153ROBIN HOOD AND THE VALIANT KNIGHT

a.Robin Hood’s Garland, London, C. Dicey, Bow Church Yard, n. d., but before 1741, p. 88, Bodleian Library, Douce H H, 88.b.Robin Hood’s Garland, 1749, without place or printer, p. 101, No 24.c.Robin Hood’s Garland, London, R. Marshall, in Aldermary Church-Yard, Bow-Lane, n. d., p. 87, No 27.

Evans, Old Ballads, 1777, 1784, I, 232, from an Aldermary garland; Ritson, Robin Hood, 1795, II, 178, from an Aldermary garland, corrected by a York copy.

Written, perhaps, because it was thought that authority should in the end be vindicated against outlaws, which may explain why this piece surpasses in platitude everything that goes before.

Translated by Loève-Veimars, p. 219.

1When Robin Hood, and his merry men all,Derry, etc.Had reigned many years,The king was then told they had been too boldTo his bishops and noble peers.Hey, etc.2Therefore they called a council of state,To know what was best to be doneFor to quell their pride, or else, they reply’d,The land would be over-run.3Having consulted a whole summers day,At length it was agreedThat one should be sent to try the event,And fetch him away with speed.4Therefore a trusty and worthy knightThe king was pleasd to call,Sir William by name; when to him he came,He told him his pleasure all.5‘Go you from hence to bold Robin Hood,And bid him, without more a-do,Surrender himself, or else the proud elfShall suffer with all his crew.6‘Take here a hundred bowmen brave,All chosen men of might,Of excellent art for to take thy part,In glittering armour bright.’7Then said the knight, My sovereign liege,By me they shall be led;I’ll venture my blood against bold Robin Hood,And bring him alive or dead.8One hundred men were chosen straight,As proper as eer men saw;On Midsummer-day they marched away,To conquer that brave outlaw.9With long yew bows and shining spears,They marchd in mickle pride,And never delayd, or halted, or stayd,Till they came to the greenwood-side.10Said he to his archers, Tarry here;Your bows make ready all,That, if need should be, you may follow me;And see you observe my call.11‘I’ll go in person first,’ he cry’d,‘With the letters of my good king,Both signd and seald, and if he will yield,We need not draw one string,’12He wanderd about till at length he cameTo the tent of Robin Hood;The letter he shews; bold Robin arose,And there on his guard he stood.13‘They’d have me surrender,’ quoth bold Robin Hood,‘And lie at their mercy then;But tell them from me, that never shall be,While I have full seven-score men.’14Sir William the knight, both hardy and bold,Did offer to seize him there,Which William Locksly by fortune did see,And bid him that trick forbear.15Then Robin Hood set his horn to his mouth,And blew a blast or twain,And so did the knight, at which there in sightThe archers came all amain.16Sir 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.17The archers on both sides bent their bows,And the clouds of arrows flew;The very first flight, that honoured knightDid there bid the world adieu.18Yet nevertheless their fight did lastFrom morning till almost noon;Both parties were stout, and loath to give out;This was on the last [day] of June.19At length they went off; one part they wentTo London with right good-will;And Robin Hood he to the green-wood tree,And there he was taken ill.20He sent for a monk, who let him blood,And took his life away;Now this being done, his archers they run,It was not a time to stay.21Some got on board and crossd the seas,To Flanders, France, and Spain,And others to Rome, for fear of their doom,But soon returnd again.22Thus he that never feard bow nor spearWas murderd by letting of blood;And so, loving friends, the story doth endOf valiant bold Robin Hood.23There’s nothing remains but his epitaph now,Which, reader, here you have;To this very day, and read it you may,As it was upon his grave.Robin Hood’s Epitaph,Set on his tombBy the Prioress of Birkslay Monastery, in Yorkshire.Robin, Earl of Huntington,Lies under this little stone.No archer was like him so good;His wildness nam’d him Robin Hood.Full thirteen years, and something more,These northern parts he vexed sore.Such outlaws as he and his menMay England never know again!

1When Robin Hood, and his merry men all,Derry, etc.Had reigned many years,The king was then told they had been too boldTo his bishops and noble peers.Hey, etc.

When Robin Hood, and his merry men all,

Derry, etc.

Had reigned many years,

The king was then told they had been too bold

To his bishops and noble peers.

Hey, etc.

2Therefore they called a council of state,To know what was best to be doneFor to quell their pride, or else, they reply’d,The land would be over-run.

Therefore they called a council of state,

To know what was best to be done

For to quell their pride, or else, they reply’d,

The land would be over-run.

3Having consulted a whole summers day,At length it was agreedThat one should be sent to try the event,And fetch him away with speed.

Having consulted a whole summers day,

At length it was agreed

That one should be sent to try the event,

And fetch him away with speed.

4Therefore a trusty and worthy knightThe king was pleasd to call,Sir William by name; when to him he came,He told him his pleasure all.

Therefore a trusty and worthy knight

The king was pleasd to call,

Sir William by name; when to him he came,

He told him his pleasure all.

5‘Go you from hence to bold Robin Hood,And bid him, without more a-do,Surrender himself, or else the proud elfShall suffer with all his crew.

‘Go you from hence to bold Robin Hood,

And bid him, without more a-do,

Surrender himself, or else the proud elf

Shall suffer with all his crew.

6‘Take here a hundred bowmen brave,All chosen men of might,Of excellent art for to take thy part,In glittering armour bright.’

‘Take here a hundred bowmen brave,

All chosen men of might,

Of excellent art for to take thy part,

In glittering armour bright.’

7Then said the knight, My sovereign liege,By me they shall be led;I’ll venture my blood against bold Robin Hood,And bring him alive or dead.

Then said the knight, My sovereign liege,

By me they shall be led;

I’ll venture my blood against bold Robin Hood,

And bring him alive or dead.

