Then was there a fayre castèll, A lytell within the wode, Double-dyched it was about, 115 And walled, by the rode. And there dwelled that gentyll knyght, Syr Richard at the Lee, That Robyn had lent his good, Under the grene wode tree. 120 In he toke good Robyn, And all his company; "Welcome be thou, Robyn Hode, Welcome arte thou me; "And moche [I] thanke the of thy comfort, 125 And of thy curteysye, And of thy grete kyndenesse, Under the grene wode tre. "I love no man in all this worlde So much as I do the; 130 For all the proud sheryf of Notyngham, Ryght here shalt thou be. "Shyt the gates, and drawe the bridge, And let no man com in; And arme you well, and make you redy, 135 And to the walle ye wynne. "For one thyng, Robyn, I the behote, I swere by saynt Quyntyn, These twelve dayes thou wonest with me, To suppe, ete, and dyne." 140 Bordes were layed, and clothes spred, Reddely and anone; Robyn Hode and his mery men To mete gan they gone. 302, this care, W. 303, syt, W. 11. And that shoteth al ther best, W. And they that shote al of the best, C. 13, al theyre, W. al of the, C. 46, they slist, W. he clefte, C. 80, belyve, C. 100. That I after eate no bread, C. THE SYXTE FYTTE. Lythe and lysten, gentylmen, And herken unto your songe, How the proude sheryfe of Notyngham, And men of armes stronge, Full faste came to the hye sheryfe, 5 The countre up to rout, And they beset the knyghts castèll, The walles all about. The proude sheryfe loude gan crye, And sayd, "Thou traytour knyght, 10 Thou kepeste here the kynges enemye, Agayne the lawes and ryght." "Syr, I wyll avowe that I have done, The dedes that here be dyght,[L14] Upon all the londes that I have, 15 As I am a trewe knyght. "Wende forthe, syrs, on your waye, And doth do more to me, Tyll ye wytte our kynges wyll, What he woll say to the." 20 The sheref thus had his answere, With out ony leasynge; Forthe he yode to London toune, All for to tel our kynge. There he tolde hym of that knyght, 25 And eke of Robyn Hode, And also of the bolde archeres, That noble were and good. "He wolde avowe that he had done, To mayntayne the outlawes stronge, 30 He wolde be lorde, and set you at nought, In all the north londe."