Robin Hood;: Being a Complete History of All the Notable and Merry Exploits Performed by Him and His Men on Many Occasions — John Shaqi
Robin Hood;: Being a Complete History of All the Notable and Merry Exploits Performed by Him and His Men on Many OccasionsAnonymous
General
Robin Hood;: Being a Complete History of All the Notable and Merry Exploits Performed by Him and His Men on Many Occasions
Anonymous
Children's stories; Robin Hood (Legendary character)
By this time, Robin Hood and his company came up to the bishop; and
Robin Hood, taking him by his hand, said, “My lord, you must dine with
me to-day under my bower in merry Barnsdale. I cannot feast you like a
bishop, but I can give you venison, ale, and wine; and I hope you will
be content.” After dinner, Robin Hood made the music to strike up, and
would insist upon the bishop’s dancing a hornpipe in his boots; and the
bishop was forced to submit. The day was now far spent, and the bishop
begged leave to go away. “You have treated me very nobly,” said he to
Robin Hood, “and I suppose I must pay for it. Tell me how much.” “Lend
me your purse, master,” said Little John, “and I will settle it for
you.” He then spread the bishop’s cloak upon the ground, and opening his
bag, he counted five hundred pounds out of it. “Now,” said Robin Hood,
“we thank you for your company; and, to shew you that we know how to be
polite, we will see you part of the way home.” They then led the bishop
and his servants quite through the wood, till they brought him to the
high road: then Robin Hood’s gang gave three cheers, and told him to
remember that, though he had come meaning to hang them all, they had
done him no harm.
One day, in summer-time, when the leaves grew green, and the flowers
were fresh and gay, Robin Hood and his merry men were all in a humour
to play. Some would leap, some would run, some shot at a mark, and some
wrestled with each other on the green. Robin Hood was haughty and proud,
and said, “Now, my good fellows, do you think there is a man in the
world that could wrestle or play the quarter-staff with me, or kill a
doe or buck so sure as me?”
While Robin Hood was boasting in this manner, Will Scarlet stepped out
from the rest. Will Scarlet was a little a-kin to Robin Hood, and
thought he had as good a right himself to be captain of the gang.
Besides, he was rather spiteful: he was just going to shoot an arrow at
Robin Hood when he saw him dressed like an old woman. “If you wish to
meet with your match,” said Scarlet, “I can tell you where you can find
him. There is a friar in Fountain Abbey.” Now Fountain Abbey was the
convent that had been built with the money that Robin Hood’s uncle
Gamewell’s estate had been sold for, and perhaps Will Scarlet chose to
throw it in Robin’s teeth for that reason. “I had as soon you had talked
of the gallows,” said Robin Hood. “No matter for that,” said Will
Scarlet; “there is a friar in Fountain Abbey that can draw a strong bow
against any man in the world: he can handle a quarter-staff too; and
will beat you and all your yeomen, set them in a row.”
Robin Hood was a man of a bold spirit, and could not rest till he had
seen this friar; so he slung his bow across his shoulder, and took his
quarter-staff in his hand, and away he went to Fountain Dale. He had not
gone far, before he saw a tall brawny friar walking by the waterside:
and Robin Hood thought this must be the man the moment he saw him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account