"If it be so there is no help for it," said Robin. "Sir abbot, I deliver thee mine arrow; I pray thee, sir, serve thou me." "It falleth not within my order, by thy leave, Robin, to smite any good yeoman, for fear lest I grieve him," said the king. "Smite on boldly; I give thee full leave," said Robin. The king at these words at once folded back his sleeves, and gave Robin such a buffet that it nearly knocked him to the ground. "By heaven, thou art a stalwart friar," cried Robin. "There is pith in thine arm; I trow thou canst shoot well." Then King Edward and Robin Hood looked each other full in the face, and Robin Hood gazed wistfully at the king. So also did Sir Richard Lee, and then he knelt down before him on his knee. And all the wild outlaws, when they saw Sir Richard Lee and Robin Hood kneeling before the king, also knelt down. "My lord the King of England, now I know you well," said Robin. "Mercy, of thy goodness and thy grace, for my men and me! Yes, before heaven, I crave mercy, my lord the king, for me and for my men." "Yes, I grant thee thy petition," said the king, "if thou wilt leave the greenwood, thou and all thy company, and come home with me, sir, to my court, and dwell with me there." "I will swear a solemn vow that so it shall be," said Robin. "I will come to your court to see your service and bring with me seven score and three of my men. But unless I like well your service, I shall soon come back to the forest, and shoot again at the dun deer, as I am wont to do." HOW ROBIN HOOD WENT BACK TO THE GREENWOOD Retold by Mary Macleod "Hast thou any good cloth that thou wilt sell to me now?" said the king. "Yes, three and thirty yards," said Robin. "Then I pray thee, Robin, sell me some of it for me and my company." "Yes, I will," said Robin. "I should be a fool if I did not, for I trow another day you will clothe me against Christmas." So the king speedily cast off his coat, and donned a garment of green, and so did all his knights. When they were all clad in Lincoln green and had thrown aside their monks' grey habits, "Now we will go to Nottingham," said the king. They bent their bows, and away they went, shooting in the same band, as if they were all outlaws. The king and Robin Hood rode together, and they shot "pluck-buffet" as they went by the way--that is to say, whoever missed the mark at which he aimed was to receive a buffet from the other; many a buffet the king won from Robin Hood, and good Robin spared nothing of his pay. "Faith," said the king, "thy game is not easy to learn; I should not get a shot at thee though I tried all this year."