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

Sir William the knight, both hardy and bold,
   He offer’d to seize him there,
 Which William Locksley by fortune did see,
   And bid him that trick to forbear.

 Then Robin Hood set his horn to his mouth,
   And blew a blast or twain,
 And so did the knight, at which there in sight
   The archers came all amain.

 Sir William with care he drew up his men,
   And plac’d them in battle-array ;
 Bold Robin, we find, he was not behind :
   Now this was a bloody fray.

 The archers on both sides bent their bows,
   And the clouds of arrows flew ;
 The very first flight that honour’d knight
   Did there bid the world adieu.

 Yet nevertheless their fight did last
   From morning till almost noon ;
 Both parties were stout, and loth to give out,
   This was on the last day of June.

 At length they left off : one party they went
   To London with right good will ;
 And Robin Hood he to the green-wood tree,
   And there he was taken ill. {334}

 He sent for a monk, to let him blood,
   Who took his life away ;
 Now this being done, his archers they run,
   It was not a time to stay.

 Some got on board, and cross’d the seas,
   To Flanders, France, and Spain,
 And others to Rome, for fear of their doom,
   But soon return’d again.

[Illustration]

{335}

[Illustration]


XXVIII.

ROBIN HOOD’S DEATH AND BURIAL:

“Shewing how he was taken ill, and how he went to his cousin at
Kirkley-hall, who let him blood, which was the cause of his death.
Tune of Robin Hood’s Last Farewel, &c.”

This very old and curious piece is preserved solely in the editions
of “Robin Hood’s Garland” printed at York (or such as have been
taken from them), where it is made to conclude with some foolish
lines (adopted from the London copy of the preceding ballad), in
order to introduce the epitaph. It is here given from a collation
of two different copies, containing numerous variations, a few of
which are retained in the margin.

 When Robin Hood and Little John,
       _Down a down, a down, a down_,
   Went o’er yon bank of broom,
 Said Robin Hood to Little John,
   We have shot for many a pound :
       _Hey down, a down, a down_. {336}

 But I am not able to shoot one shot more,
   My arrows will not flee ;
 But I have a cousin lives down below,
   Please god, she will bleed me.

 Now Robin is to fair Kirkley gone,
   As fast as he can win ;
 But before he came there, as we do hear,
   He was taken very ill.

 And when that he came to fair Kirkley-hall,
   He knock’d all at the ring,
 But none was so ready as his cousin herself
   For to let bold Robin in.

 Will you please to sit down, cousin Robin, she said,
   And drink some beer with me ?
 “No, I will neither eat nor drink,
   Till I am blooded by thee.”[327]

 Well, I have a room, cousin Robin, she said,
   Which you did never see,
 And if you please to walk therein,
   You blooded by me shall be.[328]

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

Sir William the knight, both hardy and bold,
   He offer’d to seize him there,
 Which William Locksley by fortune did see,
   And bid him that trick to forbear.

 Then Robin Hood set his horn to his mouth,
   And blew a blast or twain,
 And so did the knight, at which there in sight
   The archers came all amain.

 Sir William with care he drew up his men,
   And plac’d them in battle-array ;
 Bold Robin, we find, he was not behind :
   Now this was a bloody fray.

 The archers on both sides bent their bows,
   And the clouds of arrows flew ;
 The very first flight that honour’d knight
   Did there bid the world adieu.

 Yet nevertheless their fight did last
   From morning till almost noon ;
 Both parties were stout, and loth to give out,
   This was on the last day of June.

 At length they left off : one party they went
   To London with right good will ;
 And Robin Hood he to the green-wood tree,
   And there he was taken ill. {334}

 He sent for a monk, to let him blood,
   Who took his life away ;
 Now this being done, his archers they run,
   It was not a time to stay.

 Some got on board, and cross’d the seas,
   To Flanders, France, and Spain,
 And others to Rome, for fear of their doom,
   But soon return’d again.

[Illustration]

{335}

[Illustration]


XXVIII.

ROBIN HOOD’S DEATH AND BURIAL:

“Shewing how he was taken ill, and how he went to his cousin at
Kirkley-hall, who let him blood, which was the cause of his death.
Tune of Robin Hood’s Last Farewel, &c.”

This very old and curious piece is preserved solely in the editions
of “Robin Hood’s Garland” printed at York (or such as have been
taken from them), where it is made to conclude with some foolish
lines (adopted from the London copy of the preceding ballad), in
order to introduce the epitaph. It is here given from a collation
of two different copies, containing numerous variations, a few of
which are retained in the margin.

 When Robin Hood and Little John,
       _Down a down, a down, a down_,
   Went o’er yon bank of broom,
 Said Robin Hood to Little John,
   We have shot for many a pound :
       _Hey down, a down, a down_. {336}

 But I am not able to shoot one shot more,
   My arrows will not flee ;
 But I have a cousin lives down below,
   Please god, she will bleed me.

 Now Robin is to fair Kirkley gone,
   As fast as he can win ;
 But before he came there, as we do hear,
   He was taken very ill.

 And when that he came to fair Kirkley-hall,
   He knock’d all at the ring,
 But none was so ready as his cousin herself
   For to let bold Robin in.

 Will you please to sit down, cousin Robin, she said,
   And drink some beer with me ?
 “No, I will neither eat nor drink,
   Till I am blooded by thee.”[327]

 Well, I have a room, cousin Robin, she said,
   Which you did never see,
 And if you please to walk therein,
   You blooded by me shall be.[328]

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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