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THE
ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH
POPULAR BALLADS
EDITED BY
FRANCIS JAMES CHILD
PART V
BOSTON
HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY
NEW YORK: 11 EAST SEVENTEENTH STREET
%f\t fttoerstoe press, CambriDgc
London: Henry Stevens & Son, 115 St. Martin's Lane, Charing Cross
<Ont (CfooupanD Copieo pnnteD.
No.
SEP 7 4 WT
Copyright, 1888, by F. J. Child.
The Riverside rress, Cambridge s Electrotyped and Printed by H. 0. Houghton and Company.
ADVERTISEMENT
Rev. Professor Skeat has done me the great service of collating Wynken de Worde's text of The Gest of Robin Hood, the manuscript of Robin Hood and the Monk and of Robin Hood and the Potter, and all the Robin Hood broadsides in the Pepys collection. Mr Mac- MATH has collated the fragments of the earlier copy of The Gest which are preserved in the Advocates' Library, and, as always, has been most ready to respond to every call for aid. I would also gratefully acknowledge assistance received from Mr W. Aldis Wright, of Trinity College, Cambridge ; the Rev. Edmund Venables, Precentor of Lincoln ; Dr Furnp7ALL ; and, in America, from Mr W. W. Newell, Miss Perine and Mrs Dulany.
F. J. C.
February, 1888. -
CONTENTS
» —
Page
114. Johnte Cock 1
115. Robyn and Gandeleyn 12
116. Adam Bell, Clem of the Clough, and William of Cloudesly .... 14
117. A Gest of Robyn Hode 39
118. Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne .89
119. Robin Hood and the Monk 94
120. Robin Hood's Death 102
121. Robin Hood and the Potter 108
122. Robin Hood and the Butcher 115
123. Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar 120
124. The Jolly Pinder of Wakefield 129
125. Robin Hood and Little John 133
126. Robin Hood and the Tanner 137
127. Robin Hood and the Tinker - 140
128. Robin Hood newly Revived 144
129. Robin Hood and the Prince of Aragon 147
130. Robin Hood and the Scotchman 150
131. Robin Hood and the Ranger 152
132. The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood 154
133. Robin Hood and the Beggar, I 155
134. Robin Hood and the Beggar, II 158
135. Robin Hood and the Shepherd 165
136. Robin Hood's Delight 168
137. Robin Hood and the Pedlars 170
138. Robin Hood and Allen a Dale 172
139. Robin Hood's Progress to Nottingham 175
140. Robin Hood rescuing Three Squires J . . 177
141. Robin Hood rescuing Will Stutly 185
142. Little John a Begging 188
143. Robin Hood and the Bishop . 191
144. Robin Hood and the Bishop of Hereford 193
145. Robin Hood and Queen Katherine 196
146. Robin Hood's Chase 205
147. Robin Hood's Golden Prize 208
148. The Noble Fisherman, or, Robin Hood's Preferment 211
149. Robin Hood's Birth, Breeding, Valor and Marriage 214
150. Robin Hood and Maid Marian 218
151. The King's Disguise, and Friendship with Robin Hood 220
152. Robin Hood an© the Golden Arrow 223
153. Robin Hood and the Valiant Knight 225
154. A True Tale of Robin Hood 227
155. Sir Hugh, or, The Jew's Daughter . 233
114 JOHNIE COCK
A. Percy Papers, Miss Fisher's MS., No 5, 1780.
B. 'Johnny Cock,' Pieces of Ancient Poetry from Un- published Manuscripts and Scarce Books, Bristol, 1814, [John Fry], p. 53.
C. ' Johnny Cock,' Pieces of Ancient Poetry, etc., p. 51.
D. ' Johnie of Cockerslee,' Kinloch's annotated copy of his Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 38 bis.
E. ' Johnie o Cocklesmuir,' Kinloch MSS, VII, 29 ; Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 36.
P. ' Johnie of Breadislee,' Scott's Minstrelsy, I, 59, 1802.
G. « Johnnie Brad,' Harris MS., fol. 25.
H. ' Johnnie o Cocklesmuir,' Buchan's MSS, I, 82 ; Dixon, Scottish Traditional Versions of Ancient Bal- lads, p. 77, Percy Society, vol. xvii.
I. ' Johnie of Braidisbank,' Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 23.
J. Chambers, Scottish Ballads, p. 181. *
K. Finlay's Scottish Ballads, I, xxxi: one stanza.
L. Harris MS., fol. 25 b: one stanza.
M. Froude, Thomas Carlyle, II, 335, New York, 1882, supplemented by Mrs Aitken : one stanza.
The first notice in print of this precious specimen of the unspoiled traditional ballad is in Ritson's Scotish Song, 1794, I, xxxvi, note 'lb : the Rev. Mr Boyd, the translator of Dante, had a faint recollection of three bal- lads, one of which was called ' Johny Cox.' Before this, 1780, a lady of Carlisle had sent a copy to Doctor Percy, A. Scott, 1802, was the first to publish the ballad, selecting "the stanzas of greatest merit " from several copies "which were in his hands. John Fry gave two valuable fragments, C, B (which he did not separate), in his Pieces of Ancient Poetry, 1814, from a manuscript " appearing to be the text-book of some illiterate drummer." * I have been able to add only three versions to those which were already before the world, A, D, G ; and of these D is in part the same as B, previously printed by Kinloch.
* This manuscript, which Fry bought in Glasgow in 1810, contained several other ballads, "but written so cor- ruptly as to be of little or no authority." It did not occur to Fry that the illiteracy of the drummer gave his ballads the best of authority. I have done what I could to recover
VOL. III. 1
Pinkerton, Select Scotish Ballads, II, xxxix, 1783, has preserved a stanza, which he assigns to a supposititious ballad of 'Bertram the Archer : ' f
' My trusty bow of the tough yew,
That I in London bought, And silken strings, if ye prove true,
That my true-love has wrought.'
This stanza agrees with J 6, and with A 18, H 19 in part, and is very likely to belong here ; but it might be a movable passage, or com- monplace.
All the versions are in accord as to the primary points of the story. A gallant young fellow, who pays no regard to the game-laws, goes out, despite his mother's entreaties, to ding the dun deer down. He kills a deer, and feasts himself and his dogs so freely on it that
the manuscript, but in vain, though I had the kindest as- sistance in Bristol from the Rev. J. Percivall, Mr Francis Fry, and Mr J. F. Nicholls.
t See Motherwell's apt remarks, Minstrelsy, p. 1.
114. JOHNIE COCK
they all fall asleep. An old palmer, a silly auld, stane-auld carl, observes him, and car- ries word to seven foresters [fifteen B, three (?) C]. They beset Johnie and wound him ; he kills all but one, and leaves that one, badly hurt, to carry tidings of the rest. Johnie sends a bird to his mother to bid her fetch him away, P 19, 20, cf. B 13 ; a bird warns his mother that Johnie tarries long, H 21 (one of Buchan's parrots). The boy in A 20, 21 is ev- idently a corruption of bird. Information is given the mother in a different way in L. B-G must be adjudged to be incomplete ; I-M are mere fragments. H has a false and silly con- clusion, 22-24, in imitation of Robin Hood and of Adam Bell. Mrs Harris had heard another version Besides G (of which she gives only one stanza, L), in which " Johnie is slain and thrown owre a milk-white steed ; news is sent to Johnie's mother, who flies to her son." It is the one forester who is not quite killed that is thrown over his steed to carry tidings home, F 18, G 11. D 19, E 17, and Mrs Harris's second version are, as to this point, evidently corrupted.
The hero's name is Johnny Cock, B 2, C 1 ; Jobny Cox, Rev. Mr Boyd; John o Cockis (Johny Cockis?), H 17; Johny o Cockley's Well, A 14 ; o Cockerslee, D 14 ; of Cockie- law, in one of the versions used by Scott for P ; o Cocklesmuir, E 13, H 15. Again, Johnie Brad, G 1, L ; Johnie o Breadislee, F 14; Braidislee, J 2.
The hunting-ground, or the place where Johnie is discovered, is up in Braidhouplee, down in Bradyslee, A 6, high up in Bradyslee, low down in Bradyslee, A 12 ; Braidscaur Hill, D 6, Braidisbanks, D 12, I 1 ; Bride's Braid muir, H 2, 5 ; Broadspear Hill, E 2, 5 ; Durrisdeer only in F 4. The seven foresters are of Pickeram Side, A 3, 19 ; of Hislinton, F 9. B l1 reads, Fifteen foresters in the braid alow ; which seems to require emendation, per-
* " It is sometimes said that this outlaw possessed the old Castle of Morton in Dumfriesshire, now ruinous. . . . The mention of Durisdeer, a neighboring parish, adds weight to the tradition." Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, 1833, III, 114 f. Mr W. Bennett, writing in 1826 in The Dumfries Monthly Magazine, III, 250, of which he was editor, speaks of a field a little to the southwest of Lochmaben as still show-
haps simply to Braid alow, perhaps to Braidi* lee.
With regard to the localities in A, Percy notes that Pickeram Side is in Northumbria, and that there is a Cockley Tower in Erring- side, near Brady's Cragg, and a Brady's Cragg near Chollerford Bridge. There is a Cockley, alias Cocklaw, in Erringside, near Chollerton, in the south division of Tynedale Ward, par- ish of St John Lee. The Erring is a small stream which enters the Tyne between Chol- lerton and Chollerford. Again, Cocklaw Walls appears in the map of the Ordnance Survey, a little to the north and east of Cock- ley in Erringside, and Cocklaw Walls may rep- resent the Cocklev's Well of the ballad. (Percy notes that Cockley's Well is said to be near Bewcastle, Cumberland.) I have not found Brady's Cragg or Pickeram Side in the Ordnance Survey maps, nor indeed any of the compounds of Braidy or Braid anywhere.
There is a Braid a little to the south of Edinburgh, Braid Hills and Braid Burn ; and Motherwell, Minstrels}', p. 17, says that there is tradition for this region having been the hunting-ground.
Scott's cop3T, F, lays the scene in Dumfries- shire, and there is other tradition to the same effect.*
Percy was struck with the occurrence of the wolf in A 17, found also in B 10, C 5. He considered, no doubt, that the mention of the wolf was a token of the high antiquity of the ballad. " Wolues that wyryeth men, worn- men and children " are spoken of in Piers Plowman, C, Passus, X, v. 226, Skeat, 1886, I, 240, and the C text is assigned to about 1393. Holinshed (1577), I, 378, says that though the island is void of wolves south of the Tweed, yet the Scots cannot boast the like, since they have grievous wolves.
F is translated by Schubart, p. 187 ; Wolff,
ing the trace of a circular tower, which was " called Cockies- field, from one John Cock, or O'Cock, who had there his res- idence, and who during his lifetime was one of the most renowned freebooters in Annandale." Mr Macmath, who pointed out the passage to me, observes that in Thomson's map of Dumfriesshire, 1828, the name is given " Cocket- field," and that there is also a Cocket Hill.
114. JOHNIE COCK
Halle der Volker, I, 41, Hausschatz, p. 224 ; Doermiges, p. 10; Gerhard, p. 51 ; R. von Bis- marck, Deutsches Museum, 1858, I, 897 ; Cesare Cantu, Documenti alia Storia Univer-
p. 127 b ; by Loeve-Veimars, p. 296. Grundt- vig, p. 269, No 41, translates a compound of F, I, B (Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 36), and B ; Knortz, Schottische Balladen,
sale, V, 806 ; in Le Magasin Pittoresque, 1838, No 18, a mixture of F and others.
Communicated to Percy by Miss Fisher, of Carlisle, 1780, No 5 of MS.
1 Johny he has risen up i the morn,
Calls for water to wash his hands ; But little knew he that his bloody hounds Were bound in iron bands, bands Were bound in iron bands
2 Johny's mother has gotten word o that,
And care-bed she has taen : ' 0 Johny, for my benison,
I beg you '1 stay at hame ; For the wine so red, and the well baken bread,
My Johny shall want nane.
3 ' There are seven forsters at Pickeram Side,
At Pickeram where they dwell, And for a drop of thy heart's bluid They wad ride the fords of hell.'
4 Johny he 's gotten word of that,
And he 's turnd wondrous keen ; He 's put off the red Scarlett,
And he 's put on the Lincolm green.
5 With a sheaf of arrows by his side,
And a bent bow in his hand, He 's mounted on a prancing steed, And he has ridden fast oer the strand.
6 He 's up i Braidhouplee, and down i Bradys-
lee, And under a buss o broom, And there he found a good dun deer, Feeding in a buss of ling.
7 Johny shot, and the dun deer lap,
And she lap wondrous wide, Until they came to the wan water, And he stemd her of her pride.
8 He 'as taen out the little pen-knife,
'T was full three quarters long, And he has taen out of that dun deer The liver bot and the tongue.
9 They eat of the flesh, and they drank of the
blood, And the blood it was so sweet, Which caused Johny and his bloody hounds To fall in a deep sleep. ».
10 By then came an old palmer,
And an ill death may he die ! For he 's away to Pickram Side, As fast as he can drie.
11 ' What news, what news ? ' says the Seven
Forsters, ' What news have ye brought to me ? ' ' I have noe news,' the palmer said, ' But what I saw with my eye.
12 ' High up i Bradyslee, low down i Bradiss-
lee, And under a buss of scroggs, 0 there I spied a well-wight man, Sleeping among his dogs.
13 ' His coat it was of light Lincolm,
And his breeches of the same,
His shoes of the American leather,
And gold buckles tying them.'
14 Up bespake the Seven Forsters,
Up bespake they ane and a' :
O that is Johny o Cockleys Well,
And near him we will draw.
15 0 the first y stroke that they gae him,
They struck him off by the knee ; Then up bespake his sister's son : ' O the next '11 gar him die ! '
114. JOHNIE COCK
16 ' O some they count ye well-wight men,
But I do count ye nane ; For you might well ha wakend me, And askd gin I wad be taen.
17 ' The wildest wolf in aw this wood
Wad not ha done so by me ; She 'd ha wet her foot ith wan water,
And sprinkled it oer my brae, And if that wad not ha wakend me,
She wad ha gone and let me be.
18 ' O bows of yew, if ye be true,
In London, where ye were bought, Fingers five, get up belive,
Manhuid shall fail me nought.'
19 He has killd the Seven Forsters,
He has killd them all but ane, And that wan scarce to Pickeram Side, To carry the bode-words hame.
20 ' Is there never a boy in a' this wood
That will tell what I can say ; That will go to Cockleys Well,
Tell my mither to fetch me away ? '
21 There was a boy into that wood,
That carried the tidings away, And many ae was the well-wight man At the fetching o Johny away.
B
Pieces of Ancient Poetry from Unpublished Manuscripts and Scarce Books, Bristol, 1814, p. 53.
1 Fifteen" foresters in the Braid alow,
And they are wondrous fell ; To get a drop of Johnny's heart-bluid, They would sink a' their souls to hell.
2 Johnny Cock has gotten word of this,
And he is wondrous keen ; He['s] custan off the red scarlet, And on the Linkum green.
3 And he is ridden oer muir and muss,
And over mountains high, Till he came to yon wan water, And there Johnny Cock did lie.
4 They have ridden oer muir and muss,
And over mountains high, Till they met wi' an old palmer, Was walking along the way.
5 ' What news, what news, old palmer ?
What news have you to me ? ' ' Yonder is one of the proudest f^ed sons That ever my eyes did see.'
*
#
He 's taen out a horn from his side, And he blew both loud and shrill,
Till a' the fifteen foresters
Heard Johnny Cock blaw his horn.
7 They have sworn a bluidy oath,
And they swore all in one, That there was not a man among them a' Would blaw such a blast as yon.
8 And they have ridden oer muir and muss,
And over mountains high, Till they came to yon wan water, Where Johnny Cock did lie.
9 They have shotten little Johnny Cock,
A little above the ee :
• • • • •
' For doing the like to me.
10 ' There 's not a wolf in a' the wood
Woud ' ha ' done the like to me ; 'She 'd ha ' dipped her foot in coll water,
And strinkled above my ee, And if I would not have waked for that,
' She 'd ha ' gane and let me be.
11 ' But fingers five, come here, [come here,]
And faint heart fail me nought, And silver strings, value me sma things, Till I get all this vengeance rowght ! '
12 He ha[s] shot a' the fifteen foresters,
Left never a one but one, And he broke the ribs a that ane's side, And let him take tiding home.
13 ' ... a bird in a' the wood
Could sing as I could say, It would go in to my mother's bower, And bid her kiss me, and take me away.'
111. JOHNIE COCK
C
Pieces of Ancient Poetry from Unpublished Manuscripts and Scarce Books, Bristol, 1814, p. 51.
1 Johxnt Cock, in a May morning,
Sought water to wash his hands, And he is awa to louse his dogs, That 's tied wi iron bans. That 's tied wi iron bans
2 His coat it is of the light Lincum green,
And his breiks are of the same ; His shoes are of the American leather, Silver buckles tying them.
3 ' He ' hunted up, and so did ' he ' down,
Till ' he ' came to yon bush of scrogs, And then to yon wan water, Where he slept among his dogs.
4 Johnny Cock out-shot a' the foresters, And out-shot a the three ;
Out shot a' the foresters.
Wounded Johnny aboun the bree.
5 ' Woe be to you, foresters,
And an ill death may you die ! For there would not a wolf in a' the wood Have done the like to me.
6 ' For ' 't would ha ' put its foot in the coll water
And ha strinkled it on my bree, And gin that would not have done, Would have gane and lett me be.
7 ' I often took to my mother
The dandoo and the roe, But now I '1 take to my mother Much sorrow and much woe.
8 ' I often took to my mother
The dandoo and the hare, But now I '1 take to my mother Much sorrow and much care.'
D
Kinloch's annotated copy of his Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 38 bis : a West- Country version.
1 Up Johnie raise in a May morning,
Calld for water to wash his hands, And he has calld for his gude gray hunds, That lay bund in iron bands, bands That lay bund in iron bands
2 ' Ye '11 busk, ye '11 busk my noble dogs,
Ye '11 busk and mak them boun, For I 'm going to the Braidscaur hill, To ding the dun deer doun.'
3 Whan Johnie's mither gat word o that,
On the very bed she lay, Says, Johnie, for my malison, I pray ye at hame to stay.
4 Your meat sail be of the very, very best,
Your drink sail be the same, And ye will win your mither's benison, Gin ye wad stay at hame.
5 But Johnie has cast aff the black velvet,
And put on the Lincoln twine,
And he is on to gude greenwud, As fast as he could gang.
6 His mither's counsel he wad na tak,
He 's aff, and left the toun, He 's aff unto the Braidscaur hill, To ding the dun deer doun.
7 Johnie lookit east, and Johnie lookit west,
And he lookit aneath the sun, And there he spied the dun deer sleeping, Aneath a buss o whun.
8 Johnie shot, and the dun deer lap,
And he 's scaithed him in the side, And atween the water and the wud He laid the dun deer's pride.
9 They ate sae meikle o the venison,
And drank sae meikle o the blude, That Johnie and his twa gray hunds Fell asleep in yonder wud.
10 By ther cam a silly auld man, And a silly auld man was he, And he 's aff to the proud foresters, As fast as he could dree.
6
114. JOHNIE COCK
11 ' What news, what news, my silly auld man ?
What news ? come tell to me : ' ' I heard na news, I speird na news But what my een did see.
12 ' As I cam in by Braidisbanks,
And doun amang the whuns, The bonniest youngster eer I saw Lay sleepin amang his hunds.
13 ' His cheeks war like the roses red,
His neck was like the snaw ; His sark was o the holland fine, And his jerkin lac'd fu braw.'
14 Up bespak the first forester,
The first forester of a' : O this is Johnie o Cockerslee ; Come draw, lads, we maun draw.
15 Up bespak the niest forester,
The niest forester of a' : An this be Johnie o Cockerslee, To him we winna draw.
16 The first shot that they did shoot,
They woundit him on the bree ; Up bespak the uncle's son, ' The niest will gar him die.'
17 The second shot that eer they shot,
It scaithd him near the heart ; ' I only wauken,' Johnie cried, ' Whan first I find the smart.
18 ' Stand stout, stand stout, my noble dogs,
Stand stout, and dinna flee ; Stand fast, stand fast, my gude gray hunds, And we will gar them die.'
19 He has killed six o the proud foresters,
And wounded the seventh sair : He laid his leg out owre his steed, Says, I will kill na mair.
20 ' Oh wae befa thee, silly auld man,
An ill death may thee dee !
Upon thy head be a' this blude,
For mine, I ween, is free.'
E
Kinloch's MSS, VII, 29: from recitation in the North Country.
1 Johnie rose up in a May morning,
Calld for water to wash his hands, And he has calld for his gud gray hunds, That lay bund in iron bands, bands That lay bund in iron bands
2 ' Ye '11 busk, ye '11 busk my noble dogs,
Ye '11 busk and mak them boun, For I 'm gaing to the Broadspear hill, To ding the dun deer doun.'
3 Whan Johnie's mither heard o this,
She til her son has gane : ' Ye '11 win your mither's benison, Gin ye wad stay at hame.
4 ' Your meat sail be o the very, very best,
And your drink o the finest wine ; And ye will win your mither's benison, Gin ye wad stay at hame.'
5 His mither's counsel he wad na tak,
Nor wad he stay at hame ; But he 's on to the Broadspear hill, To ding the dun deer doun.
6 Johnie lookit east, and Johnie lookit west,
And a little below the sun, And there he spied the dun deer lying sleeping, Aneath a buss o brume.
7 Johnie shot, and the dun deer lap,
And he has woundit him in the side, And atween the water and the wud He laid the dun deer's pride.
8 They ate sae meikle o the venison,
And drank sae meikle o the blude, That Johnie and his twa gray hunds Fell asleep in yonder wud.
9 By there cam a silly auld man,
A silly auld man was he, And he 's aff to the proud foresters, To tell what he did see.
114. JOHNIE COCK
10 ' What news, what news, my silly auld man. What news ? come tell to me : ' ' Na news, na news,' said the silly anld man, ' But what mine een did see.
I I Up hespak the niest forester, The niest forester ava : ' An this be Johnie o Cocklesmuir, To him we winna draw.'
11 ' As I cam in by yon greenwud,
And doun amang the scrogs, The bonniest youth that ere I saw Lay sleeping atween twa dogs.
