The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

st, near Nottingham Town, a famous outlaw whose name was Robin Hood. No archer ever lived that could speed a gray goose shaft with such

are nor want, but passing the time in merry games of archery or bouts of cudgel play,

men, yet they were beloved by the country people round about, for no one ever ca

t came about that Robin H

should shoot the best shaft in Nottinghamshire. "Now," quoth Robin, "will I go too, for fain would I draw a string for the bright eyes of my lass and a butt of good October

the throstle cock and cuckoo; when lads and lasses look upon each other with sweet thoughts; when busy housewives spread their linen to bleach upon the bright green grass. Sweet was the greenwood as he walked along its paths, and bright the green and rustling

uge pasty, to which each man helped himself, thrusting his hands into the pie, and washing down that which they ate with great horns of ale which they drew all foaming from a barrel that stood nigh. Each man was clad in Lincoln green

no stripling likes to be ta

ing match at Nottingham Town, which same has been proclaimed by our good Sheriff of Nottinghamshir

er's milk is yet scarce dry upon thy lips, and yet thou pratest of standing up with good sto

h bold Robin, "that I hit the clout at threes

d, thou fair infant, well boasted! And well thou kno

He will be taking al

I see a herd of deer, even more than threescore rods distant. I'll hold you twe

e are twenty marks. I wager that thou causest no b

ow and, raising the bow, drew the gray goose feather to his ear; the next moment the bowstring rang and the arrow sped down the glade as a sparr

shot, good fellow? I wot the wager were

age, and he who had spoken the first and

thy sides until thou wilt ne'er be able to walk again." "Knowest thou not," said another, "that thou hast killed the Ki

m!" cried

"let him e'en go becau

then, turning on his heel, strode away from them down the forest glade. But his

n the better of him and because of the deep draughts of ale that he had been quaffing. So, of a sudden, without any warning, he sprang to his f

would never have taken another step. As it was, the arrow whistled within three inches of hi

er," cried he aloud, "

aft wet with his; heart's blood. Then, before the others could gather their wits about them, Robin Hood was gone into the depths of the greenwood. Some started after him

joy and brightness from everything, for his heart was sick withi

I had never passed thy way, or e'en that my right forefinger had been stricken off ere that this had happened! In haste I smote, but grieve

lads and lasses of sweet Locksley Town; for he was outlawed, not only because he had killed a man, but also because he had poached u

Hood to justice, and for two reasons: first, because he wanted the two hundred po

wintertime, when they could get no other food, and had been seen in the act by the foresters, but had escaped, thus saving their ears; some had been turned out of their inheritance, that their farms might be

had been wrung from the poor by unjust taxes, or land rents, or in wrongful fines. But to the poor folk they would give a helping hand in need and trouble, and would return to them that which had been unjustly taken from them. Besides this, they swore never to harm a child nor to wrong a woman, be she maid, wife, or

brook that leaped laughing from stone to stone. Then said Robin, "For fourteen days have we seen no sport, so now I will go abroad to seek adventures forthwith. But tarry ye, my me

o whom he doffed his cap, and who bowed sedately in return to the fair youth; now he saw a fat monk on a pannier-laden ass; now a gallant knight, with spear and shield and armor that flashed brightly in the sunlight; now a page clad in crimson; and now a stout burgher from good Nottingham Town, pacing along with serious footsteps; all these sights he

uoth Robin, "and let the

hen stand back shine own self, f

re thou art, or else, by the bright brow of Saint AElfrida, I will show

many colors as a beggar's cloak, if thou darest so much as to

his shaft clean through thy proud heart before a curtal fr

andest there with a good yew bow to shoot at my heart, while I have n

in all my life before. I will lay by my trusty bow and eke my arrows, and if tho

oyously, too," quoth the stranger; whereupon h

staff, and whistling as he gazed round about. Robin observed him furtively as he trimmed his staff, measuring him from top to toe from out the corner of his eye, and thought that he had never seen a lustier or a stouter man. Tall was Ro

ud, "Lo, here is my good staff, lusty and tough. Now wait my coming, an thou darest, and meet me an tho

ranger, twirling his staff above his head, betwix

moving a finger's-breadth back, for one good hour, and many blows were given and received by each in that time, till here and there were sore bones and bumps, yet neither thought of crying "Enough," nor seemed likely to fall from off the bridge. Now and then they stopped to rest, and each thought that he never had seen in all his life before such a hand at quarterstaff. At last Robin gave the stranger a blow upon the ribs that made his jacket smoke like a damp straw thatch in

good lad?" shouted the str

bear laughing himself at his sorry plight. Then, gaining his feet, he waded to the

u art a brave and a sturdy soul and, withal, a good stout stroke with the cudgels

t paths. "Ay, marry," quoth he again, "thou art a tall lad, and eke a brave one, for ne'er, I bo

ughing, "takest thy cudgeling like

and suddenly a score or two of good stout yeomen, all clad in Lincoln

his? Truly thou art all wet from hea

t fellow hath tumbled me neck and crop into

ing and eke a drubbing himself!" cri

y found him ready and felt him strike right and left with his stout staff, so that, though h

nd be one of my band? Three suits of Lincoln green shalt thou have each year, beside forty marks in fee, and share with us whatsoever good shall befall us. Thou shalt eat sweet venison

ow and apple shaft no better than ye do oaken cudgel, I wot ye are not fit to be called yeomen in my country;

d to man before. Good Stutely, cut thou a fair white piece of bark four fingers in breadth, and set it fourscore

ood stout bow and a fair broad arrow, and if I hit

the band, sitting or lying upon the greensward, watched to see him shoot - he drew the arrow to his cheek and loosed the shaft right deftly, sending it so straight d

quoth Robin. "Mend it I cann

l. Straight flew the arrow, and so true that it lit fairly upon the stranger's shaft and split it into s

ot indeed, and never saw I the like in all my life before! Now truly will I be thy

ly were three noted north-country bowmen whose names

n this day," quoth jolly Robin. "Wh

tle whence I came," a

like not thy name and fain would I have it otherwise. Little art thou indeed, and small of

band laughed aloud until the

Will Stutely, "thou wilt have sore bones

ee well. Little John shall thou be called henceforth, and Little John shall it be

read over with skins of fallow deer. Here stood a great oak tree with branches spreading broadly around, beneath which was a seat of green moss where Robin Hood was wont to sit at feast and at merrymaking with his stout men about him. Here they found the rest of the band, some of whom h

I ween, to christen our bonny babe, is it not so, merry boys?" And "

ill Stutely, and hunting among all the band

springing to his feet, "more than one of

s, and they bore him forth while all stood around to see the sport. Then one came forward who had been chosen to play the priest b

" answered

ame callest

John cal

ceforth thou wilt live indeed. When thou livedst not thou wast called John Little, but now that thou dost live indeed, Littl

the smart of it. At first he was of a mind to be angry but found he could not, because the others were so merry; so he, too, laughed with the rest. Then Robin

, and thus he gained his right-hand man, Little John; and so the prologue ends. And now I will tell