Now between 1450 and 1500 the May-game becomes associated in England with Robin Hood: setting aside the possibility that Bower’s reference, mentioned above, to ‘comedies and tragedies,’ may allude to the May-game, we can find many entries, in parish records from all parts of England, which show that the summer folk-festival has developed into a play of Robin Hood. Further, it has been very plausibly suggested[8] that about the same time the _French_ Robin, becoming confused with the English one, brought in Marion (a French name), and thus supplied our Robin Hood with his Maid Marian, who has no place in the true ballads of the outlaw. In 1473 Sir John Paston wrote a letter in which he refers to a servant, of whom he says, ‘I have kepyd hym this iii yer to pleye Saynt Jorge and Robyn Hod and the Shryff of Nottyngham.’ There has also survived a leaf of manuscript--perhaps it is only an accident that it was formerly in the possession of the first editor of the _Paston Letters_--of about the same date, which contains a portion of the play to which Sir John refers, that of Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham,[9] which is founded upon a story similar to that of the ballad of _Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne_ (see p. 128). Besides this fragment, we have in William Copland’s edition of the _Gest_ a dramatic appendix of ‘the playe of Robyn Hoode, verye proper to be played in Maye games’ (printed _c._ 1560); this in fact consists of two plays carelessly tagged together, first _Robin Hood and the Friar_ (who is distinctly called Friar Tuck), and second, _Robin Hood and the Potter_ (partly founded on the ballad of that name). Friar Tuck, it should be noted, occurs also in the earlier fragmentary play; but there is no friar in Robin Hood’s ‘meynie’ in any of the older ballads, and no Maid Marian in either the older ballads or the above plays. These complications of Robin Hood’s company are further confused by the fact that the morris-dance, which was universally affiliated to the May-game, borrowed therefrom not only Maid Marian but Robin Hood, Little John and Friar Tuck; so that amongst the later ballads and broadsides we find Robin’s company increased. However, by that time Robin himself had degenerated from the fine character exhibited in the earlier ballads given in this volume. [Footnote 7: The suggestion that ‘Hood’ = ‘o’ Wood’ was originally made in the _Gentleman’s Magazine_ for March 1793, over the signature D. H.] [Footnote 8: First, as regards Marian, by Warton, _History of English Poetry_ (1774), p. 245: recently and in more detail by E. K. Chambers, _Mediæval Stage_ (1903), i. 176.] [Footnote 9: This leaf has lately been given to the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge, by Mr. Aldis Wright. It may be seen in facsimile as well as in type in the _Collections_ (p. 117) of the Malone Society (Part ii., 1908), where the two plays of Robin Hood mentioned above are also reprinted.]