32. "Gods blessing on thy heart!" sayes Guye, "Goode ffellow, thy shooting is goode; For an thy hart be as good as thy hands, Thou were better than Robin Hood. 33. "Tell me thy name, good ffellow," quoth Guy, "Under the leaves of lyne:" "Nay, by my faith," quoth good Robin, "Till thou have told me thine." 34. "I dwell by dale and downe," quoth Guye, "And I have done many a curst turne; And he that calles me by my right name, Calles me Guye of good Gysborne." 35. "My dwelling is in the wood," sayes Robin; "By thee I set right nought; My name is Robin Hood of Barnesdale, A ffellow thou has long sought." 36. He that had neither beene a kithe nor kin Might have seene a full fayre sight, To see how together these yeomen went, With blades both browne and bright; 37. To have seene how these yeomen together foug[ht] Two howers of a summer's day; 38. Robin was reacheles on2 a roote, And stumbled at that tyde, And Guy was quicke and nimble with-all, And hitt him ore the left side. 39. "Ah, deere Lady!" sayd Robin Hoode, "Thou art both mother and may! 3 I thinke it was never mans destinye To dye before his day." 57. Towards his house in Nottingam 58. But he cold neither soe fast goe, ROBIN HOOD'S DEATH AND BURIAL 1. When Robin Hood and Little John Down a down a down a down Went oer yon bank of broom Said Robin Hood bold to Little "We have shot for many a pound." 2. "But I am not able to shoot one shot more, My broad arrows will not flee; 3. Now Robin he is to fair Kirkly gone, As fast as he can win; But before he came there, as we do very ill. 4. And when he came to fair Kirkly-hall, He knockd all at the ring, But none was so ready as his cousin herself For to let bold Robin in. 5. "Will you please to sit down, cousin Robin," she said, "And drink some beer with me?" "No, I will neither eat nor drink, Till I am blooded by thee." 6. "Well, I have a room, cousin Robin," she said, "Which you did never see, 7. She took him by the lily-white hand, And led him to a private room, And there she blooded bold Robin Hood, While one drop of blood would run down. 22. Then bespayke a squyar off Northombarlonde, Richard Wytharyngton was his nam: "It shall never be told in SotheYnglonde," he says, "to Kyng Herry the Fourth for sham. 23. "I wat youe byn great lordës twaw, I am a poor squyar of lande: I wylle never se my captayne fyght on a fylde, and stande my selffe and loocke on, But whylle I may my weppone welde, I wylle not [fayle] both hart and hande." 24. That day, that day, that dredfull day! the first fit1 here I fynde; And youe wyll here any mor a the 25. The Yngglyshe men hade ther bowys yebent, ther hartes wer good yenoughe; The first off arros that the shote off, seven skore spear-men the sloughe.2 26. Yet byddys the yerle Doglas uppon the bent, a captayne good yenoughe, And that was sene verament, for he wrought hom both woo and wouche.3 27. The Dogglas partyd his ost in thre, lyk a cheffe cheften off pryde; With suar1 spears off myghttë tre, the cum in on every syde: 28. Thrughe our Yngglyshe archery gave many a wounde fulle wyde; many a doughetë the garde" to dy, which ganyde them no pryde. 29. The Ynglyshe men let ther boys be, and pulde owt brandes that wer brighte; It was a hevy syght to se bryght swordes on basnites lyght. 3 harm. 32. mayne; The swapte11 togethar tylle the both swat, 12 with swordes that wear of fyn Thes worthe freckys for to fyght, Tylle the bloode owte off thear as ever dyd heal11 or ra[y]n. 33. "Yelde the, Persë," sayde the Doglas, "and i feth I shalle the brynge Wher thowe shalte have a yerls wagis of Jamy our Skottish kynge. 34. "Thou shalte have thy ransom fre, I hight 15 the hear this thinge; For the manfullyste man yet art thowe that ever I conqueryd in filde 35. "Nay," sayd the lord Persë, .16 36. With that ther cam an arrowe hastely, forthe off a myghttë wane;' Hit hathe strekene the yerle Duglas in at the brest-bane. 37. Thorowe lyvar1 and longës bathe1 the sharpe arrowe ys gane, That never after in all his lyffe-days he spayke mo wordës but ane: That was, "Fyghte ye, my myrry men, whyllys ye may, for my lyff-days ben gan." 38. The Persë leanyde on his brande, and sawe the Duglas de; He tooke the dede mane by the hande, and sayd, "Wo ys me for the! 7 gauntlet. 11 smote. $ made. 6 helmets. 15 bid. |