ROBIN HOOD’S DEATH

‘I will never eat nor drink,’ Robin Hood said,

‘Nor meat will do me no good,

Till I have been at merry Churchlees,

My veins for to let blood.’

2.¹ ‘rede,’ advise.

‘That I rede not,’ said Will Scarlett,

‘Master, by the assent of me,

Without half a hundred of your best bowmen

You take to go with ye.

‘For there a good yeoman doth abide,

Will be sure to quarrel with thee,

And if thou have need of us, master,

In faith we will not flee.’

4.^1,3 ‘And,’ if.

4.⁴ ‘A stanza or more seems to be lost here.’ —Child. There is, however, no break in the MS.

‘And thou be fear’d, thou William Scarlett,

At home I rede thee be.’

‘And you be wroth, my dear master,

You shall never hear more of me.’

.....

‘For there shall no man with me go,

Nor man with me ride,

And Little John shall be my man,

And bear my benbow by my side.’

6.¹ ‘You’st’ = you shall.

‘You’st bear your bow, master, yourself,

And shoot for a penny with me.’

‘To that I do assent,’ Robin Hood said,

‘And so, John, let it be.’

They two bold children shotten together,

All day theirself in rank,

Until they came to black water,

And over it laid a plank.

8.² ‘banning,’ cursing.

Upon it there kneeled an old woman,

Was banning Robin Hood,

‘Why dost thou ban Robin Hood?’ said Robin,

.....

To give to Robin Hood;

We weepen for his dear body,

That this day must be let blood.’

10.

‘The dame prior is my aunt’s daughter,

And nigh unto my kin;

I know she would me no harm this day,

For all the world to win.’

11.

11.² ‘lin,’ stop.

Forth then shotten these children two,

And they did never lin,

Until they came to merry Churchlees,

To merry Churchlees within.

12.

And when they came to merry Churchlees,

They knocked upon a pin;

Up then rose dame prioress,

And let good Robin in.

13.

Then Robin gave to dame prioress

Twenty pound in gold,

And bade her spend while that would last,

And she should have more when she wold.

14.

14.² ‘in that ilk’ [time], at that same moment.

14.³ ‘blood-irons,’ lancets for bleeding.

And down then came dame prioress,

Down she came in that ilk,

With a pair of blood-irons in her hands,

Were wrappëd all in silk.

15.

‘Set a chafing-dish to the fire,’ said dame prioress,

‘And strip thou up thy sleeve!’

I hold him but an unwise man

That will no warning ‘lieve.

16.

She laid the blood-irons to Robin Hood’s vein,

Alack, the more pity!

And pierced the vein, and let out the blood,

That full red was to see.

17.

And first it bled the thick, thick blood,

And afterwards the thin,

And well then wist good Robin Hood

Treason there was within.

18.

‘What cheer, my master?’ said Little John;

‘In faith, Little John, little good;

.....

*****

19.

‘I have upon a gown of green,

Is cut short by my knee,

And in my hand a bright brown brand

That will well bite of thee.’

20.

20.³ ‘glaive,’ a sword or knife tied to the end of a pole.

But forth then of a shot-window,

Good Robin Hood he could glide;

Red Roger, with a grounden glaive,

Thrust him through the milk-white side.

21.

But Robin was light and nimble of foot,

And thought to abate his pride,

For between his head and his shoulders

He made a wound full wide.

22.

22.³ ‘housel,’ communion, sacrament.

Says, ‘Lie there, lie there, Red Roger,

The dogs they must thee eat;

For I may have my housel,’ he said,

‘For I may both go and speak.

23.

23.¹ ‘give me mood’: Child suggests ‘give me my God,’ i.e. the consecrated Host. He admits it is a bold emendation, but cites some striking parallels in support of it.

‘Now give me mood,’ Robin said to Little John,

‘Give me mood with thy hand;

I trust to God in heaven so high

My housel will me bestand.’

24.

23.⁴ ‘bestand,’ help.

‘Now give me leave, give me leave, master,’ he said,

‘For Christ’s love give leave to me

To set a fire within this hall,

And to burn up all Churchlee.’

25.

‘That I rede not,’ said Robin Hood then,

‘Little John, for it may not be;

If I should do any widow hurt, at my latter end,

God,’ he said, ‘would blame me;

26.

26.⁴ ‘greet,’ grit, sand.

‘But take me upon thy back, Little John,

And bear me to yonder street,

And there make me a full fair grave

Of gravel and of greet.

27.

27.⁴ ‘met-yard,’ measuring-rod.

And set my bright sword at my head,

Mine arrows at my feet,

And lay my yew-bow by my side,

My met-yard wi . . .’