And for that cause the outlaws were come,
To rule all as they list ;
And for to shun, which ‘way’ to run,
The people did not wist.
The plowman left the plow in the fields,
The smith ran from his shop ;
Old folks also, that scarce could go,
Over their sticks did hop.
The king soon did let them understand
He had been in the green-wood,