Ballads of Robin Hood and other Outlaws Part 2

BRANDL, Alois. Englische Volkspoesie. In Paul's _Grundriss der Germanischen Philologie_. Stra.s.sburg, 1893.

KIESSMAN, R. Untersuchungen uber die Motivs der Robin-Hood-Balladen.

Halle, 1895.

CHAMBERS, E. K. The Mediaeval Stage. 2 vols. Oxford, 1903. (Vol. i, chap. viii.)

HEUSLER, A. Lied und Epos. Dortmund, 1905.

HART, W. M. Ballad and Epic. In _Harvard Studies and Notes in Philology and Literature_. Vol. xi. Boston, 1907.

CLAWSON, W. H. The Gest of Robin Hood. In _University of Toronto Studies_. Toronto, 1909.

ARTICLES

The London and Westminster Review. March 1840. Vol. x.x.xiii.

The Academy (correspondence). 1883. Vol. xxiv.

The Quarterly Review. July 1898.

A GEST OF ROBYN HODE

'Rebus huius Roberti gestis tota Britannia in cantibus ut.i.tur.'

--MAJOR.

+The Text.+--There are seven texts of the _Gest_, to be distinguished as follows:--

(i.) begins 'Here begynneth a gest of Robyn Hode'; an undated printed fragment preserved with other early pieces in a volume in the Advocates'

Library, Edinburgh. It was reprinted in 1827 by David Laing, who then supposed it to be from the press of Chepman and Myllar, Edinburgh printers of the early sixteenth century; but he afterwards had reason to doubt this opinion. It is now attributed to Jan van Doesborch, a printer from Antwerp. The extent of this fragment is indicated below. Internal evidence (collected by Child, iii. 40) shows it to be an older text than

(ii.) 'Here begynneth a lytell geste of Robyn hode'--so runs the t.i.tle-page; at the head of the poem are added the words--'and his meyne [= meinie, company], And of the proude Sheryfe of Notyngham.' The colophon runs 'Explycit. kynge Edwarde and Robyn hode and Lytell Johan Enprented at London in fletestrete at the sygne of the sone By Wynken de Worde.' This also is undated, and Child says it 'may be anywhere from 1492 to 1534.' Recent bibliographical research shows that Wynkyn de Worde moved to Fleet Street at the end of the year 1500, which gives the downward limit; and as the printer died in 1584, the _Lytell Geste_ must be placed between those dates.[1] The text is complete save for two lines (7.1 and 339.1), which have also dropped from the other early texts. The only known copy is in the Cambridge University Library.

(iii., iv. and v.) Three mutilated printed fragments, containing about thirty-five, seventy, and fifteen stanzas respectively, preserved amongst the Douce fragments in the Bodleian (the last presented by J. O.

Halliwell-Phillipps). The first was lent to Ritson in or before 1790 by Farmer, who thought it to be Rastell's printing; in Ritson's second edition (1836) he says he gave it to Douce, and states without reason that it is of de Worde's printing 'probably in 1489.'

(vi.) _A mery geste of Robyn Hoode_, etc., a quarto preserved in the British Museum, not dated, but printed 'at London vpon the thre Crane wharfe by wyllyam Copland,' who printed there about 1560. This edition also contains 'a newe playe for to be played in Maye games, very plesaunte and full of pastyme.'

(vii.) _A Merry Iest of Robin Hood_, etc., printed at London for Edward White; no date, but perhaps the 'pastorall plesant commedie' entered to White in the Stationers' Registers, May 14, 1594. There is a copy of this in the Bodleian, and another was in the Huth Library.

+The Text+ here given is mainly the Wynkyn de Worde text, except where the earlier Edinburgh fragment is available; the stanzas which the latter preserves are here numbered 1.-83.3, 113.4-124.1, 127.4-133.2, 136.4-208.3, and 314.2-349.3, omitting 2.2,3 and 7.1. A few variations are recorded in the footnotes, it being unnecessary in the present edition to do more than refer to Child's laborious collation of all the above texts.

