A Bundle of Ballads Part 11

Then bespak-e good Rob-in, "To dine I have no l.u.s.t, Till I have some bold bar-on, Or some unketh gest, That may pay for the best; Or some knight or some squy-ere That dwelleth here by west."

A good mann-er then had Robin In land where that he were, Every day ere he would dine Three ma.s.ses would he hear: The one in the wors.h.i.+p of the Father, The other of the Holy Ghost, The third was of our dear Lady, That he loved of all other most.

Robin loved our dear Lad-y, For dout of deadly sin; Would he never do company harm That any woman was in.

"Master," then said Little John, "An we our board shall spread, Tell us whither we shall gon, And what life we shall lead; Where we shall take, where we shall leave, Where we shall bide behind, Where we shall rob, where we shall reve, Where we shall beat and bind."

"Thereof no force," then said Rob-in, "We shall do well enow; But look ye do no housbonde harm That tilleth with his plow; No more ye shall no good yeoman, That walk'th by green wood shaw, Ne no knight, ne no squy-er, That would be a good fel-aw.

These bishops, and these archbishops, Ye shall them beat and bind; The high sheriff of Nottingham, Him hold in your mind."

"This word shall be holde," said Little John, "And this lesson shall we lere; It is ferr-e days, G.o.d send us a geste, That we were at our dinere!"

"Take thy good bow in thy hand," said Robin, "Let Much wend-e with thee, And so shall William Scath-elock, And no man abide with me: And walk up to the Sa-yl-es, And so to Watling Street, And wait after some unketh gest, Up-chance ye mowe them meet.

Be he earl or any bar-on, Abb-ot or any knight, Bring him to lodge to me, His dinner shall be dight."

They went unto the Sa-yl-es, These yeomen all three, They look-ed east, they look-ed west, They might-e no man see.

But as they looked in Barnisdale, By a dern-e street, Then came th-ere a knight rid-ing, Full soon they gan him meet.

All drear-y was his semblaunce, And little was his pride, His one foot in the stirrup stood, That other waved beside.

His hood hanging over his eyen two, He rode in simple array; A sorrier man than he was one Rode never in summer's day.

Little John was full curt-eyse, And set him on his knee: "Welcome be ye, gentle knight, Welc-ome are ye to me, Welcome be thou to green wood, Hende knight and free; My master hath abiden you fast-ing, Sir, all these hour-es three."

"Who is your master?" said the knight.

John said, "Robin Hood."

"He is a good yeoman," said the knight, "Of him I have heard much good.

I grant," he said, "with you to wend, My brethren all in-fere; My purpose was to have dined to-day At Blyth or Doncastere."

Forth then went this gentle knight, With a careful cheer, The tears out of his eyen ran, And fell down by his lere.

They brought him unto the lodge door, When Robin gan him see, Full curteysly he did off his hood, And set him on his knee.

"Welc-ome, sir knight," then said Rob-in, "Welc-ome thou art to me; I have abiden you fasting, sir, All these hour-es three."

Then answered the gentle knight, With word-es fair and free, "G.o.d thee sav-e, good Rob-in, And all thy fair meyn-e."

They washed together and wip-ed both, And set to their dinere; Bread and wine they had enough, And numbles of the deer; Swans and pheasants they had full good, And fowls of the rivere; There fail-ed never so little a bird, That ever was bred on brere.

"Do gladly, sir knight," said Rob-in.

"Gram-ercy, sir," said he, "Such a dinner had I not Of all these week-es three; If I come again, Rob-in, Here b-y this countr-e, As good a dinner I shall thee make, As thou hast made to me."

"Gramerc-y, knight," said Rob-in, "My dinner when I have; I was never so greedy, by dere-worthy G.o.d, My dinner for to crave.

But pay ere ye wend," said Rob-in, "Me thinketh it is good right; It was never the manner, by dere-worthy G.o.d, A yeoman to pay for a knight."

"I have nought in my coffers," said the knight, "That I may proffer for shame."

"Little John, go look," said Robin, "Ne let not for no blame.

Tell me truth," then said Rob-in, "So G.o.d have part of thee."

"I have no more but ten s.h.i.+llings," said the knight, "So G.o.d have part of me!"

"If thou have no more," said Rob-in, "I will not one penn-y; And if thou have need of any more, More shall I lend thee.

Go now forth, Little John, The truth tell thou me, If there be no more but ten s.h.i.+llings No penny of that I see."

Little John spread down his mantle Full fair upon the ground, And there he found in the knight's coff-er But even half a pound.

Little John let it lie full still, And went to his master full low.

"What tiding-e, John?" said Rob-in.

"Sir, the knight is true enow."

"Fill of the best wine," said Rob-in, "The knight shall begin; Much wonder thinketh me Thy clothing is so thin.

Tell me one word," said Rob-in, "And counsel shall it be; I trow thou were made a knight of force, Or else of yeomanry; Or else thou hast been a sorry housband And lived in stroke and strife; An okerer, or lechour," said Rob-in, "With wrong hast thou led thy life."

"I am none of them," said the knight, "By him that mad-e me; An hundred winter here before, Mine aunsetters knights have be.

But oft it hath befal, Rob-in, A man hath be disgrate; But G.o.d that sitteth in heaven above May amend his state.

Within two or three year, Robin," he said, "My neighbours well it kend, Four hundred pound of good mon-ey Full well then might I spend.

Now have I no good," said the knight, "But my children and my wife; G.o.d hath shapen such an end, Till he it may amend."

"In what manner," said Rob-in, "Hast thou lore thy rich-esse?"

"For my great folly," he said, "And for my kind-enesse.

I had a son, for sooth, Rob-in, That should have been my heir, When he was twenty winter old, In field would joust full fair; He slew a knight of Lancas.h.i.+re, And a squyer bold; For to save him in his right My goods beth set and sold; My lands beth set to wed, Rob-in, Until a certain day, To a rich abbot here beside, Of Saint Mar-y abbay."

"What is the summ-e?" said Rob-in, "Truth then tell thou me."

"Sir," he said, "four hundred pound, The abb-ot told it to me."

"Now, an thou lose thy land," said Robin, "What shall fall of thee?"

"Hastily I will me busk," said the knight, "Over the salt-e sea, And see where Christ was quick and dead, On the mount of Calvar-y.

Fare well, friend, and have good day, It may no better be"--

Tears fell out of his eyen two, He would have gone his way-- "Fare well, friends, and have good day, I ne have more to pay."

"Where be thy friends?" said Rob-in.

"Sir, never one will me know; While I was rich enow at home Great boast then would they blow, And now they run away from me, As beast-es on a row; They take no more heed of me Than they me never saw."

For ruth-e then wept Little John, Scathelocke and Much also.

"Fill of the best wine," said Rob-in, "For here is a simple cheer.

Hast thou any friends," said Robin, "Thy borowes that will be?"

"I have none," then said the knight, "But him that died on a tree."

"Do way thy j.a.p-es!" said Rob-in, "Thereof will I right none; Weenest thou I will have G.o.d to borowe?

Peter, Paul, or John?