With eirthlie joy, swa that na estait is fre, And als' troubill, and sum vexatioun ; And namelie thay quhilk climmis up maist hie, Blissit be sempill lyfe withoutin dreid; The sweitest lyfe thairfoir in this cuntrie, O wantoun man! that usis for to feld Thy wambe, and makis it ane god to be. Thairfoir best thing in eird. I my, for me. Thy awin fyre, my friends it be hot ne gled? Under the bevin and better be Of earthly joy its bera mais de Blythes betyd 210 220 81 Henry II., but more probably in the reign of Henry III., towards the year 1230. and lived in war against authority; eating the king's He was outlawed deer, defying the oppressive game laws, and all thom of the king's officers who represented the hard hand of power that was used often oppressively against the poor. He scorned bishops and archbishops, who grew fat on the goods of the people. generous to the poor, and he was religious in the He was poor man's fashion, by devotion to the Virgin; for in her the mistaught and oppressed of the Middle Age -forced to fear power in this world and in the next-found the lost spirit of love within an image of mild, womanly tender; and to her, there fore, they prayed for weiter from the wrath of God and man Potin Hood personded to trends in England the qirit of livery in cruel forest law, again all tyrantee of un ara aga.hum in etaren and we again a.. luxury bo gol of aver From the 60 daye west. Howard the Saxon bed the wood. What we Norman king, there Later & *** trap wpatry beroes to the wing set with more team. in ther wha wan in ur T:y were tre five where "head" rhymes with "left," and in lines 1156, 1158. Note also the nasal sound of a final nd which rhymes with ng. The reader will seldom miss the measure of the verse if allowance be made (a) for the frequent addition of a trivial monosyllable to the beginning of a line, as in lines 3, 7, 13, 15, 28, 35, &c.: (b) for the old elisions in quick speech, as in line 3, "(I) shall you | téll 'f a good yeo mán];" line 7, "(So) cúrt'se an outlaw's he was óne;" line 19, "Máster, 'f | yé would | díne be tíme:" or lines 32 and 33, "Tóne i'th' wórship of the Fa'r To'r óf the Holy Ghost:" and (e) for || | the occasional development of syllables, by dwelling, say, upon an r that can be rolled, or on a y that can be emphatically broadened, as in line 77, "These yeó men áll thr-ée," or line 252, "Ná-y | bý him thát me máde," or the pronouncing of "more" (lines 159, 238) and "four" (lines 266, 270) as dissyllables. And by him stood Little John," A good yeomán was he; And Much the miller's son; But it was worth a groom." Then bespake him Little John Then bespaké good Robin, A good manner then had Robin Three masses would he hear: The one in the worship of the Father, The other of the Holy Ghost, The third was of our dear Lady, 20 1 Geste, record of "gesta," things done. From this word "geste," meaning a record of things done, told for amusement, came probably the use of "jest," for anything said or done to amuse. 2 Lithe and listen are synonymous. Lithe (Icelandic "hlytha"), to hearken. 3 Barnysdale. The district of Barnsdale, in Yorkshire, a few miles north of Doncaster, between that town and Pontefract, was once covered with forest, and celebrated as one of the chief haunts of Robin Hood. John of Fordun, in his "Scoti-chronicon," written in the reign of Edward III., says that Robin Hood was attending mass in Barnsdale when he heard that his enemies were upon him, that he would not defend himself until the mass was done, then triumphed easily, and ever after held masses in greater veneration. Fordun places the date of Robin Hood's adventures after the battle of Evesham (A.D. 1265). He says that "then, from among the dispossessed and the banished, arose that most famous cut-throat Robin Hood, with Little John, and their accomplices, whom the foolish multitude are so extravagantly fond of celebrating in tragedy an 1 comedy, and the ballads concerning whom, sung by the jesters and minstrels, delight them beyond all others." Fordun's continner, Bower, writes, under the year 1266, of obstinate hostilities between the dispossessed barons and the royalists, adding that "Robert Hood now lived as an outlaw among the woodland copses and thickets." In Dr. Stukeley's "Palæographia Britannica" there is a pedigree of Robin Hood to this effect: Gilbert de Gaunt, Earl of Lincoln, and his wife, Avis, had two Alice married an Earl of Huntingdon; Maud married Ralph Alice died, childless, in 1184. John, Earl of Huntingdon by Maud had by her husband, Ralph Fitzooth, a son, Walter, who was brought up by Robert, Earl of Oxford, as his son. That Walter married a daughter of Payn Beauchamp and Lady Roisia de Vere. The hero of popular legend was their son Robert, grandson of Ralph, whose name of Fitzooth was corrupted by the people into Hood, who, on the strength of this pedigree, claimed the earldom of Huntingdon, and who died towards the close of the century. This pedigree agrees with Fordun's statement, that Robin Hood was active and well known at the date of the battle of Evesham; but if we take these dates, he must have been born, not in the reign of Henry II., but in the reign of Henry III, whom he outlived. Little John. Tradition says that his surname was Nailor. 