The spelling of the old texts is retained with very few exceptions. The reason for this is that although the original texts were printed in the sixteenth century, the language is of the fifteenth, and a number of Middle English forms remain; these are pointed out by Child, iii. 40, and elaborately cla.s.sified by W. H. Clawson, _The Gest of Robin Hood_, 4-5. A possible alternative was to treat the _Gest_ on the plan adopted for fifteenth-century texts by E. K. Chambers and the present editor in _Early English Lyrics_ (1907); but in that book the editors were mostly concerned with texts printed from ma.n.u.script, whereas here there is good reason to suspect the existence of a text or texts previous to those now available. For the sounded e (e) I have mostly followed Child.

The _Gest_ is not a single ballad, but a conglomeration of several, forming a short epic. Ballads representing its component parts are not now extant; although on the other hand there are later ballads founded on certain episodes in the _Gest_. The compiler availed himself of incidents from other traditional sources, but he produced a singularly original tale.

The word _gest_, now almost obsolete, is derived through Old French from the Latin _gesta_, 'deeds' or 'exploits.' But as the word was particularly applied to 'exploits as narrated or recited,' there came into use a secondary meaning--that of 'a story or romantic tale in verse,' or 'a metrical chronicle.' The latter meaning is doubtless intended in the t.i.tle of the _Gest of Robyn Hode_. A further corruption may be noticed even in the t.i.tles of the later texts as given above; Copland adds the word 'mery,' which thirty years later causes White to print a 'Merry Jest.'

I have kept the original divisions of the story into eight 'fyttes,' but it falls more naturally into three main sections, in each of which a complete story is narrated. These may he distinguished thus:--

1. +Robin Hood and the Knight.+ (Fyttes First, Second, and Fourth.)

2. +Robin Hood, Little John, and the Sheriff of Nottingham.+ (Fyttes Third, Fifth, and Sixth.)

3. +Robin Hood and King Edward.+ (Fyttes Seventh and Eighth.)

An argument and general notes are prefixed to each fytte.

[Footnote 1: Mr. Charles Sayle puts it 'before 1519' in his catalogue of the early printed books in the University Library.]

THE FIRST FYTTE (1-81)

+Argument.+--Robin Hood refuses to dine until he finds some guest to provide money for his entertainment. He sends Little John and all his men to bring in any earl, baron, abbot, or knight, to dine with him.

They find a knight, and feast him beneath the greenwood tree: but when Robin demands payment, the knight turns out to be in sorry plight, for he has sold all his goods to save his son. On the security of Our Lady, Robin lends him four hundred pounds, and gives him a livery, a horse, a palfrey, boots, spurs, etc., and Little John as squire.

Robin's unwillingness to dine until he has a guest appears to be a parody of King Arthur's custom of refusing dinner until he has had an adventure. (See Child, i. 257, note .) The offer of the Virgin as security for a loan is apparently derived from a well-known miracle of Mary, in which a Christian, wishing to borrow money of a Jew, takes him to a church and makes him lay his hand on a statue of the Virgin and Child, praying that, if he fails to return the money on the day fixed to the lender, but gives it to the statue, Christ will return it to the Jew. This miracle eventually takes place, but is attributed rather to the Virgin than to her Son. (See Child, iii. 52.)

THE FIRST FYTTE

1.

Lythe and listin, gentilmen, That be of frebore blode; I shall you tel of a G.o.de yeman, His name was Robyn Hode.

2.

Robyn was a prude outlaw, Whyles he walked on grounde; So curteyse an outlaw as he was one Was never non yfounde.

3.

Robyn stode in Bernesdale, And lenyd hym to a tre; And bi him stode Litell Johnn, A G.o.de yeman was he.

4.

And alsoo dyd G.o.de Scarlok, And Much, the miller's son; There was none ynch of his bodi But it was worth a grome.

5.

Than bespake Lytell Johnn All untoo Robyn Hode: 'Maister, and ye wolde dyne betyme It wolde doo you moche G.o.de.'

6.

Than bespake hym G.o.de Robyn: 'To dyne have I noo l.u.s.t, Till that I have som bolde baron, Or som unkouth gest.

7.

'That may pay for the best, Or some knyght or som squyer That dwelleth here bi west.'

8.