In deepe revolving thought he stoode, And musde a little space; Then raisde faire Emmeline from the grounde, With many a fond embrace. "Here take her, Child of Elle," he sayd, And gave her lillye hand; "Here take my deare and only child, And with her half my land. Thy father once mine honour wrongde, In dayes of youthful pride; Do thou the injurye repayre In fondnesse for thy bride. And as thou love and hold her deare, ROBIN HOOD AND THE CURTALL FRYER. "From an old black-letter copy in the collection of Anthony à Wood; corrected by a much earlier one in the Pepysian library, printed by I. Gosson, about the year 1610; compared with a later one in the same collection. The full title is: The famous battell betweene Robin Hood and To a new Northern tune."-RITSON. the Curtall Fryer. N summer time, when leaves grow green, And flowers are fresh and gay, Robin Hood and his merry men Were disposed to play. Then some would leape, and some would runne, And some would use artillery; "Which of you can a good bow draw, Which of you can kill a bucke, Will Scadlocke he kild a bucke, And Little John kild a hart of greece, Five hundreth foot him fro. "Gods blessings on thy heart," said Robin Hood, "That hath such a shot for me; I would ride my horse a hundred miles, To find one could match thee." This caused Will Scadlocke to laugh, He laught full heartily: "There lives a curtall fryer in Fountaine's Abbey Will beate both him and thee. The curtall fryer in Fountaine's Abbey Set them all on a row." Robin Hood he tooke a solemne oath, It was by Mary free, That he would neither eate nor drinke Till the fryer he did see. Robin Hood put on his harnesse good, Broad sword and buckler by his side, He tooke his bow into his hand, And comming unto Fountaine Dale, There he was aware of the curtall fryer, The fryer had on a harnesse good, And they became him weele. Robin Hood lighted off his horse, And tyed him to a thorne: Carry me over the water, thou curtall fryer, The fryer tooke Robin Hood on his backe, And spake neither good word nor bad, Till he came at the other side. Lightly leapt Robin offe the fryer's backe; 66 Carry me over this water, thou fine fellow, Robin Hood took the fryer on his backe, And spake neither good word nor bad, Lightly leapt the fryer off Robin Hood's backe; Robin Hood said to him againe, "Carry me over this water, thou curtall fryer, Or it shall breede thy pain." The fryer took Robin on's backe againe, And stept in to the knee; Till he came at the middle streame, And comming to the middle streame, "And chuse thee, chuse thee, fine fellow, Robin Hood swam to a bush of broome, One of his best arrowes under his belt To the fryer he let fly; The curtall fryer with his steel buckler Did put that arrow by. "Shoot on, shoot on, thou fine fellow, If thou shoot here a summer's day, * Willow. |