CCCCLIV
Then bespake good Robin,
In place where as he stood,
‘To-morrow I must to Kirksley,
Craftily[924] to be letten blood.’
CCCCLV
Sir Roger [and the prioress
A springe[925] for him did] lay,
And there they betray’d good Robin Hood,
Through their falsè play.
CCCCLVI
Christ have mercy on his soul,
That died upon the rood!
For he was a good outlàw,
And did poor men much good.
FOOTNOTES:
[707] Meiny = retinue.
[708] Lithe = hearken.
[709] Barnèsdale = a forest region between Pontefract and Doncaster.