12 ' The sark that he had on his back
Was o the holland sma, And the coat that he had on his back Was laced wi gowd fu braw.'
13 Up bespak the first forester,
The first forester ava : ' An this be Johnie o Cocklesmuir, It 's time we war awa.'
15 The first shot that they did shoot,
They woundit him on the thie ; Up bespak the uncle's son, The niest will gar him die.
16 ' Stand stout, stand stout, my noble dogs,
Stand stout, and dinna flee ; Stand fast, stand fast, my gude gray hunds, And we will mak them dee.'
17 He has killed six o the proud foresters,
And he has woundit the seventh sair ; He laid his leg out oure his steed, Says, I will kill na mair.
Scott's Minstrelsy, I, 59, 1802; made up from several different copies. Nithsdale.
1 Johxie rose up in a May morning,
Called for water to wash his hands : ' Gar loose to me the gude graie dogs, That are bound wTi iron bands.'
2 When Johnie's mother gat word o that,
Her hands for dule she wrang : ' 0 Johnie, for my bennison, To the grenewood dinna gang !
3 ' Eneugh ye hae o the gude wheat-bread,
And eneugh o the blude-red wine, And therefore for nae vennison, Johnie, I pray ye, stir frae hame.'
4 But Johnie 's buskt \m his gude bend bow,
His arrows, ane by ane, And he has gane to Durrisdeer, To hunt the dun deer down.
5 As he came down by Merriemass,
And in by the benty line, There has he espied a deer lying, Aneath a bush of ling.
6 Johnie he shot, and the dun deer lap,
And he wounded her on the side,
But atween the water and the brae, His hounds they laid her pride.
7 And Johnie has bryttled the deer sae weel
That he 's had out her liver and lungs, And wi these he has feasted his bludey hounds As if they had been erl's sons.
8 They eat sae much o the vennison,
And drank sae much o the blude, That Johnie and a' his bludey hounds Fell asleep as they had been dead.
9 And by there came a silly auld carle,
An ill death mote he die ! For he 's awa to Hislinton,
Where the Seven Foresters did lie.
10 ' What news, what news, ye gray-headed carle ?
What news bring ye to me ? ' ' I bring nae news,' said the gray-headed carle, ' Save what these eyes did see.
11 ' As I came down by Merriemass,
And down amang the scroggs, The bonniest childe that ever I saw Lay sleeping amang his dogs.
12 ' The shirt that was upon his back
Was o the holland fine ;
8
114. JOHNIE COCK
The doublet which was over that Was o the Lincome twine.
13 ' The buttons that were on his sleeve
Were o the gowd sae gude ; The gude graie hounds he lay amang, Their mouths were dyed wi blude.'
14 Then out and spak the first forester,
The heid man ower them a' : If this be Johnie o Breadislee, Nae nearer will we draw.
15 But up and spak the sixth forester,
His sister's son was he : If this be Johnie o Breadislee, We soon shall gar him die.
16 The first flight of arrows the foresters shot,
They wounded him on the knee ; And out and spak the seventh forester, The next will gar him die.
17 Johnie 's set his back against an aik,
His fute against a stane, And he has slain the Seven Foresters, He has slain them a' but ane.
18 He has broke three ribs in that ane's side,
But and his collar bane ; He 's laid him twa-fald ower his steed, Bade him carry the tidings hame.
19 ' O is there na a bonnie bird
Can sing as I can say,
Could flee away to my mother's bower, And tell to fetch Johnie away ? '
20 The starling flew to his mother's window-
stane, It whistled and it sang, And aye the ower-word o the tune Was, Johnie tarries lang !
21 They made a rod o the hazel-bush,
Another o the slae-thorn tree, And mony, mony were the men At fetching our Johnie.
22 Then out and spake his auld mother,
And fast her teirs did fa ; Ye wad nae be warnd, my son Johnie, Frae the hunting to bide awa.
23 ' Aft hae I brought to Breadislee
The less gear and the mair, But I neer brought to Breadislee What grieved my heart sae sair.
24 ' But wae betyde that silly auld carle,
An ill death shall he die ; For the highest tree on Merriemass Shall be his morning's fee.'
25 Now Johnie's gude bend bow is broke.
And his gude graie dogs are slain, And his bodie lies dead in Durrisdeer, And his hunting it is done.
G
Harris MS., fol. 25 : from Mrs Harris's recitation.
1 Johnnie Bead, on a May mornin,
Called for water to wash his hands, An there he spied his twa blude-hounds, Waur bound in iron bands, bands Waur bound in iron bands
2 Johnnie 's taen his gude bent bow,
Bot an his arrows kene, An strippit himsel o the scarlet red, An put on the licht Lincoln green.
3 Up it spak Johnnie's mither,
An' a wae, wae woman was she :
I beg you bide at hame, Johnnie, I pray be ruled by me.
4 Baken bread ye sail nae lack,
An wine you sail lack nane ; Oh Johnnie, for my Jsenison, I beg you bide at name !
5 He has made a solemn aith,
Atween the sun an the mune, That he wald gae to the gude green wood, The dun deer to ding doon.
6 He luiket east, he luiket wast,
An in below the sun, An there he spied the dun deer, Aneath a bush o brume.
114. JOHNIE COCK
9
7 The firsten shot that Johnnie shot,
He wounded her in the side ; The nexten shot that Johnnie shot, I wat he laid her pride.
8 He 's eaten o the venison,
An drunken o the hlude, Until he fell as sound asleep As though he had been dead.
9 Bye there cam a silly auld man,
And a silly auld man was he, An he 's on to the Seven Foresters, As fast as he can flee.
10 ' As I cam in by yonder haugh, An in among the scroggs, "The bonniest boy that ere I saw Lay sleepin atween his dogs.'
11 The firsten shot that Johnnie shot, He shot them a' but ane, An he flang him owre a milk-white steed, Bade him bear tidings hame.
Buchan°s MSS, I, 82 ; Dixon, Scottish Traditional Ver- sions of Ancient Ballads, p. 77, Percy Society, vol. xvii.
1 Johnnie raise up in a May morning,
Calld for water to wash his hands, And he 's commant his bluidy dogs
To be loosd frae their iron bands, bands To be loosd frae their iron bands
2 ' Win up, win up, my bluidy dogs,
Win up, and be unbound, And we will on to Bride's Braidmuir, And ding the dun deer down.'
3 When his mother got word o that,
Then she took bed and lay ; Says. Johnnie, my son, for my blessing, Ye '11 stay at hame this day.
4 There 'a baken bread and brown ale
Shall be at your command ; Ye '11 win your mither's blythe blessing, To the Bride's Braidmuir nae gang.
5 Mony are my friends, mither,
Though thousands were my foe ; Betide me life, betide me death, To the Bride's Braidmuir I '11 go.
6 The sark that was on Johnnie's back
Was o the cambric fine ; The belt that was around his middle Wi pearlins it did shine.
VOL. III. 2
7 The coat that was upon his back
Was o the linsey brown ; And he 's awa to the Bride's Braidmuir, To ding the dun deer down.
8 Johnnie lookd east, Johnnie lookd west,
And turnd him round and round, And there he saw the king's dun deer, Was cowing the bush o brune.
9 Johnnie shot, and the dun deer lap.
He wounded her in the side ; Between him and yon burnie-bank, Johnnie he laid her pride.
10 He ate sae muckle o the venison,
He drank sae muckle bleed, Till he lay down between his hounds, And slept as he 'd been dead.
11 But by there came a stane-auld man,
An ill death mat he dee ! For he is on to the Seven Foresters, As fast as gang could he.
12 ' What news, what news, ye stane-auld man?
What news hae ye brought you wi ? ' ' Nae news, nae news, ye seven foresters, But what your eyes will see.
13 ' As I gaed i yon rough thick hedge,
Amang yon bramly scroggs, The fairest youth that eer I saw Lay sleeping between his dogs.
10
114. JOHNIE COCK
14 ' The sark that was upon his back
Was o the cambric fine ; The belt that was around his middle Wi pearlins it did shine.'
15 Then out it speaks the first forester :
Whether this be true or no, O if it 's Johnnie o Cocklesmuir, Nae forder need we go.
16 Out it spake the second forester,
A fierce fellow was he : Betide me life, betide me death, This youth we '11 go and see.
17 As they gaed in yon rough thick hedge,
And down yon forest gay, They came to that very same place Where John o Cockis he lay.
18 The first an shot they shot at him,
They wounded him in the thigh ; Out spake the first forester's son : By the next shot he maun die.
19 ' O stand ye true, my trusty bow,
And stout steel never fail !
Avenge me now on all my foes, Who have my life i bail.'
20 Then Johnnie killd six foresters,
And wounded the seventh sair ; Then drew a stroke at the stane-auld man, That words he neer spake mair.
21 His mother's parrot in window sat,
She whistled and she sang, And aye the owerturn o the note, ' Young Johnnie 's biding lang.'
•
22 When this reached the king's own ears,
It grievd him wondrous sair ; Says, I 'd rather they 'd hurt my subjects all Than Johnnie o Cocklesmuir.
23 ' But where are all my wall-wight men,
That I pay meat and fee, Will gang the morn to Johnnie's castle, See how the cause may be.'
24 Then he 's calld Johnnie up to court,
Treated him handsomelie, And now to hunt in the Bride's Braidmuir, For life has license free.
Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 23.
1 Johnie rose up in a May morning,
Called for water to wash his hands, hands And he is awa to Braidisbanks,
To ding the dun deer down, down To ding the dun deer down
2 Johnie lookit east, and Johnie lookit west,
And it 's lang before the sun, And there he did spy the dun deer lie, Beneath a bush of brume.
3 Johnie shot, and the dun deer lap,
And he 's woundit her in the side ; Out then spake his sister's son,
' And the neist will lay her pride.'
4 They 've eaten sae meikle o the gude venison, And they 've drunken sae muckle o the blude, That they 've fallen into as sound a sleep As gif that they were dead.
5 ' It 's doun, and it 's doun, and it 's doun, doun, And it 's doun amang the scrogs, And there ye '11 espy twa bonnie boys lie, Asleep amang their dogs.'
*
6 They waukened Johnie out o his sleep, And he 's drawn to him his coat : ' My fingers five, save me alive, And a stout heart fail me not ! '
111. JOHNIE COCK
11
Chambers's Scottish Ballads, p. 181, stanzas 13, 16, 17, 21, 2J, 23, 26: from the recitation of a lady resident at Peebles.
1 His coat was o the scarlet red,
His vest was o the same ; %
His stockings were o the worset lace, And buckles tied to the same.
4 ' O wae he to you seven foresters !
I wonder ye dinna think shame, You being seven sturdy men, And I hut a man my lane.
5 ' Now fail me not, my ten fingers,
That are both long and small ! Now fail me not, my noble heart ! For in thee I trust for all.
2 Out then spoke one, out then spoke two,
Out then spoke two or three ; Out spoke the master forester, ' It 's Johnie o Braidislee.
3 ' If this be true, thou silly auld man,
"Which you tell unto me, Five hundred pounds of yearly rent It shall not pay your fee.'
6 ' Now fail me not, my good bend bow, That was in London coft ! Now fail me not, my golden string, Which my true lover wrocht ! '
7 He has tossed him up, he has tossed him doun, He has broken his collar-bone ; He has tied him to his bridle reins, Bade him carry the tidings home.
K
Firnay's Scottish Ballads, I, xxxi.
' There 's no a bird in a' this foreste
Will do as meikle for me As dip its wing in the wan water
An straik it on my ee-bree.'
Harris MS., fol. 25 b.
But aye at ilka ae mile's end
She fand a cat o clay, An written upon the back o it
' Tak your son Johnnie Brod away.'
M
Froude's Life of Carl vie, 1795-1875, II, 335, New York, 1882, completed by a communication of Mr Macmath : as sung by Carlyle's mother.
'O busk ye, 0 busk ye, my three bluidy hounds,
O busk ye, and go with me, For there 's seven foresters in yon forest,
And them I want to see.' see
And them I want to see
A. ' The Seven Forsters at Pickeram Side ' is a title supplied by Percy. 62. I wun is added by Percy, at the end. 7s, 173. one water.
lo1. Oh. 194. bord words, or bood words. B follows G in Fry without a break. Words dis- tinguished by ' ' in B, C are emendations or
D.
additions of Fry. 4, 5 come between 12 and 13.
I1. braid alow. 101. the word. 105. would have.
II2. hearted. 133. bows.
43. Out-shot.
" There is a West-Country version of this bal- lad, under the title of Johnie of Cockerslee,
12
115. KOBYN AND GANDELEYN
E.
H.
51.
differing very little from the present. The variations in the reading I have marked at their respective places." Kinloch. Assum- ing that Kinloch has given all the varia- tions (which include six entire stanzas), the West-Country version is reproduced by com- bining these readings with so much of the other copy, Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Bal- lads, p. 38, as did not vary. 158. Kinloch neglected to alter Cocklesmuir here.
68. lying is struck through, probably to im- prove the metre. Kinloch made two slight changes in printing.
Mony ane. (?) 91. Johnnie lap : probably an error of the copyist.
92, 182. wound : cf. 202.
21A bidding.
Dixon has changed stane-auld to silly-auld in ll1, 121, 203; Cockis to Cockl's in 17*; and has Scotticised the spelling. Motherwell notes a stanza as wanting after 3,
some stanzas as wanting after 4, 5. " The version of the ballad here given is partly copied from those printed in the Border Minstrelsy and in the publications of Messrs Kinloch and Motherwell, and is partly taken from the recitation of a lady resident at Peebles and from a manuscript copy sub-
mitted to me by Mr Kinloch. The twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, twenty-first, twenty-second, twenty-third, twenty-sixth, and twenty-seventh stanzas are here printed for the first time." Chambers. The l<±th stanza hid been printed by Scott, F 12 ?tlie23d, repeated here (G), by Pinker- ton ; the 11th is D 20. The first half of the 12th is D 131, 2, and the remainder Cham- bers's own : compare his 11 and F 11, from which it seems to have been made.
L. " I have heard another version, where Johnnie is slain and thrown ' owre a milk-white steed.' News is sent to Johnnie's mother, who flies to her son ; But aye at ilka ae mile's end, etc."
M. ""While she [Carlyle's mother] was at Craigen- puttock, I made her train me to two song- tunes ; and we often sang them together, and tried them often again in coming down into Annandale." The last half of the stanza is cited. Letter of T. Carlyle, May 18, 1834, in Froude's Life, 1795-1835, II, 335. " Mrs Aitken, sister of T. Carlyle, sent me [January 15, 1884] the first two lines to complete the stanza of this Johny Cock, but can call up no more of the ballad." Letter of Mr Macmath.
115
ROBYN AND GANDELEYN
Sloane MS., 2593, fol. 14 b, British Museum.
Printed by Ritson, Ancient Songs, 1790, p. 48, and by Thomas Wright, Songs and Carols (selected from the Sloane MS.), No X, London, 1836, and again in his edition of the whole MS. for the Warton Club, 1856, p. 42. The manuscript is put at about 1450.
Wright remarks on the similarity of the name Gandelyn to Gamelyn in the tale as-
signed to the Cook in some manuscripts of the Canterbury Tales, and on the resemblance of the tale of Gamelyn to Robin Hood story. But he could hardly have wished to give the impression that Robin in this ballad is Robin Hood. This he no more is than John in the ballad which precedes is Little John ; though Gandelyn is as true to his master as Little
113. ROBYN AND GANDELEYN
13
John is, and is pronounced to be by the king, in ' Robin Hood and the Monk.' Ritson gave the ballad the title of ' Robin Lyth,' looking on the ' lyth ' of the burden as the hero's sur- name ; derived perhaps from the village of Lythe, two or three miles to the north of Whitby. A cave on the north side of the promontory of Flamborough, called Robin Lyth's Hole (popularly regarded as the strong- hold of a pirate), may have been, Ritson thinks, one of the skulking-places of the Robin
who fell by the shaft of Wrennok. " Robin Hood," he adds, " had several such in those and other parts ; and, indeed, it is not very improbable that our hero had been formerly in the suite of that gallant robber, and, on his master's death, had set up for himself." Thought is free.
Translated by Grundtvig, Engelske og skot- ske Folkeviser, page 44, No. 6.
1 I herde a carpyng of a clerk,
Al at $one wodes ende, Of gode Robyn and Gandeleyn ;
Was per now oper pynge. Robynw lyth in grene wode bowndyw
2 Stronge theuys wern po chylderiw now, -
But bowmew gode and hende ; He wentyw to wode to getyw hem fleych, If God wold it hem sende.
3 Al day wentjn po chylderiw too,
And fleych fowndyw he now, Til it were a-geyn euyw ;
pe chylderiw wold gon hom.
4 Half are honderid of fat falyf der
He comyw a-^on, And alle he wern fayr and fat i-now,
But markyd was per now : ' Be dere God,' seyde gode Robyn,
' Here of we xul haue on.'
5 Robyw bent his joly bowe,
per in he set a flo ; pe fattest der of alle pe herl^e he clef a to.
6 He hadde not pe der i-flawe,
Ne half out of pe hyde, There cam a schrewde arwe out of pe west, pat felde Robertes pryde.
7 Gandeleyn lokyd hym est and west,
Be euery syde : ' Hoo hat myw mayster slayin ?
Ho hat dow pis dede ? Xal I neuer out of grene wode go
Til I se [his] sydis blede.'
8 Gandeleyn lokyd hym est and lokyd west,
And sowt vnder pe sunrae ; He saw a lytil boy
He clepyw Wrennok of Donne.
9 A good bowe in his hond,
A brod arwe per ine, And fowre and twenti goode arwys,
Trusyd in a prumme : ' Be war pe, war pe, Gandeleyn,
Her-of pu xalt haw summe.
10 ' Be war pe, war pe, Gawdeleyn,
Her of pu gyst plente : ' ' Euer on for aw oper,' seyde Gandeleyn ; ' Mysauwter haue he xal fle.
11 ' Qwer-at xal our marke be ? '
Seyde Gandeleyn : ' Eueryche at operis herte,' Seyde Wrennok ageyn.
12 ' Ho xal }eue pe ferste schote ? '
Seyde Gawdeleyn : ' And I xul }eue pe on be-forn,' Seyde Wrennok ageyn.
13 Wrennok schette a ful good schote,
And he schet not to hye ; ]?row pe sawchopis of his bryk ; It towchyd neyper thye.
14 ' Now hast pu $ouyw me on be-forn,'
Al pus to Wrennok seyde he, ' And prow pe myjt of owr lady A better e I xal jeue pe.'
15 Gandeleyn bent his goode bowe,
And set per in a flo ;
14
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE (JLOUGII, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
He schet prow his grene certyl, His herte he clef on too.
16 ' Now xalt pu neuer }elpe, Wrennok, At ale ne at wyn, pat pu hast slawe goode Robyw, And his knaue Gandeleyn.
17 ' Now xalt pu neuer }elpe, Wrennok, At wyn ne at ale, bat pu hast slawe goode Robyn, And Gandeley/t liis knaue.'
Robyw lyjth in grene wode bowndy??
Written continuously, without division of stanzas 48. I now. 46. Robyn wanting. 51. went. or verses. The burden, put after 1, stands at 78. Ti I. 98. & xx. 102. hir. 12a. $ewe. 124. seyd. the head of the ballad. 143. )>u my^t. 174. Gawdelyyn : knawe.
And for & always.
gynge-
Last line : bowdyw.
116
ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF
CLOUDESLY
a. Two fragments, stanzas 1134-1282, 161a-170, of an edition by John Byddell, London, 1536 : Library of the University of Cambridge.*
b. A fragment, stanzas 533-lll3, by a printer not iden- tified: formerly in the possession of J. Payne Collier.f
c. ' Adambel, Clym of the cloughe, and Wyllyam of cloudesle,' William Copeland, London [1548-68] : British Museum, C. 21, c. 64.J
d. ' Adam Bell, Clim of the Clough, and William of Cloudesle,' James Roberts, London, 1G05: Bodleian Library, C. 39, Art. Selden.
e. Another edition with the same title-page: Bodleian Library, Malone, 299.
f. ' Adam Bell, Clime of the Cloug[be]. and William off Cloudeslee,' Percy MS., p. 390: British Museum. Hales and Furnivall, III, 76.
'Adam Bell' is licensed to John Kynge in the Stationers' Registers, 19 July, 1557- 9 July, 1558 : Arber, I, 79. Again, among copies which were Sampson Awdeley's, to John Charlewood, 15 January, 1582 ; and, among copies which were John Charlwoode's, to James Robertes, 31 May, 1594 : Arber, II, 405, 651. Seven reprints of the seventeenth
* Colophon : [P]rynted at London, in Fletestrete, at [the sijgne of the Sonne, by me Iohn [Byjddell. In the yere of our lord god m.ccccc.xxxvj. The seconde daye of June. Iohn Byddell.
Eight lines wanting: 1203'4; 121; 168s.4. Mutilated at the beginning: 169; 170. Mutilated at the end: 1641; 1653; 1671.
t Eleven lines wanting: 602*3-4; 67*; 68L2; i003; 1044;
century, later than d, are noted in Mr W. C. Hazlitt's Handbook, p. 35.
The larger part of a has been reprinted by Mr F. S. Ellis, in his catalogue of the library of Mr Henry Hutli, I, 128 f, 1880.§ b was used by Mr W. C. Hazlitt for his edition of the ballad in Remains of the Early Popular Poetry of England, II, 131. j] c was reprinted
1051-2; HO4. Mutilated at the beginning: 61-641; 643-673; 754-831; 904-5.6; 964 ; 105M103; 1111'2. Mutilated at the end: 601; 1013; 1023; 1031; 104- 3. Elsewhere: 972'a; 1041.
% Colophon. Imprinted at London, in Lothburye, by Wyllyam Copeland.
§ " Two leaves, discovered in the pasteboard or fly-leaves of a book received from abroad."
|| b was kindly copied for me by Mr J. P. Collier in 1857.
