YCL. I.

'Come change thy apparel with me, old chur!,
Come change thy apparel with mine;
Here is a piece of good broad gold,
Go feast thy brethren with wine.'

Then he put on the old man's hat,
It stood full high on the crown:
'The first bold bargain that I come at,
It shall make thee come down.'

Then he put on the old man's cloak,
Was patch'd black, blue, and red;
He thought it no shame, all the day long,
To wear the bags of bread.

Then he put on the old man's breeks,

Was patch'd from leg to side:

"By the truth of my body,' bold Robin can say, 'This man loved little pride.'

Then he put on the old man's hose,

Were patch'd from knee to wrist :

"By the truth of my body,' said bold Robin Hood 'I'd laugh if I had any list.'

Then he put on the old man's shoes,

Were patch'd both beneath and aboon;
Then Robin Hood swore a solemn oath,
'It's good habit that makes a man.'

Now Robin Hood is to Nottingham gone,
With a link a down and a down,
And there he met with the proud sherìff,
Was walking along the town.

'Save you, save you, sheriff!' he said;
'Now heaven you save and see!

And what will you give to a silly old man
To-day will your hangman be?'

R

'Some suits, some suits,' the sheriff he said. Some suits I'll give to thee;

Some suits, some suits, and pence thirteen,
To-day 's a hangman's fee.'

Then Robin he turns him round about,
And jumps from stock to stone:

'By the truth of my body,' the sheriff he said, 'That's well jumpt, thou nimble old man.'

'I was ne'er a hangman in all my life,
Nor yet intends to trade;

But curst be he,' said bold Robin,
'That first a hangman was made!

'I've a bag for meal, and a bag for malt,
And a bag for barley and corn;

A bag for bread, and a bag for beef,
And a bag for my little small horn.

'I have a horn in my pocket,
I got it from Robin Hood,
And still when I set it to my mouth,
For thee it blows little good.'

'O, wind thy horn, thou proud fellow!
Of thee I have no doubt.

I wish that thou give such a blast,
Till both thy eyes fall out.'

The first loud blast that he did blow,
He blew both loud and shrill ;

A hundred and fifty of Robin Hood's men
Came riding over the hill.

The next loud blast that he did give,
He blew both loud and amain,

And quickly sixty of Robin Hood's men
Came shining over the plain.

'O, who are these,' the sheriff he said,

'Come tripping over the lee?'

'They're my attendants,' brave Robin did say;
'They'll pay a visit to thee.'

They took the gallows from the slack,

They set it in the glen,

They hanged the proud sherìff on that,
Released their own three men.

ROBIN HOOD'S DEATH AND BURIAL.

[The close of this ballad singularly resembles a Romaic song ca the death of a famous klepht, or brigand, in Fauriel's collection.]

When Robin Hood and Little John,

Down a down, a down, a down,

Went o'er yon bank of broom,

Said Robin Hood to Little John,

'We have shot for many a pound:
Hey down, a down, a down.

'But I am not able to shoot one shot more,
My arrows will not flee;

But I have a cousin lives down below,

Please God, she will bleed me.'

Now Robin is to fair Kirkley gone,

As fast as he can win;

But before he came there, as we do hear,

He was taken very ill.

And when that he came to fair Kirkley-hall,

He knock'd all at the ring,

But none was so ready as his cousin herself

For to let bold Robin in.

"Will you please to sit down, cousin Robin,' she said,
'And drink some beer with me?

'No, I will neither eat nor drink
Till I am blooded by thee.'

'Well, I have a room, cousin Robin,' she said, 'Which you did never see,

And if you please to walk therein,
You blooded by me shall be.'

She took him by the lily-white hand,
And led him to a private room,
And there she blooded bold Robin Hood,
Whilst one drop of blood would run.

She blooded him in the vein of the arm,
And locked him up in the room;
There did he bleed all the live-long day,
Until the next day at noon.

He then bethought him of a casement door,
Thinking for to be gone;

He was so weak he could not leap,
Nor he could not get down.

He then bethought him of his bugle-horn,
Which hung low down to his knee;

He set his horn unto his mouth,

And blew out weak blasts three.

Then Little John, when hearing him,
As he sat under the tree,

'I fear my master is near dead,
He blows so wearily.'

Then Little John to fair Kirkley is gonę

As fast as he can dri’e;

But when he came to Kirkley-hall,

He broke locks two or three:

Until he came bold Robin to,
Then he fell on his knee:
A boon, a boon,' cries Little John,
'Master, I beg of thee.'

'What is that boon,' quoth Robin Hood, 'Little John, thou begs of me?' 'It is to burn fair Kirkley-hall,

And all their nunnery.'

'Now nay, now nay,' quoth Robin Hood, 'That boon I'll not grant thee;

I never hurt woman in all my life,
Nor man in woman's company.

'I never hurt fair maid in all my time,
Nor at my end shall it be ;

But give me my bent bow in my hand,
And a broad arrow I'll let flee;
And where this arrow is taken up,
There shall my grave digg'd be.

'Lay me a green sod under my head,
And another at my feet;

And lay my bent bow by my side,
Which was my music sweet;

And make my grave of gravel and green,
Which is most right and meet.

'Let me have length and breadth enough,
With a green sod under my head;
That they may say, when I am dead,
Here lies bold Robin Hood.'

These words they readily promis'd him, Which did bold Robin please;

And there they buried bold Robin Hood, Near to the fair Kirklèys.