said the friar,
That come so hastily?
These men are mine, said Robin Hood,
Friar, what’s that to thee?
A boon, a boon, said the curtal friar,
The like I gave to thee;
Give me leave to put my fist to my mouth,
And whute130 whutes three.
That I will do, said Robin Hood,
Or else I were to blame;
Three whutes in a friar’s fist
Would make me glad and fain.
The friar he set his fist to his mouth,
And he whuted him whutes three;
Half an hundred good ban dogs
Came running over the lea.
Here is for every man a dog,
And I myself for thee:
Nay, by my faith, said Robin Hood,
Friar, that may not be.
Two dogs at once to Robin did go,
The one behind and the other before;
Robin Hood’s mantle of Lincoln green
Off from his back they tore.
And whether his men shot east or west,
Or they shot north or south,
The curtal dogs, so taught they were,
They caught the arrows in their mouth.
Take up thy dogs, said Little John,
Friar, at my bidding thee;
Whose man art thou, said the curtal friar,
That comes here to prate to me?
I am Little John, Robin Hood’s man,
Friar, I will not lie;
If thou take not up thy dogs anon,
I’ll take them up and thee.
Little John had a bow in his hand,
He shot with might and main;
Soon half a score of the friar’s dogs
Lay dead upon the plain.
Hold thy hand, good fellow, said the curtal friar,
Thy master and I will agree;
And we will have new orders taken,
With all haste that may be.
If thou wilt forsake fair Fountain Dale,
And Fountain Abbey free,
Every Sunday throughout the year
A noble shall be thy fee.
Every Sunday throughout the year,
Chang’d shall thy garments be,
If thou wilt to fair Nottingham go,
And there remain with me.
The curtal friar had kept Fountain Dale,
Seven long years and more;
There was neither knight, lord, nor earl,
Could make him yield before.
Footnotes
129 Fat hart.
130 Whistle.