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY 15
by Percy in his Reliques, 1705, I, 120, with be let in as messengers from the king to the jus-
corrections from f } and by Ritson, Pieces of tice. The porter demurs, but they browbeat
Ancient Popular Poetry, 1791, p. 5, with the him with the king's seal; he opens the gate ;
necessary emendations of Copland's somewhat they wring his neck and take his keys. First
faulty text, d is followed by a Second Part, bending their bows and looking to the strings,
described by Ritson, in temperate terms, as they make for the market-place, where they
" a very inferior and servile production.*' It find Cloudesly lying in a cart, on the point
is here given (with much reluctance) in an to be hanged. William sees them, and takes
Appendix. hope. Adam makes the sheriff his mark, Clim
Adam Bell, Clim of the Clough, and Wil- the justice; both fall, deadly wounded; the liam of Cloudesly, outlawed for breach of the citizens fly ; the outlaws loose Cloudesly's game-laws, swear brotherhood, and betake ropes. William wrings an axe from the hand themselves to Inglewood, a forest adjacent to of an officer, and smites on every side ; Adam Carlisle. William is a wedded man, and one and Clim shoot till their arrows are gone, then day tells his brethren that he means to go to draw their swords. Horns are blown, and the Carlisle to see his wife and children. Adam bells rung backwards ; the mayor of Carlisle would not advise this, lest he should be taken comes with a large force, and the fight is hot- by the justice. William goes to Carlisle, nev- ter than ever. But all for naught, for the ertheless, knocks at his window, and is admit- outlaws get to the gates, and are soon in In- ted by Alice, his wife, who tells him with a glewood, under their trysty-tree. sigh that the place has been beset for him a Alice had come to Inglewood to make half year and more. While they make good known to Adam and Clim what had befallen cheer, an old woman, whom William had kept her husband, but naturally had not found seven years for charity, slips out, and informs them, since they were already gone to Wil- the justice that William is come to town.* Ham's rescue. A woman is heard weeping, The justice and the sheriff come presently and Cloudesly, taking a turn to see what this with a great rout to take William. Man and may mean, comes upon his wife and three wife defend the house till it is set on fire. Wil- boys. Very sad she is, but the sight of her liam lets his wife and children down with husband makes all well. Three harts are sheets, and shoots on till his bowstring is burnt, killed for supper, and William gives Alice the then runs into the thick of his foes with best for standing so boldly by him. The out- sword and buckler, but is felled by doors and laws determine to go to the king to get a char- windows thrown on him, and so taken. The ter of peace. William takes his eldest son sheriff orders the gates of Carlisle to be shut with him, leaving Alice and the two younger close, and sets up a gallows to hang William, at a nunnery. The three brethren make their A boy, friendly to the family, gets out at a way to the king's presence, without leave of crevice in the wall, and carries word to Adam porter or announcement by usher, kneel down and Clim, who instantly set out for the res- and hold up their hands, and ask grace for cue. having slain the king's deer. The king in-
Adam and Clim find the gates shut so fast quires their names, and when he hears who
that there is no chance of getting in without they are says they shall all be hanged, and or-
a stratagem. Adam has a fair written letter ders them into arrest. Adam Bell once more
in his pocket : they will make the porter think asks grace, since they have come to the king
that they have the king's seal. They beat on of their free will, or else that they may go,
the gate till the porter comes, and demand to with such weapons as they have, when they
Mr Collier described his fragment as " a scrap which once * This old woman gives the title ' Auld Matrons ' to a bal-
formed the fly-leaf of a book." Hazli'ot says that the type is lad in Buchan's larger collection, II, 238, in which kitchen-
clearly older than Copland's, and very like Wynkyn de tradiiion has made over some of the incidents in the First
Worde's. Fit of Adam Bell.
16 116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
will ask no grace in a hundred years. The resemblance to the rescue of Cloudesly by
king replies again that all three shall be Adam and Clim in this ballad, st. 52 ff. The
hanged. Hereupon the queen reminds the rescue of Will Stutly has also some slight sim-
king that when she was wedded he had prom- ilarity : cf. No 141, sts 26-33, and 70, 79-81, of
ised to grant the first boon she should ask; 'Adam Bell.'
she had hitherto asked nothing, but now begs The shooting of an apple from a boy's head,
the three yeomen's lives. The king must sts 151-62, is, as is well known, a trait in
needs consent. several German and Norse traditions, and
Immediately thereafter comes information these particular feats, as well as everything
that the outlaws had slain the justice and resembling them, have been a subject of eager
the sheriff, the mayor of Carlisle, all the con- discussion in connection with the apocryphal
stables and catchpolls, the sergeants of the history of William Tell.
law, forty foresters, and many more. This The Icelandic saga of Dietrich of Bern,
makes the king so sad that he can eat no more ; compiled, according to the prologue, from Low
but he wishes to see these fellows shoot that German tales and ballads, narrates that young
have wrought all this woe. The king's archers Egil, a brother of Weland the Smith, came
and the queen's go to the butts with the three to Nidung's court with the fame of being the
yeomen, and the outlaws hit everything that best bowman in the world. Nidung, to prove
is set up. Cloudesly holds the butts too wide his skill, required Egil [on pain of death] to
for a good archer, and the three set up two shoot an apple from the head of his son, a
hazel rods, twenty score paces apart; he is a child of three years, only one trial being per-
good archer, says Cloudesly, that cleaves one mitted. Egil split the apple in the middle,
of these. The king says no man can do it; Though allowed but one chance, Egil had pro-
but Cloudesly cleaves the wand. The king vided himself with three arrows. When asked
declares him the best archer he ever saw. why, he answered the king that the two oth-
William says he will do a greater mastery : ers were meant for him, if he had hit the boy
he will lay an apple on his son's head (a boy with the first. Saga DiSriks Konungs af
of seven), and split it in two at six score paces. Bern, ed. Unger, c. 75, p. 90 f ; Peringskiold,
The king bids him make haste so to do: if he Wilkina Saga, c. 27, p. 63 f; Raszmann, Die
fail, he shall be hanged; and if he touch the Deutsche Heldensage, II, 247 f; the Swedish
boy, the outlaws shall be hanged, all three, rifacimento, Sagan om Didrik af Bern, ed.
Cloudesly ties the child to a stake, turning its Hylten-Cavallius, c. 73, p. 54. The Icelandic
face from him, sets an apple on its head, and* saga was composed about 1250.
begging the people to remain quiet, cleaves Saxo, writing about 1200, relates nearly the
the apple in two. The king gives Cloudesly same incidents of Toko, a man in the service
eighteen pence a day as his bowman, and of King Harold Bluetooth (f c. 985). Toko,
makes him chief rider over the North Coun- while drinking with comrades, had bragged
try. The queen adds twelve pence, makes him that he was good enough bowman to hit the
a gentleman of cloth and fee and his two bro- smallest apple on top of a stick at the first shot,
thers yeomen of her chamber, gives the boy This boast was carried to the king, who* ex-
a place in her wine-cellar, and appoints Alice . acted a fulfilment of it on pain of death; but
her chief gentlewoman and governess of her the apple was to be set on the head of Toko's
nursery. The yeomen express their thanks, son. The father exhorted the boy to stand
go to Rome [to some bishop, in the later perfectly still, and, to make this easier, turned
copy] to be absolved of their sins, live the the child's face from the direction of the shot ;
rest of their lives with the king, and die good then, laying out three arrows from his quiver,
men, all three. executed the required feat. When the king
The rescue of Robin Hood by Little John asked why he had taken three arrows, Toko
and Much in No 117, sts 61-82, has a general replied, To wreak the miss of the first with
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
17
the points of the others. Saxo Grammati- cus, Gesta Danorum, Book x, ed. Holder, p. 329 f.
The White Book of Obwalden, written about 1470, informs us that Tell, a good archer, having refused to bow to Gesler's hat, was or- dered by the landvogt to shoot an apple from the head of one of his children. Unable to resist, Tell laid-by a second arrow, shot the apple from the child's head, and being asked why he had reserved the other arrow, re- plied that if the first had missed he would have shot Gesler or one of his men with the second.*
This story is introduced into a piece of verse on the origin of the Swiss confederacy, of nearly the same date as the prose docu- ment. In this the landvogt says to Tell that if he does not hit with the first shot, it will cost him his life ; the distance is one hundred and twenty paces, as in the English ballad, and Tell says simply that he would have shot the landvogt if he had hit his son.f (Tell uses a cross-bow, not the long-bow, as the English.)
Henning Wulf, a considerable person in Holstein, who had headed an unsuccessful out- break against Christian the First of Denmark, was captured and brought before the king. The kino;, knowing; Henning; to be an incom- parable archer, ordered him to shoot an ap- ple from the head of his only son, a child : if he succeeded, he was to go free. The exploit was happily accomplished. But Henning had put a second arrow into his mouth, and the king asked the object. The second arrow was for the king, had the boy been hit. Hen- ning Wulf was outlawed. The story, which
* Vischer, Die Sage von der Befreiung der Waldstadte, pp 33, 36 f ; Rochholz, Germania, XIII, 56 f. " Wa er das nit hoite gethan, so hette er selbs mii^sen darumb sterben : " Russ's Chronicle, 1482, Vischer, p. 50.
t Liliencion, Die historischen Volkslieder der Deutschen, II, 109, No 147 ; Bohme, p. 47, No 10 ; Vischer, p. 46 ; Roch- 4 holz, Tell u. Gessler, p. 180; Tobler, p. 3. This or a like song was known to Russ, 1482. Tschudi, about a hundred years later, c. 1570, says that the child was five or six, not more than six, years old : Vischer, p. 122. There is another, but later and even worse, " sons " about William Tell and the confederacy: Bohme, No 11, p. 49;Wunder- horn, 1808, II, 129; etc.
t Mullen hoff, Sagen, u. s. w., der Herzogthiimer Schleswig
VOL. III. 3
is put at 1472, is the subject of a painting preserved in a church. J
The Norwegian king, Haraldr Harfirafir (t 1066), who has a grudge against Hemingr, son of Aslakr, undertakes to put him to proof in shooting, swimming, and snow-shoe sliding. They go to a wood, and both execute extraor- dinary feats with bow and lance ; but Hem- ingr is much superior to the king. The king orders Hemingr to shoot a nut from his bro- ther Bjorn's head, on pain of death for missing. Hemingr would rather die than venture such a shot ; but his brother offers himself freely, and undertakes to stand still. Then let the king stand by Bjorn, says Hemingr, and see whether I hit. But the king prefers to stand by Hemingr, and appoints somebody else to the other position. Hemingr crosses himself, calls God to witness that the king is responsi- ble, throws his lance, and strikes the nut from his brother's head, doing him no harm. Hem- ings Battr, Flateyjarbdk, III, 405 f (1370- 80) ; Miiller, Sagabibliothek, III, 356 ff. This story was probably derived from an old song, and is preserved in Norwegian and Fa- roe ballads : ' Harald kongin og Hemingen unge,' Landstad, Norske Folkeviser, No 15, A, B, pp. 177-188 ; ' Geyti Aslaksson,' Hammers- haimb, Faeroiske Kvseder, No 17,A-C, n, 149- 163. In Norwegian A, 5-10, the shot is ex- acted under pain of imprisonment. Hemingen insists that the king shall take a place near his brother [son], whom he exhorts to stand erect and bold ; one half of the nut falls, the other is left on the head ; the king asks what was to have been done with a second arrow which Hemingen had secreted, and is answered as in the previous cases.§ The first and last
Holstein u. Lauenburg, p. 57, No 66. The story is local- ized at another place in Holstein, with the change of apple to pear : Liitolf, Germania, VIII, 213.
§ Torfasus, in his history of Norway, III, 371, speaks of a ballad about Heming sung in his time, c. 1700, which would seem to have been the same as this, only somewhat fuller. Landstad, p. 187.
These ballads represent the king as regarding himself as quite unapproachable in athletic exercises. The little boy of ballads, smadrengin, kongins liiil svein, Norwegian B, Faroe A, or, in a Faroe variation (Hammershaimb, p. 161), Harald's queen, intimates knowledge of an equal or supe- rior. Harald answers, in true ballad style, in Faroe A 6, If he is not my better, you shall burn for it. In Norwe-
18
116. ADAM BELL, CL1M OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF (JLOUDB8LY
of these incidents are wanting in B (19-22). In the Faroe ballad, A, 53-62, the king tells Geyti (whom he also calls Ilemingur) that he must shoot a nut from his brother's head. Geyti asks the king to go to the wood with him to see the result, invokes God and St Olav, hits the nut without touching his brother. It is not till the next day that the king asks Geyti why he had two arrows with him in the wood.
The same story, pleasingly varied for the occasion, is found in the saga of the Norwe- gian king Olafr Tryggvason (f 1000). The king hears that EindriSi, a handsome, rich, and amiable young man, is unconverted. Ein- driSi is a good swimmer, bowman, and dirk- thrower. Olafr, a proficient in all such exer- cises, proposes to try masteries with him in the feats which he has repute for, on the terms that if EindriSi is beaten he shall be baptized, but if victor shall hold such faith as he will. The first trial is in swimming, and in this Olafr shows unequivocal superiority. The next day they shoot at a target, and the ad- vantage, after two essays, is rather with Ein- dridi. The king compliments Eindridi ; but the issue between them is not yet decided. This fine young fellow's salvation is at stake, and expedients which one might otherwise scruple at are justifiable. Olafr knows that Eindridi tenderly loves a pretty child, four or five years old, his sister's son. This boy shall be our target, says the king. A chessman (the king-piece) on his head shall be the mark, to be shot off without hurting the boy. EindriSi must needs submit, but means to have revenge if the child comes to harm. The king orders a cloth to be passed round the boy's head, each end of which is to be held firmly by a man, so as to prevent any stirring when the whiz of the arrow is heard. Olafr signs both himself and the point of his arrow with the cross, and shoots ; the arrow takes off
gian B, Faroe A, the king immediately sets out to find his rival. Cf. Charlemagne and King Arthur, I, 275, 279, and the beginning of 'King Estmere,' II, 51, and Landstad, p. 177, note 1.
* The Witches' Hammer was composed in 1486, and Pun- ker is there recorded to have exercised his devil's craft sixty years before. Elsewhere Punker [Pumper] is said to have
the chessman, passing between it and the head, grazing the crown and drawing some little blood. The king bids EindriSi take his turn ; but Eindridi's mother and sister beg him with tears to desist, and he, though ready to take the risk, yields to their entreaties, and leaves the victory with Olafr. On the third day there is a match at a game with dirks. For a time no one can say which does the better ; but in the end Olafr performs feats so marvellous as in Eindridi's conviction to demonstrate the assistance of a deily: where- fore he consents to be baptized. Saga Olafs Tryggvasonar, Fornmanna Sogur, II, 259-74, c. 235; Flateyjarb6k, I, 456-64, cc. 359-64.
Punker, a warlock of Rorbach (a town not far from Heidelberg), had obtained from the devil, as the regular recompense for his having thrice pierced the crucifix, the power of mak- ing three unerring shots daily, and had so been able to pick off in detail all but one of the gar- rison of a besieged town. To put his skill to proof, a certain nobleman ordered him to shoot a piece of money from his own son's head. Punker wished to be excused, for he feared that the devil might play him false ; but being induced to make the trial, knocked the coin from the boy's cap, doing him no damage. Before shooting, he had stuck an- other arrow into his collar, and asked why, replied that if the devil had betrayed him, and he had killed the child, he would have sent the other bolt through the body of the person who had obliged him to undertake the performance. Malleus Maleficarum, Pars II, Qusestio I, c. xvi.* The date of the transac- tion is put at about 1420.
The last three forms of this tradition have the unimportant variations of brother and brother, or uncle and nephew, for father and son, and of nut, chessman, or coin for apple.
The story is German-Scandinavian, and not remarkably extended-! The seven versions
been torn to pieces by oppressed peasants in 1420. The name is spelled Puncler in the edition of 1620, pp 248 f, and Pun- cher in the edition followed by Grimm. See Rochholz in Germania, XIII, 48-51.
t The Tell story, complete, Apfelschuss, Felsensprung und Tyrannenmord, is said to occur among the Finns and the Lapps : E. Pabst, cited by Pfannenschmid, Germania,
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OP CLOUDESLY 19
agree in two points : the shot is compulsory ; captive, a boy of twelve, followed alono- the the archer meditates revenge in case he harms other side of the lake, threatening to shoot the person on whose head the mark is placed.* them if they did not let his father go. These These features are wanting in the English threats, for a time, only procured worse treat- ballad. William of Cloudesly offers of his ment for the prisoner ; but at last the boy was own free motion to shoot an apple from his told that his father should be released if he son's head, and this after the king had de- could shoot an arrow across the water and clared him the best archer he had ever seen, split an apple laid on his father's head. This for splitting a hazel-rod at twenty score paces; the boy did, and his father was liberated. so that the act was done purely for glory. To Castren's Reiseerinnerungen aus den Jahren be sure, the king threatens him with death if 1838-44, ed. Schiefner, p. 89 f. he does not achieve what he has undertaken, A Persian poet introduces into a work as death is also threatened in four of the seven composed about 1175 this anecdote. £ A dis- German-Scandinavian stories for refusal to try tinguished king was very fond of a beautiful the shot or for missing ; but the threats in slave, so much so that he was never easy un- sts 154 f of the English ballad are a revival of less he was in some way engaged with him. the vow in sts 119 f. Justice has been balked When the king amused himself with shoot- by the unconditional boon granted the queen ; ing, this slave would tremble with fear, for the aggravating and exasperating circumstances king would make his mark of an apple placed have come to light since this unadvised grace on his favorite's head, split the apple, and in was conceded, and a hope is presented for a so doing make the slave sick with alarm, pretext under which the king may still hang J. Grimm had seen a manuscript of travels the outlaws, all three. The shooting of the in Turkey, in the Cassel library, with a pic- apple from the boy's head, isolated from any ture of an archer aiming at an apple on a particular connection, is perhaps all of the child's head. Deutsche Mythologie, I, 317, German-Scandinavian story that was known note, ed. 1875.
to the English ballad-maker, and all minor re- With regard to the Persian story, Benfey
semblances may well be fortuitous.! observes that it must be admitted as possible
If the shooting of an apple by somebody that the shooting of an apple from the head
from somebody's head is to be regarded as the of a beloved person may have been pitched
kernel of the story, its area may then be con- upon in various localities, independently, as
siderably extended. the mark of supreme skill in archery, but
Castr^n heard the following story among that this is not likely, and that the history of
the Finns in Russian Karelia. Robbers had tradition requires us rather to presume that
carried a man off over a lake. The son of the the conception was original in one instance
IX, 5. Particulars, which are very desirable, are not given. larity of the names Tell, Bell, Velent, Bellerophon (see a
This would not add much to the range of the story. little further on, p. 21), could hardly fail to strike even a
* In the prose Hemiugs Dattr, the intent to take ven- superficial observer, and also pointed to the identity of Tells
geance appears from Hemingr's wish that the king should and Cloudesly's Christian name. In his Deutsche Mytholo-
stand close to the mark ; in the ballads he reserves an ar- gie, I, 317, ed. 1875, it is simply said that the surname Bell,
row. In the Cdafs Saga, EindriSi openly announces his pur- as well as Cloudesly's Christian name, is suggestive of Wil-
pose ; in all but this version (treating the prose Hemings liam Tell.
Dattr and the ballads as one), the archer provides himself J The poet is Mohammed ben Ibrahim, 1119-c. 1230, and
with two arrows, or three. he bore the honorary title of Furid Uddin (Pearl of Reli-
t Such as the penalty for missing, as above said ; or Tell's gion), and the sobriquet of Attar, perfumer. The title of
shooting at a hundred and twenty paces, and bearing the poem is The Language of Birds. Garcin de Tassy, La
Cloudesly's name, William. If the coincidence as to the Poe'sie Philosophique et Religieuse chez les Persans, Extrait
distance should be held to be very important, I, for one, de la Revue Contemporaine, t. xxiv, pp. 4, 35. " Nur den
should have no objection to admitting that this part of the Apfel treffen wir hier. . . . Es bloibt also weiter nichts iibrig
ballad may be derived from the Tell story. als anzunehmen dass die persische Sage ... in die grau-
J. Grimm remarked in 1813, Gedanken iiber Mythos, Epos esten Urzeiten desarischen Alterthumshinaufreichen muss."
und Geschichte (Kleinere Schriften, IV, 77), that the simi- (Pfannenschmid, in Germania, X, 26 f.) A rapid inference.
20 116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF. CLOUDESLY
only, and borrowed in the remainder; in wbicli be king of the Lycians, it was proposed that
case the borrowing would be by the West from the question should be settled by seeing which
the East, and not the other way. We can could shoot through a ring placed on the
come to no decision, however, he adds, until breast of a child lying on his back. Laoda-
the source of the Persian story, or some older mia, sister of the competitors, offered her son
form of it, shall have been discovered. (Got- Sarpedon for the trial, and the uncles, to show
tinger Gelehrte Anzeigen, 1861, p. 680.) The their appreciation of such handsome behavior,
cautiousness of the imperial scholar is worthy resigned their claims in favor of Sarpedon.
of all imitation. The Persian saga, as it is The shot, we may understand, did not come
sometimes called, is, in the perhaps mutilated off.f
form in which we have it, an inconsistent and With regard to all this series of stories, and inept anecdote ; the German - Scandinavian others which have been advanced as allied, saga is a complete and rational story. In more will be required to make out a substan- tias story it is fundamental that the archer tial relationship than their having in common executes a successful shot under circumstances a shot at some object in contiguity with a highly agitating to the nerves ; he risks the living human body, be the object an apple, or life of a beloved object, and in the majority whatever else. The idea of thus enhancing of versions his own life is at stake besides, the merit or interest of a shot is not so in- That the act must be done under compulsion genious that one instance must be held to be is the simplest corollary. If the archer is cool original, and all others derivative. The archer enough to volunteer the shot, then the chief Alcon, according to Servius,J was wont to difficulty in making it is removed. This is a shoot through rings placed on men's heads, fault in the English ballad, where the father Sir John Malcolm (Kaye's Life, II, 400) was is unconcerned, and all the feeling is shown told that at Mocha, when the dates were ripe, by the spectators. Cloudesly had already a stone, standing up some three inches, would split a hazel -rod at twenty score paces; be put on the head of a child, at which two what was it for him to hit an apple at six or three of the best marksmen would fire, score ? * with ball, at thirty-one yards distance. A But we are still far from covering the range case was reported, about fifty years ago, of a of stories which have been treated as having man in Pennsylvania shooting a very small some significant relation to that of Egil. Any apple from the head of another man.§ A shot at an apple, any shot at an object on a linen-weaver was judicially punished at Spires, child's person (provided the case be not a fact some thirty years ago, for shooting a sheet of and recent), has been thought worth quoting, paper from his son's hand, and afterwards a as a probable sprout from the same root. For potato . (" also einen Erdapfel," Rochholz !) examples: In an Esthonian popular tale, one from the boy's head.|| The keel-boat men of Sharpeye hits an apple which a man a long the Mississippi, in their playfulness, would cut way off is holding by his mouth. In a Ser- the pipe out of a companion's hat-band at a vian poem, the hero, Milosch, sends an arrow long distance. " If they quarreled among through a ring, and hits a golden apple on the themselves, and then made friends, their test point of a lance. Bellerophon's sons, Hippo- that they bore no malice was to shoot some lochus and Isandrus, disputing which should small object from each other's heads," such as
* EindriSi also had accomplished a harder shot before he Grimm, Deutsche Mythologie (who says, "Es stimmt auch
tried the chessman. But Heminrrr, having done what was theilweise," p. 317, ed. 1875) ; by others later,
thought a masterly thing in cleaving a nut, is compelled to $ To Virgil, Eel. v, 11, cited by Ideler, Die Sage von
knock the same nut, shooting at the same distance, from his dem Schuss des Tell, p. 59, note 3.
brother's head. § Hiselv, Eecherches Critiques sur l'Histoire de Guil-
t Das Inland, No 39, p. 630, cited by Rochholz, Tell und laume Tell, p. 590.
