Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- Texts
He toke leffe of the screffys wyffe,
And thankyd her of all thyng: 240
"Dam, for mey loffe, and ye well thys wer,
Y geffe yow her a golde ryng."
"Gramarsey," seyde the weyffe,
"Sir, god eylde het the;"
The screffes hart was never so leythe, 245
The feyr forest to se.
And when he cam ynto the foreyst,
Yonder the leffes grene,
Berdys ther sange on bowhes prest,
Het was gret joy to sene.[L250] 250
"Her het ys merey to be," seyde Roben,[L251]
"For a man that had hawt to spende;
Be mey horne we schall awet
Yeff Roben Hode be ner hande."[L254]
Roben set hes horne to hes mowthe,[L255] 255
And blow a blast that was foll god,
That herde hes men that ther stode,
Fer downe yn the wodde;
"I her mey master" seyde Leytell John;[L259]
They ran as thay wer wode. 260
Whan thay to thar master cam,
Leytell John wold not spar;
"Master, how haffe yow far yn Notynggam?
How haffe yow solde yowr war?"
"Ye, be mey trowthe, Leytyll John,[L265] 265
Loke thow take no car;
Y haffe browt the screffe of Notynggam,
For all howr chaffar."
"He ys foll wellcom," seyde Lytyll John,
"Thes tydyng ys foll godde; 270
The screffe had lever nar a hundred ponde
[He had never sene Roben Hode.]
"Had I west that beforen,[L273]
At Notynggam when we wer,
Thow scholde not com yn feyr forest 275
Of all thes thowsande eyr."
"That wot y well," seyde Roben,
"Y thanke god that ye be her;
Therfor schall ye leffe yowr horse with hos,
And all your hother ger." 280
"That fend I godys forbode," kod the screffe,
"So to lese mey godde;"
"Hether ye cam on horse foll hey,[L283]
And hom schall ye go on fote;
And gret well they weyffe at home, 285
The woman ys foll godde.
"Y schall her sende a wheyt palffrey,[L287]
Het hambellet as the weynde;
Ner for the loffe of yowr weyffe,
Off mor sorow scholde yow seyng." 290
Thes parted Robyn Hode and the screffe,
To Notynggam he toke the waye;
Hes weyffe feyr welcomed hem hom,
And to hem gan sche saye:
"Seyr, how haffe yow fared yn grene foreyst? 295
Haffe ye browt Roben hom?"
"Dam, the deyell spede him, bothe bodey and bon,
Y haffe hade a foll grete skorne.
"Of all the god that y haffe lade to grene wod,
He hayt take het fro me, 300
All bot this feyr palffrey,
That he hayt sende to the."
With that sche toke op a lowde lawhyng,
And swhar be hem that deyed on tre,
"Now haffe yow payed for all the pottys 305
That Roben gaffe to me.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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