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Robin Hood and the Butcher

Ballads about Robin Hood

No one can prove from history that such a man as Robin Hood really lived. All that we know about him comes from ballads. Bards, or minstrels, as people called them, walked or rode from town to town, from village to village in England and Scotland and sang ballads to the people. Most ballads are based on fact1 and it is almost certain that in the 12th century a man who said that his name was Robin Hood lived in the forest as an outlaw. He robbed only rich people and helped poor people. Today we have about forty ballads about Robin Hood. People began to write down these ballads in the 14th and 15th centuries. Here are some ballads retold.

ROBIN HOOD AND THE BUTCHER

I

Robin Hood and his merry men lived in Sherwood Forest2 near the town of Nottingham3. They were good friends to all the poor people. They stopped rich men who were passing through Sherwood Forest and took their money. Then they gave that money to the poor. The poor people of England loved Robin Hood and his men.

The sheriff of Nottingham wanted to kill Robin Hood or take him prisoner4. He sent his soldiers

1Most ballads are based on fact — Большинство баллад основано на действительных событиях

2Sherwood Forest ['SA:wud'fDrIst] — Шервудский лес

3Nottingham ['nDtINAm] — Ноттингем

4take him prisoner — взять его в плен

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Ballads about Robin Hood

to Sherwood Forest many times, but they could not catch Robin Hood.

One day, when Robin Hood was walking through Sherwood Forest, he saw a man with a horse. The horse was carrying some big bags of meat.

“Where are you going, friend?” asked Robin Hood.

“To Nottingham,” answered the man. “I am a butcher. I am carrying this meat to sell at the market.”

“Sell your meat to me,” said Robin Hood. The butcher agreed. Robin Hood bought all the meat from the butcher. He also bought his horse and his

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Robin Hood and the Butcher

butcher’s apron and cap. The butcher went home, and Robin Hood put on the butcher’s apron and cap and went to Nottingham to sell the meat.

There were many people at the market. Robin Hood found a good place to stop and began to shout:

“Very good meat! Come and buy! Very cheap meat!”

People were glad to buy cheap meat. Soon everybody came to buy meat from Robin; nobody wanted to buy meat from the other butchers. The other butchers were very angry. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Why is he selling his meat so cheap?”

An old butcher said:

“We must do something. If he comes to the market again, nobody will buy our meat. Let us invite him to come and have dinner with the sheriff and us in the sheriff’s house. At dinner we shall ask him who he is.”

So all the butchers went up to Robin.

“Will you come and have dinner with the sheriff and us?” asked the old butcher.

Robin agreed. “Thank you,” he said, “I am very hungry, I shall gladly have dinner with you.”

Before dinner the butchers told the sheriff about the new butcher who sold his meat so cheap. Then, all the time they were eating, the sheriff looked at the new butcher and thought. He was thinking of a plan.

“This young man is a fool,” thought the sheriff, who was very greedy. “If he sells his meat cheap, he will sell his cattle cheap. I must buy all his

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Ballads about Robin Hood

cattle. Then I shall sell the cattle to the other butchers and make a lot of money.”

After dinner the sheriff said to Robin Hood: “Young man, have you any cattle to sell?” “Yes, very many,” said Robin Hood.

“I shall buy all your cattle,” said the sheriff. “When can you show them to me?”

“I shall go home tomorrow morning,” said Robin Hood.

“Very good. I shall go with you and buy your cattle. But don’t say anything to the other butchers!”

“All right,” said Robin Hood and laughed to himself.

II

The next morning the sheriff put his money into three bags and went with Robin Hood to see the cattle.

The morning was fine. The sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly. The birds were singing in the trees. Soon the sheriff and Robin Hood were in Sherwood Forest. The sheriff said to Robin Hood:

“There is a very bad man in this forest, who is an outlaw and a robber. His name is Robin Hood. Do you think we shall see him?”

“Don’t worry,” answered Robin Hood and laughed. “I don’t think we shall see him.”

“That is good,” said the sheriff, “because I am afraid of him. He is a very, very wicked man.”

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Robin Hood and the Butcher

Robin only laughed.

Soon Robin and the sheriff saw a great number of deer among the trees.

“Look!” cried Robin, “look! There they are! Do you like my cattle?”

Now the sheriff understood that the young butcher was Robin Hood. He was very much afraid. He said:

“Young man, I think I shall go back to Nottingham.” Robin Hood looked at the sheriff’s pale and frightened face and laughed.

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Ballads about Robin Hood

“What! You don’t want to buy my cattle? Why don’t you? Aren’t they good? You have enough money to buy them!”

“I tell you I want to go back to Nottingham. I have no money.”

Robin Hood blew his horn1. Little John and the other merry men came very quickly.

