57. Towards his house in Nottingam
He ffled ful fast away,
And soe did all his companye,

Not one behind did stay.

58. But he cold neither soe fast goe,
Nor away soe fast runn,
But Litle John, with an arrow broade,
Did cleave his heart in twinn.

ROBIN HOOD'S DEATH AND
BURIAL

1. When Robin Hood and Little John
Down a down a down a down
Went oer yon bank of broom

Said Robin Hood bold to Little
John,

"We have shot for many a pound."
Hey, etc.

2. "But I am not able to shoot one shot more,

My broad arrows will not flee;
But I have a cousin lives down below,
Please God, she will bleed me."

3. Now Robin he is to fair Kirkly gone, As fast as he can win;

But before he came there, as we do
hear,
He was taken

very

ill.

4. And when he came to fair Kirkly-hall, He knockd all at the ring,

But none was so ready as his cousin herself

For to let bold Robin in.

5. "Will you please to sit down, cousin Robin," she said,

"And drink some beer with me?" "No, I will neither eat nor drink, Till I am blooded by thee."

6. "Well, I have a room, cousin Robin," she said,

"Which you did never see,
And if you please to walk therein,
You blooded by me shall be."

7. She took him by the lily-white hand, And led him to a private room,

And there she blooded bold Robin

Hood,

While one drop of blood would run down.

8. She blooded him in a vein of the arm,

And locked him up in the room; Then did he bleed all the live-long day, Until the next day at noon.

9. He then bethought him of a casement there,

Thinking for to get down;

But was so weak he could not leap,
He could not get him down.

10. He then bethought him of his buglehorn,

Which hung low down to his knee;
He set his horn unto his mouth,
And blew out weak blasts three.

II. Then Little John, when hearing him, As he sat under a tree,

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

12. Then Little John to fair Kirkly is gone,
As fast as he can dree;
But when he came to Kirkly-hall,
He broke locks two or three:

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

14. "What is that boon," said Robin Hood,

"Little John, [thou] begs of me?" "It is to burn fair Kirkly-hall, And all their nunnery."

15. "Now nay, now nay," quoth Robin Hood,

"That boon I'll not grant thee;

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

16. "I never hurt fair maid in all my time,
Nor at mine end shall it be;
But give me my bent bow in my hand,
And a broad arrow I'll let flee,
And where this arrow is taken up,
There shall my grave digged be.

17. "Lay me a green sod under my head, And another at my feet;

22. Then bespayke a squyar off Northombarlonde,

Richard Wytharyngton was his

nam:

"It shall never be told in SotheYnglonde," he says,

23. "I wat youe byn great lordës twaw, I am a poor squyar of lande:

I wylle never se my captayne fyght on a fylde,

and stande my selffe and loocke on, But whylle I may my weppone welde, I wylle not [fayle] both hart and hande."

24. That day, that day, that dredfull day! the first fit1 here I fynde;

And youe wyll here any mor a the
hountyng a the Chyviat,
yet ys ther mor behynde.

25. The Yngglyshe men hade ther bowys yebent,

ther hartes wer good yenoughe; The first off arros that the shote off,

seven skore spear-men the sloughe.2

26. Yet byddys the yerle Doglas uppon the bent,

a captayne good yenoughe, And that was sene verament,

for he wrought hom both woo and wouche. 3

27. The Dogglas partyd his ost in thre, lyk a cheffe cheften off pryde; With suar1 spears off myghttë tre, the cum in on every syde:

28. Thrughe our Yngglyshe archery

gave many a wounde fulle wyde; many a doughetë the garde" to dy, which ganyde them no pryde.

29. The Ynglyshe men let ther boys be, and pulde owt brandes that wer brighte;

It was a hevy syght to se

bryght swordes on basnites lyght.

3 harm.

32. Thes worthë freckys for to fyght, ther-to the wear fulle fayne, Tylle the bloode owte off thear basnetes sprente

33.

as ever dyd heal11 or ra[y]n.

"Yelde the, Persë," sayde the Doglas, "and i feth I shalle the brynge Wher thowe shalte have a yerls wagis of Jamy our Skottish kynge. 34. "Thou shalte have thy ransom fre, I hight 15 the hear this thinge; For the manfullyste man yet art thowe

that ever I conqueryd in filde
fighttynge."

35. "Nay," sayd the lord Persë,
"I tolde it the beforne,
That I wolde never yeldyde be

to no man of a woman born."

36. With that ther cam an arrowe hastely, forthe off a myghttë wane;16

Hit hathe strekene the yerle Duglas
in at the brest-bane.

37. Thorowe lyvar1 and longës bathe1 the sharpe arrowe ys gane,

That never after in all his lyffe-days
he spayke mo wordës but ane:
That was, "Fyghte ye, my myrry
men, whyllys ye may,

for my lyff-days ben gan."

38. The Persë leanyde on his brande, and sawe the Duglas de;

He tooke the dede mane by the hande, and sayd, "Wo ys me for the!

7 gauntlet. 11 smote.

1 division of the story, chapter. 4 trusty.

2 slew. 5 made. • helmets.

15 bid.