Ballads of Robin Hood and other Outlaws Part 28

37.1: 'fain,' glad.

40.3: 'could of courtesy,' knew how to be courteous.

40.4: 'gret,' greeted.

45.3: 'prest,' quickly.

47.3: 'And,' if.

54.1,2: Two lines missing in the MS.; so 57.3.

58.1: 'rede,' advice.

59.1: 'quite' = requite.

59.4: 'dight,' prepared.

60.2: 'busked,' made ready.

60.3: 'ray' = array.

62.2: 'yield it thee,' reward thee for it.

63.3: 'prest,' freely.

64.3: 'awit': either = wit, know, or = await.

66.2,3: Two lines omitted in the MS.

66.4: 'wood,' mad.

72.1: A duplicated deprecation: 'I protest--G.o.d forbid!'

72.3,4: Two lines omitted in the MS.; so 74.3,4.

75.3: 'Nere' = ne were, were it not.]

ROBIN HOOD AND GUY OF GISBORNE

+The Text.+--The only text of this ballad is in the Percy Folio, from which it is here rendered in modern spelling. Although the original is written continuously, it is almost impossible not to suspect an omission after 2.2. Child points out, however, that the abrupt transition is found in other ballads (see _Adam Bell_, 2.2), and Hales and Furnivall put 2.3,4 in inverted commas as part of Robin's relation of his dream.

Percy's emendation was:

'The woodweete sang, and wold not cese, Sitting upon the spraye, Soe lowde, he wakend Robin Hood In the greenwood where he lay.

Now by my faye, said jollye Robin, A sweaven[1] I had this night; I dreamt me of tow mighty yemen That fast with me can fight.'

+The Story.+--Whether verses have been lost or not, the story has become confused, as there is nothing to show how Robin knows that the Sheriff of Nottingham holds Little John captive; yet he makes careful preparations to pa.s.s himself off as Sir Guy, in order to set John free.

There has come down to us a fragment of a play of Robin Hood and the Sheriff.[2] In this dramatic fragment, an unnamed knight is promised a reward by the sheriff if he takes Robin Hood. The knight and Robin shoot and wrestle and fight; Robin wins, cuts off the knight's head, puts on his clothes, and takes the head away with him. A second scene shows how the sheriff takes prisoner the other outlaws, amongst whom is Friar Tuck; but the allocation of the parts in the dialogue is mostly conjectural.

[Footnote 1: _sweaven_, dream.]

[Footnote 2: See Introduction, p. xxii.]

ROBIN HOOD AND GUY OF GISBORNE

1.

When shaws been sheen, and shradds full fair, And leaves both large and long, It is merry, walking in the fair forest, To hear the small bird's song.

2.

The woodweel sang, and would not cease, Amongst the leaves o' lyne, And it is by two wight yeomen, By dear G.o.d, that I mean.

3.

'Methought they did me beat and bind, And took my bow me fro; If I be Robin alive in this land, I'll be wroken on both them two.'

4.

'Swevens are swift, master,' quoth John, 'As the wind that blows o'er a hill; For if it be never so loud this night, Tomorrow it may be still.'

5.

'Busk ye, bown ye, my merry men all, For John shall go with me; For I'll go seek yond wight yeomen In greenwood where they be.'

6.

They cast on their gown of green, A shooting gone are they, Until they came to the merry greenwood, Where they had gladdest be; There were they 'ware of a wight yeoman, His body leaned to a tree.

7.

A sword and a dagger he wore by his side, Had been many a man's bane, And he was clad in his capul-hide, Top and tail and mane.

8.

'Stand you still, master,' quoth Little John, 'Under this trusty tree, And I will go to yond wight yeoman, To know his meaning truly.'

9.

'Ah, John, by me thou sets no store, And that's a ferly thing; How oft send I my men before, And tarry myself behind?

10.

'It is no cunning a knave to ken, And a man but hear him speak; And it were not for bursting of my bow, John, I would thy head break.'

11.

But often words they breeden bale; That parted Robin and John; John is gone to Barnesdale, The gates he knows each one.

12.

And when he came to Barnesdale, Great heaviness there he had; He found two of his fellows Were slain both in a slade,

13.

And Scarlet afoot flying was, Over stocks and stone, For the sheriff with seven score men Fast after him is gone.

14.

'Yet one shot I'll shoot,' says Little John, 'With Christ his might and main; I'll make yond fellow that flies so fast To be both glad and fain.'

15.

John bent up a good yew bow, And fettled him to shoot; The bow was made of a tender bough, And fell down to his foot.

16.

'Woe worth thee, wicked wood,' said Little John, 'That e'er thou grew on a tree!

For this day thou art my bale, My boot when thou should be.'

17.

This shot it was but loosely shot, The arrow flew in vain, And it met one of the sheriff's men; Good William a Trent was slain.

18.