{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_58789/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_58789","id":"gutenberg_58789","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58789","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: British Literature","Category: Historical Novels","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Children's stories","Robin Hood (Legendary character)"],"text":"Produced by Chuck Greif, hekula03 and the Online Distributed\nProofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was\nproduced from images made available by the HathiTrust\nDigital Library.)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: Robin and his Mother going to Gamewell Hall.\n\n_see page 2._\n\n_London, William Darton, 58, Holborn Hill, Aug\u02e2\u1d57. 29, 1821._]\n\n\n\n\n                              ROBIN HOOD;\n\n                                BEING A\n\n                          _COMPLETE HISTORY_\n\n                              OF ALL THE\n\n                      NOTABLE AND MERRY EXPLOITS\n\n                     PERFORMED BY HIM AND HIS MEN,\n\n                         _ON MANY OCCASIONS_.\n\n                                LONDON:\n                   WILLIAM DARTON, 58, HOLBORN HILL.\n\n                                 1822.\n\n      _Price 6d. plain plates, or 1s. with the plates coloured._\n\n\n\n\n                              ROBIN HOOD.\n\n\nThe reign of King Richard the First was very different from the times we\nnow live in. The roads were very bad, and were beset with robbers; and\nthere was a great number of large forests and parks in the country well\nstocked with deer. At that time lived the famous Robin Hood. He was born\nin the village of Locksley, in Nottinghamshire, and his father was very\nskilful in the use of the cross-bow. His mother had a brother named\nGamewell, of Great Gamewell-hall, near Maxwell, in the same county, but\nat the distance of twenty miles from the house of Robin Hood\u2019s father.\n\nWhen Robin Hood was about thirteen years old, his mother said one day to\nhis father, \u201cLet Robin and me ride this morning to Gamewell-hall, to\ntaste my brother\u2019s good cheer.\u201d Her husband answered, \u201cDo so, my dear;\nlet Robin Hood take my grey horse, and the best bridle and saddle: the\nsun is rising, so, pray make haste, for to-morrow will be\nChristmas-day.\u201d The good wife then made no more ado, but put on her\nholiday petticoat and gown, which were green. Robin got his basket-hilt\nsword and dagger, and his new suit of clothes; and so rode, with his\nmother behind him, till he came to Gamewell-hall.\n\nSquire Gamewell made them welcome twenty times; and the next day six\ntables were set out in the hall for dinner: and, when the company was\ncome, the squire said to them, \u201cYou are all welcome, but not a man here\nshall taste my ale till he has sung a Christmas carol.\u201d They now all\nclapped their hands, and shouted, and sang, till the hall and the\nparlour rung again.--After dinner, the chaplain said grace, and the\nsquire once again bid his friends be merry. \u201cIt snows and it blows out\nof doors (said he), but we are snug here; let us have more ale, and lay\nsome logs upon the fire.\u201d He then called for Little John; \u201cfor,\u201d said\nhe, \u201cLittle John is a fine lad at gambols, and all sorts of tricks, and\nit will do your hearts good to see him.\u201d When Little John came, he was\nindeed as clever as the squire had said; but Robin Hood got up, and\nplayed all the very same tricks, and better still. The squire was quite\nglad to see this; and he said, \u201cCousin Robin, you shall go no more home,\nbut shall stay and live with me: you shall have my estate when I die,\nand, till then, you shall be the comfort of my age.\u201d Robin Hood agreed\nto this, if his uncle would but give him Little John to be his servant.