give me something.' 'Give thee!' said Robin Hood; 'why, I have nothing to give thee. I am a poor ranger in the forest, and thou seemest to be a lusty knave; shall I give thee a good bastinado over thy shoulders?' 'Content, content,' said the beggar; 'I durst lay all my bags to a threaden joust, thou wilt repent it.' With that Robin Hood alighted, and the beggar, with his long quarterstaff, so well defended himself, that, let Robin Hood do what he could, he could not come within the beggar, to flash him to a remembrance of his overboldness; and nothing vexed him more than to find that the beggar's staff was as hard and as obdurate as iron itself; but not so Robin Hood's head, for the beggar with all his force did let his staff descend with such a side blow, that Robin Hood, for all his skill, could not defend it, but the blood came trickling down his face, which, turning Robin Hood's courage into revenge and fury, he let fly at him with his trusty sword, and doubled blow upon blow; but perceiving that the beggar did hold him so hard to it that one of his blows was but the forerunner of another, and every blow to be almost the Postilion of Death, he cried out to him to hold his hand. 'That will I not do,' said the beggar, 'unless thou wilt resign unto me thy horse, and thy sword, and thy clothes, with all the money thou hast in thy pockets.' 'The change is uneven,' said Robin Hood, 'but for once I am content.'
So, putting on the beggar's clothes, the beggar was the gentleman, and Robin Hood was the beggar, who, entering into Nottingham town with his patched coat and several wallets, understood that three brethren were that day to suffer at the gallows, being condemned for killing the king's deer, he made no more ado, but went directly to the sheriff's house, where a young gentleman, seeing him to stand at the door, demanded of him what he would have. Robin Hood returned answer that he came to crave neither meat nor drink, but the lives of these three brothers who were condemned to die. 'That cannot be,' said the young gentleman, 'for they are all this day to suffer according to law, for stealing of the king's deer, and they are already conveyed out of the town to the place of execution.' 'I will be with them presently,' said Robin Hood, and coming to the gallows he found many making great lamentation for them. Robin Hood did comfort them, and assured them they should not die; and blowing his horn, behold on a sudden a hundred brave archers came unto him, by whose help, having released the prisoners, and killed the, hangman, and hurt many of the sheriff's officers, they took those who were condemned to die for killing the king's deer along with them, who, being very thankful for the preservation of their lives, became afterwards of the yeomanry of Robin Hood.
ROBIN HOOD AND KING RICHARD.
Now King Richard, hearing of the deeds of Robin Hood and his men, wondered much at them, and desired greatly himself to see him, and his men as well. So he with a dozen of his lords rode to Nottingham town and there took up his abode. And being at Nottingham, the king one day with his lords put on friars' gowns every one, and rode forth from Fountain Abbey down to Barnsdale. And as they were riding there they saw Robin Hood and all his band standing ready to assail them. The king, being taller than the rest, was thought by Robin to be the abbot. So he made up to him, and seized his horse by the head, and bade him stand. 'For,' said he, 'it is against such knaves as you that I am bound to make war.' 'But,' said the king himself, 'we are messengers from the king, who is but a little away, waiting to speak with you.' 'God save the king,' said Robin Hood, 'and all his well-wishers. And accursed be every one who may deny his sovereignty.' 'You are cursing yourself,' said the king, 'for you are a traitor.' 'Now,' said Robin Hood, 'if you were not the king's messenger, I would make you rue that word of yours. I am as true a man to the king as lives. And I never yet injured any honest man and true, but only those who make their living by stealing from others. I have never in my life harmed either husbandman or huntsman. But my chief spite lies against the clergy, who have in these days great power. But I am right glad to have met you here. Come with me, and you shall taste our greenwood cheer.' But the king and his lords marvelled, wondering what kind of cheer Robin might provide for them. And Robin took the king's horse by the head, and led him towards his tent. 'It is because thou comest from the king,' said he, 'that I use you in this wise; and hadst thou as much gold as ever I had, it should be all of it safe for good King Richard's sake.' And with that he took out his horn, and blew on it a loud blast. And thereat came marching forth from the wood five score and ten of Robin's followers, and each one bent the knee before Robin Hood. 'Surely,' thought the king, 'it is a goodly sight to see; for they are more humble to their master than my servants are to me, Here may the court learn something from the greenwood.' And here they laid a dinner for the king and his lords, and the king swore that he had never feasted better. Then Robin Hood, taking a can of ale, said, 'Let us now begin, each man with his can. Here's a health to the king.' And they all drank the health to the king, the king himself, as well as another.
And after the dinner they all took their bows, and showed the king such archery that the king said he had never seen such men as they in any foreign land. And then said the king to Robin Hood, 'If I could get thee a pardon from King Richard, wouldst thou serve the king well in everything?' 'Yes, with all my heart,' said Robin. And so said all his men.
And with that the king declared himself to them, and said, 'I am the king, your sovereign, that is now before you.' And at this Robin and all his men fell down on their knees; but the king raised them up, saying to them that he pardoned each one of them, and that they should every one of them be in his service. So the king returned to Nottingham, and with him returned Robin Hood and his men, to the great joy of the townspeople, whom they had for a long time sorely vexed.
'And they are gone to London court,
Robin Hood and all his train;
He once was there a noble peer,
And now he's there again.'
THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD.
But Robin Hood returned to Sherwood Forest, and there met his death. For one day, being wounded in a fight, he fled out of the battle with Little John. And being at some distance, Robin Hood said to his lieutenant, 'Now truly I cannot shoot even one shot more, for the arrows will not fly. For I am sore wounded. So I will go to my cousin, the abbess, who dwelleth near here in Kirkley Hall, and she shall bleed me, that I may be well again.' So Robin Hood left Little John, and he went his way to Kirkley; and reaching the Hall, his strength nearly left him, yet he knocked heavily at the door. And his cousin came down first to let him in. And when she saw him she knew that it was her cousin Robin Hood, and she received him with a joyful face. Then said Robin, 'You see me, my cousin, how weak I am. Therefore I pray you to bleed me, that I may be whole again.' And his cousin took him by the hand, and led him into an upper room, and laid him on a bed, and she bled him. But the treacherous woman tied not up the vein again, but left him so that his life began to flow from him. And he, finding his strength leaving him, thought to escape; but he could not, for the door was locked, and the casement window was so high that he might not leap down from it. Then, knowing that he must die, he reached forth his hand to his bugle horn, which lay by him on the bed. And setting the horn to his mouth, be blew weakly, though with all his strength, three blasts upon it. And Little John, as he sat under the tree in the greenwood, heard his blowing, and he said, 'Now must Robin be near death, for his blast is very weak.'
And he got up and ran to Kirkley Hall as fast as he might. And coming to the door, he found it locked; but he broke it down, and so came to Robin Hood. And coming to the bed, he fell upon his knees, and said, 'Master, I beg a boon of thee,- that thou lettest me burn down Kirkley Hall and all the nunnery.' 'Nay,' quoth Robin Hood; 'nay, I cannot grant you your boon; for never in my life did I hurt woman, or man in woman's company, nor shall it be done when I die. But for me, give me my long bow, and I will let fly an arrow, and where you shall find the arrow, there bury me. And make my grave long and broad, that I may rest easily; and place my head upon a green sod, and place my bow at my side.' And these words Little John readily promised him, so that Robin Hood was pleased. And they buried him as he had asked, an arrow-shot from Kirkley Hall.
CHAPTER XXXVI. CHEVY CHASE.
'The Perse out of Northumberlande,
And a vowe to God mayde he,
That he wold hunte in the mountayns
Off Chyviat within days thre,
