The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 3 (of 5)
General
The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 3 (of 5)
Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Ballads, Scots -- Scotland -- Texts
Robin Hood has had a dream that he has been beaten and bound by two
yeomen, who have taken away his bow. He vows that he will have
vengeance, and sets out in search of them with Little John. Robin and
John shoot as they go, till they come to the greenwood and see a yeoman
leaning against a tree, clad in a horse-hide, with head, tail, and mane.
John proposes to go to the yeoman to ask his intentions. Robin considers
this to be forward of John, and speaks so roughly to him that John parts
company, and returns to Barnsdale. Things are in a bad way there: the
sheriff of Nottingham has attacked Robin’s band; two have been slain;
Scarlett is flying, and the sheriff in pursuit with seven score men.
John sends an arrow at the pursuers, which kills one of them; but his
bow breaks, and John is made prisoner and tied to a tree.
Robin learns from the man in horse-hide that he is seeking Robin Hood,
but has lost his way. Robin offers to be his guide, and as they go
through the wood proposes a shooting-match. Both shoot well, but Robin
so much the better that the other breaks out into expressions of
admiration, and asks his name. Tell me thine first, says Robin. “I am
Guy of Gisborne;” “and I Robin Hood, whom thou long hast sought.” They
fight fiercely for two hours; Robin stumbles and is hit, but invokes the
Virgin’s aid, leaps up and kills Guy. He nicks Guy’s face so that it
cannot be recognized, throws his own green gown over the body, puts on
the horse-hide, and blows Guy’s horn. The sheriff hears in the sound
tidings that Guy has slain Robin, and thinks it is Guy that he sees
coming in the horse-hide. The supposed Guy is offered anything that he
will ask, but will take no reward but the boon of serving the knave as
he has the master. Robin hies to Little John, looses him, and gives him
Sir Guy’s bow. The sheriff takes to flight, but cannot outrun John’s
arrow, which cleaves his heart.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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