5 Scathelock is also called in the ballads "Scadlock" and "Scarlet." 6 Groom, man. First English "guma;" Old High German "gomo;" allied to Latin "homo." l'abeth 7 Unketh, First English "uncuth" (uncouth), unknown. gest, adventure of some kind yet unknown. Since surprise is caused by the unexpected, "uncouth" (Scottish "unco") can also mean surprising, and take other secondary meanings, as "very," or to an unknown extent. One to whom the appointed ways of doing anything are unknown may show himself uncouth, and that is the sense of the word as now commonly used in England. 8 Ere, or. I change the old word "or" (First English "r") into "ere" throughout, to avoid confusion with the "or" (First English "athor," &c.), which occurs three times in the two stans preceding this. And in "Henry V.," act iv. sc. 2, where the old editions have " doubt," probably this was the word written : "Constable. Hark, how our steeds for present service neigh. And dout them with superfluous courage. Ha!" 2 An, and in the original, from which the form "an," in the sense of "if," was probably derived. Horne Tooke traced it from the imperative of the verb "unnan," to grant. 3 Reve, from First English "reafian," seize, rob, spoil. and "reave" are synonymous, like "lithe" and "listen." No force, no importance, no matter. "Rob" 5 Housbonde, from First English "hus," a house, and "buend," one inhabiting and cultivating the soil. The husband meant by Robin Hood is the occupier of a house who tills the ground about it. From this duty of the man came the name "husband," as "wife," from the duty of the mistress of the house to weave into cloth the yarn spun for her by her maidens, who were thence called spinsters. 6 Shaw, of same root with First English "sceado," shadow, means the shade under the trees, and thence commonly the wood itself. 7 Felaw (the First English spelling of "fellow," from "fyligean," to follow), follower or comrade. 10 It is ferre days, the day is far gone; God send us an adventure, so that we might dine. "('t is) férrë | days, God | sénd's a géste | That we were't oúr | dinére. | Take thy goód bow'n | th'hánd, said | Rób'n. |' 11 In his edition of the Robin Hood Ballads, Joseph Ritson says:"The Sayles appears to be some place in the neighbourhood of Barnsdale, but no mention of it has elsewhere occurred; though, it is believed, there is a field so called not far from Doncaster." Sall, as suffix to a local name, indicated the place where a stone house (First My master hath abiden 20 Hende 19 knight and free; you fasting, Sir, all these hourés three." "Who is your master?" said the knight. John said, "Robin Hood." 100 "He is a good yeoman," said the knight, "Of him I have heard much good. I grant," he said, "with you to wend, My purpose was to have dined to-day Forth then went this gentle knight, With a careful cheer, The tears out of his eyen ran, And fell down by his lere.23 110 English "sal") had been built, and that close to Barnsdale district there are several places with that suffix. On one side of Barnsdale is Campsall, with a house known as Camps Mount, and on the other side are North and South Elmsall or Emsall. "The Sayles" (pronounced sa-j-les) may have been cleared high ground on which some houses had been built, and from which there was free view over the forest. 12 Watling Street. Two miles west of Campsall the old North road runs through Barnsdale along the line of the Roman Ermyn or Watling Street. There is a piece of the old road now to be seen close by the turnpike known as Barnsdale bar. 13 Dight, prepared, from First English "dihtan," to set in order. 14 Pronounced th-r-ee. 15" But 's they looked." 16 Derne (First English "dyrne"), hidden, secret. 17 Lines to 91. Over his runs into one syllable, o'er's; the e in simple is lost before the succeeding vowel; the ier in sorrier counts as one syllable, like yer in lawyer; never is pronounced ne'er. 18 Him, himself. 19 Hende, handy, thence courteous; without the awkwardness of mind and habit that is found in the ill-trained. 20 Abiden, waited for. (My) mást'r hath | 'bíden | you fasting." Line 100," who's;" 103, "I've;" 106, "to 've," &c. Me thinketh it is good right; It was never the manner, by dere-worthy God, A yeoman to pay for a knight." "I have nought in my coffers," said the knight, "That I may proffer for shame." "Little John, go look," said Robin, "Ne let not for no blame. Tell me truth," then said Robin, "So God have part of thee." 140 150 "I have no more but ten shillings," said the knight," "So God have part of me!" 1 Lodge door. The word lodge is allied to the German "laub," foliage, and originally meant a shelter formed of the branches, twigs, and leaves of trees. It is the apt name, therefore, for Robin Hood's bower. 