Robin shaped himself like to the tapster's brewer, and came and demanded
twenty pounds which was due to him from the tapster. The tapster, thinking
it had been his brewer, paid him the money, which money Robin gave to the
poor of that parish before the tapster's face. The tapster praised his
charity very much, and said that God would bless him the better for such
good deeds: so after they had drank one with the other, they parted.
Some four days after the brewer himself came for his money: the tapster
told him that it was paid, and that he had a quittance from him to show.
Hereat the brewer did wonder, and desired to see the quittance. The tapster
fetched him a writing, which Robin Good-fellow had given him instead of a
quittance, wherein was written as followeth, which the brewer read to him--
I, Robin Good-fellow, true man and honest man, do acknowledge to have
received of Nick and Froth, the cheating tapster, the sum of twenty
pounds, which money I have bestowed (to the tapster's content) among
the poor of the parish, out of whose pockets this aforesaid tapster had
picked the aforesaid sum, not after the manner of foisting, but after
his excellent skill of bombasting[11], or a pint for a penny.
If now thou wilt go hang thyself,
Then take thy apron strings;
It doth me good when such foul birds
Upon the gallows sings.
_Per me_ ROBIN GOOD-FELLOW.
At this the tapster swore Walsingham; but for all his swearing, the brewer
made him pay him his twenty pounds.
HOW KING OBREON[12] CALLED ROBIN GOOD-FELLOW TO DANCE
King Obreon, seeing Robin Good-fellow do so many honest and merry tricks,
called him one night out of his bed with these words, saying--
Robin, my son, come quickly, rise:
First stretch, then yawn, and rub your eyes;
For thou must go with me to-night,
To see, and taste of my delight.
Quickly come, my wanton son;
'Twere time our sports were now begun.
Robin, hearing this, rose and went to him. There were with King Obreon a
many fairies, all attired in green silk; all these, with King Obreon, did
welcome Robin Good-fellow into their company. Obreon took Robin by the hand
and led him a dance: their musician was little Tom Thumb; for he had an
excellent bag-pipe made of a wren's quill, and the skin of a Greenland
louse: this pipe was so shrill, and so sweet, that a Scottish pipe compared
to it, it would no more come near it, than a Jew's-trump doth to an Irish
harp. After they had danced, King Obreon spake to his son, Robin
Good-fellow, in this manner--
When e'er you hear my piper blow,
From thy bed see that thou go;
For nightly you must with us dance,
When we in circles round do prance.
I love thee, son, and by the hand
I carry thee to Fairy Land,
Where thou shalt see what no man knows:
Such love thee King Obreon owes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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