Opening the text

Robin Hood: A collection of all the ancient poems, songs, and ballads, now extant, relative to that celebrated English outlaw. To which are prefixed historical anecdotes of his life.

General

Robin Hood: A collection of all the ancient poems, songs, and ballads, now extant, relative to that celebrated English outlaw. To which are prefixed historical anecdotes of his life.

Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Outlaws -- Poetry; Robin Hood (Legendary character) -- Poetry; Songs, English -- England -- Texts

Then, come draw your swords, you bold outlàws,
   No longer stand to prate,
 But let us try it out with blows,
   For cowards we do hate.

 Here is one of us for Will Scarlòck,
   And another for Little John,
 And I myself for Robin Hood,
   Because he is stout and strong.”

 So they fell to it hard and sore,
   It was on a Midsummers day ;
 From eight of the clock till two and past,
   They all shewed gallant play.

 There Robin, and Will, and Little John,
   They fought most manfully,
 Till all their winde was spent and gone,
   Then Robin aloud did cry :

 O hold, O hold, cries bold Robìn,
   I see you be stout men ;
 Let me blow one blast on my bugle-horn,
   Then Ile fight with you again.

 “That bargain’s to make, bold Robin Hood,
   Therefore we it deny ;
 Thy blast upon the bugle-horn
   Cannot make us fight or fly. {272}

 Therefore fall on, or else be gone,
   And yield to us the day :
 It never shall be said that we are afraid
   Of thee, nor thy yeomen gay.”

 If that be so, cries bold Robìn,
   Let me but know your names,
 And in the forrest of merry Sheerwood,
   I shall extol your fames.

 And with our names, one of them said,
   What hast thou here to do ?
 Except that you wilt fight it out,
   Our names thou shalt not know.

 We will fight no more, sayes bold Robìn,
   You be men of valour stout ;
 Come and go with me to Nottingham,
   And there we will fight it out.

 With a but of sack we will bang it ‘about,’
   To see who wins the day ;
 And for the cost make you no doubt,
   I have gold ‘enough’ to pay.

 And ever hereafter so long as we live,
   We all will brethren be ;
 For I love these men with heart and hand,
   That will fight and never flee. {273}

 So, away they went to Nottinghàm,
   With sack to make amends ;
 For three days they the wine did chase,
   And drank themselves good friends.

[Illustration]

{274}

[Illustration]


XVIII.

ROBIN HOOD AND THE BEGGAR.

“Shewing how Robin Hood and the Beggar fought, and how he changed
cloaths with the Beggar, and how he went a begging to Nottingham;
and how he saved three brethren from being hang’d for stealing of
deer. To the tune of Robin Hood and the Stranger.”

From an old black letter copy in the collection of Anthony a Wood.

 Come and listen, you gentlemen all,
     _Hey down, down, an a down_,
   That mirth do love for to hear,
 And a story true Ile tell unto you,
   If that you will but draw near. {275}

 In elder times, when merriment was,
   And archery was holden good,
 There was an outlàw, as many ‘do’ know,
   Which men called Robin Hood.

 Upon a time it chanced so,
   Bold Robin was merry disposed,
 His time for to spend he did intend
   Either with friends or foes.

 Then he got upon a gallant brave steed,
   The which was worth angels ten,
 With a mantle of green, most brave to be seen,
   He left all his merry men.

 And riding towards Nottingham,
   Some pastime for to ’spy,
 There was he aware of a jolly beggàr,
   As ere he beheld with his eye.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

General

Robin Hood: A collection of all the ancient poems, songs, and ballads, now extant, relative to that celebrated English outlaw. To which are prefixed historical anecdotes of his life.

Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Outlaws -- Poetry; Robin Hood (Legendary character) -- Poetry; Songs, English -- England -- Texts

Then, come draw your swords, you bold outlàws,
   No longer stand to prate,
 But let us try it out with blows,
   For cowards we do hate.

 Here is one of us for Will Scarlòck,
   And another for Little John,
 And I myself for Robin Hood,
   Because he is stout and strong.”

 So they fell to it hard and sore,
   It was on a Midsummers day ;
 From eight of the clock till two and past,
   They all shewed gallant play.

 There Robin, and Will, and Little John,
   They fought most manfully,
 Till all their winde was spent and gone,
   Then Robin aloud did cry :

 O hold, O hold, cries bold Robìn,
   I see you be stout men ;
 Let me blow one blast on my bugle-horn,
   Then Ile fight with you again.

 “That bargain’s to make, bold Robin Hood,
   Therefore we it deny ;
 Thy blast upon the bugle-horn
   Cannot make us fight or fly. {272}

 Therefore fall on, or else be gone,
   And yield to us the day :
 It never shall be said that we are afraid
   Of thee, nor thy yeomen gay.”

 If that be so, cries bold Robìn,
   Let me but know your names,
 And in the forrest of merry Sheerwood,
   I shall extol your fames.

 And with our names, one of them said,
   What hast thou here to do ?
 Except that you wilt fight it out,
   Our names thou shalt not know.

 We will fight no more, sayes bold Robìn,
   You be men of valour stout ;
 Come and go with me to Nottingham,
   And there we will fight it out.

 With a but of sack we will bang it ‘about,’
   To see who wins the day ;
 And for the cost make you no doubt,
   I have gold ‘enough’ to pay.

 And ever hereafter so long as we live,
   We all will brethren be ;
 For I love these men with heart and hand,
   That will fight and never flee. {273}

 So, away they went to Nottinghàm,
   With sack to make amends ;
 For three days they the wine did chase,
   And drank themselves good friends.

[Illustration]

{274}

[Illustration]


XVIII.

ROBIN HOOD AND THE BEGGAR.

“Shewing how Robin Hood and the Beggar fought, and how he changed
cloaths with the Beggar, and how he went a begging to Nottingham;
and how he saved three brethren from being hang’d for stealing of
deer. To the tune of Robin Hood and the Stranger.”

From an old black letter copy in the collection of Anthony a Wood.

 Come and listen, you gentlemen all,
     _Hey down, down, an a down_,
   That mirth do love for to hear,
 And a story true Ile tell unto you,
   If that you will but draw near. {275}

 In elder times, when merriment was,
   And archery was holden good,
 There was an outlàw, as many ‘do’ know,
   Which men called Robin Hood.

 Upon a time it chanced so,
   Bold Robin was merry disposed,
 His time for to spend he did intend
   Either with friends or foes.

 Then he got upon a gallant brave steed,
   The which was worth angels ten,
 With a mantle of green, most brave to be seen,
   He left all his merry men.

 And riding towards Nottingham,
   Some pastime for to ’spy,
 There was he aware of a jolly beggàr,
   As ere he beheld with his eye.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Robin Hood: A collection of all the ancient poems, songs, and ballads, now extant, relative to that celebrated English outlaw. To which are prefixed historical anecdotes of his life.

Robin Hood: A collection of all the ancient poems, songs, and ballads, now extant, relative to that celebrated English outlaw. To which are prefixed historical anecdotes of his life.

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