ent to thee.’
276.
‘Come now forth, Lytell Johan,
And go to my treasurë,
And brynge me there foure hondred pounde,
The monke over-tolde it me.
277.
‘Have here foure hondred pounde,
Thou gentyll knyght and trewe,
And bye hors
ent to thee.’
276.
‘Come now forth, Lytell Johan,
And go to my treasurë,
And brynge me there foure hondred pounde,
The monke over-tolde it me.
277.
‘Have here foure hondred pounde,
Thou gentyll knyght and trewe,
And bye hors
‘Broke it well,’ said Robyn,
‘Thou gentyll knyght so fre;
And welcome be thou, gentyll knyght,
Under my trystell-tre.
275.
‘But what shall these bowës do?’ sayd Robyn,
‘And these arowes ifedred fre?’
‘By God,’ than sayd the knyght,
‘A pore pres
ke it i-twyse,
A shame it were to me;
But trewely, gentyll knyght,
Welcome arte thou to me.’
273.
Whan Robyn had tolde his tale,
He leugh and had good chere:
‘By my trouthe,’ then sayd the knyght,
‘Your money is redy here.’
274.
ye lent to me;
And here is also twenty marke
For your curteysy.’
271.
‘Nay, for God,’ than sayd Robyn,
‘Thou broke it well for ay;
For Our Lady, by her hye selerer,
Hath sent to me my pay.
272.
‘And yf I to
holpe a pore yeman,
With wronge was put behynde.’
269.
‘Nay, for God,’ sayd Robyn,
‘Syr knyght, that thanke I thee;
What man that helpeth a good yeman,
His frende than wyll I be.’
270.
‘Have here foure hondred pounde,’ than sayd the knyght,
‘The whiche
ad my londe.’
267.
‘Hast thou thy londe agayne?’ sayd Robyn;
‘Treuth than tell thou me.’
‘Ye, for God,’ sayd the knyght,
‘And that thanke I God and thee.
268.
‘But take no grefe, that I have be so longe;
I came by a wrastelynge,
And there I
Than bespake hym Robyn Hode,
To that knyght so fre;
‘What nede dryveth thee to grene-wode?
I praye thee, syr knyght, tell me.
266.
‘And welcome be thou, gentyll knyght,
Why hast thou be so longe?’
‘For the abbot and the hye justyce
Wolde have h
yght doune of his good palfray,
Robyn whan he gan see;
So curteysly he dyde adoune his hode,
And set hym on his knee.
264.
‘God the savë, Robyn Hode,
And all this company!’
‘Welcome be thou, gentyll knyght,
And ryght welcome to me.’
265.
of that knyght:
Yet he came to holde his day,
Whyle that it was lyght.
262.
He dyde him streyt to Bernysdale,
Under the grene-wode tre,
And he founde there Robyn Hode,
And all his mery meynë.
263.
The knyght l
hepe I myght have dyned
In Blythe or in Dankestere.’
260.
‘Grete well your abbot,’ sayd Robyn,
‘And your pryour, I you pray,
And byd hym send me such a monke
To dyner every day.’
261.
Now lete we that monke be styll,
And speke we