346. ‘This seven yere, by dere worthy God, Ne yede I this fast on fote; I make myn avowe to God, thou proudë sherif, It is not for thy gode.’ 347. Robyn bent a full goode bowe, An arrowe he drowe at wyll; He hit so the proudë sherife Upon the grounde he lay full still. 348. And or he myght up aryse, On his fete to stonde, He smote of the sherifs hede With his brightë bronde. 349. ‘Lye thou there, thou proudë sherife; Evyll mote thou cheve! There myght no man to thee truste The whyles thou were a lyve.’ 350. His men drewe out theyr bryght swerdes, That were so sharpe and kene, And layde on the sheryves men, And dryved them downe bydene. 351. Robyn stert to that knyght, And cut a two his bonde, And toke hym in his hand a bowe, And bad hym by hym stonde. 352. ‘Leve thy hors thee behynde, And lerne for to renne; Thou shalt with me to grenë wode, Through myrë, mosse, and fenne. 353. ‘Thou shalt with me to grenë wode, Without ony leasynge, Tyll that I have gete us grace Of Edwarde, our comly kynge.’ [Annotations: 320.2: ‘dyght,’ concerted. 322.3: ‘yede,’ went. 326.3: ‘ordeyn,’ levy, summon. 328.: See st. 302. 329.4: ‘tene,’ anger. ‘Thereof’ means ‘of Robin’s escape.’ 333.3: ‘lever,’ rather. 334.1: ‘harde,’ = heard. 336.4: ‘bone,’ boon. 338.4, 339.1: supplied from later versions. 340.2: ‘wode,’ mad. 346.2: ‘this’ = thus. 348.1: ‘And or’ = ere. 349.2: ‘cheve,’ gain, win. 350.4: ‘bydene,’ one after another. 351.3: ‘toke,’ gave.] THE SEVENTH FYTTE (354-417) +Argument.+--The king, coming with a great array to Nottingham to take Robin Hood and the knight, and finding nothing but a great scarcity of deer, is wondrous wroth, and promises the knight’s lands to any one who will bring him his head. For half a year the king has no news of Robin; at length, at the suggestion of a forester, he disguises himself as an abbot and five of his men as monks, and goes into the greenwood. He is met and stopped by Robin Hood, gives up forty pounds to him, and alleges he is a messenger from the king. Thereupon Robin entertains him and his men on the king’s own deer, and the outlaws hold an archery competition, Robin smiting those that miss. At his last shot, Robin himself misses, and asks the abbot to smite him in his turn. The abbot gives him such a buffet that Robin is nearly felled; on looking more closely, he recognises the king, of whom he and his men ask pardon on their knees. The king grants it, on condition that they will enter his service. Robin agrees, but reserves the right to return to the greenwood if he mislikes the court.