Or any place within the land, Rebellious Robin Hood, Should be preferr’d in place to stand With those of noble blood. When Robin Hood heard of the same, Within a little space, Into the town of Nottingham A letter to his grace He shot upon an arrow head, One evening cunningly ; Which was brought to the king, and read Before his majesty. The tenour of this letter was That Robin would submit, And be true liegeman to his grace In any thing that’s fit, So that his highness would forgive Him and his merry men all ; If not, he must i’ th’ green wood live, And take what chance did fall. {142} The king would feign have pardoned him, But that some lords did say, This president will much condemn Your grace another day. While that the king and lords did stay Debating on this thing, Some of these outlaws fled away Unto the Scottish king. For they suppos’d, if he were ta’n Or to the king did yield, By th’ commons all the rest of ’s train Full quickly would be quell’d. Of more than full an hundred men, But forty tarried still, Who were resolv’d to stick to him, Let Fortune work her will. If none had fled, all for his sake Had got their pardon free ; The king to favour meant to take His merry men and he. But e’re the pardon to him came This famous archer dy’d : His death and manner of the same I’le presently describe. {143} For, being vext to think upon His followers revolt, In melancholy passiòn He did recount his fault. Perfidious traytors ! said he then, In all your dangers past Have i you guarded as my men, To leave me thus at last ! This sad perplexity did cause A feaver, as some say, Which him unto confusion draws, Though by a stranger way. This deadly danger to prevent, He hie’d him with all speed Unto a nunnery, with intent For his healths-sake to bleed. A faithless fryer did pretend In love to let him blood, But he by falshood wrought the end Of famous Robin Hood. The fryer, as some say, did this To vindicate the wrong Which to the clergy he and his Had done by power strong. {144} Thus dyed he by treachery, That could not die by force ; Had he liv’d longer, certainly King Richard, in remorse, Had unto favour him receiv’d, ‘His’ brave men elevated : ’Tis pitty he was of life bereav’d By one which he so hated. A treacherous leach this fryer was, To let him bleed to death ; And Robin was, methinks, an ass To trust him with his breath. His corps the prioress of the place, The next day that he dy’d, Caused to be buried, in mean case, Close by the high-way side. And over him she caused a stone To be fixt on the ground, An epitaph was set thereon, Wherein his name was found ; The date o’ th’ year and day also, She made to be set there : That all, who by the way did go, Might see it plain appear. {145}