There Robin, and Will, and Little John,
They fought most manfully,
Till all their winde was spent and gone,
Then Robin aloud did cry:60
"O hold, O hold," cries bold Robin,
"I see you be stout men;
Let me blow one blast on my bugle horn,
Then Ile fight with you again."
"That bargain's to make, bold Robin Hood,65
Therefore we it deny;
Thy blast upon the bugle horn
Cannot make us fight or fly.
"Therefore fall on, or else be gone,
And yield to us the day:70
It never shall be said that we are afraid
Of thee, nor thy yeomen gay."
"If that be so," cries bold Robin,
"Let me but know your names,
And in the forrest of merry Sheerwood,75
I shall extol your fames."
"And with our names," one of them said,
"What hast thou here to do?
Except that thou wilt fight it out,
Our names thou shalt not know."80
"We will fight no more," sayes bold Robin,
"You be men of valour stout;
Come and go with me to Nottingham,
And there we will fight it out.
"With a but of sack we will bang it about,85
To see who wins the day;
And for the cost, make you no doubt
I have gold enough to pay.
"And ever hereafter, so long as we live,
We all will brethren be;90
For I love these men with heart and hand,
That will fight and never flee."
So away they went to Nottingham,
With sack to make amends;
For three days they the wine did chase,95
And drank themselves good friends.