Gessler, p. 40 f. Gerhard's Wila, I, 147 f, cited by Roch- || Pfannenschmid, in Germania, X, 25 ; Rochholz, Tell
holz, p. 39 f. Eustathius to Iliad, xii, 101, first cited by und Gessler, p. 41 f.
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY 21
an apple. Such feats have of late been com- of the garden called the Halgarth, in which
mon on the American stage. the manor-house of Clipston is situated.
Whatever may be thought of the linen- " Now, as Sherwood is noted for its con- weaver at Spires, it will scarcely be main- nection with archery, and may be regarded tained that the Mississippi keel-boat men shot also as the patria of much of the ballad po- at apples in imitation of William Tell. As etry of England, and the name of Adam Bell to the selection of an apple, it seems enough is a peculiar one, this might be almost of to say that an apple makes a convenient mark, itself sufficient to show that the ballad had a is familiar to temperate climates, and at hand foundation in veritable history. But we fur- at almost any part of the year.* But the ther find that this Adam Bell violated his chief point of all to be borne in mind is, that allegiance by adhering to the Scots, the king's whether the Mississippi boatmen took their enemies ; whereupon this grant was virtually cue, directly or indirectly, from William Tell, resumed, and the sheriff of Nottinghamshire they do not become mythical personages by accounted for the rents which would have virtue of their repeating his shot. None the been his. In the third year of King Henry more does William of Cloudesly. A story the Fifth [1416], the account was rendered long current in Europe, a mythical story if by Thomas Hercy, and in the fourth year by you please, could certainly be taken up by an Simon Leak. The mention of his adhesion English ballad-maker without prejudice to the to the Scots leads us to the Scottish border, substantial and simply romantic character of and will not leave a doubt in the mind of his hero.f the most sceptical that we have here one of
The late Mr Joseph Hunter unhesitatingly the persons, some of whose deeds (with some
declared Adam Bell " a genuine personage of poetical license, perhaps) are come down to
history," and considered that he had had " the us in the words of one of our popular ballads."
good fortune to recover from a very authentic (New Illustrations of the Life, Studies, and
source of information some particulars of this Writings of Shakespeare, I, 245 f, 1845.)
hero of our popular minstrelsy which show Mr Hunter's points are, that an Adam Bell
distinctly the time at which he lived." had a grant from the proceeds of a farm in
" King Henry the Fourth, by letters en- the forest of Sherwood, that Adam Bell is a rolled in the Exchequer, in Trinity Term, in peculiar name, and that his Adam Bell ad- the seventh year of his reign [1406], and hered to the king's enemies. To be sure, bearing date the 14th day of April, granted Adam Bell's retreat in the ballad is not Sher- to one Adam Bell an annuity of 41. 10s. issu- wood, in Nottinghamshire, but Englishwood, ing out of the fee-farm of Clipston, in the or Inglewood, in Cumberland (an old hunting- forest of Sherwood, together with the profits ground of King Arthur's, according to several and advantages of the vesture and herbage romances), a forest sixteen miles in length,
* T. B. Thorpe, Reminiscences of the Mississippi, in Har- The mildew of myth spreads, of course, from William to per's New Monthly Magazine, XII, 30. A story is there his comrades. J. Grimm, in his Gedanken iiber Mythos, related of a famous Mike Fink's striking an apple from a etc., 1813, interprets Clim, Cloudesly, and Clough all in man's head by shooting between it and the skull, like the the sense of nail, sharp point, arrow; and as Bell is QeAos, Scandinavian marksmen. In Captain Mayne Reid's Scalp Tell is telum, Toko rS^ov, and Egil is igel, hedgehog, and Hunters, or Romantic Adventures in Northern Mexico, ch. therefore the spine of the hedgehog, and therefore dart, the 22, we are told of an Indian's shooting a prairie-gourd from names are all one as to meaning. But Grimm appears to the head of his sister, which may or may not be an inven- have been less confident about these etymologies in later tion. The title of the chapter is A Feat a la Tell, and days. Sir G. W. Cox, on the other hand, says that Cloudes- this may perhaps be the only foundation for an assertion ly's Dame marks him as an inhabitant of Cloudland. (Mean- that the Tell story had been found in Mexico ; at least, in- while, every likelihood favors the derivation of Cloudesly quiries have not brought to light any other. from cliid, rock, and leah, lea, and the interpretation of
t For the interpretation which has been put upon the Tell Clim as Clem and of Clough as ravine,) Cloudesly and his
story, see, among many, Pfannenschmid, in Germania, mates are all the more mythical because they are three, and
X, 1-40; Rochholz, Tell und Gessler, in Sage und Ge- because, as it is asserted, Robin Hood is mythical, with
schichte. whom they are, one and all, assumed to be identical.
22
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
reaching from Carlisle to Penrith.* But it would be captious to insist upon this. Robin Hood has no connection in extant ballads with the Cumberland forest, but Wyntoun's Scottish Chronicle, c. 1420, makes him to have frequented Inglewood as well as Barns- dale. f The historical Adam Bell was granted an annuity, and forfeited it for adhering to the king's enemies, the Scots ; the Adam Bell of the ballad was outlawed for breaking the game-laws, and in consequence came into con- flict with the king's officers, but never adhered to the king's enemies, first or last, received the king's pardon, was made yeoman of the queen's chamber, dwelt with the king, and died a good man. Neither is there anything peculiar in the name Adam Bell. Bell was as well known a name on the borders $ as Armstrong or Graham. There is record of an Adam Armstrong and an Adam Graham ; there is a Yorkshire Adam Bell mentioned in the Parliamentary Writs (II, 508, 8 and 17 Edward II,) a hundred years before Hun-
ter's annuitant ; a contemporary Adam Bell, of Dunbar, is named in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland under the years 1414, 1420 (IV, 198, 325) ; and the name occurs repeat- edly at a later date in the Registers of the Great Seal of Scotland.
The placability of the king in this ballad is repeated in the Gest of Robin Hood, and is also exhibited in the Tale of Gamelyn, where Gamely n is made justice of all the free forest, as William is here made chief rider over all the North Country. The king, besides, for- gives all Gamelyn's eight young men, and puts them in good office. The king of the outlaws, in the tale, had previously made his peace without any difficulty. Vv 888-94, 687-89.
Translated, after Percy's Reliques, by Bod- mer, II, 78 ; by Fouque\ Biisching, Erzahlun- gen, u. s. w., des Mittelalters, I, 1 ; the third Fit, by Knortz, Lieder und Romanzen Alt- englands, No 70.
C. 1 Mery it was in grene forest, Amonge the leues grene, Where that men walke both east and west, Wyth bowes and arrowes kene,
2 To ryse the dere out of theyr denne ;
Suche sightes as hath ofte bene sene, As by th[r]e yemen of the north countrey, By them it is as I meane.
3 The one of them hight Adam Bel,
The other Clym of the Clough, The thyrd was William of Cloudesly, An archer good ynough.
4 They were outlawed for venyson,
These thre yemen euerechone ;
* Camden, Britannia, II, 175, ed. 1772. King Edward the First, when hunting in this forest, is said to have killed two hundred bucks in one day. For Arthur's hunting there, see Robson, Three Early English Metrical Romances, p. 26, LV7, p. 59, V1 ; Madden's Syr Gawayne, p. 298, v. 16 ; this book, I, 294, st. 9, etc.
t Cronykil of Scotland, Book vii, v. 3523 f, ed. Laing, 11,263.
They swore them brethen vpon a day, To Englysshe-wood for to gone.
5 Now lith and lysten, gentylmen,
And that of myrthes loueth to here : Two of them were single men, The third had a wedded fere.
6 Wyllyam was the wedded man,
Muche more then was hys care : He sayde to hys brethen vpon a day, To Carelel he would fare,
7 For to speke with fayre Alse hys wife,
And with hys chyldren thre : ' By my trouth,' sayde Adam Bel, ' Not by the counsell of me.
f John Bell robbed the Chamberlain's men of cattle, 1337 : Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, II, 437. The Bells are in- cluded with the Grahams, Armstrongs, and others, among the bad and more vagrant of the great surnames of the bor- der, by the Lord Warden of the Marches of England, 1593 (Rymer's Fcedera, XVI, 183, ed. 1727, cited by Bishop Percy), and had no better estimation in Scotland.
11G. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF OLOUDESLY
23
8 ' For if ye go to Caerlel, brother,
And from thys wylcle wocle wende, If the justice mai you take, Your lyfe were at an ende.'
9 ' If that I come not to morowe, brother,
By pryme to you agayne, Truste not els but that I am take, Or else that I am slayne.'
10 He toke hys leaue of hys brethen two,
And to Carlel he is gone ; There he knocked at hys owne wyndowe, Shortlye and anone.
11 ' Wher be you, fayre Alyce, my wyfe,
And my chyldren three ? Lyghtly let in thyne husbande, Wyllyam of Cloudesle.'
12 ' Alas ! ' then sayde fayre Alyce,
And syghed wonderous sore, ' Thys place hath ben besette for you Thys halfe yere and more.'
13 ' Now am I here,' sayde Cloudesle,
' I woulde that I in were ; Now feche vs meate and drynke ynoughe, And let vs make good chere.'
14 She feched him meat and drynke plenty,
Lyke a true wedded wyfe, And pleased hym with that she had, Whome she loued as her lyfe.
15 There lay an old wyfe in that place,
A lytle besyde the fyre, Whych Wyllyam had found, of cherytye, More then seuen yere.
16 Up she rose, and walked full styll,
Euel mote she spede therefoore ! For she had not set no fote on ground In seuen yere before.
17 She went vnto the justice hall,
As fast as she could hye : ' Thys nyght is come vn to thys town Wyllyam of Cloudesle.'
18 Thereof the iustice was full fayne,
And so was the shirife also :
' Thou shalt not trauaile nether, da?«e, for nought ; Thy meed thou shalt hauc or thou go.'
19 They gaue to her a ryght good goune,
Of scarlat it was, us I heard say[n]e ; She toke the gyft, and home she wente. And couched her doune agayne.
20 They rysed the towne of mery Carlel,
In all the hast that they can, And came thronging to Wyllyames house, As fast [as] they might gone.
21 Theyr they besette that good yeman,
Round about on euery syde ; Wyllyam hearde great noyse of folkes, That heytherward they hyed.
22 Alyce opened a shot-wyndow,
And loked all about ; She was ware of the justice and the shrife bothe, Wyth a full great route.
23 ' Alas ! treason,' cryed Alyce,
' Euer wo may thou be ! Go into my chambre, my husband,' she sayd, ' Swete Wyllyam of Cloudesle.'
24 He toke hys sweard and hys bucler,
Hys bow and hy[s] chyldren thre, And wente into hys strongest chamber, Where he thought surest to be.
25 Fayre Alice folowed him as a louer true,
With a pollaxe in her hande : ' He shalbe deade that here cometh in Thys dore, whyle I may stand.'
26 Cloudesle bent a wel good bowe,
That was of trusty tre, He smot the justise on the brest, That hys arrowe brest in thre.
27 ' God's curse on his hartt,' saide William,
' Thys day thy cote dyd on ; If it had ben no better then myne, It had gone nere thy bone.'
28 'Yelde the, Cloudesle,' sayd the justise,
' And thy bowe and thy arrowes the fro : ' ' Gods curse on hys hart,' sayde fair Al[i]ce, ' That my husband councelleth so.'
24
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
29 ' Set fyre on the house,' saide the sherife,
' Syth it wyll no better he, And hrenne we therin William,' he saide, ' Hys vvyfe and chyldren thre.'
30 They fyred the house in many a place,
The fyre flew vpon hye ; ' Alas ! ' than ciyed fayr Alice, ' I se we shall here dy.'
31 William openyd hys backe wyndow,
That was in hys chamhre on hye, And wyth shetes let hys wyfe downe, And hys chyldren thre.
32 ' Haue here my treasure,' sayde William,
' My wyfe and my chyldren thre ; For Christes loue do them no harme, But wreke you all on me.'
33 Wyllyam shot so wonderous well,
Tyll hys arrowes were all go, And the fyre so fast vpon hym fell, That hys bo[w]stryng brent in two.
34 The spercles brent and fell hym on,
Good Wyllyam of Cloudesle ; But than was he a wofull man, and sayde, Thys is a cowardes death to me.
35 ' Leuer I had,' sayde Wyllyam,
' With my sworde in the route to renne, Then here among myne ennemyes wode Thus cruelly to bren.'
36 He toke hys sweard and hys buckler,
And among them all he ran ; Where the people were most in prece, He smot downe many a man.
37 There myght no man stand hys stroke,
So fersly on them he ran ; Then they threw wyndowes and dores on him, And so toke that good yeman.
38 There they hym bounde both hand and fote,
And in depe dongeon hym cast ; ' Now, Cloudesle,' sayde the hye justice, ' Thou shalt be hanged in hast.'
39 ' One vow shal I make,' sayde the sherife,
'A payre of new galowes shall I for the make,
And al the gates of Caerlel shalbe shutte, There shall no man come in therat.
40 ' Then shall not helpe Clim of the Cloughe,
Nor yet Adam Bell, Though they came with a thousand mo, Nor all the deuels in hell.'
41 Early in the mornyng the justice vprose,
To the gates fast gan he gon, And commaunded to be shut full cloce Lightile euerychone.
42 Then went he to the market-place,
As fast as he coulde hye ; A payre of new gallous there dyd he vp set, Besyde the pyllory.
43 A lytle boy stod them amonge,
And asked what meaned that gallow-tre ; They sayde, To hange a good yeaman, Called Wyllyam of Cloudesle.
44 That lytle boye was the towne swyne-heard,
And kept fayre Alyce swyne ; Full oft he had sene Cloudesle in the wodde, And geuen hym there to dyne.
45 He went out of a creues in the wall,
And lightly to the woode dyd gone ; There met he with these wyght yonge men, Shortly and anone.
46 ' Alas ! ' then sayde that lytle boye,
' Ye tary here all to longe ; Cloudesle is taken and dampned to death, All readye for to honge.'
47 ' Alas ! ' then sayde good Adam Bell,
' That euer we see thys daye ! He myght her with vs haue dwelled, So ofte as we dyd him praye.
48 ' He myght haue taryed in grene foreste,
Under the shadowes sheene, And haue kepte both hym and vs in reaste, Out of trouble and teene.'
49 Adam bent a ryght good bow,
A great hart sone had he slayne ; 'Take that, chylde,' he sayde, ' to thy dynner, And bryng me myne arrowe agayne.'
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
25
50 4 Now go we hence,' sayed these wight yong mew,
' Tary we no lenger here ; "We shall hym borowe, by Gods grace. Though we bye it full dere.'
51 To Caerlel went these good yemen,
In a mery mornyng of Maye : Her is a fyt of Cloudesli, And another is for to saye.
52 And when they came to mery Caerlell,
In a fayre mornyng-tyde, They founde the gates shut them vntyll, Round about on euery syde.
53 ' Alas ! ' than sayd good Adam Bell,
' That euer we were made men ! b. These gates be shyt so wonderly well, That we may not come here in.'
54 Than spake Clymme of the Cloughe :
With a wyle we wyll vs in brynge ; Let vs say we be messengers,
Streyght comen from oure kynge.
55 Adam sayd, I haue a lettre wryten wele,
Now let vs wysely werke ; We wyll say we haue the kynges seale, I holde the porter no clerke.
56 Than Adam Bell bete on the gate,
With strokes greate and stronge ; The porter herde suche a noyse therate, And to the gate faste he thronge.
57 ' Who is there no we,' sayd the porter,
' That maketh all this knockynge ? ' We be two messengers,' sayd Clymme of the Clo[ughe], ' Be comen streyght frome oure kynge.'
58 ' We haue a lettre,' sayd Adam Bell,
' To the justyce we must it brynge ; Let vs in, oure message to do,
That we were agayne to our kynge.'
59 ' Here cometh no man in,' sayd the porter,
' By hym that dyed on a tre, Tyll a false thefe be hanged, Called Wyllyam of Clowdysle.'
60 Than spake that good [yeman Clym of the
Cloughe, And swore by Mary fre, • If that we stande long wythout,
Lyke a thefe hanged shalt thou be.] vol. m. 4
61 [Lo here] we haue got the kynges seale ;
[What ! ljordane, arte thou wode ? [The p]orter had wende it had been so, [And l]yghtly dyd of Ids hode.
62 ' [Welco]me be my lordes seale,' sayd he,
' [For] that shall ye come in : '
[He] opened the gate ryght shortly,
[An] euyll openynge for hym !
63 ' [N]owe we are in,' sayd Adam Bell,
' [T]herof we are full fayne ; [But] Cryst knoweth that herowed hell, [H]ow we shall come oute agayne.'
64 ' [Had] we the keys,' sayd Clym of the Clowgh,
' Ryght well than sholde we spede ; [Than] myght we come out well ynough, [Whan] we se tyme and nede.'
65 [They] called the porter to a councell,
[And] wronge hys necke in two, [And] kest hym in a depe dongeon, [And] toke the keys hym fro.
66 ' [N]ow am I porter,' sayd Adam Bell;
' [Se], broder, the keys haue we here ; [The] worste porter to mery Carlell, [That ye] had this hondreth yere.
67 ' [Now] wyll we oure bowes bende,
[Into the t]owne wyll we go, [For to delyuer our dere] broder, [Where he lyeth in care and wo.'
68 Then they bent theyr good yew bowes,
And loked theyr strmges were round ;] The market-place of mery Carlyll, They beset in that stounde.
69 And as they loked them besyde,
A payre of newe galowes there they se, And the iustyce, with a quest of swerers, That had iuged Clowdysle there hanged to be.
70 And Clowdysle hymselfe lay redy in a carte,
Fast bounde bothe fote and hande, And a strong rope aboute his necke, All redy for to be hangde.
71 The iustyce called to hym a ladde ;
Clowdysles clothes sholde he haue, To take the mesure of that good yoman, And therafter to make his graue.
72 ' I haue sene as greate a merueyll,' sayd
Clowd[esle], ' As bytwene this and pryme, He that maketh thys graue for me, Hymselfe may lye therin.'
26
110. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDE.SLY
73 ' Thou spekest proudely,' sayd the iustyce ;
' I shall hange the with my hande : ' Full well that herde his hretheren two, There styll as they dyd stande.
74 Than Clowdysle cast hys eyen asyde,
And sawe hys hretheren stande, At a corner of the market-place,
With theyr good howes bent in theyr hand, Redy the iustyce for to chase.
75 ' I se good comforte,' sayd Clowdysle,
' Yet hope I well to fare ; If I myght haue my handes at wyll, [Ryght ljytell wolde I care.'
76 [Than b]espake good Adam Bell,
[To Clym]me of the Clowgh so fre ; [Broder], se ye marke the iustyce well ; [Lo yon]der ye may him se.
77 [And at] the sheryf shote I wyll,
[Stron]gly with an arowe kene ; [A better] shotte in mery Carlyll, [Thys se]uen yere was not sene.
78 [They lo]used theyr arowes bothe at ones,
[Of no] man had they drede ; [The one] hyt the iustyce, the other the sheryf, [That b]othe theyr sydes gan blede.
79 [All men] voyded, that them stode nye,
[Whan] the iustyce fell to the grounde, [And the] sheryf fell nyghe hym by ; [Eyther] had his dethes wounde.
80 [All the c]ytezeyns fast gan fie,
[They du]rste no lenger abyde ; [There ly]ghtly they loused Clowdysle, [Where he] with ropes lay tyde.
81 [Wyllyam] sterte to an offycer of the towne,
[Hys axe] out his hande he wronge ; [On eche] syde he smote them downe, [Hym tho] ught he had taryed to longe.
82 [Wyllyam] sayd to his hretheren two,
[Thys daye] let vs togyder lyue and deye ; [If euer you] haue nede as I haue nowe, [The same] shall ye fynde by me.
83 [They] shyt so well in that tyde,
For theyr strynges were of sylke full sure, That they kepte the stretes on euery syde ; That batayll dyd longe endure.
84 They fought togyder as bretheren true,
Lyke hardy men and bolde ; Many a man to the grounde they threwe, And made many an herte colde.
85 But whan theyr arowes were all gone,
Men presyd on them full fast ; They drewe theyr swerdes than anone, And theyr bowea from them caste.
86 They wente lyghtly on theyr waye,
AVith swerdes and buckelers rounde ; By that it was the myddes of the daye, They had made many a wounde.
87 There was many a noute-horne in Carlyll
blowen, And the belles backwarde dyd they rynge ; Many a woman sayd alas, And many theyr handes dyd wrynge.
