'This seven yere, by dere worthy G.o.d, Ne yede I this fast on fote; I make myn avowe to G.o.d, thou proude sherif, It is not for thy G.o.de.'

347.

Robyn bent a full goode bowe, An arrowe he drowe at wyll; He hit so the proude sherife Upon the grounde he lay full still.

348.

And or he myght up aryse, On his fete to stonde, He smote of the sherifs hede With his brighte bronde.

349.

'Lye thou there, thou proude sherife; Evyll mote thou cheve!

There myght no man to thee truste The whyles thou were a lyve.'

350.

His men drewe out theyr bryght swerdes, That were so sharpe and kene, And layde on the sheryves men, And dryved them downe bydene.

351.

Robyn stert to that knyght, And cut a two his bonde, And toke hym in his hand a bowe, And bad hym by hym stonde.

352.

'Leve thy hors thee behynde, And lerne for to renne; Thou shalt with me to grene wode, Through myre, mosse, and fenne.

353.

'Thou shalt with me to grene wode, Without ony leasynge, Tyll that I have gete us grace Of Edwarde, our comly kynge.'

[Annotations: 320.2: 'dyght,' concerted.

322.3: 'yede,' went.

326.3: 'ordeyn,' levy, summon.

328.: See st. 302.

329.4: 'tene,' anger. 'Thereof' means 'of Robin's escape.'

333.3: 'lever,' rather.

334.1: 'harde,' = heard.

336.4: 'bone,' boon.

338.4, 339.1: supplied from later versions.

340.2: 'wode,' mad.

346.2: 'this' = thus.

348.1: 'And or' = ere.

349.2: 'cheve,' gain, win.

350.4: 'bydene,' one after another.

351.3: 'toke,' gave.]

THE SEVENTH FYTTE (354-417)

+Argument.+--The king, coming with a great array to Nottingham to take Robin Hood and the knight, and finding nothing but a great scarcity of deer, is wondrous wroth, and promises the knight's lands to any one who will bring him his head. For half a year the king has no news of Robin; at length, at the suggestion of a forester, he disguises himself as an abbot and five of his men as monks, and goes into the greenwood. He is met and stopped by Robin Hood, gives up forty pounds to him, and alleges he is a messenger from the king. Thereupon Robin entertains him and his men on the king's own deer, and the outlaws hold an archery compet.i.tion, Robin smiting those that miss. At his last shot, Robin himself misses, and asks the abbot to smite him in his turn. The abbot gives him such a buffet that Robin is nearly felled; on looking more closely, he recognises the king, of whom he and his men ask pardon on their knees.

The king grants it, on condition that they will enter his service. Robin agrees, but reserves the right to return to the greenwood if he mislikes the court.

This fytte is based on the story, extremely common and essentially popular, especially in England, of a meeting between a king in disguise and one of his subjects. Doubtless there was a ballad of Robin Hood and the king; but the only one we possess, _The King's Disguise and Friendship with Robin Hood_, is a late and a loose paraphrase of this fytte and the next. The commonest stories and ballads of this type in English are _The King and the Barker_ (_i.e._ Tanner), _King Edward the Fourth and the Tanner of Tamworth_, _King James and the Tinker_, and _King Henry II. and the Miller of Mansfield_. Usually the point of the story is the lack of ceremony displayed by the subject, and the royal good-humour and largesse of the king.

There is only an arbitrary division between Fyttes VII. and VIII.; and one or two other points will be discussed in introducing the next and last fytte.

THE SEVENTH FYTTE

354.

The kynge came to Notynghame, With knyghtes in grete araye, For to take that gentyll knyght And Robyn Hode, and yf he may.

355.

He asked men of that countre After Robyn Hode, And after that gentyll knyght, That was so bolde and stout.

356.

Whan they had tolde hym the case Our kynge understode ther tale, And seased in his honde The knyghtes londes all.

357.

All the pa.s.se of Lanca.s.shyre He went both ferre and nere, Tyll he came to Plomton Parke; He faylyd many of his dere.

358.

There our kynge was wont to se Herdes many one, He coud unneth fynde one dere, That bare ony good home.

359.

The kynge was wonder wroth withall, And swore by the Trynyte, 'I wolde I had Robyn Hode, With eyen I myght hym se.

360.

'And he that wolde smyte of the knyghtes hede, And brynge it to me, He shall have the knyghtes londes, Syr Rycharde at the Le.

361.

'I gyve it hym with my charter, And sele it with my honde, To have and holde for ever more, In all mery Englonde.'

362.

Than bespake a fayre olde knyght, That was treue in his fay: 'A, my leege lorde the kynge, One worde I shall you say.

363.

'There is no man in this countre May have the knyghtes londes, Whyle Robyn Hode may ryde or gone, And bere a bowe in his hondes,

364.

'That he ne shall lese his hede, That is the best ball in his hode: Give it no man, my lorde the kynge, That ye wyll any good.'

365.

Half a yere dwelled our comly kynge In Notyngham, and well more; Coude he not here of Robyn Hode, In what countre that he were.

366.

But alway went good Robyn By halke and eke by hyll, And alway slewe the kynges dere, And welt them at his wyll.

367.

Than bespake a proude fostere, That stode by our kynges kne: 'Yf ye wyll see good Robyn, Ye must do after me.

368.

'Take fyve of the best knyghtes That be in your lede, And walke downe by yon abbay, And gete you monkes wede.

369.