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Файл:The Merry Adventures Of Robin Hood Of Great Renown, In Nottinghamshire
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notice of his doing so. en, when Little John stood against
the tree, he drew Guy of Gisbourne’s sharp, double-edged
dagger. ‘Fall back! fall back!’ cried he. ‘Would ye crowd so
on my pleasure, ye unmannerly knaves? Back, I say! Farther
yet!’ So they crowd
ed back, as he ordered, many of them
turning their faces away, that they might not see what was
about to happen.
‘Come!’ cried Little John. ‘Here is my breast. It is meet
that the same hand that slew my dear master should butcher
me also!
I know thee, Guy of Gisbourne!’
‘Peace, Little John!’ said Robin in a low voice. ‘Tw ic e thou
hast said thou knowest me, and yet thou knowest me not at
all. Couldst thou not tell me beneath this wild beast’s hide?
Yonder, just in front of thee,
lie my bow and arrows, likewise
my broadsword. Take them when I cut thy bonds. Now! Get
them quickly!’ So saying, he cut the bonds, and Little John,
quick as a wink, leaped forward and caught up the bow and
arrows and the broadswor
d. At the same time Robin Hood
threw back the cowl of horse’s hide from his face and bent
Guy of Gisbourne’s bow, with a keen, barbed arrow tted to
the string. ‘Stand back!’ cried he sternly. ‘e rst man that
toucheth nger to bowstring dieth! I have sl
ain thy man,
Sheri; take heed that it is not thy turn next.’ en, seeing
that Little John had armed himself, he clapped his bugle
horn to his lips and blew three blasts both loud and shrill.
Now when the Sheri of Nottingham
saw whose face it
was beneath Guy of Gisbourne’s hood, and when he heard
those bugle notes ring in his ear, he felt as if his hour had
come. ‘Robin Hood!’ roared he, and without another word
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T M A R H
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he wheeled his horse in the road and went o in a cloud of
dust. e Sheri’s men, seeing their master thus eeing for
his life, thought that it was not their business to tarry longer,
so, clapping spurs to their horses, they also dashed away
after him. But though the Sheri of Nottingham went fast, he
could not outstrip a clothyard arrow. Little John twanged
his bowstring with a shout, and when the Sheri dashed in
through the gates of Nottingham Tow n at full speed, a gray
goose sha stuck out behin
d him like a moulting sparrow
with one feather in its tail. For a month aerward the poor
Sheri could sit upon nought but the soest cushions that
could be gotten for him.
us the Sheri and a score of men ran away from Robin
Hood and
Little John; so that when Will Stutely and a dozen or more of stout yeomen burst from out the covert, they
saw nought of their master’s enemies, for the Sheri and his
men were scurrying away in the distance, hidden within a
cloud of dust like
a little thunderstorm.
en they all went back into the forest once more, where
they found the widow’s three sons, who ran to Little John
and kissed his hands. But it would not do for them to roam
the forest at large any more; so they
promised that, aer
they had gone and told their mother of their escape, they
would come that night to the greenwood tree, and thenceforth become men of the band.
THE MERRY ADVENTURES OF R OBIN H OOD362
361
King Richard Comes
to Sherwood Forest
OT MORE than two months had passed and gone
N
since these stirring adventures befell Robin Hood and
Little John, when all Nottinghamshire was a mighty stir
and tumult, for King Richard of the Lion’s Heart was making a royal progress through merry England, and everyone
expected him to come to Nottingham Tow n in his journeying. Messengers went riding back and forth between the
Sheri and the King, until at last the time was xed upon
when His Majesty was to stop in Nottingham, as the guest
of his worship.
And now came
hither and thither, a rapping of hammers and a babble of
voices sounded everywhere through the place, for the folk
were building great arches across the streets, beneath which
the King was to pass, and were draping
silken banners and streamers of many colors. Great hubbub
was going on in the Guild Hall of the town, also, for here a
grand banquet was to be given to the King and the nobles of
his train, and the best master carpenters
ing a throne where the King and the Sheri were to sit at the
head of the table, side by side.
It seemed to many of the good folk of the place as if the
more bustle than ever; a great running
these arches with
were busy build-
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T M A R H
363
day that should bring the King into the town would never
come; but all the same it did come in its own season, and
bright shone the sun down into the stony streets, which
were all alive with a restless sea of people. On either side
of
the way great crowds of town and country folk stood packed
as close together as dried herring in a box, so that the Sheris men, halberds in hands, could hardly press them back to
leave space for the King’s rid
ing.
‘Ta ke care whom thou pushest against!’ cried a great, bur-
ly friar to one of these men. ‘Wouldst thou dig thine elbows
into me, sirrah? By’r Lady of the Fountain, an thou dost not
treat me with more deference I will crack thy knave’s pate
for thee,
even though thou be one of the mighty Sheri’s
men.’