88 The mayre of Carlyll forth come was,
And with hym a full grete route ; These thre yomen dredde hym full sore, For theyr lyues stode in doubte.
89 The mayre came armed, a full greate pace,
With a polaxe in his hande ; Many a stronge man with hym was, There in that stoure to stande.
90 The mayre smote at Clowdysle with his byll,
His buckeler he brast in two ; Full many a yoman with grete yll,
' [Al]as, treason ! ' they rayed for wo. ' [Ke]pe we the gates fast,' they bad,
' [T]hat these traytours theroute not go.'
91 But all for nought was that they wrought,
For so fast they downe were layde Tyll they all thre, that so manfully fought, Were goten without at a brayde.
92 ' Haue here your keys,' sayd Adam Bell,
' Myne offyce I here forsake ; Yf ye do by my councell, A newe porter ye make.'
93 He threwe the keys there at theyr hedes,
And bad them evyll to thryue, And all that letteth ony good yoman To come and comforte his wyue.
94 Thus be these good yomen gone to the wode,
As lyght as lefe on lynde ; They laughe and be mery in theyr mode, Theyr enemyes were farre behynde.
95 Whan they came to Inglyswode,
Under theyr trysty-tre. There they founde bowes full gode, And arowes greate plente.
96 ' So helpe me God,' sayd Adam Bell,
And Clymme of the Clowgh so fre,
116. ADAM BELL, CL1M OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
27
' I wolde we were nowe in mery Carlell, [Bejfore that fayre meyne.'
97 They set them downe and made good chere. And eate an[d drjanke full well : Here is a fytte [of] these wyght yongemen, And another I shall you tell.
98 As they sat in Inglyswode,
Under theyr trysty-tre, Them thought they herde a woman [wepe], ' But her they myght not se.
99 Sore syghed there fayre Alyce, and sayd,
Alas that euer I se this daye ! For now is my dere husbonde slayne, Alas and welawaye !
100 Myght I haue spoken wyth hys dere breth-
[eren], With eyther of them twayne, [To shew to them what him befell] My herte were out of payne.
101 Clowdysle walked a lytell besyde,
And loked vnder the grene wodde lynde ; He was ware of his wyfe and his chyldre[n thre], Full wo in herte and mynde.
102 ' Welcome, wyfe,' than sayd Wyllyam,
' Unto this trysty-tre ; I had wende yesterdaye, by swete Sai[nt John], Thou sholde me neuer haue se.'
103 'Now wele is me,' she sayd, ' that [ye be here].
My herte is out of wo : ' ' Dame,' he sayd, 'be mery and glad, And thanke my bretheren two.'
104 ' Here of to speke,' sayd Ad[am] Bell,
' I-wys it [is no bote] ; The me[at that we must supp withall, It runneth yet fast on fote.'
105 Then went they down into a laurede,
These noble archares all thre, Eche of the]m slewe a harte of grece, [The best t]hey coude there se.
106 ' [Haue here the] best, Alyce my wyfe,'
[Sayde Wyllya]m of Clowdysle, ' [By cause ye so] boldely stode me by, [Whan I w]as slayne full nye.'
107 [Than they] wente to theyr souper,
[Wyth suc]he mete as they had,
[And than]ked God of theyr fortune ; [They we]re bothe mery and glad.
108 [And whan] they had souped well,
[Certayne] withouten leace, [Clowdysle] sayde, We wyll to oure kynge, [To get v]s a chartre of peace.
109 [Alyce shal] be at soiournynge,
[In a nunry] here besyde ; [My tow sonn]es shall with her go, [And ther the]y shall abyde.
110 [Myne eldest so]ne shall go with me,
[For hym haue I] no care, [And he shall breng] you worde agayne [How that we do fare.
111 Thus be these wig]ht men to London gone,
[As fast as they ma]ye hye, [Tyll they came to the kynges] palays, c. There they woulde nedes be.
112 And whan they came to the kynges courte,
Unto the pallace gate, Of no man wold they aske leue, But boldly went in therat.
113 They preced prestly into the hall,
Of no man had they dreade ; The porter came after and dyd them call, a. And with them began to [chyde.]
114 The vssher sayd, Yemen, what wolde ye
haue ? I praye you tell me ; Ye myght thus make offycers shent : Good syrs, of whens be ye ?
115 ' Syr, we be outlawes of the forest,
Certayne withouten leace, And hyther we be come to our kynge, To get vs a charter of peace.'
116 And whan they came before our kynge,
As it was the lawe of the. lande, They kneled downe without lettynge, And eche helde vp his hande.
117 They sayd, Lorde, we beseche you here,
That ye wyll graunte vs grace. For we haue slayne your fatte falowe dere, In many a sondry place.
118 ' What is your names ? ' than sayd our kynge,
' Anone that you tell me : ' They sayd, Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, And Wylliam of Clowdesle.
28
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
119 ' Be ye those theues,' than sayd our kynge,
' That men haue tolde of to me ? Here to God I make a vowe, Ye shall be hanged all thre.
120 ' Ye shall be dead without mercy,
As I am kynge of this lande : ' c. He commanded his officers euerichone Fast on them to lay hand.
121 There they toke these good yemen,
And arested them all thre : ' So may I thryue,' sayd Adam Bell, ' Thys game lyketh not me.
a. 122 ' But, good lorde, we beseche you nowe, That ye wyll graunte vs grace, In so moche as we be to you commen ; Or elles that we may fro you passe,
123 ' With suche weapons as we haue here,
Tyll we be out of your place ; And yf we lyue this hondred yere, We wyll aske you no grace.'
124 ' Ye speke proudly,' sayd the kynge,
' Ye shall be hanged all thre : ' ' That were great pity,' sayd the quene, ' If any grace myght be.
125 ' My lorde, whan I came fyrst in to this lande,
To be your wedded wyfe, The fyrst bone that I wolde aske, Ye wolde graunte me belyfe.
126 ' And I asked you neuer none tyll nowe,
Therfore, good lorde, graunte it me : ' ' Nowe aske it, madame,' sayd the kynge, 'And graunted shall it be.'
127 ' Than, good lorde, I you beseche,
The yemen graunte you me : ' ' Madame, ye myght haue asked a bone That sholde haue ben worthe them thre.
128 ' Ye myght haue asked towres and towne[sJ,
Parkes and forestes plentie : ' c. ' None so pleasaunt to mi pay,' she said, ' Nor none so lefe to me.'
129 ' Madame, sith it is your desyre,
Your askyng graunted shalbe ; But I had leuer haue geuen you Good market-townes thre.'
130 The quene was a glad woman,
And sayd, Lord, gramarcy ; I dare vndertake for them That true men shall they be.
131 But, good lord, speke som mery word,
That comfort they may se : ' I graunt you grace,' then said our king, ' Wasshe, felos, and to meate go ye.'
132 They had not setten but a whyle,
Certayne without lesynge, There came messengers out of the north, With letters to our kyng.
133 And whan the came before the kynge,
The kneled downe vpon theyr kne, And sayd, Lord, your offycers grete you wel, Of Caerlel in the north cuntre.
134 ' How fare[th] my justice,' sayd the kyng,
' And my sherif e also ? ' ' Syr, they be slayne, without leasynge, And many an officer mo.'
135 ' Who hath them slayne ? ' sayd the kyng,
' Anone thou tell me : ' ' Adam Bel, and Clime of the Clough, And Wyllyam of Cloudesle.'
136 ' Alas for rewth ! ' then sayd our kynge,
' My hart is wonderous sore ; I had leuer [th]an a thousand pounde I had knowne of thys before.
137 ' For I haue y-graunted them grace,
And that forthynketh me ; But had I knowne all thys before, They had ben hanged all thre.'
138 The kyng opened the letter anone,
Hym selfe he red it tho, And founde how these thre outlawes had slaine Thre hundred men and mo.
139 Fyrst the justice and the sheryfe,
And the mayre of Caerlel towne ; Of all the constables &nd catchipolles Alyue were left not one.
140 The baylyes and the bedyls both,
And the sergeauntes of the law, And forty fosters of the fe These outlawes had y-slaw ;
141 And broke?i his parks, and slaine his dere ;
Ouer all they chose the best ; So perelous outlawes as they were Walked not by easte nor west.
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
29
142 When the kynge this letter had red,
In hys harte he syghed sore ; ' Take vp the table,' anone he had, 1 For I may eate no more.'
143 The kyng called hys best archars,
To the buttes with hym to go ; ' I wyll se these felowes shote,' he sayd, ' That in the north haue wrought this wo.'
144 The kynges bowmen buske them blyue,
And the quenes archers also, So dyd these thre wyght yemen, Wyth them they thought to go.
145 There twyse or thryse they shote about,
For to assay theyr hande ; There was no shote these thre yemen shot That any prycke might them stand.
146 Then spake Wyllyam of Cloudesle ;
By God that for me dyed, 1 hold hym neuer no good archar That shuteth at buttes so wyde.
147 ' Wherat ? ' then sayd our kyng,
' I pray thee tell me : ' ' At suche a but, syr,' he sayd, ' As men vse in my countree.'
148 Wyllyam wente into a fyeld,
And his to brethren with him ; There they set vp to hasell roddes, Twenty score paces betwene.
149 ' I hold him an archar,' said Cloudesle,
' That yonder wande cleueth in two : ' ' Here is none suche,' sayd the kyng, ' Nor none that can so do.'
150 ' I shall assaye, syr,' sayd Cloudesle,
' Or that I farther go : ' Cloudesle, with a bearyng arow, Claue the wand in to.
151 ' Thou art the best archer,' theft said the king,
' Forsothe that euer I se : ' ' And yet for your loue,' sayd Wylliam, ' I wyll do more maystry.
152 ' I haue a sonne is seuen yere olde ;
He is to me full deare ; I wyll hym tye to a stake, All shall se that be here ;
153 ' And lay an apple vpon hys head,
And go syxe score paces hym fro, And I my selfe, with a brode arow, Shall cleue the apple in two.'
154 ' Now hast the,' then sayd the kyng ;
' By him that dyed on a tre, But yf thou do not as thou best sayde, Hanged shalt thou be.
155 ' And thou touche his head or gowne,
In syght that men may se, By all the sayntes that be in heaven, I shall hange you all thre.'
156 ' That I haue promised,' said William,
' I wyl it neuer forsake ; ' And there euen before the kynge, In the earth he droue a stake ;
157 And bound therto his eldest sonne,
And bad hym stande styll therat, And turned the childes face fro him, Because he shuld not sterte.
158 An apple vpon his head he set,
And then his bowe he bent ; Syxe score paces they were outmet, And thether Cloudesle went.
159 There he drew out a fayr brode arrowe ;
Hys bowe was great and longe ; He set that arrowe in his bowe, That was both styffe and stronge.
160 He prayed the people that was there
That they would styll stande ; ' For he that shooteth for such a wager, Behoueth a stedfast hand.'
161 Muche people prayed for Cloudesle, a. That hys lyfe saued myght be,
And whan he made hym redy to shote, There was many a wepynge eye.
162 Thus Clowdesle clefte the apple in two,
That many a man it se ; ' Ouer goddes forbode,' sayd the kynge, ' That thou sholdest shote at me !
163 ' I gyue the .xviii. pens a daye,
And my bowe shalte thou bere, And ouer all the north countree I make the chefe rydere.'
30
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AM) WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
164 ' And I gyue the -x"' pens a day,' sayd the
que[ne], ' By God and by my faye ; Come fetche thy payment whan thou wylt, No man shall say the naye.
165 ' Wyllyam, I make the gentylman
Of clothynge and of fee, And thy two brethren yemen of my chambr[e], For they are so semely to se.
166 ' Your sone, for he is tendre of age,
Of my wyne-seller shall he be, And whan he commeth to mannes state, Better auaunced shall he be.
167 ' And, Wylliam, brynge me your wyfe,' sayd
th[e quene] ; Me longeth sore here to se ;
She shall be my chefe gentylwoman, And gouerne my nursery.'
168 The yemen thanked them full COUrteysly,
And sayd, To Rome streyght wyll we wende, [Of all the synnes that we haue done To be assoyled of his hand.
169 So forth]e be gone these good yemen,
[As fast a]s they myght hye, [And aft]er came and dwelled with the kynge, [And dye]d good men all thre.
170 [Thus e]ndeth the lyues of these good ye-
men, [God sen]de them eternall blysse, [And all] that with hande-bowe shoteth, [That of] heuen they may neuer mysse !
Deficiencies in a, b are supplied from c unless it is otherwise noted.
a. 1201. deed.
b. 87 l. an oute home. The emendation is Prof.
Sheafs. 991'2. and sayd begins the second line. 1003. supplied from d, e.
c. 53. singele. II1. be your. 132. In woulde. 162. spende. 171, 1071. whent. 183. fore. 221. shop-wyndow. 224. great full great. 233. Gy. 261. welgood. 303. Alece.
332. all gon.
3484. and sayde begins the fourth line. 442. there Alyce. 444. geuend. 464. Allreadye. 484. in reaffte [?]. 511. Cyerlel. 521. Carelell.
Variations from b. 53s. shut : wonderous. 541, 561, 64s, 761, 853, 1021, 1071. Then.
543 568, 574 591.
Lee. 544. come nowe. 553. seales.
a wanting. 564. faste wanting.
come ryght. 582. me for we.
commeth none. 592. Be : vpon. 61s. went. 621. he saide. 628. full shortlye. 631. are we. 63s. know. 644, 792, 1064, 1081. When. 651. a wanting. 654. hys keys. 662, 673, 763. brother. 664. hundred. 681. They bent theyr bowes. Then, good yew
from e, f. 683. in mery. 684. in wanting. 693. And they : squyers.
702. 718.
721.
733.
742,
742.
745.
752.
771.
781.
792.
814.
824.
841.
863.
884.
902.
911.
922'3
924.
942.
944.
952.
95s.
961.
972.
974.
983.
984.
991.
992.
1004
shall you. 831. The : together, mas myd. 872.
bounde wanting. 712. Cloudesle. good wanting : yeman, and ye always, as, 883, 903, 933, 941. Cloudesli. 732. the hange. that wanting : brtehren, or, breehren. 821, 841, 1001, 1034. brethen. stande toanting. 74s. marked, to chaunce. 751. good wanting. will. 761. Then spake. 768. Brother, shyrfe. 772. an wanting. thre arrowes. 784. there sedes. fell downe. 812. out of. he taryed all to. 822. togyder toanting. shot. 833. sede. 852. preced to. they wanting. For of theyr lyues they stode in great, brust. 903. euyll. 906. That. y' ye. 912. to fast. 914. at toanting.
Transposed : Yf you do, etc., Myne offce. do we. 931. theyr keys, lyghtly as left. 943. The lough an. fere. 951, 981. Englyshe. Under the : trusty, and 982. There wanting. 954. full great. God me help. 96s. nowe toanting. drynke. 973. fet of. And wanting : I wyll. They thaught : woman wepe. m ought.
the fayre ; and sayde begins the next line. I sawe. 1002. Or with. 1008. wanting.
put out. 1022. Under thus trusti.
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
31
1024. had se. 10G1, 1091. Alee.
10G3. by me. 1071. theyr wanting.
107-'3. Transposed : And thanked, etc., Wyth
such. 108J. without any. 1091. Alee shalbe at our. 110s. you breng. Ill1, these good yenien. Ill2, myght hye. Ill3, pallace.
Variations from a. 114s. you. Ho2, without any. 115s. become. 1161. the kyng. 116s, 1171. The. 1171. beseche the.
1181. be your nams : then, and 1191. 1222. you graunt. 1233. hundreth. 1243. then sayd. 1261. you wanting. 1272. These : ye. 1274. all thre. 1281. town. 1371. hauy graunted. 1531. apele.
J'uriations from a. 1622. myght se. 1624. sholdest wanting. 1641. .xvii. 1643. when. 1651. the a. 166s. estate. 1672. her sore. 1674. To gcuerne. 1681. thanketh. 1682. To some bysshop wyl we wend. 1691. begone : there good. 1704. they wanting. a bout, a gayne, a monge, a none, a byde, a
lyue, ther at, etc., are joined. d, e, f. The readings of all three are the same
unless divergence is noted. I1. f. in the. I3. whereas men hunt east. 21. raise. 22. d. sights haue oft. e. sights haue not oft. f. has oft. 2s. three yeomen. 24. as wanting. 32. Another. 42. thre wanting.
d, e. euery chone. f. eueryeche one. 43. brethren on a. 44. English wood.
52. And wanting : mirth. 53. e. were wanting. 6s. brethren, and generally, e. on a. 71. There to : Alice. 72. f. with wanting. 81. e, f. we go. d. Carlell, and generally.
e, f. Carlile, and generally.
83. If that : doe you. 84. life is.
93. Trust you then that. d. f. tane.
e. taken. II1. Alice he said.
II2. My wife and children three.
11s. owne husband, f. thy.
122. e, f. very sore.
124. d, f. halfe a. e. Full halfe a.
131. e. I am. 132. d. f. in I. e. in we.
141. d. fet. 142. d. true and.
143. e. what she. 151. d. in the.
152. little before. 161. rose and forth she goes.
162. e. might. 168. not wanting.
164. e. yeeres. f. not 7 yeere. 171. into.
17a. night she said is come to towne.
181. e. Thereat.
182. e. was wanting, f. And wanting.
183. e. dame wanting. 184. ere. 192. d, e. as wanting, d. e, f. saine. 201. raised. 202. that wanting.
208. e. And thronging fast vnto the house.
204. As fast as. e. gan.
211. the good yeoman. 212. Round wanting.
213. d. of the folke. e. of folke. f. of the folkes.
214. thetherward : fast for they.
221. back for shot. 22s. e. bothe wanting.
e, f . second the wanting.
224. e, f. And with them. e. a great rout. f . a full great.
231. then cryed. 233. e, f. second my want- ing, f. sweet husband.
242. e. second hys wanting. 248. the for hys.
f. He went. 244. f. the surest.
251. Alice like a louer true. 252. f. Tooke a. 253. d, f. Said he shall die that commeth.
e. Said he shall dye. 261. right good. 262. of a. 264. burst.
274. had beene neere the.
282. d. second thy wanting, e. thine arrowes.
f. the bow and arrowes.
292. d, e. Sith no better it will be.
298. burne : saith. f. burne there.
294. and his. 301. f. The/or they: and often.
302. d, e. vp wanting, f. fledd on.
303. then, and generally, e, f. said faire.
304. e. we here shall, f. here wee shall.
311. a for hys.
312. second on wanting, d. was on.
313. And there : he did let downe.
314. His wife and children.
321. f. Haue you here.
322. d, f. second my wanting.
321,2. e. wanting. 323. f. Gods loue.
332. d, f. agoe. e. go.
S33, the wanting, about for vpon.
334. f. burnt. 341. feU vppon.
343,4. and sayde begins the fourth line.
351. e, f. had I. 352. runne.
353. e. amongst, d, f. my. 354. So : burne.
361. buckler then. 362. f. amongst.
363. people thickest were.
37 1. man abide, e, f. strokes. 372. e. run.
378. f. Then the : att him. e. doore.
374. that yeoman, f. And then the.
38 \ both wanting. 382. in a.
383. d, e. then said, d, f. hye wanting.
32
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
392. e. gallowes thou shalt haue.
398. d. al wanting. 401. There, f . helpe yett.
408. f. a 100d men. 411. arose.
412. f . can he. 418. d. them to : full wanting.
e, f. to shut close. 423. d, e. he set vp.
f . There he new a paire of gallowes he sett vpp. 424. f. Hard by the. 432. meant.
441. the wanting, f. The litle.
443. f. seene William. 444. e. gaue.
45 1. at a creuice of.
452. wood he ran (ron, runn). f. And ivanting.
453. e. he met. e, f. wighty yeomen. 461. e, f. said the. 462. e, f. You. 468. e, f. tane. e. doomd.
464. d. Already, e, f. And ready to be hangd.
47 2. saw.
473. d, e. might haue tarried heere with vs. f. He had better haue tarryed with vs.
474. e. as wanting. 481. haue dwelled.
482. these for the. f. shaddoowes greene.
483. haue wanting : at rest. 484. d, f . of all. 492. he had. 501. e. we go.
d. wighty yeomen, e, f. iolly yeomen. 502. longer. 511. f. bold yeomen. 512. f. All in a mor[n]inge of May.
514. f. And wanting. 521. f. to wanting. 522. f. All in a morning. 523. vnto. 533. wonderous. d, f. be shut. e. are shut, f. ffastybr well. 534. therein. 544. come.
e. the king. 55 *. wry ten wanting.
552. e. Now wanting, f. wiselye marke. 561. d, f. at the. f. gates. 562. f. hard and. 56s. d, e. a wanting.
f. marueiled who was theratt. 564. faste wanting, e, f. gates.
571. no we wanting, f. Who be.
572. f. makes. 573. e. said they then, f. quoth Clim. 574. come right.
584. the for our. 591. none in. 592. e. of a. 59s. Till that. f. a wanting. 601. d. the for that.
e. that good yeman wanting.
f. spake good Clim. 604. d, f. thou shalt. 61 \ got wanting.
613. d, e. porter wend (weend).
f. had went ivanting. 621. is my : he said.
622. d. ye shall, e, f. you shall.
628. e, f. gates, d, e. full shortly.
f. ryght wanting. 631. are we.
632. Whereof : are right. 633. d. knowes.
e, f. Christ he knowes assuredly.
634. e. come wanting, f. gett out.
642,8'4. then, When, and nearly always.
651. a wanting. 653. cast.
654. d, f. his keyes. 6G2. e. we haue.
663. in for to. G64. d. hundred.
e, f. That came this hundred. 671. we will.
673. brother. 674. That for Where he.
681. d. Then : their good.
e, f. Then: their good yew. G83. in for of. 69s. d, f. of squiers. e. squirers.
694. e, f. That iudged William hanged. 701. e, f. hymselfe wanting.
f. ready there in. 704. d, e. Already.
f. to hange. 712, he should, e. Cloudesle.
713. good wanting.
714. e. thereby make him a. f. And wanting. 721. a wanting. 723. a graue.
732. I will thee hang. 733. heard this.
741. eye. e. William.
742. two (tow) brethren : stande wanting.
743. e. the corner : place wel prepard.