\n\nOne time, when Robin Hood was gone to spend a week with his father and\nmother, squire Gamewell was taken ill. In those days, the people of\nthis country were of the Roman Catholic religion. There was a convent of\npriests near Gamewell-hall called Fountain Abbey; and the squire sent\nfor one of the priests or monks, to come and read prayers by his\nbed-side. Fountain Abbey was a very fine building: it had a large\nmansion in the centre, and a capital wing on the right side; but there\nwas no wing on the left; so that the building was not complete. Now the\nmonk who came to Gamewell-hall was very sorry about this, and wished\nvery much to have a left wing to his abbey: so he made the squire\nbelieve that he could not die like a good man, unless he gave the whole\nof his estate to Fountain Abbey. The squire was very ill, and hardly\nknew what he did; he forgot Robin Hood, and all that he had said he\nwould do for him, and signed a paper that the monk brought him, to give\naway his estate. As soon as Robin Hood heard that his uncle was very\nill, he made haste home; but the squire was dead a quarter of an hour\nbefore Robin came. The monks now turned Robin Hood out of the hall; and,\nas his father was poor, Robin was thus sent out into the world to seek\nhis fortune.\n\nRobin Hood did not know what to do: he had been used to live like a rich\nman, and did not know how to work; for he had learned no trade. He now\ngot together a number of young men, who had been brought up like\nhimself, and were just as poor; and they went to live what they called a\nmerry life, in Sherwood Forest, near Nottingham. Here there was plenty\nof deer; and Robin Hood and his company were very excellent marksmen at\nshooting them with the cross-bow. But they wanted something besides meat\nto eat, so they at once turned robbers. After this, no man could travel\nalone through Sherwood Forest, without being stripped of his money.\nRobin Hood, and his company too, did not confine themselves to Sherwood\nForest, but sometimes went to plunder other parts of England. His gang\nsoon grew to above a hundred in number, and they were some of the\ntallest, finest, and boldest, men in the kingdom. Robin Hood dressed\nthem in an uniform: he himself always wore scarlet; and each of his men\nhad a green coat, a pair of breeches, and cap.\n\nThough Robin Hood was a robber, which to be sure is a very bad thing,\nyet he behaved in such a manner as to have the good word and good wishes\nof almost all the poor people in those parts. He never loved to rob any\nbody but people that were very rich, and that had not the spirit to make\ngood use of their riches. As he had lost his estate by the cunning of a\npopish priest, he had a great dislike to the whole set; and the popish\npriests at that time behaved in such a manner, that hardly any body\nliked them: so that Robin Hood was not thought the worse of for his\nusage of them. When he met with poor men, in his rambles, instead of\ntaking any thing from them, he gave them money of his own. He never let\nany woman be either robbed or hurt; and, in cases of hardship, he always\ntook the part of the weak and the injured against the strong; so that it\nwas truely said, \u201cthat of all thieves he was the gentlest and most\ngenerous thief.\u201d\n\nRobin Hood was fond of doing odd and strange things; and he loved a joke\nquite as well as he loved a good booty. One day, as he strolled in the\nForest by himself, he saw a jolly butcher riding upon a fine mare, with\npanniers on each side filled with meat. \u201cGood morrow, good fellow!\u201d said\nRobin; \u201cwhither are you going so early?\u201d Said the other, \u201cI am a\nbutcher, and am going to Nottingham market to sell my meat.\u201d \u201cI never\nlearned any trade,\u201d said Robin; \u201cI think I should like to be a butcher.\nWhat shall I give you for your mare, and your panniers, and all that is\nin them?\u201d \u201cThey are not dear at four marks,\u201d said the butcher, \u201cand I\nwill not sell them for less.\u201d Robin made no words, but counted out the\nmoney; and then made the butcher give him his blue linen coat and his\napron, in exchange for Robin Hood\u2019s fine uniform of scarlet.\n\nWhen Robin Hood had dressed himself in this manner, he rode straight to\nNottingham. The sheriff of Nottingham was master of the market, and\nRobin Hood hired a stall there. But we may very well suppose that he did\nnot know much about his trade, and indeed, as long as he had any meat to\nsell, no other butcher could sell a single joint; for Robin Hood sold\nmore meat for a penny than the others could do for five. \u201cTo be sure,\u201d\nsaid they, \u201cthis is some young fellow that has sold his father\u2019s land.\u201d\nThe butchers then went up to Robin Hood: \u201cCome, brother,\u201d\n\n[Illustration: Robin Hood bargaining with the Nottingham Butcher.