8One hundred men were chosen straight,As proper as eer men saw;On Midsummer-day they marched away,To conquer that brave outlaw.

One hundred men were chosen straight,

As proper as eer men saw;

On Midsummer-day they marched away,

To conquer that brave outlaw.

9With long yew bows and shining spears,They marchd in mickle pride,And never delayd, or halted, or stayd,Till they came to the greenwood-side.

With long yew bows and shining spears,

They marchd in mickle pride,

And never delayd, or halted, or stayd,

Till they came to the greenwood-side.

10Said he to his archers, Tarry here;Your bows make ready all,That, if need should be, you may follow me;And see you observe my call.

Said he to his archers, Tarry here;

Your bows make ready all,

That, if need should be, you may follow me;

And see you observe my call.

11‘I’ll go in person first,’ he cry’d,‘With the letters of my good king,Both signd and seald, and if he will yield,We need not draw one string,’

‘I’ll go in person first,’ he cry’d,

‘With the letters of my good king,

Both signd and seald, and if he will yield,

We need not draw one string,’

12He wanderd about till at length he cameTo the tent of Robin Hood;The letter he shews; bold Robin arose,And there on his guard he stood.

He wanderd about till at length he came

To the tent of Robin Hood;

The letter he shews; bold Robin arose,

And there on his guard he stood.

13‘They’d have me surrender,’ quoth bold Robin Hood,‘And lie at their mercy then;But tell them from me, that never shall be,While I have full seven-score men.’

‘They’d have me surrender,’ quoth bold Robin Hood,

‘And lie at their mercy then;

But tell them from me, that never shall be,

While I have full seven-score men.’

14Sir William the knight, both hardy and bold,Did offer to seize him there,Which William Locksly by fortune did see,And bid him that trick forbear.

Sir William the knight, both hardy and bold,

Did offer to seize him there,

Which William Locksly by fortune did see,

And bid him that trick forbear.

15Then Robin Hood set his horn to his mouth,And blew a blast or twain,And so did the knight, at which there in sightThe archers came all amain.

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.

16Sir 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.

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.

17The archers on both sides bent their bows,And the clouds of arrows flew;The very first flight, that honoured knightDid there bid the world adieu.

The archers on both sides bent their bows,

And the clouds of arrows flew;

The very first flight, that honoured knight

Did there bid the world adieu.

18Yet nevertheless their fight did lastFrom morning till almost noon;Both parties were stout, and loath to give out;This was on the last [day] of June.

Yet nevertheless their fight did last

From morning till almost noon;

Both parties were stout, and loath to give out;

This was on the last [day] of June.

19At length they went off; one part they wentTo London with right good-will;And Robin Hood he to the green-wood tree,And there he was taken ill.

At length they went off; one part they went

To London with right good-will;

And Robin Hood he to the green-wood tree,

And there he was taken ill.

20He sent for a monk, who let him blood,And took his life away;Now this being done, his archers they run,It was not a time to stay.

He sent for a monk, who let him blood,

And took his life away;

Now this being done, his archers they run,

It was not a time to stay.

21Some got on board and crossd the seas,To Flanders, France, and Spain,And others to Rome, for fear of their doom,But soon returnd again.

Some got on board and crossd the seas,

To Flanders, France, and Spain,

And others to Rome, for fear of their doom,

But soon returnd again.

22Thus he that never feard bow nor spearWas murderd by letting of blood;And so, loving friends, the story doth endOf valiant bold Robin Hood.

Thus he that never feard bow nor spear

Was murderd by letting of blood;

And so, loving friends, the story doth end

Of valiant bold Robin Hood.

23There’s nothing remains but his epitaph now,Which, reader, here you have;To this very day, and read it you may,As it was upon his grave.

There’s nothing remains but his epitaph now,

Which, reader, here you have;

To this very day, and read it you may,

As it was upon his grave.

Robin Hood’s Epitaph,Set on his tombBy the Prioress of Birkslay Monastery, in Yorkshire.

Robin Hood’s Epitaph,

Set on his tomb

By the Prioress of Birkslay Monastery, in Yorkshire.

Robin, Earl of Huntington,Lies under this little stone.No archer was like him so good;His wildness nam’d him Robin Hood.Full thirteen years, and something more,These northern parts he vexed sore.Such outlaws as he and his menMay England never know again!

Robin, Earl of Huntington,

Lies under this little stone.

No archer was like him so good;

His wildness nam’d him Robin Hood.

Full thirteen years, and something more,

These northern parts he vexed sore.

Such outlaws as he and his men

May England never know again!

Robin Hood and the Valiant Knight; together with an account of his Death and Burial, &c. Tune of Robin Hood and the Fifteen Foresters.

Inside the cover is written, William Stukely, 1741.

184. dayfound inb.

A carelessly printed book, with only twenty-four ballads. It belonged to Bishop Percy. Burden omitted.

11. When bold Robin and.

13. had been told he.

14. With his.

21. the best.

24. will be.

3.wanting.

61. Take an.

63. art to.

73. again Robin.

121. till at last.

122. of bold.

131. would have: bold, Hood,wanting.

133. that it.

134. Whilst.

151. Robin he set.

174. therewanting.

181. the fight.

184. last day.

192. For London.

193. hewanting.

201. to let.

202. done away they ran.

21.wanting.

221. that neither.

243. itwanting.

244. it were.

The epitaph is not given.

Burden: Derry down down: Hey down derry derry down.

13. that they had been bold.

22. bestwanting.

51. Go you.

61. an.

73. boldwanting.

104. see that.

113. Well signd.

144. bid them: to forbear.

184. daywanting.

191. party.

192. For London.

201. to let.

202. Who took.

204. awanting.

211. Some went.

233. andwanting.

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