Though he heartily loveth not me.'
Robin Hood took the bishop by the hand,
And he caused the music to play;
And he made the old bishop to dance in his boots,
And glad to get so away.
CHAPTER XXXV. ROBIN HOOD AND HIS ADVENTURES.
'They say he is already in the forest of Arden, and a many merry men with him; and there they live like the old Robin Hood of England... and fleet the time carelessly as they did in the golden world.'- AS YOU LIKE IT.
AS has been already said, some of the ballad makers have so far erred from the truth as to represent Robin Hood as being outlawed by Henry VIII., and several stories are told of Queen Katherine's interceding with her husband for the pardon of the bold outlaw.* However this may be, it is known that Robin Hood once shot a match on the queen's side against the king's archers, and here is the story:-
This seems to have been the opinion of the author from whom we draw the following account of our hero's life,- to show how the doctors will disagree even on a topic as important as Robin Hood:-
THE NOBLE BIRTH AND THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF ROBIN HOOD.
'Robin Hood was descended from the noble family of the Earl of Huntingdon, and being outlawed by Henry VIII. for many extravagancies and outrages he had committed, he did draw together a company of such bold and licentious persons as himself, who lived for the most part on robberies committed in or near unto Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. He had these always ready at his command, so that if need did require he at the winding of his horn would have fifty or more of them in readiness to assist him. He whom he most affected was called Little John by reason of his low stature, though not inferior to any of them in strength of body and stoutness of spirit. He would not entertain any into his service whom he had not first fought with himself and made sufficient trial of his courage and dexterity how to use his weapons, which was the reason that oftentimes he came home hurt and beaten as he was; which was nevertheless no occasion of the diminution of his love to the person whom he fought with, for ever afterwards he would be the more familiar with him, and better respect him for it. Many petitions were referred to the king for a pardon for him, which the king (understanding of the many mad pranks he and his associates played) would give no ear unto; but being attended with a considerable guard, did make a progress himself to find him out and bring him to condign punishment. At last, by the means and mediation of Queen Katherine the king's wrath was qualified, and his pardon sealed, and he spent his old age in peace, at a house of his own, not far from Nottingham, being generally beloved and respected by all.'
Robin Hood on one occasion sent a present to Queen Katherine with which she was so pleased that she swore she would be a friend to the noble outlaw as long as she might live. So one day the queen went to her chamber and called to her a page of her company and bade him make haste and prepare to ride to Nottinghamshire to find Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest; for the queen had made a match with the king, her archers against his archers, and the queen proposed to have Robin Hood and his band to shoot on her side against the king's archers.
Now as for the page, he started for Nottingham and posted all the way, and inquired on the road for Robin Hood, where he might be, but he could not find any one who could let him know exactly. So he took up his quarters at an inn at Nottingham. And in the room of the inn he sat him down and called for a bottle of Rhenish wine, and he drank the queen's health out of it. Now at his side was sitting a yeoman of the country, clad in Lincoln green, with a long bow in his hand. And he turned to the page and asked him, 'What is thy business, my sweet boy, so far in the north country, for methinks you must come from London?' So then the page told him that it was his business to find Robin Hood the outlaw, and for that he asked every yeoman that he met. And he asked his friend if he knew anything which might help him. 'Truly,' said the yeoman, 'that I do. And if you will get to horse early to-morrow morning I will show you Robin Hood and all his gay yeomen.'
So the next morning they got them to horse and rode out into the forest, and the yeoman brought the page to where were Robin Hood and his yeomen. And the page fell down on his knee and said to Robin Hood, 'Queen Katherine greets you well by me, and hath sent you this ring as a token. She bids you post up to London town, for that there shall be some sport there in which she has a mind you shall have a hand.' And at this Robin took off his mantle of Lincoln green from his back and sent it by the page to Queen Katherine with a promise that he and his band would follow him as soon as they might.
So Robin Hood clothed all his men in Lincoln green and himself in scarlet, and each man wore a black hat with a white feather stuck therein. And thus Robin Hood and his band came up to London. And Robin fell down on his knees before the queen, and she bade him welcome with all his band. For the match between the queen's archers and the king's was to come off the next day in Finsbury fields.
Here first came the king's archers marching with bold bearing, and then came Robin Hood and his archers for the queen. And they laid out the marks there. And the king laid a wager with the queen on the shooting. Now the wager was three hundred tun of Rhenish, and three hundred tun of good English beer, and three hundred fat harts. So then the queen asked if there were any knights with the king who would take her side. But they were unwilling, for said they, 'How shall we bet on these men whom we have never seen, when we know Clifton and the rest of the king's archers, and have seen them shoot?' Now this Clifton was one of the king's archers and a great boaster. And when he had reached the shooting field he had cried out, 'Measure no marks for us, my lord the king, for we will shoot at the sun and moon.' But for all that Robin Hood beat him at the shooting. And the queen asked the Bishop of Herefordshire to back her archers. But he swore by his mitre that he would not bet a single penny on the queen's archers for he knew them not. 'What will you bet against them,' asked Robin Hood at this, 'since you think our shooting is the worse?' 'Truly,' said the bishop, 'I will bet all the money that may be in my purse,' and he pulled it up from where it hung at his side. 'What is in your purse?' asked Robin Hood. And the bishop tossed it down on the ground saying, 'Fifteen rose-nobles, and that's an hundred pound.' So Robin Hood tossed out a bag beside the bishop's purse on the green.
And with that they began shooting, and shot three bouts and they came out even; the king's and the queen's. 'The next three shots,' said the king, 'shall pay for all.' And so the king's archers shot, and then Robin Hood, and Little John and Midge the miller's son shot for the queen, and came every man of them nearer the prick in the willow wand than did any of the king's men. So the queen's archers having beaten, Queen Katherine asked a boon of the king, and he granted it. 'Give me, I pray you,' said the queen, 'safe conduct for the archers of my party to come and to go home and to stay in London here some time to enjoy themselves.' 'I grant it,' said the king. 'Then you are welcome, Robin Hood,' said the queen, 'and so is Little John and Midge the miller's son and every one of you.' 'Is this Robin Hood?' asked the king, 'for I had heard that he was killed in a quarrel in the north country.' And the bishop too asked, 'Is this Robin Hood? If I had known that I would not have bet a penny with him. He took me one Saturday evening and bound me fast to a tree, and there he made me sing a mass for him and his yeomanry about.' 'Well, if I did,' said Robin Hood, 'surely I needed all the masses that I might get for my soul.' And with that he and his yeomanry departed, and when their safe conduct was expired they journeyed north again to Sherwood Forest.
ROBIN HOOD AND THE BEGGAR.
But Robin Hood, once having supplied himself with good store of money, which he had gotten of the sheriff of Nottingham, bought him a stout gelding, and riding on him one day towards Nottingham, it was his fortune to meet with a poor beggar. Robin Hood was of a frolic spirit, and no accepter of persons; but observing the beggar to have several sorts of bags, which were fastened to his patched coat, he did ride up to him, and giving him the time of day, he demanded of him what countryman he was. 'A Yorkshireman,' said the beggar; 'and I would desire of you to