\n\n_see page 8._\n\n_London, William Darton, 58, Holborn Hill, Aug\u02e2\u1d57. 29, 1821._]\n\nsaid one of them, \u201cwe are all of one trade, will you go and dine with\nus?\u201d \u201cI should be a shabby fellow,\u201d said Robin, \u201cif I was ashamed of my\ncalling; so I will go with you.\u201d The sheriff was the tavern-keeper, and\nsat at the head of the table; and, after dinner, Robin Hood would insist\nupon paying the bill. The sheriff was a cunning old miser, and, when he\nsaw how madly Robin Hood behaved, he thought he would not miss such a\nchance of turning a penny. \u201cGood fellow,\u201d said the sheriff, \u201chast thou\nany horned beasts to sell to me?\u201d--\u201cThat I have, good master sheriff,\u201d\nsaid Robin Hood. \u201cI have a hundred or two, if you will please to go and\nsee them.\u201d The sheriff then saddled his good palfrey, and took three\nhundred pounds in gold, and away he went with Robin Hood.\n\nThe road they took led through the forest of Sherwood; and, as they rode\nalong, the sheriff cried out, \u201cGod preserve us this day from a man they\ncall Robin Hood!\u201d But, when they came a little further, there chanced to\ncome out of the thicket a hundred good fat deer, skipping very near\nthem. \u201cHow do you like my horned beasts, master sheriff?\u201d said Robin\nHood. \u201cThese are the cattle I told you of.\u201d \u201cTo tell you the truth,\u201d\nreplied the sheriff, \u201cI wish I were away, for I do not like your\ncompany.\u201d Then Robin Hood put his bugle-horn to his mouth, and blowed\nthree times; when suddenly there came out of the wood Little John and\nRobin Hood\u2019s hundred men, clothed in green, and running all in a row.\n\u201cWhat is your will, master?\u201d said Little John. \u201cI have brought hither\nthe sheriff of Nottingham,\u201d said Robin Hood, \u201cthis day, to dine with\nme.\u201d \u201cHe is welcome,\u201d said Little John. \u201cI hope he will pay us well for\nhis dinner.\u201d Robin Hood now made the sheriff sit down under a tree; and,\nafter they had all eaten and drunk enough, he opened the sheriff\u2019s bag,\n\n[Illustration: Robin Hood telling out the Sheriffs money.\n\n_see page 10._\n\n_London, William Darton, 58, Holborn, Aug\u02e2\u1d57. 29, 1821._]\n\nand told out his three hundred pounds. He then seated the sheriff on his\npalfrey again, and led him out of the forest. \u201cRemember me kindly to\nyour wife,\u201d said Robin Hood; and so went laughing away.\n\nAs Robin Hood was walking one day in the Forest, he took notice of a\nhandsome young man, dressed in very fine clothes, frisking over the\nplain, and singing. When Robin Hood passed the same spot the next\nmorning, he saw this same young man come drooping along: his fine dress\nwas laid aside, his hair was loose about his shoulders, and at every\nstep he sighed deeply, saying, \u201cAlas! and well-a-day!\u201d Robin Hood sent\none of his company, to bring the young man to him. \u201cWhat is the\ndistress,\u201d said Robin Hood, \u201cthat hangs so heavy on your heart? Why were\nyou so merry yesterday, and why are you so sad to-day?\u201d The young man\nnow pulled out his purse. \u201cLook at this ring,\u201d said he; \u201cI bought it\nyesterday; I was to have married a young maiden whom I have courted for\nseven long years, and this morning she is gone to church to be married\nto another.\u201d \u201cDo you think she loves you?\u201d said Robin Hood. \u201cShe has\ntold me so,\u201d said Allen-a-Dale, for that was his name, \u201ca hundred\ntimes.\u201d \u201cThen she is not worth caring about,\u201d said Robin Hood, \u201cfor\nchanging in her love.\u201d \u201cShe does not love him,\u201d replied Allen-a-Dale.\n\u201cWhy do you think so?\u201d said Robin Hood. \u201cHe is a poor crippled old\nfellow,\u201d said Allen-a-Dale, \u201cand quite unfit for such a young and lovely\nlass.\u201d \u201cThen why does she marry him?\u201d said Robin Hood. \u201cBecause the old\nknight is rich,\u201d replied Allen: \u201cand her father and mother insist upon\nit, and have scolded and stormed at her till she is as gentle as a\nlamb.\u201d \u201cWhere is the wedding to take place?\u201d said Robin Hood. \u201cAt our\nparish,\u201d replied Allen, \u201conly five miles from this place; and the bishop\nof Hereford, who is the knight\u2019s brother, is to read the service.