THE BALLAD OF THE OYSTERMAN..Oliver Wendell Holmes 165 INCIDENT OF THE FRENCH CAMP... THE CHARGE of the LIGHT BRIGADE. THE BATTLE Of Naseby.....Thomas One Hundred Narrative 1 ROBIN HOOD AND LITTLE JOHN1 When Robin Hood was about twenty years old, A jolly brisk blade, right fit for the trade, Tho he was calld Little, his limbs they were large, How they came acquainted, I'll tell you in brief, For this very jest, amongst all the rest, Bold Robin Hood said to his jolly bowmen, "Pray tarry you here in this grove; And see that you all observe well my call, While thorough the forest I rove. 1. Robin Hood. The famous outlaw whose deeds have been the theme of many tales. He is the hero of a number of ballads, of which this is a good example, Robin Hood is traditionally said to have lived in the reign of Richard I of England, 1189-1199. The Robin Hood Ballads were in circulation a good while before 1377. For an example of Robin Hood's appearance in later literature see Ivanhoe, where he goes by the name of Locksley. This ballad and the following, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Kittredge-Sargent edition of English and Scottish Popular Ballads. 11 |