81.

Thus John gat Robin Hood out of prison, Certain withouten layn; When his men saw him whole and sound, For sooth they were full fain.

82.

They filled in wine, and made them glad, Under the leaves smale, And gat pasties of venison, That goode was with ale.

83.

Then worde came to our king How Robin Hood was gone, And how the sheriff of Nottingham Durst never look him upon.

84.

Then bespake our comely king, In an anger hee: 'Little John has beguiled the sheriff, In faith so has he me.

85.

'Little John has beguiled us both, And that full well I see; Or else the sheriff of Nottingham High hanged should he be.

86.

'I made them yeomen of the crown, And gave them fee with my hand; I gave them grith,' said our king; 'Throughout all merry England.

87.

'I gave them grith,' then said our king; 'I say, so mote I the, Forsooth such a yeoman as he is one In all England are not three.

88.

'He is true to his master,' said our king; 'I say, by sweet Saint John, He loves better Robin Hood Than he does us each one.

89.

'Robin Hood is ever bound to him, Both in street and stall; Speak no more of this matter,' said our king; 'But John has beguiled us all.'

90.

Thus ends the talking of the monk, And Robin Hood i-wis; G.o.d, that is ever a crowned king, Bring us all to his bliss!

[Annotations: 1.1: 'shaws,' woods, thickets: 'sheen,' beautiful.

2.2: 'hee,' high. Cf. 84.2.

3.3: 'can,' did.

7.2: _i.e._, since I took the sacrament.

8.1: 'milner son,' = miller's son: cp. 24.3.

8.5: 'slon,' slay.

10.4: 'lyne,' tree: so 'lynd' in 23.2. Cf. 76.4, 78.3, etc.

11.4: _i.e._, I will give you odds of three to one.

13.1: 'ferly,' strange.

14.1: 'lied,' gave the lie to.

15.2: 'by,' aby, atone for.

16.4: 'ilkone' = each one: cf. 30.2.

17.2: Another form of 'certain without leasing' = forsooth without lying. Cf. 81.2.

20.4: 'sparred,' shut: 'everychone,' every one (cf. 16.4).

21.2: _i.e._, make ready: cf. _Guy of Gisborne_, 5.1.

22.4: 'And' = if: 'it will be your fault if he escapes us.'

23.1: 'traitor' is genitive: cf. 'milner son,' 8.1, and 'mother son,' 24.3.

24.2: 'radly,' quickly: 'yare,' ready.

24.3: See notes 8.1, 23.1.

25.1: 'throly thrast,' strenuously pressed.

25.2: 'wone,' plenty.

26.3: 'Thereas' = where. Cf. 72.3.

29.3: 'But if' = unless.

30.2: Cf. 16.4. Probably six stanzas are lost here.

32.1: 'rule,' behaviour, conduct.

34.2: 'securly' = surely.

37.1: 'tristel-tree,' trysting-tree.

38.2: 'on fere,' in company.

38.3: 'Much emes house,' the house of Much's uncle.

39.2: 'at a stage': ? from an upper story.

41.2: 'hand,' gallant.

41.3: 'spyrred . . . at,' asked . . . of. (Cf. Scottish 'speir.') 41.4: 'friende' is plural.

48.4: 'For' = for the purpose that. Cp. 'for' in _Child Waters_, 28.6, First Series, p. 41.

49.3: 'of him agast,' afraid of the consequences to him.

51.2: 'bale,' trouble.

54.4: 'see,' protect.

56.2: Cf. _Gest_, 234.2.

57.4: 'after': 'by,' as we should say.

59.4: 'dere,' injury.

60.4: 'yede' ( = gaed), went.

61.2: 'sparred': cp. 20.4.

63.4: 'sauten,' a.s.sault.

64.1: Cp. 41.3.

73.4: 'comyn' = commons': _i.e._ the town bell.

74.4: 'warison,' reward.

76.2: 'sty,' alley.

77.4: 'Quite thee,' acquit yoursle, _i.e._ reward me. But the Baford MS. reads 'Quit me.'

80.4: 'keep I be,' I care to be.

81.4: 'fain,' glad.

84.2: 'hee': see 2.2.

86.3: 'grith,' peace (Norse, 'gri').

87.2: See 56.2.

89.2: _i.e._ whether on the road, or housed.]

ROBIN HOOD AND THE POTTER

+The Text+ is modernised, as far as is possible, from a MS. of about 1500 in the University Library at Cambridge (Ee. 4, 35). The ballad was first printed therefrom by Ritson in his _Robin Hood_ (1795), vol. i.

p. 81, on the whole very accurately, and with a few necessary emendations. He notes that the scribe was evidently 'a vulgar and illiterate person' who 'irremediably corrupted' the ballad. In several places, however, a little ingenuity will restore a lost rhyme.

+The Story+, of an outlaw disguising himself in order to gain information from his enemies, is common to the legends of Hereward the Saxon, Wallace, Eustace the monk, and Fulk Fitz Warine, the first three of whom a.s.sumed the guise of a potter at one time or another.

The ballad of _Robin Hood and the Butcher_ is a tale similar to this; and part of the Play of Robin Hood is based on this ballad (see Introduction, p. xxiii.).