\u201d\n\nRobin Hood said no more, but put off his scarlet suit, and dressed\nhimself like a harper, with a harp in his hand. He told twenty-four of\nhis company to follow at a little distance; and then went alone into the\nchurch, and found the bishop putting on his robes. \u201cWhat do you want\nhere?\u201d said the bishop. \u201cI am a harper,\u201d said Robin Hood; \u201cthe best in\nfour counties round; I heard there was to be a wedding, and I am come to\noffer my service.\u201d \u201cYou are welcome,\u201d said the bishop: \u201cI shall be glad\nto hear your music.\u201d Soon after this, the bride and bridegroom came in.\nThe old knight hobbled along, and was hardly able to walk up to the\naltar; and after him came a maiden, as fair as the day, and blushing\nlike the summer\u2019s morning. \u201cThis is not a fit match,\u201d said Robin Hood,\n\u201cand I cannot agree to its taking place; but, since we are come to the\nchurch, the bride shall choose for herself.\u201d Then Robin Hood put his\nhorn to his mouth, and blew into it; when straight four-and-twenty\narchers were seen leaping along the church-yard path, and came in at the\nporch. The first man was Allen-a-Dale, to give Robin Hood his bow.\n\nRobin Hood now turned to the fair maiden, and said, \u201cNow, my love, you\nare free: tell me whom you will have for your husband. Will you have\nthis feeble and gouty old knight, or will you have one of the bold young\nfellows you see now before you?\u201d \u201cAlas!\u201d said the young maid, and\ndropped her eyes on the ground as she spoke, \u201cyoung Allen-a-Dale has\ncourted me for seven long years, and he is the man I would choose.\u201d\n\u201cThen,\u201d said Robin Hood, \u201cyou and Allen shall be married before we leave\nthis place.\u201d \u201cThat shall not be,\u201d said the bishop; \u201cthe law of the land\nrequires that they should be three times asked in the church, and a\nmarriage cannot be huddled up in this way.\u201d \u201cThat we will try,\u201d said\nRobin Hood; and he then pulled off the bishop\u2019s gown, and put it upon\nLittle John. \u201cIndeed,\u201d said Robin Hood, \u201cyou make a grave parson.\u201d When\nLittle John took the book into his hand, the people began to laugh; and\nhe asked them seven times in the church, lest three times should not be\nenough. Robin Hood gave away the maiden; the bishop slunk out of the\nchurch; and his brother, the old knight, hobbled after as well as he\ncould. The whole company had a dinner upon two fat bucks in Sherwood\nForest; and from this day, Allen-a-Dale was a friend to Robin Hood as\nlong as he lived.\n\nIn the time of Robin Hood, the bishops were under the orders of the pope\nof Rome; and they were great officers, and even soldiers. Robin Hood\nlived in the see of the bishop of Hereford. Now Robin had a great\ndislike to the popish clergy, because one of them had cheated him of his\nuncle\u2019s estate; and the bishop of Hereford had quite as much dislike to\nRobin, because of the trick Robin had played him in the marriage of\nAllen-a-Dale, and because he did not think it right that such a robber\nshould live in his see. The bishop therefore made several journeys into\nthe Forest of Sherwood, to take Robin prisoner, and bring him to the\ngallows.\n\nOne time, when Robin was walking alone in the Forest of Sherwood, he\nheard the trampling of horses; and, looking round, he saw his old enemy,\nthe bishop of Hereford, with six servants. The bishop was very near\nRobin Hood before Robin looked round and saw him; and he had nothing to\ntrust to but the swiftness of his heels, to save him from danger.\n\nAs Robin ran along, he chanced to come up to a cottage where an old\nwoman lived all by herself; so he rushed in, and begged her to save his\nlife.--\u201cWho are you?\u201d said the old woman; \u201cand what can I do for you?\u201d\n\u201cI am an outlaw,\u201d replied he, \u201cand my name is Robin Hood;\n\n[Illustration: Robin Hood flying for shelter from the Bishop of\nHereford.\n\n_see page 16._\n\n_London, William Darton, 58, Holborn Hill, Aug\u02e2\u1d57. 29, 1821._]\n\n[Illustration: Robin Hood making the Bishop of Hereford dance.\n\n_see page 19._\n\n_London, William Darton, 58, Holborn Hill, Aug\u02e2\u1d57. 29, 1821._]\n\nand yonder is the bishop of Hereford, with all his men, who wants to\nbring me to the gallows.