How he is gone to the wight yeoman, Good morrowe, good fellowe, sayd Robin so fayre, "Good morrowe, good fellow, quoth he:" Methinkes by this bowe thou beares in thy hande A good archere thou sholdst bee. I am wilfulle of my waye, quo' the yeman, Ile lead thee through the wood, sayd Robin; I seeke an outlawe, the straunger sayd, Rather Ild meet with that proud outlawe Than fortye pound soe good. 96 100 Now come with me, thou wighty yeman, 105 And Robin thou soone shalt see: But first let us some pastime find Under the greenwood tree. First let us some masterye make Among the woods so even, 110 We may chance to meet with Robin Hood Here att some unsett steven. They cutt them down two summer shroggs, That grew both under a breere, And sett them threescore rood in twaine 115 To shoote the prickes y-fere. Leade on, good fellowe, quoth Robin Hood, Leade on, Nay by my faith, good fellowe, hee sayd, My leader thou shalt bee. The first time Robin shot at the pricke, He mist but an inch it froe; The yeoman he was an archer good, But he cold never shoote soe. 120 The second shoote had the wightye yeman, 125 But Robin he shott far better than hee, A blessing upon thy heart, he sayd; Goode fellowe, thy shooting is goode; For an thy hart be as good as thy hand, Thou wert better than Robin Hoode. 130 Now tell me thy name, good fellowe, sayd he, Under the leaves of lyne. Nay by my faith, quoth bolde Robin, Till thou have told me thine. I dwell by dale and downe, quoth hee, And Robin to take Ime sworne; 135 And when I am called by my right name I am Guy of good Gisborne. My dwelling is in this wood, sayes Robin, By thee I set right nought: I am Robin Hood of Barnèsdale, He that had neyther beene kithe nor kin, 140 145 150 To see how these yeomen together they fought Them fettled to flye away. * The common epithet for a sword or other offensive weapon, in the old metrical romances, is brown as "brown brand," or "brown sword: brown bill," &c., and sometimes even bright brown sword." Chaucer applies the word rustie in the same sense; thus he describes the Reve: "And by his side he bare a rustie blade." And even thus the god Mars: Prol. ver. 620. ‘And in his hand he had a rousty sword.” Test. of Cressid. 188. Spenser has sometimes used the same epithet: See Warton's Observ. vol. 2, p. 62. It should seem from this particularity, that our ancestors did not pique themselves upon keeping their weapons bright perhaps they deemed it more honourable to carry them stained with the blood of their enemies. Robin was reachles on a roote, And stumbled at that tyde; And Guy was quicke and nimble with-all, 155 And hitt him ore the left side. 160 Ah deere Lady, sayd Robin Hood thou, Thou art but mother and may', I think it was never mans destinye To dye before his day. Robin thought on our lady deere, And soone leapt up againe, And strait he came with a 'backward' stroke, He took sir Guys head by the hayre, And stuck itt upon his bowes end: Thou hast beene a traytor all thy life, Which thing must have an ende. Robin pulled forth an Irish knife, 165 And nicked sir Guy in the face, That he was never on woman born, Cold tell whose head it was. 170 Saies, Lye there, lye there, now sir Guye, Ver. 163, awkwarde. MS. If thou have had the worst strokes at my hand, Thou shalt have the better clothe. 176 Robin did off his gowne of greene, That cladd him topp to toe. The bowe, the arrowes, and little horne, Now with me I will beare; For I will away to Barnèsdale, To see how my men doe fare. 180 Robin Hood sett Guyes horne to his mouth, 185 And a loud blast in it did blow, That beheard the sheriffe of Nottingham, As he leaned under a lowe. Hearken, hearken, sayd the sheriffe, I heare nowe tydings good, For yonder I heare sir Guyes horne blowe, And he hath slaine Robin Hoode. 190 Yonder I heare sir Guyes horne blowe, Itt blowes soe well in tyde, And yonder comes that wightye yeoman, 195 Cladd in his capull hyde. |