At this a great shout of laughter arose from a number of
tall yeomen in Lincoln green that were scattered through the
crowd thereabouts; but one that seemed of more authority
than the others nudged the holy man
with his elbow. ‘Peace,
Tuc k,’ said he, ‘didst thou not promise me, ere thou camest
here, that thou wouldst put a check upon thy tongue?’
‘Ay, marry,’ grumbled the other, ‘but ‘a did not think to
have a hard-footed knave trample all over my poor
toes as
though they were no more than so many acorns in the for-
est.’
But of a sudden all this bickering ceased, for a clear
sound of many bugle horns came winding down the street.
en all the people craned their necks and ga
zed in the direction whence the sound came, and the crowding and the
pushing and the swaying grew greater than ever. And now
THE MERRY ADVENTURES OF R OBIN H OOD364
363
a gallant array of men came gleaming into sight, and the
cheering of the people ran down the crowd as the re runs
in dry grass.
Eight and twenty heralds in velvet and cloth of gold came
riding forward. Over their heads
uttered a cloud of snow-
white feathers, and each herald bore in his hand a long silver
trumpet, which he blew musically. From each trumpet hung
a heavy banner of velvet and cloth of gold, with the royal arms of England emb
lazoned thereon. Aer these came
riding vescore noble knights, two by two, all fully armed,
saving that their heads were uncovered. In their hands they
bore tall lances, from the tops of which uttered pennons of
many colors and devices.
By the side of each knight walked
a page clad in rich clothes of silk and velvet, and each page
bore in his hands his master’s helmet, from which waved
long, oating plumes of feathers. Never had Nottingham
seen a fairer
sight than those vescore noble knights, from
whose armor the sun blazed in dazzling light as they came
riding on their great war horses, with clashing of arms and
jingling of chains. Behind the knights came the barons and
the nobles of
the mid-country, in robes of silk and cloth of
gold, with golden chains about their necks and jewels at
their girdles. Behind these again came a great array of menat-arms, with spears and halberds in their hands, and,
in
the midst of these, two riders side by side. One of the horsemen was the Sheri of Nottingham in his robes of oce.
e other, who was a head taller than the Sheri, was clad
in a rich but simple
garb, with a broad, heavy chain about
his neck. His hair and beard were like threads of gold, and
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T M A R H
365
his eyes were as blue as the summer sky. As he rode along
he bowed to the right hand and the le, and a mighty roar
of voices followed him as he passed; for this was King Rich-
ard.
en, above all the tumult
and the shouting a great voice
was heard roaring, ‘Heaven, its saints bless thee, our gracious King Richard! and likewise Our Lady of the Fountain,
bless thee!’ en King Richard, looking toward the spot
whence the sound came, saw a tall, burly, strapping
priest
standing in front of all the crowd with his legs wide apart as
he backed against those behind.
‘By my soul, Sheri,’ said the King, laughing, ‘ye have the
tallest priests in Nottinghamshire that e’er I saw in all my
life. If Heaven never answere
d prayers because of deafness,
methinks I would nevertheless have blessings bestowed
upon me, for that man yonder would make the great stone
image of Saint Peter rub its ears and hearken unto him. I
would that I had an army of such as he.’
To this the Sheri answered never a
word, but all the
blood le his cheeks, and he caught at the pommel of his
saddle to keep himself from falling; for he also saw the fel-
low that so shouted, and knew him to be Friar Tu ck; and,
moreover, behin
d Friar Tuc k he saw the faces of Robin
Hood and Little John and Will Scarlet and Will Stutely and
Allan a Dale and others of the band.
‘How now,’ said the King hastily, ‘art thou ill, Sheri, that
thou growest so white?’
‘Nay, Your Majesty,’ said the Sheri, ‘it was nought but a
sudden pain that will soon pass by.’ us he spake, for he
THE MERRY ADVENTURES OF R OBIN H OOD366
365
was ashamed that the King should know that Robin Hood
feared him so little that he thus dared to come within the
very gates of Nottingham Tow n .
us rode the King into Nottingham Tow n on that bright
aernoon in the early fall season; and none rejoiced
more
than Robin Hood and his merry men to see him come so
royally unto his own.
Eventide had come; the great feast in the Guild Hall at
Nottingham Tow n was done, and the wine passed freely. A
thousand waxen lights gleamed along the board
, at which
sat lord and noble and knight and squire in goodly array. At
the head of the table, upon a throne all hung with cloth of
gold, sat King Richard with the Sheri of Nottingham beside him.
Quoth the King to
the Sheri, laughing as he spoke, ‘I
have heard much spoken concerning the doings of certain
fellows hereabouts, one Robin Hood and his band, who are
outlaws and abide in Sherwood Forest. Canst thou not tell
me somewhat of them, Sir Sheri? For I hear that thou hast
d dealings with them more than once.’
ha
At these words the Sheri of Nottingham looked down
gloomily, and the Bishop of Hereford, who was present,
gnawed his nether lip. Quoth the Sheri, ‘I can tell Your
Majesty but little concerning the doings of those naughty
llows, saving that they are the boldest lawbreakers in all
fe
the land.’
en up spake young Sir Henry of the Lea, a great favorite with the King, under whom he had fought in Palestine.