“Good morning, Little John,” said Robin Hood. “Is dinner ready? Have you prepared good wine and beer? Today the sheriff of Nottingham will have dinner with us.”

The dinner was very good. After dinner Robin Hood said:

“Now, Sheriff, you must pay for your dinner.” “But I am a poor man. I have no money,” said

the sheriff.

“No money! And what is there in your bags?” “Oh, there are only stones there,” replied the

sheriff.

“Little John,” said Robin Hood, “bring the sheriff’s bags.” Little John brought the sheriff’s bags and put them on the ground.

“Sheriff,” said Robin, “you are a wicked man. I shall take this money and give it to poor people. Now you may go back to Nottingham. Little John, give the sheriff his horse.”

Robin Hood’s men brought the sheriff’s horse, and Robin showed him the way out of Sherwood Forest. When they came to the end of the forest, he said:

1 blew his horn — протрубил в свой рог

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How Robin Hood Escaped from Nottingham Castle

“Remember me to1 the butchers.”

Robin laughed and rode back into the forest.

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

1.Why did the poor people love Robin Hood and his merry men?

2.What did the sheriff want to do to Robin Hood? Why?

3.Explain why the sheriff said to Robin Hood, “But don’t say anything to the other butchers.”

4.Find in the text the description of the morning when Robin Hood and the sheriff rode towards Sherwood Forest.

5.Why did the sheriff want to go home?

6.How did the sheriff pay for his dinner?

HOW ROBIN HOOD ESCAPED FROM NOTTINGHAM CASTLE

One day, when Robin Hood was in Nottingham, the sheriff’s soldiers recognized him and took him prisoner. The sheriff was very glad. He told the soldiers to put Robin into the dungeon of Nottingham Castle.

When Robin’s friends learned that he was in Nottingham Castle, they were very sad.

“What can we do?” said Little John to Will Scarlet2.

“Nothing,” answered Will Scarlet. “The walls of Nottingham Castle are thick. Many soldiers

1Remember me to — Передай от меня привет

2Will Scarlet ['wIl'skC:lIt] — Вилл Скарлет

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Ballads about Robin Hood

stand on guard. When a man is in Nottingham Castle, nobody can save him.”

“Oh!” cried Little John, “there is no castle in England strong enough to hold1 Robin Hood for long! Listen! I have a plan to save him.”

The next morning the soldiers who were standing on guard at the gates of Nottingham Castle saw two men on the road. The men were walking towards the castle. On their shoulders they were carrying a pole. A fine fat deer wastied to the pole.

When the two men came nearer, one of them cried out to the soldiers:

“Hey2, open the gates! We are bringing venison for the sheriff. We must take it to the kitchen.”

The soldiers looked at the two men. They had no knives, swords or bows and arrows on them. The soldiers opened the gates, and the men went

in.“Which way to the kitchen?” cried one of them. “Down the stone steps3,” said the soldier.

The two men went down the steps. Soon they saw the kitchen door, but they did not stop there. They went on and on4, down more and more steps. At last they reached a dark corner where nobody could see them.

1 strong enough to hold — достаточно крепкого, чтобы удержать

2 Hey — Эй

ням3 Down the stone steps — Вниз по каменным ступе- 4 on and on — дальше и дальше

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How Robin Hood Escaped from Nottingham Castle

Now, these two men were Little John and Will Scarlet. In silence they quickly put the deer on the ground. Little John opened the deer underneath1 and out of it he took ropes, swords, knives, bows and arrows! They had no venison at all, only a deer skin, and they used it as a bag to carry everything they needed to save Robin Hood.

“Now,” said Little John, “we must try to find where Robin Hood is.”

“There may be a guard outside the door,” Will Scarlet said softly.

1 underneath [EndA'ni:F] — снизу

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Ballads about Robin Hood

Suddenly they heard footsteps. They looked out of their corner. They saw two guards. The first one had a sword. The other one was carrying some bread and water.

Will Scarlet and Little John looked at each other. Food for one of the prisoners? But which one? Maybe there were many prisoners.

They followed the soldiers along the dark corridor. The soldiers went on and on. They turned a corner where it was very dark. Then they opened the door of a dungeon. Will Scarlet and Little John heard the voice of one of the guards:

“Now, Robin, here is your dinner. The sheriff —”

But we shall never know what the soldier was going to say about the sheriff, because at that moment Little John and Will Scarlet pushed him and the other soldier through the open door onto the stone floor of the dungeon.

“John!” exclaimed Robin Hood, and seized the sword of the first soldier.

“Hush!” whispered John. “We must work quickly.”

Will Scarlet and Robin Hood held the soldiers down on the floor1 and did not let them cry out. Little John went back and brought the deer skin and all the other things. Then he closed the door and tied up the soldiers with the ropes.

1 held the soldiers down on the floor — прижали сол-

дат к полу

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