William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Restoration Verse. 1910.
Robin Hood and Guy of GisborneAnonymous
W
And leeves both large and longe,
Itt is merry, walking in the fayre forrest,
To heare the small birds songe.
Amongst the leaves a lyne:
And it is by two wight yeomen,
By deare God, that I meane.
And tooke my bow mee froe;
If I bee Robin a-live in this lande,
I’le be wrocken on both them towe.’
‘As the wind that blowes ore a hill;
For if itt be never soe lowde this night,
To-morrow it may be still.’
For John shall goe with mee;
For I’le goe seeke yond wight yeomen
In greenwood where the bee.’
A shooting gone are they,
Untill they came to the merry greenwood,
Where they had gladdest bee;
There were the ware of a wight yeoman,
His body leaned to a tree.
Had beene many a mans bane,
And he was cladd in his capull-hyde,
Topp, and tayle, and mayne.
‘Under this trusty tree,
And I will goe to yond wight yeoman,
To know his meaning trulye.’
And that’s a farley thinge;
How offt send I my men before,
And tarry my-selfe behinde?
And a man but heare him speake;
And itt were not for bursting of my bowe,
John, I wold thy head breake.’
That parted Robin and John;
John is gone to Barnesdale,
The gates he knowes eche one.
Great heavinesse there hee hadd;
He found two of his fellowes
Were slaine both in a slade,
Over stockes and stone,
For the sheriffe with seven score men
Fast after him is gone.
‘With Crist his might and mayne;
I ’le make yond felow that flyes soe fast
To be both glad and faine.’
And fetteled him to shoote;
The bow was made of a tender boughe,
And fell downe to his foote.
‘That ere thou grew on a tree!
For this day thou art my bale,
My boote when thou shold bee!’
The arrowe flew in vaine,
And it mett one of the sheriffes men;
Good William a Trent was slaine.
To hange upon a gallowe
Then for to lye in the greenwoode,
There slaine with an arrowe.
Six can do more then three:
And they have tane Litle John,
And bound him fast to a tree.
‘And hanged hye on a hill:’
‘But thou may fayle,’ quoth Litle John,
‘If itt be Christ’s owne will.’
For hee is bound fast to a tree,
And talke of Guy and Robin Hoode,
In the green woode where they bee.
Under the leaves of lyne,
To see what marchandise they made
Even at that same time.
‘Good morrow, good fellow,’ quoth hee;
‘Methinks by this bow thou beares in thy hand,
A good archer thou seems to bee.’
‘And of my morning tyde:’
‘I ’le lead thee through the wood,’ quoth Robin,
‘Good fellow, I ’le be thy guide.’
‘Men call him Robin Hood;
I had rather meet with him upon a day
Then forty pound of golde.’
Afore yee did part awaye;
Let us some other pastime find,
Good fellow, I thee pray.
And wee will walke in the woods even;
Wee may chance meet with Robin Hoode
Att some unsett steven.’
Which grew both under a bryar,
And sett them three score rood in twinn,
To shoote the prickes full neare.
‘Lead on, I doe bidd thee:’
‘Nay, by my faith,’ quoth Robin Hood,
‘The leader thou shalt bee.’
Did not shoote an inch the pricke froe;
Guy was an archer good enoughe,
But he cold neere shoote soe.
He shott within the garlande;
But Robin Hoode shott it better then hee,
For he clove the good pricke-wande.
‘Goode fellow, thy shooting is goode;
For an thy hart be as good as thy hands,
Thou were better then Robin Hood.
‘Under the leaves of lyne:’
‘Nay, by my faith,’ quoth good Robin,
‘Till thou have told me thine.’
‘And I have done many a curst turne;
And he that calles me by my right name
Calles me Guye of good Gysborne.’
‘By thee I set right nought;
My name is Robin Hood of Barnesdale,
A fellow thou has long sought.’
Might have seene a full fayre sight,
To see how together these yeomen went,
With blades both browne and bright.
Two howers of a summers day;
Itt was neither Guy nor Robin Hood
That fettled them to flye away.
And stumbled at that tyde,
And Guy was quicke and nimble withall,
And hitt him ore the left side.
‘Thou art both mother and may!
I thinke it was never mans destinye
To dye before his day.’
And soone leapt up againe,
And thus he came with an awkwarde stroke;
Good Sir Guy hee has slayne.
And sticked itt on his bowes end:
‘Thou hast beene traytor all thy liffe,
Which thing must have an ende.’
And nicked Sir Guy in the face,
That hee was never on a woman borne
Cold tell who Sir Guye was.
And with me be not wrothe;
If thou have had the worse stroakes at my hand,
Thou shalt have the better cloathe.
Sir Guye hee did it throwe;
And hee put on that capull-hyde,
That cladd him topp to toe.
And with me now I ’le beare;
For now I will goe to Barnesdale,
To see how my men doe fare.’
A lowd blast in it he did blow;
That beheard the sheriffe of Nottingham,
As he leaned under a lowe.
‘I heard noe tydings but good;
For yonder I heare Sir Guyes home blowe,
For he hath slaine Robin Hoode.
Itt blowes soe well in tyde,
For yonder comes that wighty yeoman,
Cladd in his capull-hyde.
Aske of mee what thou wilt have;’
‘I ’le none of thy gold,’ sayes Robin Hood,
‘Nor I ’le none of itt have.
‘Let me goe strike the knave;
This is all the reward I aske,
Nor noe other will I have.’
‘Thou sholdest have had a knights fee;
Seeing thy asking hath beene soe badd,
Well granted it shall be.’
Well he knew that was his steven;
‘Now shall I be loset,’ quoth Litle John,
With Christs might in heavens.’
Hee thought hee wold loose him belive;
The sheriffe and all his companye
Fast after him did drive.
‘Why draw you mee soe neere?
Itt was never the use in our countrye
One’s shrift another shold heere.’
And losed John hand and foote,
And gave him Sir Guyes bow in his hand,
And bade it be his boote.
His arrowes were rawstye by the roote—
The sherriffe saw Little John draw a bow
And fettle him to shoote.
He fled full fast away,
And soe did all his companye,
Not one behind did stay.
Nor away soe fast runn,
But Litle John, with an arrow broade,
Did cleave his heart in twinn.