\u201d \u201cIf thou be Robin Hood,\u201d said the old woman,\n\u201cas I think thou art, I would as soon lose my own life, as not do all in\nmy power to save thee. Many a time have Little John and thou done me a\nkindness, and brought me venison; and no longer ago than last Saturday\nnight thou gave me a pair of new shoes, and this green kirtle.\u201d \u201cThen,\u201d\nsaid Robin Hood, \u201cgive me thy green kirtle, and thy close-eared cap, and\nput into my hands thy distaff and spindle, and do thou take my scarlet\nmantle and my quiver and bow.\u201d\n\nAs soon as they had made this change, Robin Hood left the house, and\nwent to the place where all his company were to be found. He looked\nbehind him a hundred times for the bishop, who had no thoughts of\nfinding him in this disguise. One of the robbers, who was a spiteful\nfellow, as Robin Hood came near them, cried out, \u201cA witch! a witch! I\nwill let fly an arrow at her.\u201d \u201cHold thy hand,\u201d said Robin Hood, \u201cand\nshoot not thy arrows so keen, for I am Robin Hood, thy master.\u201d Then he\nwent up to Little John, and said, \u201cCome, kill a good fat deer, for the\nBishop of Hereford is to dine with me to-day.\u201d\n\nWhile this was going on, the bishop came to the old woman\u2019s house; and\nseeing a man, as he thought, with a mantle of scarlet, and a quiver and\na bow in his hand, he shook his head, and said, \u201cI am afraid you are one\nof Robin Hood\u2019s gang. If you have not a mind to be hanged yourself, shew\nme where that traitor is, and set him before me.\u201d The old woman agreed\nto this. \u201cGo with me,\u201d said she to the bishop, \u201cand I think I can bring\nyou to the man you want.\u201d The bishop then mounted her upon a milk-white\nsteed, and himself rode upon a dapple-grey; and, for joy that he should\nget Robin Hood, he went laughing all the way. But, as they were riding\nalong the forest, the bishop saw a hundred brave bowmen, drawn up\ntogether under a tree. \u201cOh! who is yonder,\u201d said the bishop, \u201cranging\nwithin the wood?\u201d \u201cWhy,\u201d said the old woman, \u201cI think it is a man they\ncall Robin Hood.\u201d \u201cWhy, who art thou?\u201d said the bishop; \u201cfor, to tell\nthee the truth, I thought thou hadst been Robin Hood himself.\u201d \u201cOh! my\nlord,\u201d said she, \u201cI am only an old woman.\u201d\n\nBy this time, Robin Hood and his company came up to the bishop; and\nRobin Hood, taking him by his hand, said, \u201cMy lord, you must dine with\nme to-day under my bower in merry Barnsdale. I cannot feast you like a\nbishop, but I can give you venison, ale, and wine; and I hope you will\nbe content.\u201d After dinner, Robin Hood made the music to strike up, and\nwould insist upon the bishop\u2019s dancing a hornpipe in his boots; and the\nbishop was forced to submit. The day was now far spent, and the bishop\nbegged leave to go away. \u201cYou have treated me very nobly,\u201d said he to\nRobin Hood, \u201cand I suppose I must pay for it. Tell me how much.\u201d \u201cLend\nme your purse, master,\u201d said Little John, \u201cand I will settle it for\nyou.\u201d He then spread the bishop\u2019s cloak upon the ground, and opening his\nbag, he counted five hundred pounds out of it. \u201cNow,\u201d said Robin Hood,\n\u201cwe thank you for your company; and, to shew you that we know how to be\npolite, we will see you part of the way home.\u201d They then led the bishop\nand his servants quite through the wood, till they brought him to the\nhigh road: then Robin Hood\u2019s gang gave three cheers, and told him to\nremember that, though he had come meaning to hang them all, they had\ndone him no harm.\n\nOne day, in summer-time, when the leaves grew green, and the flowers\nwere fresh and gay, Robin Hood and his merry men were all in a humour\nto play. Some would leap, some would run, some shot at a mark, and some\nwrestled with each other on the green. Robin Hood was haughty and proud,\nand said, \u201cNow, my good fellows, do you think there is a man in the\nworld that could wrestle or play the quarter-staff with me, or kill a\ndoe or buck so sure as me?\u201d\n\nWhile Robin Hood was boasting in this manner, Will Scarlet stepped out\nfrom the rest. Will Scarlet was a little a-kin to Robin Hood, and\nthought he had as good a right himself to be captain of the gang.