'Yesterday I should have married a maid, 'What is thy name?' then said Robin Hood, 'Come tell me without any fail:' 'By the faith of my body,' then said the young man, 'My name it is Allin a Dale.' 'What wilt thou give me?' said Robin Hood, 'In ready gold or fee, To help thee to thy true love again, And deliver her unto thee?' 'I have no money,' then quoth the young man, 'No ready gold nor fee, But I will swear upon a book Thy true servant for to be.' " How many miles is it to thy true love? Come tell me without guile :' 'By the faith of my body,' then said the young man, 'It is but five little mile.' Then Robin he hasted over the plain, He did neither stint nor lin, Until he came unto the church, Where Allin should keep his wedding. 'What hast thou here?' the bishop then said, 'I prithee now tell unto me:' 'I am a bold harper,' quoth Robin Hood, 'And the best in the north country.' 'O welcome, O welcome,' the bishop he said. 'That music best pleaseth me ;' 'You shall have no music,' quoth Robin Hood, 'Till the bride and the bridegroom I see.' With that came in a wealthy knight, Did shine like the glistering gold. 'This is not a fit match,' quoth bold Robin Hood, 'That you do seem to make here, For since we are come into the church, The bride shall choose her own dear.' Then Robin Hood put his horn to his mouth, When four-and-twenty bowmen bold Came leaping over the lea. And when they came into the churchyard, Marching all on a row, The very first man was Allin a Dale, To give bold Robin his bow. 'This is thy true love,' Robin he said, 'Young Allin as I hear say; And you shall be married at this same time, Before we depart away.' 'That shall not be,' the bishop he said, They shall be three times asked in the church, Robin Hood pulled off the bishop's coat, 'By the faith of my body,' then Robin said, When Little John went into the quire, He asked them seven times in the church, 'Who gives me this maid?' said Little John; Quoth Robin Hood, 'That do I, And he that takes her from Allin a Dale, And thus having end of this merry wedding, And so they returned to the merry greenwood, Old Ballad XXXII VIOLETS Under the green hedges after the snow, Sweet as the roses, and blue as the sky, been. XXXIII THE PALMER 'Open the door, some pity to show! 'No outlaw seeks your castle gate, From chasing the king's deer, Though even an outlaw's wretched state Might claim compassion here. 'The hare is crouching in her form, 'You hear the Ettrick's sullen roar, Dark, deep, and strong is he, And I must ford the Ettrick o'er, Unless you pity me. 'The iron gate is bolted hard, E 'Farewell, farewell! and Heaven grant, You never may the shelter want, The Ranger on his couch lay warm, For lo, when through the vapours dank A corpse, amid the alders rank, The Palmer welter'd there. Sir W. Scott XXXIV THE FORSAKEN MERMAN Come dear children, let us away; Down and away below. Now my brothers call from the bay ; Now the great winds shorewards blow; Now the wild white horses play, Champ and chafe and toss in the spray. This way, this way. Call her once before you go. In a voice that she will know : 'Margaret! Margaret !' T |