447. Robyn slewe a full grete harte; His horne than gan he blow, That all the outlawes of that forest That horne coud they knowe, 448. And gadred them togyder, In a lytell throwe. Seven score of wyght yonge men Came redy on a rowe, 449. And fayre dyde of theyr hodes, And set them on theyr kne: ‘Welcome,’ they sayd, ‘our derë mayster, Under this grene-wode tre.’ 450. Robyn dwelled in grenë wode Twenty yere and two; For all drede of Edwarde our kynge, Agayne wolde he not goo. 451. Yet he was begyled, i-wys, Through a wycked woman, The pryoresse of Kyrkësly, That nye was of hys kynne: 452. For the love of a knyght, Syr Roger of Donkesly, That was her ownë speciall; Full evyll mote they the! 453. They toke togyder theyr counsell Robyn Hood for to sle, And how they myght best do that dede, His banis for to be. 454. Than bespake good Robyn, In place where as he stode, ‘Tomorow I muste to Kyrkësly, Craftely to be leten blode.’ 455. Syr Roger of Donkestere By the pryoresse he lay, And there they betrayed good Robyn Hode, Through theyr falsë playe. 456. Cryst have mercy on his soul, That dyëd on the rode! For he was a good outlawe, And dyde pore men moch gode. [Annotations: 421.1: ‘kest of’ = cast off: ‘colë,’ frock (cp. 372.1). 423.1: ‘bente,’ took. 423.2: ‘in fere,’ in company. 424.3: ‘plucke-buffet,’ the game of giving one another alternate buffets, as described in stt. 403-9. In the _Romance of Richard Cœur de Lion_, Richard even kills his opponent at this ‘game.’ ‘Shote plucke-buffet’ implies that the buffeting was punishment for missing the mark at shooting. 428.2: ‘slone,’ slain. 429.4: ‘hypped,’ hopped. 433.4: ‘fe,’ pay. 434.2: ‘layde downe,’ spent, laid out. 438.4: ‘sloo,’ slay. 442.3: ‘wolwarde,’ with wool against skin, _i.e._ with a sheepskin turned inwards: ‘hyght,’ promised, vowed. 446.3: ‘Me lyste,’ I should like. 446.4: ‘donne,’ dun (cf. 417.3). 448.2: ‘throwe,’ space of time. 448.4: See 306.4, etc. 452.3: ‘speciall,’ lover. 452.4: Cp. 234.2, 349.2. 453.4: ‘banis,’ murderers.] ROBIN AND GANDELEYN +The Text+ is modernised from the only known version, in Sloane MS. 2593, in the British Museum (c. 1450); the minstrel’s song-book which contains the famous carols: ‘I sing of a maiden,’ and ‘Adam lay i-bounden.’ This ballad was first printed by Ritson in his _Ancient Songs_ (1790); but he misunderstood the phrase ‘Robyn lyth’ in the burden for the name ‘Robin Lyth,’ and ingeniously found a cave on Flamborough Head called Robin Lyth’s Hole.