Ballads of Robin Hood and other Outlaws Part 31

'You'st bear your bow, master, yourself, And shoot for a penny with me.'

'To that I do a.s.sent,' Robin Hood said, 'And so, John, let it be.'

7.

They two bold children shotten together, All day theirself in rank, Until they came to black water, And over it laid a plank.

8.

Upon it there kneeled an old woman, Was banning Robin Hood, 'Why dost thou ban Robin Hood?' said Robin, ... ... ...

9.

To give to Robin Hood; We weepen for his dear body, That this day must be let blood.'

10.

'The dame prior is my aunt's daughter, And nigh unto my kin; I know she would me no harm this day, For all the world to win.'

11.

Forth then shotten these children two, And they did never lin, Until they came to merry Churchlees, To merry Churchlees within.

12.

And when they came to merry Churchlees, They knocked upon a pin; Up then rose dame prioress, And let good Robin in.

13.

Then Robin gave to dame prioress Twenty pound in gold, And bade her spend while that would last, And she should have more when she wold.

14.

And down then came dame prioress, Down she came in that ilk, With a pair of blood-irons in her hands, Were wrapped all in silk.

15.

'Set a chafing-dish to the fire,' said dame prioress, 'And strip thou up thy sleeve!'

I hold him but an unwise man That will no warning 'lieve.

16.

She laid the blood-irons to Robin Hood's vein, Alack, the more pity!

And pierced the vein, and let out the blood, That full red was to see.

17.

And first it bled the thick, thick blood, And afterwards the thin, And well then wist good Robin Hood Treason there was within.

18.

'What cheer, my master?' said Little John; 'In faith, Little John, little good; ... ... ...

19.

'I have upon a gown of green, Is cut short by my knee, And in my hand a bright brown brand That will well bite of thee.'

20.

But forth then of a shot-window, Good Robin Hood he could glide; Red Roger, with a grounden glaive, Thrust him through the milk-white side.

21.

But Robin was light and nimble of foot, And thought to abate his pride, For between his head and his shoulders He made a wound full wide.

22.

Says, 'Lie there, lie there, Red Roger, The dogs they must thee eat; For I may have my housel,' he said, 'For I may both go and speak.

23.

'Now give me mood,' Robin said to Little John, 'Give me mood with thy hand; I trust to G.o.d in heaven so high My housel will me bestand.'

24.

'Now give me leave, give me leave, master,' he said, 'For Christ's love give leave to me To set a fire within this hall, And to burn up all Churchlee.'

25.

'That I rede not,' said Robin Hood then, 'Little John, for it may not be; If I should do any widow hurt, at my latter end, G.o.d,' he said, 'would blame me;

26.

'But take me upon thy back, Little John, And bear me to yonder street, And there make me a full fair grave Of gravel and of greet.

27.

And set my bright sword at my head, Mine arrows at my feet, And lay my yew-bow by my side, My met-yard wi . . .'

[Annotations: 2.1: 'rede,' advise.

4.1,3: 'And,' if.

4.4: 'A stanza or more seems to be lost here.' --Child. There is, however, no break in the MS.

6.1: 'You'st' = you shall.

8.2: 'banning,' cursing.

11.2: 'lin,' stop.

14.2: 'in that ilk' [time], at that same moment.

14.3: 'blood-irons,' lancets for bleeding.

20.3: 'glaive,' a sword or knife tied to the end of a pole.

22.3: 'housel,' communion, sacrament.

23.1: 'give me mood': Child suggests 'give me my G.o.d,' _i.e._ the consecrated Host. He admits it is a bold emendation, but cites some striking parallels in support of it.

23.4: 'bestand,' help.

26.4: 'greet,' grit, sand.

27.4: 'met-yard,' measuring-rod.]

ADAM BELL, CLYM OF THE CLOUGH AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY

+The Text.+--The earliest complete text, here given, was printed by William Copland between 1548 and 1568: there are extant two printed fragments, one printed by John Byddell in 1536, and the other in a type older than Copland's. Later, there are two editions printed by James Roberts in 1605; and finally a MS. text in the Percy Folio (c. 1650).

Copland's text is obviously full of faults, and in emendations I have mostly followed Child.

+The Story+, lively and admirably told, contains little extrinsic interest, except in William's feat of shooting the apple from his son's head. This is inevitably a.s.sociated with the legend of William Tell, which is told in the White Book of Obwalden, written about 1470; but similar stories can be found in the Icelandic Saga of Dietrich of Bern (about 1250) and in Saxo Grammaticus, who wrote his Danish History about the year 1200. Three or four other versions of the story are to be found in German and Scandinavian literature before the date of our ballad; but they all agree in two points which are missing in the English ballad--the shot is compulsory, and the archer reserves another arrow for purposes of revenge in case he misses his mark. William of Cloudesly volunteers a difficult and risky feat out of bravado.