"For my great folly,"he said,"And for my kind-enesse.
I had a son,for sooth,Rob-in,That should have been my heir,When he was twenty winter old,In field would joust full fair;
He slew a knight of Lancashire,And a squyer bold;
For to save him in his right My goods beth set and sold;
My lands beth set to wed,Rob-in,Until a certain day,To a rich abbot here beside,Of Saint Mar-y abbay."
"What is the summ-e?"said Rob-in,"Truth then tell thou me."
"Sir,"he said,"four hundred pound,The abb-ot told it to me."
"Now,an thou lose thy land,"said Robin,"What shall fall of thee?"
"Hastily I will me busk,"said the knight,"Over the salt-e sea,And see where Christ was quick and dead,On the mount of Calvar-y.
Fare well,friend,and have good day,It may no better be"--
Tears fell out of his eyen two,He would have gone his way--
"Fare well,friends,and have good day,I ne have more to pay."
"Where be thy friends?"said Rob-in.
"Sir,never one will me know;
While I was rich enow at home Great boast then would they blow,And now they run away from me,As beast-es on a row;
They take no more heed of me Than they me never saw."
For ruth-e then wept Little John,Scathelocke and Much also.
"Fill of the best wine,"said Rob-in,"For here is a simple cheer.
Hast thou any friends,"said Robin,"Thy borowes that will be?"
"I have none,"then said the knight,"But him that died on a tree."
"Do way thy jap-es!"said Rob-in,"Thereof will I right none;
Weenest thou I will have God to borowe?
Peter,Paul,or John?
Nay,by him that me made,And shope both sun and moon,Find a better borowe,"said Robin,"Or money gettest thou none."
"I have none other,"said the knight,"The sooth for to say,But if it be our dear Lad-y,She failed me ne'er ere this day."
"By dere-worthy God,"then said Rob-in,"To seek all England thorowe,Yet found I never to my pay,A much better borowe.
Come now forth,Little John,And go to my treasur-y,And bring me fo-ur hundred pound,And look that it well told be."
Forth then went Little John,And Scathelock went before,He told out fo-ur hundred pound,By eighteen-e score.
"Is this well told?"said Little Much.
John said,"What grieveth thee?
It is alms to help a gentle knight That is fall in povert-y.
Master,"then said Little John,"His clothing is full thin,Ye must give the knight a liver-ay,To wrap his bod-y therein.
For ye have scarl-et and green,mast-er,And many a rich array,There is no merch-ant in merry Engl-and So rich,I dare well say."
"Take him three yards of every colo-ur,And look that well mete it be."
Little John took none other meas-ure But his bow-e tree,And of every handfull that he met He leapt ouer foot-es three.
"What devilkyns draper,"said Little Much,"Thinkest thou to be?"
Scathelock stood full still and lough,And said,"By God allmight,John may give him the better meas-ure,For it cost him but light."
"Master,"then said Little John,All unto Robin Hood,"Ye must give that knight an horse,To lead home all this good."
"Take him a gray cours-er,"said Robin,"And a saddle new;
He is our Lady's messengere,God lend that he be true!"
"And a good palfr-ey,"said Little Much,"To maintain him in his right."
"And a pair of boots,"said Scath-elock,"For he is a gentle knight."
"What shalt thou give him,Little John?"said Robin.
"Sir,a paire of gilt spurs clene,To pray for all this company:
God bringe him out of tene!"
"When shall my day be,"said the knight,"Sir,an your will be?"
"This day twelve month,"said Rob-in,"Under this green wood tree.
It were great sham-e,"said Rob-in,"A knight alone to ride,Without squy-er,yeoman or page,To walk-e by his side.
I shall thee lend Little Johan my man,For he shall be thy knave;
In a yeoman's stead he may thee stand If thou great need have."
THE SECONDE FYTTE.
Now is the knight went on his way,This game he thought full good,When he looked on Barnisdale,He bless-ed Robin Hood;
And when he thought on Barnisdale On Scathelock,Much,and John,He blessed them for the best compan-y That ever he in come.
Then spake that gentle knight,To Little John gan he say,"To-morrow I must to York town,To Saint Mar-y abbay;
And to the abbot of that place Four hundred pound I must pay:
And but I be there upon this night My land is lost for aye."
The abbot said to his conv-ent,There he stood on ground,"This day twelve month came there a knight And borrowed four hundred pound Upon all his land free,But he come this ilk-e day Disherited shall he be."
"It is full early,"said the prior,"The day is not yet far gone,I had liever to pay an hundred pound,And lay it down anone.
The knight is far beyond the sea,In England is his right,And suffereth hung-er and cold And many a sorry night:
It were great pity,"said the prior,"So to have his lond;
An ye be so light of your consci-ence,Ye do to him much is wrong."
"Thou art ever in my beard,"said the abb-ot,"By God and Saint Rich-ard!"
With that came in a fat-headed monk,The high cellarer;
"He is dead or hang-ed,"said the monk,"By him that bought me dear,And we shall have to spend in this place Four hundred pound by year."
The abbot and the high cellarer,Stert-e forth full bold.
The high justice of Englond The abb-ot there did hold;
The high just-ice and many mo Had take into their hond Wholly all the knight-es debt,To put that knight to wrong.
They deemed the knight wonder sore,The abb-ot and his meyn-e:
"But he come this ilk-e day Disherited shall he be."
"He will not come yet,"said the just-ice,"I dare well undertake."
But in sorrow-e tim-e for them all The knight came to the gate.
Then bespake that gentle knight Unto his meyn-e,"Now put on your simple weeds That ye brought from the sea."
And cam-e to the gates anone,The porter was ready himself,And welcom-ed them every one.
"Welc-ome,sir knyght,"said the port-er,"My lord to meat is he,And so is many a gentle man,For the love of thee."
The porter swore a full great oath,"By him that mad-e me,Here be the best cores-ed horse That ever yet saw I me.
Lead them into the stable,"he said,"That eas-ed might they be."
