Lithe and listen, gentlemen,
That be of freeborn blood;
I shall you tell of a good yeom-an,
His name was Robin Hood.
Robin was a proud outlaw,
Whil-es he walked on ground,
So curteyse an outlawe as he was one
Was never none yfound.
Robin stood in Barnysdale,
And leaned him to a tree,
And by h-im stood Little John,
A good yeom-an was he;
And also did good Scath-elock,
And Much the miller's son;
There was no inch of his bod-y,
But it was worth a groom.
Then bespake him Little John
All unto Robin Hood,
"Master, if ye would dine betime,
It would do you much good."
Then bespak-e good Rob-in,
"To dine I have no lust,
Till I have some bold bar-on,
Or some unketh gest,
That may pay for the best;
Or some knight or some squy-ere
That dwelleth here by west."
A good mann-er then had Robin
In land where that he were,
Every day ere he would dine
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,
That he loved of all other most.
Robin loved our dear Lad-y,
For dout of deadly sin;
Would he never do company harm
That any woman was in.
"Master," then said Little John,
"An we our board shall spread,
Tell us whither we shall gon,
And what life we shall lead;
Where we shall take, where we shall leave,
Where we shall bide behind,
Where we shall rob, where we shall reve,
Where we shall beat and bind."
"Thereof no force," then said Rob-in,
"We shall do well enow;
But look ye do no housbonde harm
That tilleth with his plow;
No more ye shall no good yeoman,
That walk'th by green wood shaw,
Ne no knight, ne no squy-er,
That would be a good fel-aw.
These bishops, and these archbishops,
Ye shall them beat and bind;
The high sheriff of Nottingham,
Him hold in your mind."
"This word shall be holde," said Little John,
"And this lesson shall we lere;
It is ferr-e days, God send us a geste,
That we were at our dinere!"
"Take thy good bow in thy hand," said Robin,
"Let Much wend-e with thee,
And so shall William Scath-elock,
And no man abide with me:
And walk up to the Sa-yl-es,
And so to Watling Street,
And wait after some unketh gest,
Up-chance ye mowe them meet.
Be he earl or any bar-on,
Abb-ot or any knight,
Bring him to lodge to me,
His dinner shall be dight."
They went unto the Sa-yl-es,
These yeomen all three,
They look-ed east, they look-ed west,
They might-e no man see.
But as they looked in Barnisdale,
By a dern-e street,
Then came th-ere a knight rid-ing,
Full soon they gan him meet.
All drear-y was his semblaunce,
And little was his pride,
His one foot in the stirrup stood,
That other waved beside.
His hood hanging over his eyen two,
He rode in simple array;
A sorrier man than he was one
Rode never in summer's day.
Little John was full curt-eyse,
And set him on his knee:
"Welcome be ye, gentle knight,
Welc-ome are ye to me,
Welcome be thou to green wood,
Hende knight and free;
My master hath abiden you fast-ing,
Sir, all these hour-es three."
"Who is your master?" said the knight.