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Come hither, come hither, thou good Sir Guy,
Ask what thou wilt of me :-

o I will none of thy gold, said Robin,
Nor I will none of thy fee.

But now I have slain the master, he says,

Let me go strike the knave;

This is all the reward I ask,
Nor no other will I have.

Thou art a madman, said the sheriff,

Thou shouldest have had a knight's fee*
But, seeing thy asking hath been so bad,
Well-granted it shall be.

When little John heard his master speak,
Well knew he it was his steven; †
Now shall I be loosed, quoth little John,
With Christ his might in Heaven.

Fast Robin he hied him to little John
He thought to loose him belive :
The sheriff and all his company,
Fast after him did drive.

Stand back! stand back! said Robin,
Why draw you me so near;
It was never the use in our country,
One's shrift another should hear.

But Robin pulled forth an Irish knife
And loosed John hand and foot,

And gave him Sir Guy's bow into his hand
And bade it be his boot.

Then John he took Guy's bow in his hand

His bolts and arrows each one,

* This was of different value in different king's reigns, perhaps it may be computed on an average at 400 acres.

+ Voice.

When the sheriff saw little John bend his bow,

He settled him to be gone.

Towards his house, in Nottingham town,

He fled full fast away,

And so did all his company,

Not one behind would stay.

But he could neither run so fast,
Nor away so fast could ride,

But little John with an arrow so broad,
He shot him into the side.

PERCY.

ROBIN HOOD

AND

The Curtal Friar of Fountain-Dale.

In summer-time, when leaves grow green,
And flowers are fresh and gay,
Robin Hood and his merry men
Were all disposed to play.

Then some would leap, and some would run,

And some would use artillery,-
Which of you can a good bow draw,
A good archer for to be?

Which of you can kill a buck,
Or who can kill a doe?

Or who can kill a hart of grease, †
Five hundred feet him fro'?

Will Scarlet he did kill a buck,
And Midge did kill a doe,

And little John killed a hart of grease

Five hundred feet him fro'.

God's blessing on thy heart! said Robin Hood,

That shot such a shot for me,

I would ride my horse a hundred miles,

To find one could match thee.

* Ritson derives this epithet from the dogs by which he was attendedcurtails, or curs.

+ Hart of greece, or grease,—a technical appellation, given to a deer of a particular age and size.

ROBIN HOOD AND THE CURTAL FRIAR.

That caused Will Scarlet to laugh

He laughed full heartily,

There is a friar in Fountain's Abbey,*
Will beat both him and thee.

The Curtal Friar in Fountain's Abbey
Well draw can a strong bow;
He will beat you and your yeomen,
Set them all in a row.

Robin Hood took a solemn oath,
It was by Mary free,

That he would neither eat nor drink
Till the friar he did see.

Robin Hood put on his harness good,
On his head a cap of steel,
Broad-sword and buckler by his side;
And they became him weel.

He took his bow into his hand,
It was of a trusty tree,

With a sheaf of arrows by his side,
And to Fountain-dale went he.

And coming to fair Fountain-dale,
No further would he ride;
Then he was aware of a Curtal Friar,
Walking by the water-side.

99

"De Fontibus," or "Fountain's" Abbey, of the Cistercian order, was founded at the beginning of the twelfth century, in a place before called Skeldale, near Rippon. At the dissolution, its revenues amounted according to Dugdale, who gives the clear income, to 9981. 68. 8d., and according to Speed, who reckons in all the outgoings and rent-charges, to 11737. valuation places it amongst the greater monasteries, though not Mitred. Its This ruins are extensive, and highly picturesque and beautiful: they have been often engraved. Fountain's-abbey was the mother of an Abbey of some note, of the same order, at Woburn, in Bedfordshire.

The friar had on a harness good;
On his head a cap of steel,
Broad-sword and buckler by his side,
And they became him weel.*

Robin Hood lighted from off his horse,

And tied him to a thorn:

Carry me over the water, thou Curtal Friar,
Or else thy life's forlorn.

The friar took Robin Hood on his back,
Deep water he did bestride,

And neither spoke good word nor bad,
Till he came on the other side.

Lightly stept Robin off the friar's back,
The friar said to him again:

Carry me over the water, thou fine fellow !
Or it will breed thee pain.

Robin Hood took the friar on his back,
Deep water he did bestride,

And spoke neither good word nor bad,
Till he came on the other side.

Lighty leapt the friar off Robin Hood's back,
Bold Robin said to him again:

Carry me over the water, thou Curtal Friar,
Or it shall breed thee pain.

The friar took Robin on his back again,
And stept up to his knee,

* As the Monks were accustomed to appoint some of their order to various offices connected with their domestic concerns,-as "cellarer," "kitchener," &c. &c.; it is not very unlikely that they might sometimes appoint one as overseer over their Chases and harbours for game: but whether delegated or not, they occasionally assumed such strange employments as this friar appears to have done,

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