‘May it please Your Majesty,’ said he, ‘when I was
away in
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T M A R H
367
Palestine I heard otimes from my father, and in most cas-
es I heard of this very fellow, Robin Hood. If Your Majesty
would like I will tell you a certain adventure of this outlaw.’
en the King laughingly bade him tell his tale,
whereupon he told how Robin Hood had aided Sir Richard of
the Lea with money that he had borrowed from the Bishop
of Hereford. Again and again the King and those present
roared with laughter, while the poor Bishop waxed cherry
red in the face with
vexation, for the matter was a sore thing
with him. When Sir Henry of the Lea was done, others of
those present, seeing how the King enjoyed this merry tale,
told other tales concerning Robin and his merry men.
‘By the hilt of my sword
,’ said stout King Richard, ‘this
is as bold and merry a knave as ever I heard tell of. Marry, I
must take this matter in hand and do what thou couldst not
do, Sheri, to wit, clear the forest of him and his band.’
at night the King
sat in the place that was set apart
for his lodging while in Nottingham Tow n . With him were
young Sir Henry of the Lea and two other knights and
three barons of Nottinghamshire; but the King’s mind still
dwelled upon Robin Hood. ‘Now,’ quoth he,
‘I would freely
give a hundred pounds to meet this roguish fellow, Robin
Hood, and to see somewhat of his doings in Sherwood For-
est.’
en up spake Sir Hubert of gingham, laughing: ‘If Your
Majesty hath such a desire upon you it is not
so hard to satisfy. If Your Majesty is willing to lose one hundred pounds,
I will engage to cause you not only to meet this fellow, but
to feast with him in Sherwood.’
THE MERRY ADVENTURES OF R OBIN H OOD368
367
‘Marry, Sir Hubert,’ quoth the King, ‘this pleaseth me
well. But how wilt thou cause me to meet Robin Hood?’
‘Why, thus,’ said Sir Hubert, ‘let Your Majesty and us
here present put on the robes of seven of the Order of Black
Friars, and let Your Majesty hang a purse of one hundred
pounds beneath your gown; then let us undertake to ride
from here to Manseld Town tomorrow, and, without I am
much mistaken, we will both meet with Robin Hood and
dine with him
before the day be passed.’
‘I like thy plan, Sir Hubert,’ quoth the King merrily, ‘and
tomorrow we will try it and see whether there be virtue in
it.’
So it happened that when early the next morning the
Sheri came to where his liege lord was
abiding, to pay his
duty to him, the King told him what they had talked of the
night before, and what merry adventure they were set upon
undertaking that morning. But when the Sheri heard this
he smote his forehead with his st. ‘Alas!’ said
he, ‘what evil
counsel is this that hath been given thee! O my gracious
lord and King, you know not what you do! is villain that
you thus go to seek hath no reverence either for king or
king’s laws.’
‘But did I not hear aright when I was told that
this Robin Hood hath shed no blood since he was outlawed, saving
only that of that vile Guy of Gisbourne, for whose death all
honest men should thank him?’
‘Yea, Your Majesty,’ said the Sheri, ‘you have heard
aright. Nevertheless—‘
‘en,’ quoth
the King, breaking in on the Sheris speech,
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369
‘what have I to fear in meeting him, having done him no
harm? Tru ly, there is no danger in this. But mayhap thou
wilt go with us, Sir Sheri.’
‘Nay,’ quoth the Sheri hastily, ‘Heaven forbid!’
But now seven habits such as Black Friars wear were
brought,
and the King and those about him having clad
themselves therein, and His Majesty having hung a purse
with a hundred golden pounds in it beneath his robes, they
all went forth and mounted the mules that had been brought
to the door
for them. en the King bade the Sheri be silent as to their doings, and so they set forth upon their way.
Onward they traveled, laughing and jesting, until they
passed through the open country; between bare harvest
elds whence the harvest had been gathere
d home; through
scattered glades that began to thicken as they went farther
along, till they came within the heavy shade of the forest
itself. ey traveled in the forest for several miles without
meeting anyone such as they sought, until they had come
to
that part of the road that lay nearest to Newstead Abbey.
‘By the holy Saint Martin,’ quoth the King, ‘I would that
I had a better head for remembering things of great need.
Here have we come away and brought never so much as a
drop of anything
to drink with us. Now I would give half a
hundred pounds for somewhat to quench my thirst withal.’
No sooner had the King so spoken, than out from the co-
vert at the roadside stepped a tall fellow with yellow beard
and hair
and a pair of merry blue eyes. ‘Truly, holy brother,’
said he, laying his hand upon the King’s bridle rein, ‘it were
an unchristian thing to not give tting answer to so fair a
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