\nBesides, he was rather spiteful: he was just going to shoot an arrow at\nRobin Hood when he saw him dressed like an old woman. \u201cIf you wish to\nmeet with your match,\u201d said Scarlet, \u201cI can tell you where you can find\nhim. There is a friar in Fountain Abbey.\u201d Now Fountain Abbey was the\nconvent that had been built with the money that Robin Hood\u2019s uncle\nGamewell\u2019s estate had been sold for, and perhaps Will Scarlet chose to\nthrow it in Robin\u2019s teeth for that reason. \u201cI had as soon you had talked\nof the gallows,\u201d said Robin Hood. \u201cNo matter for that,\u201d said Will\nScarlet; \u201cthere is a friar in Fountain Abbey that can draw a strong bow\nagainst any man in the world: he can handle a quarter-staff too; and\nwill beat you and all your yeomen, set them in a row.\u201d\n\nRobin Hood was a man of a bold spirit, and could not rest till he had\nseen this friar; so he slung his bow across his shoulder, and took his\nquarter-staff in his hand, and away he went to Fountain Dale. He had not\ngone far, before he saw a tall brawny friar walking by the waterside:\nand Robin Hood thought this must be the man the moment he saw him.\n\nRobin Hood got off his horse, and tied him to a thorn. \u201cCarry me over\nthis water, thou brawny friar,\u201d said he, \u201cor thou hast not an hour\n\n[Illustration: Robin Hood asking the fair maiden whom she will have for\na husband.\n\n_see page 14._\n\n_London, William Darton, 58, Holborn Hill, Aug\u02e2\u1d57. 29, 1821._]\n\nlonger to live.\u201d The friar did not grumble; but stooped, and took Robin\nupon his back. The water was deep, and the passage was long and not\neasy; and neither of these rivals spoke a single word till they came to\nthe other side. Robin then leaped lightly off the friar\u2019s back, and\nseemed going away. \u201cStop,\u201d said the friar, \u201ccarry me over this water,\nthou fine fellow, or it will breed thee pain.\u201d Robin took the friar upon\nhis back; and neither of the two spoke a single word till they came to\nthe other side. The friar then leaped lightly off Robin\u2019s back, while\nRobin said to him again, \u201cCarry me over the water, thou brawny friar, or\nit shall breed thee pain.\u201d The friar once more took Robin upon his back;\nbut this time he did not carry him over; for, as soon as he had got to\nthe middle of the stream, he threw him into the water. \u201cAnd now choose,\nmy fine fellow,\u201d said he, \u201cwhether thou wilt sink or swim.\u201d Robin swam\nto the shore; and, when the friar was come to the same place, Robin\nsaid to him, \u201cI see by this trial that thou art worthy to be my match.\u201d\nRobin challenged him in wrestling, in shooting, and at the\nquarter-staff; but Robin could not beat the friar, nor the friar beat\nRobin in any of these. \u201cI wish from my soul,\u201d said Robin, \u201cyou would\nquit this lazy life, and come and be one of us; we range the forest\nmerry and free, and are as happy as the day is long.\u201d \u201cI wish from my\nsoul,\u201d said the friar, \u201cthou wouldst leave thy rambling and wicked life,\nand come and live in our convent. Thy thefts will bring thee to a bad\nend, but I shall live out my days quiet and respected.\u201d Robin could not\npersuade the friar, and the friar could not persuade Robin: so they\nshook hands and parted.\n\nRobin Hood knew very well that his way of life was against the laws; and\nthat, if he were once caught, it would go very hard with him.\n\n[Illustration: The Friar throwing Robin into the River.\n\n_see page 23._\n\n_London, William Darton, 58, Holborn Hill, Aug\u02e2\u1d57. 29, 1821._]\n\nHe had now been in this way for several years; and began to wish that he\ncould change his way of living for a quiet dwelling in the village where\nhe was born. While he had thoughts of this sort, one time when he took\nmany rich prizes, he resolved to make a present to the queen. The name\nof the queen was Eleanor; she was the mother of King Richard the First,\nwho had great power in her son\u2019s reign.\n\nQueen Eleanor was very much pleased with Robin Hood\u2019s present, and said\nto herself, If I live one year to an end, I will be a friend to thee,\nand all thy men.\n\nSoon after this, King Richard made a grand match in his court, of all\nthe bow-men of his guards and his army. Queen Eleanor thought this a\ngood time to do what she had in her mind; so she called her favourite\npage, whose name was Richard Partington, and gave him his errand. The\npage set out straight to Sherwood Forest; and when he came to Robin\nHood, he said: \u201cQueen Eleanor greets you well; she bids you post to\nLondon, where there is to be a match at the cross-bow, and she has\nchosen you and your men to be her champions.