2 Houres, like "count-r-e" in line 137, counts as three syllables, "hou-r-és." Line 118, "I've abid'n;" 124, "toge'r;" 128, "they'd." 3 Meyne, company of followers. See Note 2, page 60. Numbles, liver, kidneys, &c.; French "nombles." The word was variously written nombles, numbles, and very commonly umbles or humbles. Old cookery books gave receipts for "umble pie," whence came the saying that a man is made" to eat humble pie "-to content himself with inferior meat while another may dine from the haunch. The umbles, with the skin, head, chine and shoulders, used to be the keeper's perquisites. $ Pronounce never and ever (lines 130 and 131) ne'er and e'er. Do gladly, enjoy yourself. Gramercy (French "grand merci "), many thanks. Dere-worthy (First English "deorwurthe "), presious. 'Let not, refrain not; be not hindered. "(I've) nó more | bút ten | shill'u's, said | th' knight. " Tell me one word," said Robín, "And counsel shall it be; I trow thou were made a knight of force, Or else of yeomanry; 180 Or else thou hast been a sorry housband And lived in stroke and strife; An okerer, or lechour," "15 said Robin. "With wrong hast thou led thy life." "I am none of them," said the knight, 66 'By [him] that madé me; An hundred winter here before, Mine aunsetters 16 knights have be. But oft it hath befal, Robín, A man hath be disgrate; But God that sitteth 17 in heaven above May amend his state. Within two or 18 three year, Robin," he said, "My neighbours well it kend,19 190 11 "I'f thou've | nó more | said Robin. " Line 158, "(And) if thou've need of ány more." In line 159 "more" is pronounced as two syllables; so also in line 238. In line 160 (also in lines 264, 268) pronounce "fo-r-th" as a dissyllable. In line 161 the missing syllable is got from the rolled r in dwelling upon the word "tr-u-th," as in line 217, where "thou" would hardly bear to be prolonged, as it could, no doubt, be in this context. Line 162, “(If) there be | nổ more | bút ten | shill’n’s. | ” 12" (And) there he | foún' 'n the knight's cof❘ fér." 13 Even, just. 14 Wonder, in three syllables, by sounding final r. See Note 15, page 61. 15 Okerer, usurer, from First English " eacan," to eke or increase, "or elles a lechour" in the original; but this seems to be a transcriber's accidental repetition of "or else" from the preceding lines. 16 Aunsetters, ancestors, pronounced in two syllables, aun se-ters. 17 Sitteth, pronounced as a monosyllable, sitt'th. In the next line May seems to have had a broad pronunciation that gave to the final y the force of a second syllable ma-y in the measure. In other words there is at times the same effect of a broadly sounded y, as in line 68, "Saylés," and line 271, "By éyghté | ne score | ." In line 209 squ ver counts as three syllables, squ-i-er. 18 Within two or counts as two syllables only in this metre, the th in within, as was common in such words as whether, whither, hither, either, neither, father, &c. (see Dr. Abbott's "Shakespearian Grammar," §466), being slipped over in pronunciation, and the o at the end of two running into the o of or. The word or is itself an example of the slipping over of th, being a contraction from other, 19 In the original "know." "5 said the knight, 200 210 "Hastily I will me busk," "Sir, never one will me know; While I was rich enow at home Great boast then would they blow, And now they run away from me, As beastés on a row; They take no more heed of me For ruthé then wept Little John, "Fill of the best wine," said Robín, 249 1 Lore, lost. The is equivalent to the s in lose. First English "leóran" and "leósan." The past tense (I lost) ran thus, with both letters: "ic léas, thu lure, he leas; we luron." 2 Twenty winter, twenty years. In First English years were reckoned by winters, and days by nights, as is still to be found in the words se'nnight and fortnight, which stand respectively for sevennight and fourteen night. 3 Beth, are; the plural (First English "beóth") of the obsolete indicative present of "beón." Wed, pledge. First English "weddian," to make a contract, whence marriage is a wedding or pledging. "By dere-worthy God," said Robin, And go to my treasury, Forth then went Little John, And Scathelock went before, He told out four hundred pound, By eighteené score."1 "Is this well told?" said Little Much. John said, "What grieveth thee? It is alms to help a gentle knight That is fall in poverty. 5 Busk, direct my course; allied to the German "putzen." 6 Never, pronounced ne'er. 260 270 7 Borowes, surety. First English "borh," plural "borgas." So in line 254. 8 "Ween'st thou I'll have." 9 Nay, pronounced here with broad emphasis, becomes a dissy lable. See Note 17, page 84. 10 Observe in this line and in line 254 the strength of the hold taken on the people by the worship of the Virgin Mary. 11 By eighteen score to the hundred. |