Robins buckler prov’d his ‘chief’[297] defence, And saved him many a bang, For every blow the shepherd gave Made Robins sword cry twang. Many a sturdie blow the shepherd gave, And that bold Robin found, Till the blood ran trickling from his head, Then he fell to the ground. {206} “Arise, arise, thou proud fellòw, And thou shalt have fair play, If thou wilt yield before thou go, That I have won the day.” A boon, a boon, cry’d bold Robìn, If that a man thou be, Then let me have my beugle horn, And blow but blasts three. Then said the shepherd to bold Robìn, To that I will agree ; ‘For’ if thou shouldst blow till to-morrow morn, I scorn one foot to flee. Then Robin he set his horn to his mouth, And he blew with mickle main, Until he espied Little John Come tripping over the plain. “O who is yonder, thou proud fellòw, That comes down yonder hill ?” “Yonder is John, bold Robin Hoods man, Shall fight with thee thy fill.” What is the matter ? saies Little John, Master, come tell to me. My case is bad, cries Robin Hood, For the shepherd hath conquered me. {207} I am glad of that, cries Little John : Shepherd, turn thou to me ; For a bout with thee I mean to have, Either come fight or flee. “With all my heart, thou proud fellòw, For it never shall be said That a shepherds hook of thy sturdy look Will one jot be dismaied.” So they fell to it, full hardy and sore, Striving for victorie. Ile know, says John, ere we give o’er, Whether thou wilt fight or flee. The shepherd gave John a sturdie blow, With his hook under the chin. Beshrew thy heart, said little John, Thou basely dost begin. Nay, that is nothing, said the shephèrd, Either yield to me the daie, Or I will bang thy back and sides, Before thou goest thy way. What ! dost thou think, thou proud fellow, That thou canst conquer me ? Nay, thou shalt know, before thou go, Ile fight before ile flee. {208} Again the shepherd laid on him, ‘Just as he first begun.’ Hold thy hand, cry’d bold Robìn, I will yield the wager won. With all my heart, said Little John, To that I will agree ; For he is the flower of shepherd swains, The like I did never see. Thus have you heard of Robin Hood, Also of Little John ; How a shepherd swain did conquer them : The like was never known. [Illustration] {209} [Illustration] X. ROBIN HOOD AND THE CURTALL FRYER. From an old black letter copy in the collection of Anthony a Wood; corrected by a much earlier one in the Pepysian Library, printed by H. Gosson, about the year 1610; compared with a later one in the same collection. The full title is: “The famous battell betweene Robin Hood and the curtall fryer. To a New Northerne tune.”