744. d. good wanting : bent wanting.
e, f. wanting. 745. d, e. the justice to chase.
f. the iustice to slaine. 751. good wanting. 753. e. hands let free. 754. d, e. might I. 761. Then spake. 763. Brother : you. 764. you. 771. And wanting.
782. d, e. they had.
783. f. the shirrfe, the other the iustice.
784. d, f. can. 791. e. stood them. 793. fell wanting. 794. d, e. deaths.
801. f . flye. 802. d, f. longer. 808. e. Then. 811. d, f. start, e. stept. 812. out of. 814. had wanting : all too. f . Hee thought. 821. e. brethren. 822. togyder wanting. 831. shot, e, f. in wanting. 83'2. full ivanting. 834. e. The. d, f . long did. 841. like for as. 852. d, f . pressed to. 853. e. swords out anon.
863. d, f. was mid. f. were mid.
864. had wanting.
871. e. There was wanting, e, f . Carlile was.
872. they wanting, d. backwards. 88\ 891, 901. mayor, maior.
883. thre wanting. 884. For of.
d. f. they stood in great.
e. they were in great.
894. e. Within that stoure. 902. brast. d, f. he wanting. 90s. euill. 904. f. ffull woe. 905. f. Keepe well. 906. That. 912. d, e. downe they.
f. were downe. 914. gotten out. e. of a. 922. heere I. e. My. 923. d, f. you. 924. doe you. 931. d, f. their keyes at. d. head. 938. any. 941. e, f. be the.
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
33
d. word. 942. lightly. 94s. f. wood.
951. d, e. English wood. f. merry greenwood. 95*. the trustie. 954. d. full great.
961. God mo helpe. 96 s. no we %c anting. 964. d. manie. e. many. f. meanye. 971. d. f. sate. e. Then sat they. 97*. d, e. drunke.
973. fit of: yeomen for yonge men. f. A 2d ffitt of the wightye.
974. And wanting: I will. 981. English wood, d, f. sate.
952. d, e. trustie. f. the greenwoode. 98s. woman wepe. e, f. They.
984. e, f. could act.
99 1. Sore then : there tvanting.
d. f. and sayd begins the next line. 991,2. e. And sayd Alas wanting.
992. saw. 993. f. nowe wanting. 1001. e. spoke. 1002. Or with.
1003. d, e. To shew to them what him befell.
f. To show them, etc. 1011. aside.
1012. f. He looked.
101s. second his wanting, e. He saw his.
1022. Under, d. this trustie. e. a trusty.
f. the trustye. 1024. d, f. shouldest had.
e. shouldst had. 1034. d, e. brethren. 1044. e. It resteth. 1051. the lawnd. 1052. noble men all.
1054. f. that they cold see. 1062. f . saith.
1063. Because : by me.
1071. they went : theyr wanting.
1073. for their.
1082, 1152. without any leace (lease).
1091. at our. 1092. f. Att a. 1101. My.
1102. I haue. Ill1, good yeomen.
1112, d, f. might hye. e. can hye.
1113, pallace. Ill4, e, f. Where. d. neede. e, f. needs.
1121. kings, f. But when. 1122. f. & to.
1131. proceeded presently. 1132. they had.
11 34. e, f. gan. 1141. e, f. you.
1142. e, f . to me. 1143. You : thus wanting.
1144. from for of. 1152. f. Certes.
1153. the for our. 1161. the for our.
d, f. when. e. whan. 1171. d, e. beseech thee.
f. beseeche yee sure. 1181. What be.
e, f. the for our.
118s. e. They sayd wanting. 1191. d, e. than wanting, f. then. e. the for our. 1192. of wanting.
1193. f. Here I make a vow to God.
1194. You. 120s. f. officer[s] euery one.
1211. e. Therefore. 122s. doo for be: come.
1224. from. 1232. d. your wanting.
123s. d, e. hundreth : f . 100d.
1234. d, e. of you.
f. Of you wee will aske noe. 1254. You.
1261. ye. 12G4. f. itt shalbe.
127 \ f. good my. 1272. These : ye.
1274. them all. 1281. f . You : townes.
1302. e. garmarcie. f. god a mercye.
1304. they shall.
131 2. d. they may comfort see.
e. they might comfort see.
f. some comfort they might see. 131s. e, f . the for our.
1321. e. sittin. f. sitten. 1323. came two. 133s. e. our for your. 1341. fareth.
1351. e. slaine them. f. then said.
1352. Anone that you.
135s. and wanting. 1361. f. ffor wrath.
136s. then, f . rather then. 1364. of wanting.
1371. f. y- wanting. 137 2. d. forethinketh.
1381. d, f. king he.
138s. And there : thre wanting.
1392. mayor. 1393. catchpoles.
1394. f. but one. 1401. bayliffes.
140s. forresters. 1404. haue.
f. haue the slawe.
1412. e, f. Of all. f. coice the. 141s. d. Such.
1422. hys wanting. 142s. d. table he said.
e. table then said he. f . tables then sayd hee. 1424. e, f. I can. 1431. then called.
1433. e, f . said he. f. To see.
1434. e. hath. 144 l. d, e. buskt: blithe.
f. archers busket : blythe.
1442. f. Soe did the queenes alsoe.
1443. d, e. thre wanting, f. weightye.
1444. f. They thought with them.
1453. thre wanting. 1454. them wanting.
1462. e, f. By him. 14G3. d, e. a good.
f. him not a good. 1471. e. the for our.
f. then wanting. 147 2. to me.
1481. into the. 1482. brethren.
1484. f. 400 paces.
1494. For no man can so doo.
1501. f. syr wanting. 1502. further.
151. d, f. our king, e, f. then wanting.
152s. tie him. 1524. e, f. see him.
1541. hast thee. f. then wanting.
154s. f . dost : has. 1554. you hang.
1562. d, e. I neuer will forsake.
f. That I will neuer. 157s. him fro.
1583. out wanting, f. meaten.
1592. e. were. 1601. were there.
VOL. III.
34
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
1604. 1621. 1628. 1624. 1634. 1651. 1654. 1663. 1664. e,f.
had neede of a. e, f. steddy. claue. 1622. myght see. d, f. As. Now God forbid then said.
d, e. shouldst. 1631. f . gaue : 8 pence.
e. chiefe ranger. 1G41. xiii. e, f . lie. thee a. 1653. f. hretheren.
are louely to. 1662. e, f. he shall be. mans estate, e, f. corns, comes, d. aduanced I will him see. Better preferred. 1672. d. sore for to.
e. I long full sore to see. f. I long her sore. 1074. To.
1682. d. To some bishop will we wend, e, f. To some bishop we will wend. 1684. at his. 1691. e. the good. 1692. they can. d. So fast. 169*. and liued. 1694. good yeomen. 1701. f. liffe. 170*. f. with a. 1704. d, e. they warding. Insignificant variations of spelling are not no- ticed.
APPENDIX
THE SECOND PART OF ADAM BELL
August 16, 1586, there was entered to Edward White, in the Stationers' Registers, ' A ballad of William Clowdisley neuer printed before : ' Arber, II, 455. This was in all probability the present piece, afterwards printed with ' Adam Bell ' as a Second Part. The Second Part of Adam Bell was entered to John Wright, September 24, 1608 : Ar- ber, III, 390. The ballad is a pure manufacture, with no root in tradition, and it is an absurd ex- travaganza besides. The copy in the Percy Folio, here collated with the earliest preserved printed copy, has often the better readings, but may have been corrected, a has such monstrosities as y-then, y-so.
a. ' The Second Part of Adam Bell,' London, James Rob- erts, 1605. b. ' Younge Cloudeslee,' Percy MS. p. 398; Hales and Furnivall, III, 102.
1 List northerne laddes to blither things
Then yet were brought to light, Performed by our countriemen In many a fray and fight :
2 Of Adam Bell, Clim of the Clough,
And William of Cloudisly, Who were in fauour with the king, For all their misery.
3 Yong William of the wine-seller,
When veoman he was made, Gan follow then his father's steps : He loued a bonny maide.
4 ' God's crosse,' quoth William, ' if I misse,
And may not of her speed,
I 'le make a thousand northern hearts For very wo to bleed.'
5 Gone he is a wooing now,
Our Ladie well him guide ! To merry Mansfield, where I trow A time he will abide.
6 ' Soone dop the dore, faire Cicelie bright,
I come with all the hast:
I come a wooing thee for loue,
Here am I come at last.'
7 'I know you not,' quoth Cicelie tho,
' From whence that yee bee come ; My loue you may not haue, I trow, I vow by this faire sonne.
8 ' For why, my loue is fixt so sure
Vpon another wight ; I swere by sweet Saint Anne, I 'le neuer Abuse him, out of sight.
9 ' This night I hope to see my loue,
In all his pride and glee ; If there were thousands, none but him My heart would ioy to see.'
10 ' God's curse vpon him,' yong William said,
' Before me that hath sped ! A foule ill on the carrion nurse That first did binde his head ! '
11 Gan William tho for to prepare
A medicine for that chaffe : ' His life,' quoth he, ' full hard may fare; Hee 's best to keepe alaffe.'
12 He drew then out his bright brown sword,
Which was so bright and keene ; A stouter man and hardier Nere handled sword, I weene.
11G. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
35
13 'Browne tempered, strong, and worthy blade,
Vnto thy maister show, If now to triall thou bee put. How thou canst bide a blow.'
14 Yong William till an oake gan hie,
Which was in compasse round Well six and fifty inches nie, And feld it to the ground.
25 ' Wend till that house hard by,' quoth he,
' That 's made of lime and stone, Where is a lasse, faire Cisse,' bee said ; 1 1 loue her as my owne.
26 ' If thou can fetch her vnto me,
That we may merry be, I make a vow, in the forrest, Of deare thou shalt haue fee.'
15 ' So mot he fare,' quoth William tho,
' That for her loue hath laid Which I haue loued, and nere did know Him suter till that maide.
16 'And now, deare father, stout and strong,
William of Cloudesley, How happie were thy troubled sonne If here I mot thee see.
17 ' And thy too brethren, Adam Bell
And Clim of the Clough ; Against a thousand men, and more, We foure would be enough.
27 'Rest then, faire sir,' the woman said;
' I sweare by good Saint Iohn, I will bring to you that same maide Full quickly and an«n.'
28 'Meane time,' quoth William, 'I 'le be cooke
And see the faune i-drest; A stouter cooke did neuer come Within the faire forrest.'
29 Thick blith old lasse had wit enow
For to declare his minde ; So fast she hi'd, and nere did stay, But left William behind.
18 ' Growne it is full foure a clocke, And night will come beliue ; Come on, thou lurden, Cislei's loue, This night must I thee shriue.
30 Where William, like a nimble cooke, Is dressing of the fare, And for this damsell doth he looke ; ' I would that she were here ! '
19 'Prepare thee strong, thou fow[l] black caufe !
What ere thou be, I weene I 'le giue thy coxcomb saick a gird In Mansfield as neuer was seene.'
20 William a yong faune had slaine,
In Sherwood, merry forrest; A fairer faune for man's meat In Sherwood was neuer drest.
21 Hee hied then till a northerne lasse,
Not halfe a mile him fro ; He said, Dop dore, thou good old nurse, That in to thee I goe.
22 ' I faint with being in the wood ;
Lo heere I haue a kid, Which I haue slo for thee and I ; Come dresse it then, I bid.
23 « Fetch bread and other iolly fare,
Whereof thou hast some store ; A blither gest this hundred yeare Came neuer here before.'
24 The good old nant gan hie a pace
To let yong William in ; ' A happie nurse,' quoth William then, ' As can be lightly seene.
31 ' Good speed, blithe Cisse,' quoth that old lasse;
' God dild yee,' quoth Cisley againe ; ' How clone you, nant lone ? ' she said, ' Tell me it, I am faine.'
32 The good old lone said weele she was,
' And commen in an arrand till you ; For you must to my cottage gone, Full quick, I tell you true ;
33 ' Where we full merry meane to be,
All with my elder lad : ' When Cissley heard of it, truely, She was exceeding glad.
34 ' God's curse light on me,' quoth Cissley tho,
' If with you I doe not hie ; I neuer ioyed more forsooth Then in your company.'
35 Happy the good- wife thought her selfe
That of her purpose she had sped, And home with Cisley she doth come, So lightly did they tread.
36 And comming in, here William soone
Had made ready his fare ; The good old wife did wonder much So soone as she came there.
36
11G. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
37 Cisley to William now is come,
God send her mickle glee I Yet was she in a maze, God wot, When she saw it was hee.
38 ' Had I beene ware, good sir,' she said,
' Of that it had beene you, I would haue staid at home in sooth, I tell you very true.'
39 ' Faire Cisley,' then said William kind,
* Misdeeme thou not of mee ; I sent not for thee to the end To do thee iniury.
40 ' Sit downe, that we may talke a while,
And eate all of the best And fattest kidile that euer was slaine In merry Sirwood forrest.'
41 His louing words wan Cisley then
To keepe with him a while ; But in the meane time Cislei's loue Of her was tho beguile.
42 A stout and sturdie man he was
Of quality and kind, And knowne through all the north country To beare a noble minde.
43 ' But what,' quoth William, ' do I care?
If that he meane to weare, First let him winne ; els neuer shall He haue the maide, I sweare.'
44 Full softly is her louer come,
And knocked at the dore ; But tho he mist of Cislei's roome, Whereat he stampt and swore.
45 ' A mischief on his heart,' quoth he,
' That hath enlured the maide To be with him in company ! ' He car'd not what he sayd.
46 He was so with anger mooued
He sware a well great oth, ' Deere should he pay, if I him knew, Forsooth and by my troth ! '
47 Gone he is to finde her out,
Not knowing where she is ; Still wandring in the weary wood, His true-loue he doth misse.
49 At length when he had wandred long
About the forrest wide,
A candle-light a furlong off
Full quickly he espied.
50 Then to the house he hied him fast,
Where quickly he gan here The voice of las owne deere true-loue, A making bonny cheere.
51 Then gan he say to Cisley tho,
0 Cisley, come a way !
I haue beene wandring thee to finde .Since shutting in of day.
52 ' Who calls faire Cisse? ' quoth William then;
' What carle dares bee so bold Once to aduenture to her to speake Whom I haue now in hold ? '
53 'List thee, faire sir,' quoth Cislei's loue,
' Let quickly her from you part ; For all your lordly words, I sweare
1 'le haue her, or make you smart.'
54 Yong William to his bright browne sword
Gan quickly then to take : ' Because thou so dost challenge me, I 'le make thy kingdome quake.
55 ' Betake thee to thy weapon strong;,
Faire time I giue to thee ; And for my loue as well as thine A combat fight will I.'
56 'Neuer let sonne,' quoth Cislei's loue,
' Shine more vpon my head, If I doe flie, by heauen aboue, Wert thou a giant bred.'
57 To bilbo-blade gat William tho,
And buckler stifle and strong ; A stout battaile then they fought, Well nie two houres long.
58 Where many a grieuous wound was giue
To each on either part ; Till both the champions then were droue Almost quite out of heart.
59 Pitteous mone faire Cisley made,
That all the forrest rong ; The grieuous shrikes made such a noise, She had so shrill a tongue.
48 William purchast hath the game, Which he doth meane to hold : ' Come rescew her, and if you can, And dare to be so bold ! '
60 At last came in the keepers three, With bowes and arrowes keene, Where they let flie among these two, An hundred as I weene.
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
37
61 William, stout and strong in heart,
When he had them espied, Set on corrage for his part ; Among the thickst he hied.
62 The chiefe ranger of the woods
At first did William smite ; Where, at on blow, he smot his head Fro off his shoulders quite.
63 And being in so furious teene,
About him then he laid ;
He slew immediatly the wight
Was sutor to the maide.
73 'No mercy, traitors,' quoth the king,
' Hangd shall yee be all foure ; Vnder my nose this plot haue you laid To bringe to passe before.'
74 ' In sooth,' bespake then Adam Bell,
' 111 signe Your Grace hath seene Of any such comotion
Since with you we haue beene.
75 ' If then we can no mercy haue,
But leese both life and goods, Of your good grace we take our leaue And hie vs to the woods.'
64 Great moane was then made ;
The like was neuer heard ; Which made the people all around To crie, they were so feard.
65 ' Arme ! arme ! ' the country cried,
'For God's loue quickly hie !' Neuer was such a slaughter seene In all the north country.
66 Will[iam] still, though wounded sore,
Continued in his fight Till he had slaine them all foure, That very winter-night.
67 All the country then was raisd,
The traytor for to take That for the loue of Cisley faire Had all this slaughter make.
68 To the woods hied William tho —
'T was best of all his play — Where in a caue with Cisley faire He liued many a day.
69 Proclamation then was sent
The country all around, The lord of Mansfield should he be That first the traytor found.
70 Till the court these tydings came,
Where all men did bewaile The yong and lusty William,
Which so had made them quaile.
71 Hied vp then William Cloudesley,
And lustie Adam Bell, And famous Clim of the Clough, Which three then did excell.
76 ' Arme, arme,' then quoth the king,
' My merry men euerychone, Full fast againe these rebbells now Vnto the woods are gone.
77 ' A, wo is vs ! what shall we doo,
Or which way shall we worke, To hunt them forth out of the woods, So traytrouslie there that lurke ? '
78 ' List you,' quoth a counsellor graue,
A wise man he seemd ; The[n] craued the king his pardon free Vnto them to haue deemd.
79 ' God's forbod ! ' quoth the king,
' I neuer it will do ! For they shall hang, each mother's Sonne ; Faire sir, I tell you true.'
80 Fifty thousand men were charged
After them for to take ; Some of them, set in sundry townes, In companies did waite.
81 To the woods gan some to goe,
In hope to find them out ; And them perforce they thought to take, If they might find them out.
82 To the woods still as they came
Dispatched still they were ; Which made full many a trembling heart, And many a man in feare.
83 Still the outlawes, Adam Bell
And Clim of the Clough, Made iolly cheere with venison, Strong drinke and wine enough.
72 To the king they hied them fast, Full quickly and anon ; 'Mercy I pray,' quoth old William, ' For William my sonne.'
84 ' Christ me blesse ! ' then said our king, ' Such men were neuer knowne ; They are the stoutest-hearted men That mauhoode euer showne.
38
116. ADAM BELL, CLIM OF THE CLOUGH, AND WILLIAM OF CLOUDESLY
85 ' Come, my secretary good,
And cause to be declared A general! pardone to them all, Which neuer shall be discared.
86 ' Liuing plenty shall they haue,
Of gold and eke of fee, If they will, as they did before, Come liue in court with me.'
87 Sodenly went forth the newes,
Declared by trumpets sound, Whereof these three were well aduis'd, In caue as they were in ground.
88 ' But list you, sirs,' quoth William yong,
' I dare not trust the king ; It is some fetch is in his head, Whereby to bring vs in.
89 ' Nay, stay we here : or first let me
A messenger be sent Vnto the court, where I may know His Maiestie's intent.'
90 This pleased Adam Bell :
' So may we liue in peace, We are at his most high command, And neuer will we cease.
91 ' But if that still we shall be vrged,
And called by traitrous name, And threated hanging for euery thing, His Highnesse is to blame.
92 ' Neare had His Grace subiects more true,
And sturdier then wee, Which are at His Highnesse will ; God send him well to bee ! '
93 So to the court is yong William gone,
To parley with the king, Where all men to the king's presence Did striue him for to bring.
94 When he before the king was come,
He kneeled down full low ;
He shewed quickly to the king
What duty they did owe ;
95 In such delightfull order blith,
The king was quickly wonne • To comfort them in their request, As he before had done.
'.)7 ' Gramercics to Your Grace,' said William, ' For pardon graunted I see : ' ' For signe thereof, here take my seale, And for more certainty.'
98 'God's curse vpon me,' sayd William,
' For my part if I meane Euer againe to stirre vp strife ! ' It neuer shall bee seene.'
99 The nobles all to William came,
He was so stout and trimme, And all the ladies, for very ioy, Did come to welcome him.
100 ' Faire Cisley now I haue to wife,
In field I haue her wonne ; ' ' Bring her here, for God's loue,' said they all, ' Full welcome shall she be [soone].'
101 Forth ajjaine went William backe,
To wood that he did hie, And to his father there he shewd The king his pardone free.
102 ' Health to His Grace,' quoth Adam Bell,
' I beg it on my knee ! ' The like said Clim of the Clough, And William of Cloudesley.
103 To the court they all prepare,
Euen as fast as they can hie, Where graciously they were receiud, With mirth and merry glee.
104 Cisley faire is wend alone
Vpon a gelding faire ; A proprer damsell neuer came In any courtly ayre.
105 'Welcome, Cisley,' said the queene,
' A lady I thee make, To wait vpon my owne person, In all my chiefest state.'
106 So quickly was this matter done,
Which was so hardly doubted, That all contentions after that From court were quickly rowted.
107 Fauourable was the king ;
So good they did him finde, The[y] neuer after sought againe To vex his rovall minde.
96 ' Fetch bread and drinke,' then said His Grace, ' And meat all of the best ; And stay all night here at the court, And soundly take thy rest.'
108 Long time they liued in court, So neare vnto the king That neuer after was attempt Offred for any thing.
117. A GEST OF ROBYN HODE
39
109 God aboue giuc all men grace
In quiet for to line, And not rebelliously abroad Tbeir princes for to grieue.
110 Let not the hope of pardon mooue
A subiect to attempt
His soueraigne's anger, or his loue From him for to exempt.
Ill But that all men may ready be
With all their maine and mi. In To serue the Lord, and loue the King, In honor, day and night !
I4. In mickle. 61. Some.
134. canst thou. 203. man's y-meat.
21-. he fro. 2S'2. I drest.
35'2. That her purpose he had of sped.
354. they read. 3 74. amaze.
461. was yso. 641. ythen. 762. euery chone.
921. more subjects true. 933. Which for Where.
I4. In many. 52. will for well. 61. Soone.
6 s. to thee. 131. sword for strong.
134. thou canst. 184. I must. 191. ffowle.
194. was neuer. 203. man's meate. 212. him ffroe.
213. dop the. 223. slaine ffor thee & mee.
28"2. To see : well drest.
311. God speed. 313. doe yee.
321. woman for lone. 322. in wanting : to you.
352. of her purpose shee had sped.
354. they did tread. 37s. a maze.
