And the gentle knight replied with fair words:
“God save thee, good Robin, and all thy company.”
When they had thus exchanged greetings, they washed and wiped their hands, and sat them down to their dinner. They had bread and wine and venison, with swans and pheasants and many other birds. And Robin bade the knight make good cheer, and the knight thanked him heartily.
“For,” said he, “I have not had such a dinner for three weeks; and if I come this way again, Robin, I will give thee as good a dinner as thou hast given me.”
“I thank thee, knight,” said Robin; “but methinks it is right that thou shouldst pay ere thou goest. It was never the custom, by Heaven, for a yeoman to pay for a knight.”
But Sir Richard answered, “I have naught in my coffers that I can offer thee for very shame. I have but ten shillings.”
To this Robin answered, “If thou hast no more, I will not take a penny; and if thou hast need of more I will lend it to thee.”
Then he called to Little John:
“Go forth and see if there are but ten shillings in the knight’s mantle.”
So Little John spread the mantle on the ground and searched in it; and he found but ten shillings as the knight had said.