Whan Roben ynto the hall cam,
The screffe sone he met;
The potter cowed of corteysey,
And sone the screffe he gret.160
"[Loketh] what thes potter hayt geffe yow and me;
Feyffe pottys smalle and grete!"
"He ys fol wellcom," seyd the screffe,
"[Let os was], and [go to] mete."
As they sat at her methe,165
With a nobell cher,
Two of the screffes men gan speke
Off a gret wagèr,
[Was made the thother daye,]
[Off a schotyng was god and feyne,]170
Off forty shillings, the soyt to saye,
Who scholde thes wager wen.
Styll than sat thes prowde potter,
Thos than thowt he;
"As y am a trow Cerstyn man,175
Thes schotyng well y se."
Whan they had fared of the best.
With bred and ale and weyne,
To the [bottys they] made them prest,
With bowes and [boltys] foll feyne.180
The screffes men schot foll fast,
As archares that weren godde;
Ther cam non ner ney the marke
Bey halfe a god archares bowe.
Stell then stod the prowde potter,185
Thos than seyde he;
"And y had a bow, be the rode,
On schot scholde yow se."
"Thow schall haffe a bow," seyde the screffe,
"The best that thow well cheys of thre;190
Thou [semyst] a stalward and a stronge,
Asay schall thow be."
The screffe commandyd a yeman that stod hem bey
Affter bowhes to wende;
The best bow that the yeman browthe195
Roben set on a stryng.