\u201d\n\nOn the day of this great match, the king\u2019s bowmen, who were thought the\nbest archers in all England, were ranged on one side. After a time, the\nqueen\u2019s champions came in, and were ranged on the other side; they were\nall strangers, and no man in the court knew any of them. King Richard\nthen declared what the prize was that should be bestowed upon the\nconquerors, and the lords of the court began to make bets upon the\nventure. The bets were three to one in favour of the king\u2019s men. \u201cIs\nthere no knight of the privy council,\u201d said Queen Eleanor, \u201cwho will\nventure his money on my side? Come hither to me, Sir Robert Lee, thou\nart a knight of high descent.\u201d Sir Robert Lee begged the queen to\nexcuse him from such a trial. \u201cCome hither to me, thou Bishop of\nHereford,\u201d said Queen Eleanor, \u201cfor thou art a noble priest.\u201d Now this\nbishop was Robin Hood\u2019s old foe. \u201cBy my silver mitre,\u201d said the bishop,\n\u201cI will not bet a penny.\u201d \u201cIf thou wilt not bet on the queen\u2019s side,\u201d\nsaid Robin Hood, \u201cwhat wilt thou bet on the king\u2019s?\u201d \u201cOn the king\u2019s\nside,\u201d said the bishop, \u201cI will venture all the money in my purse.\u201d\n\u201cThrow thy purse on the ground,\u201d said Robin Hood, \u201cand let us see what\nit contains.\u201d It was a hundred pounds. Robin Hood took a bag of the same\nvalue from his side, and threw it upon the green.\n\nWhen the match was just going to begin, Queen Eleanor fell upon her\nknees to the king her son. \u201cA boon! a boon!\u201d said she, \u201cI must ask a\nboon of thee before the trial begins.\u201d \u201cWhat is it?\u201d said King Richard.\n\u201cWhy,\u201d replied the queen, \u201cthat you will not be angry with any of those\nthat are of my party; and that they shall be free to stay in our court\nall the days of the match, and shall then have forty days to retire when\nthey like.\u201d The king agreed to this. When the keepers of the course were\nmarking out the distance from which they should shoot at the butt, their\ncaptain cried out, like a bold boaster as he was, \u201cMeasure no mark for\nus, we will shoot at the sun and the moon.\u201d But he was mistaken; for\nRobin Hood and his party cleft with their arrows every wand and stick\nthat was set up, and won all the money. Said the Bishop of Hereford, \u201cI\nknow very well now who these fellows are; they are Robin Hood and his\ngang.\u201d The king replied, \u201cIf I had known that, I would not have granted\nthem leave to depart; but I cannot break my word.\u201d Saying this, King\nRichard ordered a noble feast for Robin Hood and his yeomanry; and then\nsent them away with honour.\n\nKing Richard often thought upon what he had seen of Robin Hood and his\nfellows. He was very fond of archery; he had heard of many generous\nactions that were told about them, and he admired their gallant spirit\nand manners. Thought he, If I could but make these men my faithful\nsubjects, what a pride they would be to my court! The king at last fixed\nupon a plan by which he might see Robin Hood once more.\n\nHe called twelve lords of his court, and told his plan to them; and then\nhe and his lords all dressed themselves like so many monks, and away\nthey rode to Sherwood Forest. Robin Hood saw them at a distance, as they\nwere coming, and resolved to rob them. The king was taller than the\nrest, and Robin Hood judged that he was the abbot; so he took the king\u2019s\nhorse by the bridle, and said, \u201cAbbot. I bid you stand: it was a priest\nthat first worked my ruin, and I have sworn to spare none of his\nfellows.\u201d \u201cBut we are going on a message from the king,\u201d said Richard.\nRobin Hood then let go the bridle, and said, \u201cGod save the king! and\nconfound all his foes!\u201d \u201cThou cursest thyself,\u201d said Richard, \u201cfor thou\nart a robber, an outlaw, and a traitor.\u201d \u201cIf you were not his servant,\u201d\nsaid the other, \u201cI should say, You lie; for I never yet hurt man that\nwas honest and true, but only those who give their minds to live upon\nother people\u2019s earnings. I never hurt the farmer who tills the ground; I\nprotect women and children; and the poor for twenty miles round are the\nbetter for me.