ROBIN HOOD AND GUY OF GISBORNE
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When shaws been sheen, and shrads full fair,
And leaves both large and long,
It is merry walking in the fair forrèst,
To hear the small bird's song.
The woodweel sang, and would not cease,
Among the leaves o' line;
And it is by two wight yeomen,
By dear God, that I mean. *
shaws wood. sheen, bright. shrad, an opening in a wood. line, tree.
* The lost stanza probably states that Robin Hood is having a dream.
"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 them two."
"Swevens are swift, master," quoth John,
"As the wind that blows o'er a hill;
For if it be never so loud this night,
To-morrow it may be still."
"Busk ye, boun ye, my merry men all,
For John shall go with me,
For I'll go seek yond wight yeomen,
In greenwood where they be."
They cast on their gowns 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.
A sword and a dagger he wore by his side,
Had been many a mans bane;
And he was clad in his capull hide,
Top and tail and mane.
wroken, revenged. swevens, dreams. boun, make ready. capull, horse.
"Stand you still, master," quoth Little John,
"Under this trusty tree,
And I will go to yond wight yeoman,
To know his meaning truly."
"Ah! John, by me thou sets no store,
And that's a farley thing:
'How oft send I my men before,
And tarry myself behind?
"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."
But often words they breeden bale,
That parted Robin and John;
John is gone to Barnesdale;
The gates he knows each one.
And when he came to Barnesdale,
Great heaviness there he had,
He found two of his own fellows,
Were slain both in a slade.
And Scarlet a-foot flying was
Over stocks and stone,
For the sheriff with seven score men
Fast after him is gone.
farley, strange. bale, mischief or sorrow. slade, valley.
"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."
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.
"Woe worth thee, wicked wood," said Little John,
"That ere thou grew on a tree!
For this day thou art my bale,
My boot when thou should be."
This shot it was but loosely shot,
The arrow flew in vain,
And it met one of the sheriffs men,
Good William a Trent was slain.
It had been better for William a Trent
To have been upon a gallow,
Than for to lie in the greenwood
There slain with an arrow.
And it is said, when men be met
Six can do more than three,
And they have taen Little John,
And bound him fast to a tree.
fettled, made ready.
"Thou shalt be drawn by dale and down," quoth the sheriff,
"And hanged high on a hill;"
"But thou may fail," quoth John,
"If it be Christs own will."
Let us leave talking of Little John,
For he is bound fast to a tree,
And talk of Guy and Robin Hood,
In the green wood where they be.
How these two yeomen together they met,
Under the leaves of line,
To see what merchandise they made,
Even at that same time.
"Good morrow, good fellow," quoth Sir Guy,
"Good morrow, good fellow," quoth he:
"Methinks by this bow thou bears in thy hand,
A good archer thou seems to be.
"I am wilful of my way," quoth Sir Guy,
"And of my morning tide:"
"I'll lead thee through the wood,"quoth Robin,
"Good fellow, I'll be thy guide."
"I seek an outlaw," quoth Sir Guy,
"Men call him Robin Hood:
I'd rather meet with him upon a day,
Than forty pound of gold."
line, tree.
"If you two met, it would be seen whether were better,
Afore ye did part away;
Let us some other pastime find,
Good fellow, I thee pray.
"Let us some masteries make,
And we will walk in the woods even;
We may chance meet with Robin Hood
Here at some unset steven."
They cut them down two summer shrogs,
Which grew both under a briar,
And set them threescore rood in twin,
To shoot the pricks full near.
"Lead on, good fellow," said Sir Guy,
"Lead on, I do bid thee;"
"Nay, by my faith," quoth Robin Hood,
"The leader thou shalt be."
The first good shot that Robin led
Did not shoot an inch the prick fro';
Guy was an archer good enough,
But he could ne er shoot so.
unset steven, unappointed time. shrogs, shrubs. in twin, apart.
