"Once upon a time, a great while agoe," begins a strange fairy tale that
was written in the days of bad spelling, "there was wont to walke many
harmlesse spirits called fayries, dancing in brave order in fayry rings
on greene hills with sweete musicke (sometimes invisible), in divers
shapes; and many mad prankes would they play."
It was at this time that a mischievous imp, named Robin Goodfellow, who
was half fairy and half human being, was going about from place to
place, sometimes doing good-natured things, but often bent only on
mischief.
All sorts of queer stories were told of him; and when anything happened
that people couldn't understand, they were sure to say, "It's some trick
of Robin Goodfellow's." When he was only six years old, the neighbors
complained of him to his mother for tormenting their very lives out
whenever her back was turned. Finally he was threatened with a whipping,
and to escape this punishment Robin ran away.
After travelling a long distance from home he met a tailor, who engaged
him as an apprentice. For a time he behaved himself very well. But
finally his love of mischief got the better of him, and he was at his
old tricks again.
One day his master had a gown to make for a woman, and it must be
finished that night; they both sat up late to work on it, and by twelve
o'clock it was finished all but putting in the sleeves. The tailor was
very sleepy, and said that he would go to bed. He told Robin to "whip on
the sleeves," and then follow him. Robin said that he would, and as soon
as his master had disappeared, he hung up the gown and whipped it most
severely with the sleeves.
When the tailor came down in the morning, he found him still busy at
this work, and asked him what he was doing.
"What you bade me," was the reply--"whipping on the sleeves."
"You rogue!" exclaimed his master: "I meant that you should have set
them on quickly and slightly."
"I wish you had said so," rejoined Robin, "for then I need not have lost
all this sleep."
The tailor was obliged to finish the work himself; but before he could
get through, the woman came for her gown, and scolded because it was not
ready. Hoping to soften her wrath by offering her some refreshment,
Robin's master told him to bring the remnants they left yesterday. The
tailor had reference to some cold meat; but the mischievous apprentice
brought down the remnants of cloth left of the gown, which the tailor
had intended to keep. The man turned pale; but the woman declared that
she liked this breakfast better than the other, and sent Robin to get
some wine. He never came back.
One day Robin had made a long journey, when he became so tired that he
sat down by the road and fell asleep. Here he had a wonderful dream, in
which troops of fairies danced about him to the sound of sweet music.
Among them was King Oberon, who laid a scroll beside him, which was
there when he awoke. On the scroll it was written that he was the Fairy
King's son, that every wish of his should be granted, that he should
have the power of turning himself into any shape he pleased, and that
one day he should be taken to Fairy-land--on condition that he played
tricks only on those who deserved them:
"But love then those that honest be,
And help them in necessity.
Doe thus, and all the world shall know
The pranks of Robin Goodfellow."
On reading this document, Robin was much delighted, and began at once to
try his power. As he was tired, he wished himself a horse, and found
himself leaping and curvetting as nimbly as though he had just come out
of the best of stables. Then he tried being a dog, then a tree, and at
last he was quite satisfied that he could do or be anything he pleased.
After this his pranks were worse than ever, but he obeyed his father's
instructions, and harmed only vicious and idle and cross-grained people.
One day in crossing a field he met a rude fellow, to whom he said:
"Friend, what is a clock?"--the style then of asking the time.
But the other chose to reply, churlishly, "I owe thee not so much
service, but because thou shalt think thyself beholden to me, know that
it is the same time of the day as it was yesterday at this time."
Then Robin resolved to amuse himself with this man, who was going
further on to catch a horse that was at grass; and he turned himself
into a bird to watch him. The horse was wild, and ran away over hedge
and ditch, and the man after him as well, as he could. Presently Robin
thought of taking the shape of the horse, and came near enough to let
the churl get on his back. Then he stumbled, and hurled his rider to the
ground. Robin allowed him to mount again, but only to throw him off in
the middle of a large pond. Then, in the shape of a fish, he swam
ashore, and laughed maliciously, "Ho, ho, hoh," leaving the poor man
half drowned. It is to be hoped that this lesson in manners did the
clown good.
Robin had more amiable moments; and often at night he would visit
farmers' houses and help the maids to break hemp, to bolt, to dress
flax, to spin, and do other work, for he was "excellent in everything."
Night was his favorite time for jokes, and he would sometimes walk
abroad with a broom on his shoulder, and cry, "Chimney-sweep!" But when
any one called him, he ran away laughing, "Ho, ho, hoh." Sometimes he
would pretend to be a beggar in distress, and beg most pitifully; but
when they came to give him alms, he would cheat them in the same way.
Then again he would sing at a door after the fashion of wandering
minstrels, and when people came to pay him, there was nothing left of
his song but "Ho, ho, hoh."
King Oberon sometimes called his son to Fairy-land on nightly visits. He
was summoned, to dance in the fairies' ring, by a shrill, sweet pipe,
blown by little Tom Thumb, the order having been given,
"Whene'er you heare my piper blow,
From thy bed see thou goe."
At last he was taken to dwell there altogether, and the world was rid of
the pranks of Robin Goodfellow.