403. The ffattest. 443. mist Cisleys companye.
452. allured this. 461. soe.
524. in my for now in. 572. That was both stiffe.
574. Weer neere. 611. strong & stout.
661. William. 682. Itt was the best.
732. You shall be hanged. 733. plott yee have.
762. euer-eche one. 78s. The craued.
794. I tell you verry true. 861. Liuings.
921. subiects more true. 933. Where.
971. Grnmercy.
1004. Welcome shee shall bee soone. 1041. is gone.
1054. cheefe estate. 1064. rooted.
10 73. ff ought for sought.
117
A GEST OF ROBYN HODE
a. 'A Gest of Robyn Hode,' without printer's name, date, or place ; the eleventh and last piece in a vol- ume in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh. Re- printed by David Laing, 1827, with nine pieces from the press of WTalter Chepman and Androw Myllar, Edinburgh, 1508, and one other, by a printer unknown, under the title of The Knightly Tale of Golagrus and Gawane, and other Ancient Poems.
b. ' A Lytell Geste of Robyn Hode,' etc., London, Wynken de Worde, n. d.: Library of the University of Cambridge.
c. Douce Fragment, No 16: Bodleian Library.
d. Douce Fragment, No 17: Bodleian Library.
e. Douce Fragment, No 16: Bodleian Library.*
f. ' A Mery Geste of Robyn Hoode,' etc., London, Wyllyam Copland, n. d. : British Museum, C. 21. c.
g. ' A Merry lest of Robin Hood,' etc., London, printed for Edward White, n. d. : Bodleian Library, Z. 3. Art. Seld., and Mr Henry Huth's library.
The best qualified judges are not agreed as Scotland, Aberdeen, 1885, pp 51 ff, 82 ff, 86 f. to the typographical origin of a : see Dick- Mr Laing had become convinced before his son, Introduction of the Art of Printing into death that he had been wrong in assigning
* a preserves stanzas 1-834, 118*-2083, 3142-3493 ; with defects at 22- 3, 71, 123M273, 133-1363. It has therefore about 200 stanzas out of 456.
C preserves 264-603 ; d, 280-350, very much mutilated ; e, 4354-4501, very much mutilated, e, inserted amonsr the Douce fragments, was presented by Mr Halliwell-l'liillips.
40
117. A GEST OF ROBYN HODE
this piece to the press of Chepman and Myl- lar. The date of b may be anywhere from 1492 to 1534, the year of W. de Worde'a death. Of c Ilitson says, in his corrected preface to the Gest, 1832, I, 2 : By the favor of the Reverend Dr Farmer, the editor had in his hands, and gave to Mr Douce, a few leaves of an old 4to black letter impression by the above Wynken de Worde, probably in 1489, and totally unknown to Ames and Herbert. No reason is given for this date.* I am not aware that any opinion has been expressed as to the printer or the date of d, e. W. Copland's edition, f, if his dates are fully ascertained, is not earlier than 1548. Ritson says that g is entered to Edward White in the Stationers' books, 13 May, 1594. "A pastorall plesant commedie of Robin Hood & Little John, &c," is entered to White on the 14th of May of that year, Arber, II, 649: this is more likely to have been a play of Robin Hood.
a, b, f, g, are deficient at 71, 3391, and mis- printed at 49, 50, repeating, it may be, the faults of a prior impression, a appears, by internal evidence, to be an older text than b.f
Some obsolete words of the earlier copies have been modernized in f, g,J, and deficient lines have been supplied. A considerable number of Middle- English forms remain § after those successive renovations of reciters and printers which are presumable in such cases. The Gest may have been compile 1 at a time when such forms had gone out of use, and these may be relics of the ballads from which this little epic was made up ; or the whole poem may have been put together as early as 1400, or before. There are no firm grounds on which to base an opinion.
No notice of Robin Hood has been down to this time recovei'ed earlier than that which was long ago pointed out by Percy as oc- curring in Piers Plowman, and this, accord- ing to Professor Skeat, cannot be older than about 1377. || Sloth, in that poem, says in his shrift that he knows "rymes of Robyn Hood and Randolf, erle of Chestre," ^[ though but imperfectly acquainted with his pater- noster : B, passus v, 401 f, Skeat, ed. 1886, I, 166. References to Robin Hood, or to his story, are not infrequent in the following cen- tury.
* Dr Farmer considered these leaves to be of Rastell's printing, and older by some years than b ; which is not quite intelligible, since Rastell's work is put at 1517-38. c is cited under Rastell's name iu Ritson's second edition as well as his first.
t 94, a, allther moste : b, all other moste. (f, g, of all other ; b, 2833, all ther best ; 2841, all theyre best ; f , g, al of the best.) 614, a, Muche in fere: b, Much also. 684, a, By xxviii (eight and twenty) score : b (f, g), By eyghtene score, which gives no meaning. 1383, a, frembde bested: b (f, g), frend. 1734, a, same nyght : b, same day. 1764, a, wode hore : b (f, g), wode tre. 3332, a, on rode : b (f, g), on a tre. 3432, a, The sherif : b (f , g), The knyght.
J 133, a, b, husbonde : f, g, husbaiuleman. 2561, b, in yonder other corser : f , on the other courser : g, in the other coffer. 2744, 2862, 3874, 412'2, b, trystell-tre : f, g, trusty tre. 3851, b, "tarpe": f, g, seale. 3714, b, blyve : f, g, blythe, etc.
§ 1112, That all this worlde wrought; 1632, The while that he wolde ; 31 64, To mete can they gone ; 724, But his bowe tree ; 291, They brought hym to the lodge dore.
2554, To seke a nionkes male ; 3603, He shall haue the knyghtes londys ; 3691, And I wyll be your ledes man ; 3761, Robyn toke the kynge's hors; 3663, 3672, 3684, etc. 3363, For our deie lady loue.
311, With worde's fayre and f re ; 344, Of all these wekys thre; 2102, Or a man that myrthes can; 31 84, The walle's all aboute; 602, 3314, 3322, 3712, etc. 4334, And all his menne's fe.
212, By a derne strete ; 251, "Welcome be thou to grene wode ; 2981, But had I the in grene wode ; 3273, 3733, 3743.
564, Oner the salte see; 1734, That ylke same nvght; 2132, By the hye way; 2352, Of all this louge day; 2411, 2924, 3032, 3054j 3932, 4554, etc. 252, Hende knyght & fre ; 1133, Out, he sayd, thou false knyght; 2423, Therfore I cun the more thanke.
472, 1002, By God that made me; 804, To walke by his syde ; 2222, And that shall rewe the ; 2974, Other wyse thou behote me ; 4261, So God me helpe, sayd our kynge. d, 2822, 31 72, herkeneth.
|| Ritson had seen, among Peck's collections for the his- tory of Premonstraten^ian monasteries, a Latin poem with the title Prioris Alnwicensis de bello Scotico apud Dun- bar, tempore regis Edwardi I, dictamen, sive rithmus Latinus, quo de Willielmo Wallace, Scotico illo Robin Whood, plura sed invidiose canit, and in the margin the date 22 Julii, 1304; whence he concluded that Robin Hood was both mentioned, and compared with Wallace, in 1304. The date refers to matters in the poem. The MS. (Sloane, 4934, pars H, ff 103-106) is of the eighteenth century, Hardy, Descriptive Catalogue, etc., Ill, 279, No 503. The title was supplied by Peck, one of whose marks is the spelling Whood.
1 Either Randle the second, earl from 1128 to 1153, or Randle the third, earl from 1181 and for fifty years, would be likely to be the subject of ballads, but especially the lat- ter. He figures in the story of Fulk Fitz Warine : Wright, p. 149.
117. A GEST OF ROBYN HODE
41
In "Wyntoun's Chronicle of Scotland, put at about 1420, there is this passage, standing quite by itself, under the year 1283 :
Lytill Ihon and Robyne Hude Waythmen ware oonmiendyd gude ; In Yngihvode and Barnysdale Thai oysyd all this tyme thare trawale.
Laing, II, 263.
Disorderly persons undertook, it seems, to imitate Robin Hood and his men. In the year 1417, says Stowe, one, by his counterfeit name called Fryer Tucke, with many other malefactors, committed many robberies in the counties of Surrey and Sussex, whereupon the king sent out his writs for their appre- hension : Annals, p. 352 b, ed. 1631.* A petition to Parliament, in the year 1439, rep- resents that one Piers Venables, of Derby- shire, rescued a prisoner, " and after that tyme, the same Piers Venables, havynge no liflode ne sufficeante of goodes, gadered and assembled unto him many misdoers, beynge of his clothinge, . . . and, in manere of insur- rection, wente into the wodes in that contre, like as it hadde be Robyn -hode and his meyne : " Rotuli Parliamentorum, V, 16. f
Bower, writing 1441-47, describes the lower orders of his time as entertaining them-
selves with ballads both merry and serious, about Robin Hood, Little John, and their mates, and preferring them to all others ; $ and Major, or Mair, who was born not long after 1450, says in his book, printed in 1521, that Robin Hood ballads were in vogue over all Britain.§
Sir John Paston, in 1473, writes of a ser- vant whom he had kept to play Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham, and who was gone into Bernysdale : Fenn, Original Let- ters, etc., II, 134, cited by Ritson.
Gutch cites this allusion to Robin Hood ballads " from Mr Porkington, No 10, f. 152, written in the reign of Edward IV : "
Ther were tynkerris in tarlottus, the met was fulle
goode, The " sowe sat one him benche " (sic), and harppyd
Robyn Hoode.
And again, the name simply, from " a song on Woman, from MS. Lambeth, 306, fol. 135, of the fifteenth century " :
He that made this songe full good
Came of the northe and of the sothern blode,
And somewhat kyne to Robyn Hode.
Gutch, Robin Hood, I, 55 f.
These passages show the popularity of Robin Hood ballads for a century or more
* Cited by Ritson. I have not found the writs.
t Cited in the Edinburgh Review, 1847, LXXXVI, 134, note ; and by Hunter, 1852, The Ballad-Hero, Robin Hood, p. 58 (where the year is wrongly given as 1432). It appears from many eases that the name was very often pronounced Rdbinhode.
1 " Robertus Hode et Litill-Johanne, cum eorum com- plicibus, de quibus stolidum vulgus hianter in comcediis et in tragcediis prurienter festum faciunt, et prae ceteris ro- manciis mimos et bardanos cantirare delectantur."
" Of whom the foolish vulgar in comedies and tragedies make lewd entertainment, and are delighted to hear the jesters and minstrels sing them above all other ballads : " Ritson, whose translation may pass. Ritson rightly ob- serves that comedies and tragedies here are not to be under- stood as plays. Then follows this abstract of one of the ' tragedies.'
" De quo etiam qnsedam commendabilia recitantur, sicut patnit in hoc, quod cum ipse quondam in Barnisdale, iram regis et fremitnm principis declinans, missam, ut solitus erat, devotissime audiret, nee aliqua necessitate volebat in- terrumpere officium, quadnm die, cum audiret missam, a quodam vicecomite et ministris regis, eum saepius perprius infestantibus, in illo secretissimo loco nemorali nbi missse interfuit exploratus, venientes ad eum qui hoc de suis per-
VOL. III. 6
ceperunt ut omni annisu fugeret suggesserunt. Quod, ob reverentiam sacramenti, quod tunc devotissime venerabatur, omnino facere recusavit. Sed, ceteris suis ob metum mortis trepidantibus, Robertus, in tantum confisus in eum quem coluit, inveritus, cum paucis qui tunc forte ei affuerunt ini- micos eongressus eos de facili devicit, et, de eorum spoliis ac redemptione ditatus, ministros ecclesiaa et missas iu ma- jore veneratione semper et de post habere pra-elegit, atten- dens quod vulgariter dictum est :
Hunc deus exaudit qui missam saspius audit."
Scotichronicon, ed. Goodall, II, 104.
§ Major was in extreme old age in 1524 : see Moir's Wal- lace, I, iv. " Robertus Hudus Anglus et Paruus Ioannes, latrones famatissimi in nemoribus latuerunt, solum opulen- torum virorum bona diripientes. Nullum nisi eos inuaden- tem, vel resistentem pro suarum rerum tuitione, occiderunt Centum sagittarios ad pugnam aptissimos Robertus latro- ciniis aluit, quos 400 viri fortissimi inuaderc non audebant. Rebus huius Roberti gestis tota Britannia incantibus utitur. Fceminam nullum opprimi permisit, nee pauperum bona surripuir, verum eos ex abbatum bonis ablatis opipare pauit." Historia Maioris Britannia?, fol. 55 b.
It will be observed that Wyntoun, Bower, and Mair are Scots.
42
117. A GEST OF ROBYN HODE
before the time when the Gest was printed, a popularity which was fully established at the beginning of this period, and unquestionably extended back to a much earlier day. Of these ballads, there have come down to us in a comparatively ancient form the following: those from which the Gest (printed, perhaps, before 1500) was composed, being at least four, Robin Hood, the Knight and the Monk, Robin Hood, Little John and the Sheriff, Robin Hood and the King, and Robin Hood's Death (a fragment) ; Robin Hood and the Monk, No 118, more properly Robin Hood rescued by Little John, MS. of about 1450, but not for that older than the ballads of the Gest ; Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborn, No 119, Percy MS. c. 1650; Robin Hood's Death, No 120, Percy MS. and late garlands ; Robin Hood and the Potter, No 121, MS. of about 1500, later, perhaps, than any other of the group.* Besides these there are thirty-two ballads, Nos 122-153. For twenty-two of these we have the texts of broadsides and garlands of the seventeenth century, f four of the same being also found in the Percy MS. ; eight occur in garlands, etc., of the last cen- tury, one of these same in the Percy MS., and another in an eighteenth-century MS. ; one is derived from a suspicious nineteenth-century MS., and one from nineteenth-century tradi- tion. About half a dozen of these thirty-two have in them something of the old popular quality ; as many more not the least smatch of it. Fully a dozen are variations, soine-
* Because comic and not heroic, and because Robin is put at a disadvantage. In the other ballads Robin Hood is " evermore the best." Though there is humor in the Gest, it is kept well under, and never lowers Robin's dignity.
t The only one of these ballads entered in the Stationers' Registers, or known to have been priuted, at a date earlier than the seventeenth century is No 124, 'Of Wakefylde and a Grene,' 1557-58.
The earliest known copy of Robin Hood's Garland is one in the Bodleian Library, Wood, 79, printed for W. Gilbert- son, 1663. This contains seventeen ballads. An edition of 1670, in the same library, Douce, H. 80, for Coles, Vere and Wright, omits the first of these, a version of Robin Hood and Queen Katherine which is found nowhere else. There is an edition, printed by J. M. for J. Clarke, W. Thackeray, and T. Passinger, among Pepys's Penny Merriments, vol. hi, and Gutch had a copy, printed for the same, to which he gives the date 1686. Garlands of the eighteenth century increase the number of ballads to twenty-seven.
times wearisome, sometimes sickening, upon the theme 'Robin Hood met with his match.' A considerable part of the Robin Hood poetry looks like char-work done for the petty press, and should be judged as such. The earliest of these ballads, on the other hand, are among the best of all ballads, and perhaps none in English please so many and please so long.
That a considerable number of fine ballads of this cycle have been lost will appear all but certain when we remember that three of the very best are found each in only one manuscript. J
Robin Hood is absolutely a creation of the ballad-muse. The earliest mention we have of him is as the subject of ballads. The only two earl}' historians who speak of him as a ballad-hero, pretend to have no information about him except what they derive from bal- lads, and show that they have none other by the description they give of him ; this description being in entire conformity with ballads in our possession, one of which is found in a MS. as old as the older of these two writers.
Robin Hood is a yeoman, outlawed for rea- sons not given but easily surmised, "courte- ous and free," religious in sentiment, and above all reverent of the Virgin, for the love of whom he is respectful to all women. He lives by the king's deer (though he loves no man in the world so much as his king) and by levies on the superfluity of the higher orders, secular and spiritual, bishops and arch-
1 In the Stationers' Registers, 1562-63, Arber, I, 204, 'a ballett of Robyn Hod' is licensed to John Aide. The best one would expect of this would be a better copy of some later broadside. ' Robyn Hode in Barnysdale stode ' is the first line of a mock-song introduced into the Morality of the Four Elements (which alludes to the discovery of America " within this xx. yere ") : Halliwell, Percy Society, vol. xxii, p. 51. It is mentioned (" As R. H," etc.) in Udall's translation of Erasmi Apothegmata, 1542: Hazlitt, Handbook, pp 513 f. This line, Ritsou observes, has been repeatedly cited, sin- gularly enough, in law-cases (and always misquoted: in Barnwood stood, in Barnwell stood, upon Greendale stood) : Ritson's Robin Hood, 1832, 1, lxxxix ff. We find " Robyn stode in Bernesdale," Gest, 31 ; also, " As Robin Hood in the forest stood," No 138, 21 ; " When Robin Hood in the green- wood stood," No 141, l1, both texts very much later than the interlude. It is not strictly necessary to assume, as Ritson does, that the line belongs to a lost ballad ; it may be from some older text of one that we have.
117. A GEST OF ROBYN HODS 43
bishops, abbots, bold barons, and knights,* hoe, and Thierry in his Conquete de 1' Angle- but harms no husbandman or yeoman, and terre, Book xi, IV, 81 ff, ed. 1830, both of is friendly to poor men generally, impart- whom depict Robin Hood as the chief of a ing to them of what he takes from the rich, troop of Saxon bandits, Thierry making him Courtesy, good temper, liberality, and manli- an imitator of Hereward. Hunter, again, ness are his chief marks ; for courtesy and The Ballad-Hero, Robin Hood, p. 48, inter- good temper he is a popular Gawain. Yeo- prets the King Edward of the Gest as Ed- man as he is, he has a kind of royal dignity, ward II, and makes Robin Hood an adherent a princely grace, and a gentleman-like refine- of the Earl of Lancaster in the fatal insurrec- ment of humor. This is the Robin Hood of tion of 1322. No one of these theories has the Gest especially ; the late ballads debase anything besides ballads for a basis except this primary conception in various ways and Hunter's. Hunter has an account-book in degrees. which the name Robin Hood occurs ; as to This is what Robin Hood is, and it is which see further on, under stanzas 414-450 equally important to observe what he is not. of the Gest. Hereward the Saxon, Fulk Fitz He has no sort of political character, in the Warine, Eustace the Monk, Wallace, all out- Gest or any other ballad. This takes the laws of one kind or another, are celebrated in ground from under the feet of those who seek romantic tales or poems, largely fabulous, to assign him a place in history. Wyntoun, which resemble in a general way, and sorae- who gives four lines to Robin Hood, is quite times in particulars, the traditional ballads precise. He is likely to have known of the about Robin Hood ; $ but these outlaws are adventure of King Edward and the outlaw, recognized by contemporary history, and he puts Robin under Edward I, at the The chief comrades of Robin Hood are : arbitrary date of 1283, a hundred and forty Robin Hood and the Monk, Little John, years before his own time. Bower, without Scathlok (Scarlok. Scarlet), and Much ; to any kind of ceremony, avouches our hero to these the Gest adds Gilbert of the White have been one of the proscribed followers of Hand and Reynold, 292 f. A friar is not Simon de Montfort, and this assertion of a member of his company in the older bal- Bower is adopted and maintained by a writer lads. A curtal, or cutted friar, called Friar in the London and Westminster Review, Tuck in the title, but not in the ballad, has 1840, XXXIII, 424.f Major, who probably a fight with Robin Hood in No 123, and is knew some ballad of Richard I and Robin perhaps to be regarded as having accepted Hood, offers a simple conjecture that Robin Robin's invitation to join his company ; this, flourished about Richard's time, " circa hsec however, is not said. Friar Tuck is simply tempora, ut auguror," and this is the repre- named as one of Robin's troop in two broad- sentation in Matthew Parker's ' True Tale,' sides, No 145, No 147, but plays no part in which many have repeated, not always with them. These two broadsides also name Maid ut auguror ; as Scott, with whom no one can Marian, who appears elsewhere only in a late quarrel, in the inexpressibly delightful Ivan- and entirely insignificant ballad, No 150. §
* Knights and squires are exempted in the Gest, 14, in- lad, one of Robin Hood's men, but is not heard of in any
consistently with 7, and, as to knights, with the tenor of other. Will Stutly is also one in No 141 ; Clifton, No
what follows. 145; David of Doncaster, No 152. Robin Hood assumes
t Bower, as above. The writer in the L. & W. Review the name Locksley in No 145, and by a blunder Locksley is
does not distinguish Fordun and Bower. made one of his men in 147 and 153. Scarlet and Scath-
i Lieut. -Col. Pridcaux states the resemblances between lock are made two in the Earl of Huntington plays. Graf-
the story of Fulk Fitz Warine and that of Robin Hood, in ton says that the name of William of Goldesborough was
an interesting article in Notes and Queries, 7th series, II, graven, anions others, with that of Robin Hood on Robin's
421 ff, and suggests that the latter has borrowed from the tombstone: Chronicle, I, 222, ed. 1809. Ritson says that
former. Undoubtedly this might be, "but both may have Muuday makes Right-hitting Brand one of the band: I
borrowed from the common stock of tradition. have not observed this.
