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Come hyther, come hyther, thou good fir Guy,
Afke what thou wilt of mee.

OI will none of thy gold, fayd Robin,

Nor I will none of thy fee:

But now I have flaine the master, he sayes,

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Thou art a madman, sayd the sheriffe,
Thou sholdst have had a knightes fee:
But seeing thy asking hath beene foe bad,
Well granted it shal bee.

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When Little John heard his master speake,
Well knewe he it was his fteven:
Now fhall I be loofet, quoth Little John,

With Chrift his might in heaven.

Faft Robin hee hyed him to Little John,

He thought to loofe him blive;

The fheriffe and all his companye

Fast after him can drive.

Stand abacke, ftand abacke, fayd Robin ;

Why draw you mee so neere?

Itt was never the ufe in our countryè,

Ones fhrift another shold heere.

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But

But Robin pulled forth an Iryfh knife,
And lofed John hand and foote,

And gave him fir Guyes bow into his hand,
And bade it be his boote.

Then John he took Guyes bow in his hand,

His boltes and arrowes eche one :

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When the sheriffe faw Little John bend his bow,

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Towards his houfe in Nottingham towne,

He fled full fast away ;

And foe did all the companye;
Not one behind wold stay.

But he cold neither runne foe falt,

Nor away foe faft cold ryde,

But Little John with an arrowe foe broad,

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He shott him into the

backe'-fyde.

The title of SIR was not formerly peculiar to Knights, it was given to priests, and fometimes to very inferior perfonages.

IX.

IX.

AN ELEGY

ON HENRY FOURTH EARL OF NORTH, UMBERLAND.

The subject of this poem, which was written by SKELTON, is the death of HENRY PERCY, fourth earl of Northumberland, who fell a victim to the avarice of Henry VII. In 1489 the parliament had granted the king a fubfidy for carrying on the war in Bretagne. This tax was found fo heavy in the North, that the whole country was in a flame. The E. of Northumberland, then lord lieutenant for Yorkshire, wrote to inform the king of the difcontent, and praying an abatement. But nothing is fo unrelenting as avarice: the king wrote back that not a penny should be abated. This meage being delivered by the earl with too little caution, the populace rofe, and fuppofing him to be the promoter of their calamity, broke into his houfe, and murdered him with feveral of his attendants: who yet are charged by Skelton with being backward in their duty on this occafion. This melancholy event happened at the earl's feat at Cocklodge, near Thirske, in Yorkshire, April 28. 1489. See Lord Bacon, c.

If the reader does not find much poetical merit in this old poem (which yet is one of Skelton's beft), he will fee a Striking picture of the state and magnificence kept up by our

ancient

ancient nobility during the feudal times. This great earl is defcribed here, as having among his menial fervants, KNIGHTS, SQUIRES, and even BARONS: see v. 32. 183. &c. Which however different from modern manners, was formerly not unusual with our greater Barons, whofe caftles bad all the fplendour and offices of a royal court, before the Laws against Retainers abridged and limited the number of

their attendants.

JOHN SKELTON, who commonly ftyled himself Poet Laureat, died June 21. 1529. The following poem, which appears to have been written foon after the event, is printed from an ancient MS. copy preferved in the British Museum, being much more correct than that printed among SKELTON's Poems in bl. let. 12mo. 1568.-It is addressed to Henry Percy fifth earl of Northumberland, and is prefacea, &c. in the following manner :

Poeta Skelton Laureatus libellum fuum metrice

alloquitur.

Ad dominum properato meum mea pagina Percy,
Qui Northumbrorum jura paterna gerit.
Ad autum celebris tu prona repone leonis,
Quæque fuo patri tristia justa cano.
Aft ubi perlegit, dubiam fub mente volutet
Fortunam, cuncta quæ male fida rotat.
Qui leo fit felix, & Neftoris occupet annos ;
Ad libitum cujus ipfe paratus ero.

SKELTON LAUREAT UPON THE DOLORUS DETHE AND

I

MUCH LAMENTABLE CHAUNCE OF THE MOOST
HONORABLE ERLE OF NORTHUMBERLANDE.

Wayle, I wepe, I sobbe, I figh ful fore

The dedely fate, the dolefulle deftenny

Of him that is gone, alas! withoute restore,

Of

Of the blode + royall defcendinge nobelly;
Whos lordshepe doutles was flayne lamentably
Thorow trefon ageyn hym compassyd and wrought;
Trew to his prince, in word, in dede, and thought.

Of hevenly poems, O Clyo calde by name

In the college of mufis goddess hyftoriall,
Adres the to me, whiche am both halt and lame.
In elect uteraunce to make memoryall:
To the for foccour, to the for helpe I call
Myne homely rudnes and drighnes to expelle:
With the freshe waters of Elyconys welle.

Of noble actes auncyently enrolde,

Of famous princis and lordes of astate,
By thy report ar wonte to be extold,
Regeftringe trewly every formare date;
Of thy bountie after the ufuall rate,
Kyndle in me fuche plenty of thy noblès,
Thes forrowfulle dities that I may fhew expres.

In fefons past who hathe harde or fene

Of formar writinge by any prefidente That vilane haftarddis in ther furious tene,

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Fulfyld

Henry, firft E. of Northumberland, was born of Mary daughter to Henry E. of Lancaster, fecond fon of K. Henry III.- He was alfo lineally defcended from the Emperour Charlemagne and the ancient Kings of France, by his ancestor Jofceline de Lovain, (fon of Godfrey Duke of Brabant,) who took the name of PERCY on marrying the heiress of that boufe in the reign of Hen. II. Vid. Camden. Britan. Edmondson, &c.

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