\u201d\n\nRobin Hood then asked the strangers to dine with him. \u201cYou would not be\nused so,\u201d said he, \u201cif you were not the king\u2019s servants: yet, for King\nRichard\u2019s sake, if you had as much money as ever I told, I would not\ndeprive you of a penny.\u201d Then Robin Hood put his horn to his mouth, and\nblew a shrill blast, when a hundred and ten of his company came marching\nall in a row. The king thought, This is a fine sight: these men of Robin\nHood\u2019s obey their captain better than his people did him.\n\nAfter dinner, the king said to Robin, \u201cWhat would you give, my brave\nfellow, if I could get your pardon from the king? Would you set your\nmind firmly in every thing to be a true and useful subject?\u201d\n\nThis was the very thing that Robin wanted; it was the wish that had\nhaunted his thoughts night and day: it was with the hope of this that he\nmade the rich present to Queen Eleanor.\n\n\u201cMy friend,\u201d said Robin, \u201cI am tired of the lawless life that I lead: I\nnever loved it. Other men may praise my bold adventures and generous\nactions; but I hate my way of living, and every thing that belongs to\nit. King Richard is a noble prince and a gallant soldier; and, if he\nwould take me into his favour, he should never have reason to repent\nit, but should find me the most faithful and loving of all his\nsubjects.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am King Richard,\u201d said the stranger: and, when he had said this,\nRobin and all his company fell upon their knees before him.\n\n\u201cStand up, my brave fellows,\u201d said the king; \u201cyou have been robbers, and\nyou ought not to have been such. The greatest miser in my kingdom ought\nnot to be treated with force, but to be persuaded to dispose of his\nmoney properly. But you are brave fellows; you say that you are well\ninclined, and you have power and skill to do me service. I freely grant\nto every one of you my pardon. Not one of you shall be called to account\nfor any thing that is past; only take care that you behave yourselves in\nsuch a manner in future, that I never may have reason to repent the\nkindness that I now treat you with.\u201d\n\n\n                               THE END.\n\n[Illustration: KING RICHARD discovering himself to Robin and his\ncompany.\n\n_see page 32._\n\n_London, William Darton, 58, Holborn Hill, Aug\u02e2\u1d57. 29, 1821._]\n\n                   *       *       *       *       *\n\n                      _Children\u2019s Books sold by_\n                 W. DARTON, 58, HOLBORN HILL, LONDON.\n\n\nTHIRTY-TWO REMARKABLE PLACES IN OLD ENGLAND, for the Instruction and\nEntertainment of Youth. Price 6d. with 9 Copper-plates, and 1s. with 18\nPlates.\n\nTHE MODERN GOODY TWO-SHOES; exemplifying the Good Consequences of an\nearly Attention to Learning and Virtue. By MARY BELSON, Author of \u201cThe\nOrphan Boy,\u201d \u201cIndustry and Idleness,\u201d &c. &c. Price 1s.\n\nTHE ADVENTURES of THOMAS TWO-SHOES; being a Sequel to that of \u201cThe\nModern Goody Two-Shoes.\u201d Price 1s.\n\nTHE PLEASING, INTERESTING, AND AFFECTING HISTORY OF PRINCE LEE BOO; with\nan Account of the PELEW ISLANDS; embellished with elegant Copper-plates.\nPrice 1s.\n\nINDUSTRY AND IDLENESS; a Tale for Little Girls, in Words not exceeding\nTwo Syllables. Price 1s.\n\nTHE YELLOW SHOE-STRINGS; or the Good Effects of Obedience to Parents.\nPrice 1s.\n\nHENRY; a Story for Little Boys and Girls from Five to Seven Years old.\nBy FRANCIS BOWYER VAUX. Two Parts. Price 1s. each.\n\nPROFITABLE AMUSEMENTS FOR CHILDREN; or, Familiar Tales; combining useful\nInstruction with pleasing Entertainment. By the Author of \u201cLearning\nbetter than House and Land.\u201d Price 2s. half-bound.\n\nFOOD FOR THE YOUNG, adapted to the Mental Capacities of Children of\ntender Years. By a Mother. Price 2s. half-bound.\n\nTHE METAMORPHOSES; or Effects of Education: a Tale. By the Author of\n\u201cAunt Mary\u2019s Tales,\u201d \u201cThe Ornaments Discovered,\u201d &c. &c. Price 2s. 6d.\nhalf-bound.","title":"Robin Hood;: Being a Complete History of All the Notable and Merry Exploits Performed by Him and His Men on Many Occasions","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":6023}