§ The Pinder of Wakefield became, according to his bal-
44 117. A GEST OF ROBYN HODE
Friar Tuck is a character in each of two streetes."f In the Diary of Henry Machyn Robin Hood plays, both of which we have, we read that on the twenty-sixth of May, unluckily, only in a fragmentary state. One 1555, there was a goodly May-game at St of these plays, dating as far back as 1475, Martins in the Field, with giant and hobby- presents scenes from Robin Hood and Guy horses, morris-dance and other minstrels ; of Gisborn, followed, without any link, by and on the third day of June following, a others from some ballad of a rescue of Robin goodly May-game at Westminster, with giants Hood from the sheriff ; to which extracts from and devils, and three morris-dancers, and many still other ballads may have been annexed. In disguised, and the Lord and Lady of the May this play the friar has no special mark ; he rode gorgeously, with divers minstrels play- simply makes good use of his bow. The other ing. On the thirtieth of May, 1557, there was play, printed by Copland with the Gest, not a goodly May-game in Fenchurch Street, in much before 1550, treats more at length the which the Nine Worthies rode, and they had story of Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar, and speeches, and the morris-dance, and the Sow- then that of Robin Hood and the Potter, dan, and the Lord and Lady of the May, and again, and naturally, without connection, more besides. And again, on the twenty- The conclusion is wanting, and the play may fourth of June, 1559, there was a May-game, have embraced still other ballads. The Friar with a giant, the Nine Worthies, with in this is a loose and jovial fellow, and gave speeches, a goodly pageant with a queen, St the hint for Scott's Clerk of Copmanhurst.* George and the Dragon, the morris-dance, and
The second of the Robin Hood plays is afterwards Robin Hood and Little John, and
described in the title as "very proper to be Maid Marian and Friar Tuck, and they had
played in May-games." These games were speeches round about London. (Pp 89, 137,
in the sixteenth century, and, it would seem, 201.)$
before, often a medley of many things. They In the rural districts the May-game was
were not limited to the first day of May, or naturally a much simpler affair. The accounts
even to the month of May ; they might occur of the chamberlains and churchwardens of
in June as well. They were not uniform, and Kingston upon Thames for Mayday, 23 Henry
might include any kind of performance or VII-28 Henry VIII, 1507-36, contain charges
spectacle which suited the popular taste. " I for the morris, the Lady, Little John, Robin
find," says Stow, " that in the moneth of Hood, and Maid Marian ; the accounts for 21
May, the citizens of London, of all estates, Henry VII-1 Henry VIII relate to expenses
lightlie in every parish, or sometimes two or for the Kyngham, and a king and queen are
three parishes joyning together, had their mentioned, presumably king and queen of
several Mayinges, and did fetch in Maypoles, May ; under 24 Henry VII the "cost of the
with divers warlike shewes, with good archers, Kyngham and Robyn Hode are entered to-
morrice-dancers, and other devices for pastime gether." §
all the day long; and towards the evening " A simple northern man" is made to say
they had stage-playes and bonefires in the in Albion's England, 1586 :
* Robin Hood presents the friar with a " lady free," not guards for the entertainment of Henry Vin and his queen,
named, who may be meant for a degraded Maid Marian, in 1516. The king and queen, while riding with a great
such as Falstaff refers to in 1 Henry IV, III, iii, 129. company, come upon a troop of two hundred yeomen in
t Stow, Survay of London, 1598, p. 72, in Eitson's excel- green. One of these, calling himself Robin Hood, invites lent note EE, Robin Hood, I, cix ff, ed. 1832, which con- the king to see his men shoot, and then to an outlaws-break- tains almost all the important information relative to the fast of venison. The royal party, on their return home, subject. Stow adds that in consequence of a riot on May- were met by a chariot drawn by five horses, in which sat day, 1517, the great Mayings and May-games were not after " the Lady May accompanied with Lady Flora," who saluted that time " so freely used as afore." the king with divers songs.
X These are the people's sports. Hall, fol. lvi, b, cited § Lysons, The Environs of London, I, 225-32. by Ritson, gives an account of a Maying devised by the
117. A GEST OF ROBYN HODE
45
At Paske began our Morris, and ere Penticost our
May; Tho Robin Hood, Liell John, Frier Tucke and
Marian deftly play. And Lard and Ladie gang till kirk, with lads and
lasses gay.*
Toilet's painted window (which is assigned by Douce to about 1460-70, and, if rightly dated, furnishes the oldest known representa- tion of a May-game with the morris) has, besides a fool, a piper and six dancers, a May- pole, a hobby-horse, a friar, and a lady, and the lady, being crowned, is to be taken as Queen of May.
What concerns us is the part borne by Robin Hood, John, and the Friar in these games, and Robin's relation to Maid Marian. In Ellis's edition of Brand's Antiquities, I, 214, note h, we are told that Robin Hood is styled King of May in The Book of the Uni- versal Kirk of Scotland. This is a mistake, and an important mistake. In April, 1577, the General Assembly requested the king to " discharge [prohibit] playes of Robin Hood, King of May, and sick others, on the Sabboth day." In April, 1578, the fourth session, the king and council were supplicated to discharge " all kynd of insolent playis, as King of May, Robin Hood, and sick others, in the moneth of May, played either be bairnes at the schools, or others " ; and the subject was returned to in the eighth session. We know from various sources that plays, founded on the ballads, were sometimes performed in the course of
the games. We know that archers sometimes personated Robin Hood and his men in the May-game. f The relation of Robin Hood, John, and the Friar to the May-game morris is obscure. " It plainly appears," says Kit- son, " that Robin Hood, Little John, the Friar, and Maid Marian were fitted out at the same time with the morris-dancers, and consequently, it would seem, united with them in one and the same exhibition," mean- ing the morris. But he adds, with entire truth, in a note : "it must be confessed that no other direct authority has been met with for constituting Robin Hood and Little John in- tegral characters of the morris-dance." J And further, with less truth so far as the Friar is concerned : " that Maid Marian and the Friar were almost constantly such is proved beyond the possibility of a doubt." The Friar is found in Toilet's window, which Douce speaks of, cautiously, as a representation of an English May-game and morris-dance. The only "di- rect authority," so far as I am aware, for the Friar's being a party in the morris-dance (un- connected with the May-game) is the late authority of Ben Jonson's Masque of the Metamorphosed Gipsies, 1621, cited by Toilet in his Memoir ; where it is said that the ab- sence of a Maid Marian and a friar is a surer mark than the lack of a hobby-horse that a certain company cannot be morris-dancers. § The lady is an essential personage in the mor- ris. || How and when she came to receive the appellation of Maid Marian in the English
* The last two lines are to be understood, I apprehend,
exclusively of the May, and the lord and lady mean Lord
and Lady of the May. The Lord of Misrule, " with his
hobby-horses, dragons, and other antiques," used to go to
church : Stubbes, Anatomy of Abuses, ed. Furnivall, p. 147.
t Myselfe remembreth of a childe, in contreye native
mine,
A Maygame was of Robyn Hood, and of his traine, that
time, To traine up young men, stripplings, and eche other
younger childe, In shooting; yearely this with solempne feast was by
the guylde Or brotherhood of townsmen don, etc. Richard Robinson, 1553, in Rirson, p. cxii f, ed. 1832. J A Christmas game of very modern date is described in The Mirror, XXVI, 42, in which there was a troop of morris- dancers with Robin Hood and Maid Marian ; aDd also Beel-
zebub and his wife. Cited by Kuhn, Haupt's Zeitschrift, V, 481.
§ The entries in the Kingston accounts for 28 and 29 Henry VIII, if they refer to the morris-dance only, would show the morris to be constituted as follows:
(28 Henry VIII.) Four dancers, fool, Maid Marian, friar, and piper. A minstrel is also mentioned.
(29 Henry VIII.) Friar, Maid Marian, Morian (Moor?), four dancers, fool. This entry refers to the costume of the characters, which may account for the omission of the piper. Lysons, Environs of London, I, 228 f.
|| It need hardly be remarked that the morris was neither an exclusively English dance nor exclusively a May-game dance. A Flemish morris, delineated in an engraving dated 1460-70, has for personages a lady, fool, piper, and six dancers : Douce, p. 446 f. In Robert Laneham's description of a bride-ale at Kcnil worth, 1575, there is a morris-dance, " according to the ancient manner," in the which the parties
46
117. A GEST OF ROBYN HODE
morris is unknown. The earliest occurrence of the name seems to be in Barclay's fourth Eclogue,* "subjoined to the last edition of The Ship of Foles, but originally printed soon after 1500 : " Ritson, I, lxxxvii, ed. 1832. Warton suggested a derivation from the French Marion, and the idea is extremely plausible. Robin and Marion were the sub- ject of innumerable motets and pastourelles of the thirteenth century, and the hero and heroine of a very pretty and lively play, more properly comic opera, composed by Adam de la Halle not far from 1280. We know from a document of 1392 that this play was annu- ally performed at Angers, at Whitsuntide, and we cannot doubt that it was a stock-piece in many places, as from its merits it deserved to be. There are as many proverbs about Robin and Marion as there are about Robin Hood, and the first verse of the play, derived from an earlier song, is still (or was fifty years ago) in the mouths of the peasant girls of Hainault.f In the May-game of June, 1559, described by Machyn, after many other things, they had " Robin Hood and Little John," and "Maid Marian and Friar Tuck," some dramatic scene, pantomime, or pageant, probably two ; but there is nothing of Maid Marian in the two (fragmentary) Robin Hood plays which
are Maid Marian, the fool, and six dancers : Furnivall, Captain Cox, p. 22 f. A painting of about 1625 has a morris- dance of seven figures, a Maid Marian, fool, piper, hobby- horse, and three dancers. A tract, of Elizabeth's time, speaks of " a quintessence, beside the fool and the Maid Marian, of all the picked youth, footing the morris about a Maypole," to the pipe and tabor, and other music; and a poem of 1614 describes a country morris-dance of a fool, Maid Marian, hobby-horse, and piper : Ellis's Brand, p. 206 f.
* The well-to-do Codrus says to the starving Menalcas, who has been venting his spleen against " rascolde " rivals,
' Yet would I gladly heare some mery fit Of Maide Marian, or els of Robin Hood.'
Codrus is here only suggesting themes which would be agreeable to him. We are not to deduce from his words that there were ballads about Maid Marian. But if there had been, they would have been distinct from ballads about Robin Hood.
t See Monmerque et Michel, Theatre Francais au Moyen Age, 1842, Notice sur Adam de la Halle, pp 27 ff, the songs, pp 31 ff, the play, pp 102 ff ; Ducange, Robinetns. Henry- son's Robin and Ma'kyne was undoubtedly suggested by the French pastorals.
} I must invoke the spirit of Ritson to pardon the taking of no verv serious notice of Robin Hood's noble extraction.
are preserved, both of which, so far as they go, are based on ballads. Anthony Munday, towards the end of the sixteenth centurv, made a play, full of his own inventions, in which Robert, Earl of Huntington, being out- lawed, takes refuge in Sherwood, with his chaste love Matilda, daughter of Lord Fitz- waters, and changes his name to Robin Hood, hers to Maid Marian. J One S. G., a good deal later, wrote a very bad ballad about the Earl of Huntington and his lass, the only ballad in which Maid Marian is more than a name. Neglecting these perversions, Maid Marian is a personage in the May-game and morris who is not infrequently paired with a friar, and sometimes with Robin Hood, under what relation, in either case, we cannot pre- cisely say. Percy had no occasion to speak of her as Robin's concubine, and Douce none to call her Robin's paramour.
That ballads about Robin Hood were famil- iar throughout England and Scotland we know from early testimony. Additional evidence of his celebrity is afforded by the connection of his name with a variety of natural objects and archaic remains over a wide extent of country.
" Cairns on Blackdown in Somersetshire, and barrows near to Whitby in Yorkshire
The first mention of this seems to be in Grafton's Chronicle, 1569. Grafton says: In an olde and auncient pamphlet I finde this written of the sayd Robert Hood. This man, sayth he, discended of a noble parentage ; or rather, beyng of a base stocke and linage, was for his manhoode and chiu- alry aduaunced to the noble dignitie of an erle. . . . Butafter- wardes he so prodigally exceeded in charges and expences that he fell into great debt, by reason whereof so many actions and sutes were commenced against him, wherevnto he aunswered not, that by order of lawe he was outlawed, etc.: I, 221, ed. 1809. (Some such account furnished a starting-point for Munday.) Leland also, Ritson adds, has expressly termed him " nobilis " (Ro: Hood, nobilis ille exlex), Collectanea, I, 54, ed. 1770, and Warner, in Albion's England (1586), p. 132, ed. 1612, calls him a "county":
Those daies begot some mal-contents, the principal] of whom A countie was, that with a troop of yeomandry did roam.
Ritson also cites the Sloaue MS., 715, "written, as it seems, toward the end of the sixteenth century; " and Har- leian MS., 1233, which he does not date, but which is of the middle of the seventeenth century. Against the sixteenth- century testimony, so to call it, we put in that of the early ballads, all of which describe Robin as a yeoman, the Gest emphasizing the point.
117. A GEST OF ROBYN HODE
47
and Ludlow in Shropshire, are termed Robin Hood's pricks or butts ; lofty natural emi- nences in Gloucestershire and Derbyshire are Robin Hood's hdls ; a huge rock near Matlock is Robin Hood's Tor; an ancient boundary stone in Lincolnshire is Robin Hood's cross ; a presumed loggan, or rocking-stone, in York- shire is Robin Hood's penny-stone ; a foun- tain near Nottingham, another between Don- caster and Wakefield, and one in Lancashire are Robin Hood's wells ; a cave in Notting- hamshire is his stable ; a rude natural rock in Hope Dale is his chair ; a chasm at Chats- worth is his leap; Blackstone Edge, in Lan- cashire, is his bed ; ancient oaks, in various parts of the country, are his trees." * All sorts of traditions are fitted to the localities where they are known. It would be an ex- ception to ordinary rules if we did not find Robin Hood trees and Robin Hood wells and Robin Hood hills. But, says Wright, in his essay on the Robin Hood ballads (p. 208), the connection of Robin Hood's name with mounds and stones is perhaps one of the strongest proofs of his mythic character, as
if Robin Hood were conceived of as a giant. The fact in question is l'ather a proof that those names were conferred at a time when the real character of Robin Hood was dimly remem- bered. In the oldest ballads Robin Hood is simply a stout yeoman, one of the best that ever bare bow ; in the later ballads he is re- peatedly foiled in contests with shepherds and beggars. Is it supposable that those who knew of him even at his best estate, could give him a loggan for a penny-stone ? No one has as yet undertaken to prove that the ballads are later than the names. f Mounds and stones bear his name for the same idle reason that " so many others have that of King Arthur, King John, and, for want of a better, that of the devil." $
Kuhn, starting with the assumption that the mythical character of Robin Hood is fully established (by traditions posterior to the bal- lads and contradictoi-y to their tenor), has sought to show that our courteous outlaw is in particular one of the manifestations of Woden. The hobby-horse, which, be it borne in mind, though now and then found in the May-game
* The Edinburgh Review, LXXXVI, 123 (with a slight correction in one instance), mostly from Ritson, I, cix, cxxvi ff, 1832, and from Wright's Essays, etc., II, 209 f, 1846. Of course the list might be extended : there are some additions in The Academy, XXIV, 231, 1883, and four Robin Hood's wells in Yorkshire alone are there noted.
t A Robin Hood's Stone, near Barnsdale, of what descrip- tion we are not told, is mentioned in an account of a prog- ress made by Henry VII, and Robin Hood's Well, in the same region, in an account of a tour made in 1634: Hun- ter's Robin Hood, p. 61. The well is also mentioned by Drunken Barnaby. A Robin Hood's Hill is referred to in Vicars' account of the siege of Gloucester in 1643 : The Academy, XXIV, 231.
J Gou-h, in the Gentleman's Magazine, March 8, 1793, cited by Gutch. Wright has, somewhat naively, furnished his own refutation : " A large tumulus we know well in our own county, near Ludlow in Shropshire, which is also called Robin Hood's But, and which affords us a curious instance how new stories were often invented to account for a name whose original import was forgotten. The circumstances, too, in this case, prove that the story was of late invention. The barrow, as regarded superstitiously, had borne the name of Robin Hood. On the roof of one of the chancels of the church of Ludlow, which is called Fletchers' chancel, as hav- ing been, when 'the strength of England stood upon arch- ery,' the place where the fletchers held their meetings, and which is distant from the aforesaid barrow two miles, or two miles and a half, there stands an iron arrow, as the sign of their craft. The imagination of the people of the place,
after archery and fletchers had been forgotten, and when Robin Hood was known only as an outlaw and a bowman, made a connection between the barrow (from its name) and the chancel (from the arrow on its roof), and a tale was in- vented how the outlaw once stood upon the former and took aim at the weathercock on the church-steeple ; but the dis- tance being a little too great, the arrow fell short of its mark, and remained up to the present day on the roof of the chancel." (Essays, I, 209 f.)
A correspondent of The Academy, XXIV, 181, remarks that one of the Anglo-Saxon charters in Kemble's Codex Diplomaticus mentions a " place " in Worcestershire called Hddes ac (now Hodsoak), that there is a village in Notting- hamshire called Hodsock, that it is improbable that two men living in districts so widely apart should each have given his name to an oak-tree, and that therefore we may safely conclude Hod to be a mythical personage. Somebody's tree is given as a boundary mark more than thirty times in these charters, somebody's thorn at least ten times, somebody's oak at least five times. How often such a mark might occur in connection with any particular name would depend upon the frequency of the name. Hod or Hdde is cited thirteen times by Kemble, and few names occur oftener. The name, we may infer, was relatively as common then as it is in our century, which has seen three Admiral Hoods (who, by virtue of being three, may be adjudged as mythical by and by) and one poet Hood alive together. Why may not three retired wirings and one scop, of the name, have been living in Berks, Hants, Wilts, and Worcestershire in the tenth cen- tury?
48
117. A GEST OF ROBYN HODE
or morris-dance, was never intimately associ- ated, perhaps we may say never at all associ- ated, with Robin Hood, represents, it is main- tained, Woden. The fundamental grounds are these. In a Christmas, New Year, or Twelfth Day sport at Paget's Bromley, Staf- fordshire, the rider of the hobby-horse held a bow and arrow in his hands, with which he made a snapping noise. In a modern Christ- mas festivity in Kent, the young people would affix the head of a horse to a pole about four feet in length, and tie a cloth round the head to conceal one of the party, who, by pulling a string attached to the horse's lower jaw, pro- duced a snapping noise as he moved along. This ceremony, according to the reporter, was called a hoodening, and the figure of the horse a hooden, "a wooden horse." * The word hooden, according to Kuhn, we may un- hesitatingly expound as Woden ; Hood is a corruption of " Hooden," and this Hooden again conducts us to Woden.
Glosyng is a ful glorious thing certayn.
The sport referred to is explained in Pegge's Alphabet of Kenticisms (collected 1735-36), under the name hooding, as a country masquerade at Christmas time, which in Der- byshire they call guising, and in other places mumming ; and to the same effect in the Rev. W. D. Parish's Dictionai-y of the Kentish Dialect (soon to be published) under hood- ening, which word is an obvious corruption, or secondary form, of hooding. The word
hooding, applied to the sport, means just what it does in the old English hooding-eloth, a curtain ; that is, a covering, and so a disguise by covering. It is true that wooden is pro- nounced hooden,| or ooden, in Kent, and that the hobby-horse had a wooden head, but it is quite inconceivable that the sport should receive its name from a circumstance so sub- ordinate as the material of which the horse was made. Such an interpretation would hardly be thought of had not hooding in its proper sense long been obsolete. That this is the case is plain from two facts : the hood- ing used to be accompanied with carol-singing, and the Rev. Mr Parish informs us that carol- singing on Christmas Eve is still called hood- ening at Monckton, in East Kent. The form Hooden, from which Robin's name is asserted by Kuhn to be corrupted, is invented for the occasion. I suppose that no one will think that the hobby-horse-rider's carrying a bow and arrows, in the single instance of the Staf- fordshire sport, conduces at all to the identi- fying of Robin Hood with the hobby-horse. Whether the Hobby-Horse represents Woden is not material here. It is enough that the Hobby-Horse cannot be shown to represent Robin Hood. J
I cannot admit that even the shadow of a case has been made out by those who would attach a mythical character either to Robin Hood or to the outlaws of Inglewood, Adam Bell, Clim of the Clough, and William of Cloudesly. §
* Plot's History of Staffordshire, p. 434, cited in Ellis's Brand, 1, 383 ; The Mirror, XX, 419, cited by Kuhn, Haupt's Zeitschrift, V, 474 f. The Kentish sport is also described in the Rev. W. D. Parish's Dictionary of the Kentish Dia- lect, p. 77, under Hoodening.
t In West Worcestershire h is put for w, "by an em- phatic speaker," in such words as wood, wool : Mrs Cham- berlain's Glossary. Hood for wood occurs in East Sussex; also in Somerset, according to Halliwell's Dictionary. The derivation of Hood from wood has often been sug- gested : as by Peele, in his Edward I, " Robin of the Wood, alias Robin Hood," Works, Dyce, I, 162. The inventive Peck was pleased always to write Robin Whood.
\ The Hobby-Horse, Schimmel, Fastnachtspferd, Herbst- pferd, Adventspferd, Chevalet, Cheval Mallet, is maintained by Mannhardt to be figurative of the Corn-Sprue, Kornda- raon ; nichts nnderes als das Kornross, Vegetationsross, nicht aber eine Darstellung Wodans, wie man nach Kuhns Vor-
gang jetzt allgemein annimmt : Mannhardt, Mythologische Forschungen, in Qnellen u. Forschungen, LI, p. 165. " Man sieht den Ungrund der bei deutschen Mytliologen so belieb- ten Identifizierung von Robin Hood und Wodan : " Mann- hardt, Wald- u. Feldkulte, I, 546, note 3.
§ The reasoning, in the instance of Robin Hood, has been signally loose and incautious ; still, the general conclusion finds ready acceptance with mythologists, on one ground or another, and deductions are made with the steadiness of a geometer. Robin Hood, being one of the " solar heroes," " has his faint reflection in Little John, who stands to him in the same relation as Patroclus to Achilles," etc. "Maid Marian will therefore be the dawn-maiden, to be identified with Biiseis," etc. "Friar Tuck is one of the triumvirate who appear also in the Cloudesly and Tell legends," etc. And again, by an interpreter of somewhat different views : "though a considerable portion of this story is ultimately derived from the great Aryan sun-myth, there is the strong-
117. A GEST OF ROBYN HODE 49
Ballads of other nations, relating to classes monks, and they put beys to ransom as he
of men living in revolt against authority and would an abbot or a sheriff. There are
society, may be expected to show some kind Magyar robber-ballads in great number ; J
of likeness to the English outlaw-ballads, and some of these celebrate Shobri (a man of this
such resemblances will be pointed out upon century), who spares the poor, relieves beg-
occasion. Spanish broadside ballads dating gars, pillages priests (but never burns or
from the end of the sixteenth century com- kills), and fears God : Erdelyi's collection, I,
memorate the valientes and guapos of cities, 194-98, Nos 237-39; Arany-Gyulai, II, 56,
robbers and murderers of the most flaunting No