"God forbid," said Little Much, "That died on a tree, That thou shouldest, Little John, Part our company!" Up he took him on his back, And bare him well a mile, Many a time he laid him down, And shot another while. Then was there a fair cast-ell, A little within the wood, Double-ditched it was about, And wall-ed, by the rood; And there dwelled that gentle knight, Sir Richard at the Lee, That Rob-in had lent his good, Under the green wood tree. In he took good Rob-in, And all his compan-y: "Welcome be thou, Robin Hood, Welc-ome art thou me; And much thank thee of thy comf-ort, And of thy courtesy, And of thy great kind-eness, Under the green wood tree; I love no man in all this world So much as I do thee; For all the proud sheriff of Nottingham, Right here shalt thou be. Shut the gates, and draw the bridge, And let no man come in; And arm you well, and make you read-y, And to the wall ye win. For one thing, Rob-in, I thee behote, I swear by Saint Quin-tin, These twelve days thou wonest with me, To sup, eat, and dine." Boards were laid, and cloth-es spread, Readily and anon; Robin Hood and his merry men To meat gan they gon. THE SIXTH FYTTE. Lithe and listen, gentle men, And hearken unto your song; How the proud sheriff of Nottingham, And men of arm-es strong, Full fast came to the high sher-iff, The country up to rout, And they beset the knight's cast-ell, The wall-es all about. The proud sher-iff loud-e gan cry, And said, "Thou traitor knight, Thou keepest here the king's enemy, Against the laws and right!" "Sir, I will avow that I have done, The deeds that here be dight, Upon all the land-es that I have, As I am a true knight. Wend-e forth, sirs, on your way, And doth no more to me, Till ye wite our king-es will What he will say to thee." The sheriff thus had his answ-er, Without an-y leas-ing, Forth he yode to London town, All for to tell our king. There he told him of that knight, And eke of Robin Hood, And also of the bold arch-ers, That noble were and good. "He would avow that he had done, To maintain the outlaws strong; He would be lord, and set you at nought, In all the north lond." "I will be at Nottingham," said the king, "Within this fortnight, And take I will Robin Hood, And so I will that knight. Go home, thou proud sher-iff, And do as I bid thee, And ordain good arch-ers enow, Of all the wide countree."