The second shot Sir Guy shot,
He shot within the garland;
But Robin Hood shot it better than he,
For he clove the good prick-wand.
"God's blessing on thy heart," says Guy,
"Good fellow, thy shooting is good;
For an thy heart be as good as thy hand
Thou were better then Robin Hood.
"Tell me thy name, good fellow," quoth Guy,
"Under the leaves of line;"
"Nay, by my faith," quoth good Robin,
"Till thou have told me thine."
"I dwell by dale and down," quoth Guy,
"And I have done many a cursed turn;
And he that calls me by my right name,
Calls me Guy of good Gisborne."
"My dwelling is in the wood," says Robin,
"By thee I set right nought:
I am Robin Hood of Barnésdale,
A fellow thou has long sought."
He that had neither been a kith nor kin
Might have seen a full fair fight,
To see how together these yeomen went
With blades both brown and bright:
To have seen how these yeomen together fought
Two hours of a summers day,
It was neither Guy nor Robin Hood
That fettled them to fly away.
Robin was reachless on a root,
And stumbled at that tide;
And Guy was quick and nimble withal,
And hit him o'er the left side.
"Ah, dear Lady," said Robin Hood,
"Thou art both mother and may;
I think it was never man's destiny
To die before his day."
Robin thought on our lady dear,
And soon leapt up again,
And thus he came with an awkward stroke,
Good Sir Guy he hath slain.
He took Sir Guy's head by the hair,
And sticked it on his bow's end:
"Thou hast been traitor all thy life,
Which thing must have an end."
Robin pulled forth an Irish knife,
And nicked Sir Guy in the face,
That he was never on woman born
Could tell who Sir Guy was.
reachless, reckless.
Says, "Lie there, lie there, good Sir Guy,
And with me be not wroth;
If thou have had the worse strokes at my hand,
Thou shalt have the better cloth."
Robin did off his gown of green,
[On] Sir Guy he did it throw,
And he put on that capull hide,
That clad him top to toe.
"The bow, the arrows, and little horn,
And with me now I'll bear;
For I will go to Barnesdale,
To see how my men do fare."
Robin Hood set Guy's horn to his mouth,
And a loud blast in it he did blow:
That beheard the sheriff of Nottingham,
As he leaned under a lowe.
"Hearken, hearken," said the sheriff,
"I heard no tidings but good,
For yonder I hear Sir Guy's horn blow,
For he hath slain Robin Hood.
"For yonder I hear Sir Guys horn blow,
It blows so well in tide,
For yonder comes that wight yeoman,
Clad in his capull hide.
lowef, small hill.
"Come hither, thou good Sir Guy,
Ask of me what thou wilt:"
"I'll have none of thy gold," says Robin Hood,
"Nor I'll none of it have.
"But now I have slain the master," he said,
"Let me go strike the knave;
This is all the reward I ask,
Nor no other will I have."
"Thou art a madman," said the sheriff,
"Thou shouldest have had a knight's fee;
Seeing thy asking hath been so bad,
Well granted it shall be."
But Little John heard his master speak,
Well he knew that was his steven;
"Now shall I be loosed," quoth Little John,
"With Christ's might in heaven."
But Robin he hied him towards Little John,
He thought he would loose him belive:
The sheriff and all his company
Fast after him did drive.
"Stand aback, stand aback," said Robin,
"Why draw you me so near?
It was never the use in our country,
Ones shrift another should hear."
steven, voice. belive, quickly.
But Robin pulled forth an Irish knife,
And loosed John hand and foot,
And gave him Sir Guy's bow in his hand,
And bade it be his boot.
But John took Guy's bow in his hand,
His arrows were rusty by the root:
The sheriff saw Little John draw a bow,
And fettle him to shoot.
Towards his house in Nottingham
He fled full fast away,
And so did all his company,
Not one behind did stay.
But he could neither so fast go,
Nor away so fast run,
But Little John with an arrow broad
Did cleave his heart in twin.