Anonymous

“ He never let any woman be either robbed or hurt; and, in cases of hardship, he always took the part of the weak and the injured against the strong; so that it was truely said, “that of all thieves he was the gentlest and most generous thief.”
Robin Hood was fond of doing odd and strange things; and he loved a joke quite as well as he loved a good booty. One day, as he strolled in the Forest by himself, he saw a jolly butcher riding upon a fine mare, with panniers on each side filled with meat. ”

“ The sheriff of Nottingham was master of the market, and Robin Hood hired a stall there. But we may very well suppose that he did not know much about his trade, and indeed, as long as he had any meat to sell, no other butcher could sell a single joint; for Robin Hood sold more meat for a penny than the others could do for five. “To be sure,” said they, “this is some young fellow that has sold his father’s land.” The butchers then went up to Robin Hood: “Come, brother,”
Robin Hood bargaining with the Nottingham Butcher. ”

“ Though Robin Hood was a robber, which to be sure is a very bad thing, yet he behaved in such a manner as to have the good word and good wishes of almost all the poor people in those parts. He never loved to rob any body but people that were very rich, and that had not the spirit to make good use of their riches. ”

“ King Richard is a noble prince and a gallant soldier; and, if he would take me into his favour, he should never{32} have reason to repent it, but should find me the most faithful and loving of all his subjects.”
“I am King Richard,” said the stranger: and, when he had said this, Robin and all his company fell upon their knees before him.
“Stand up, my brave fellows,” said the king; “you have been robbers, and you ought not to have been such. The greatest miser in my kingdom ought not to be treated with force, but to be persuaded to dispose of his money properly. But you are brave fellows ”

“ One time, when Robin was walking alone in the Forest of Sherwood, he heard the trampling of horses; and, looking round, he saw his old enemy, the bishop of Hereford, with six servants. The bishop was very near Robin Hood before Robin looked round and saw him; and he had nothing to trust to but the swiftness of his heels, to save him from danger.
As Robin ran along, he chanced to come up to a cottage where an old woman lived all by herself; so he rushed in, and begged her to save his life.—“Who are you?” said the old woman ”

“ Robin Hood gave away the maiden; the bishop slunk out of the church; and his brother, the old knight, hobbled after as well as he could. The whole company had a dinner upon two fat bucks in Sherwood Forest; and from this day, Allen-a-Dale was a friend to Robin Hood as long as he lived.
In the time of Robin Hood, the bishops were under the orders of the pope of Rome; and they were great officers, and even soldiers. Robin Hood lived in the see of the bishop of Hereford. ”

“ There is a friar in Fountain Abbey.” Now Fountain Abbey was the convent that had been built with the money that Robin Hood’s uncle Gamewell’s estate had{22} been sold for, and perhaps Will Scarlet chose to throw it in Robin’s teeth for that reason. “I had as soon you had talked of the gallows,” said Robin Hood. “No matter for that,” said Will Scarlet; “there is a friar in Fountain Abbey that can draw a strong bow against any man in the world: he can handle a quarter-staff too; and will beat you and all your yeomen, set them in a row.” ”

“ He now got together a number of young men, who had been brought up like himself, and were just as poor; and they went to live what they called a merry life, in Sherwood Forest, near Nottingham. Here there was plenty of deer; and Robin Hood and his company were very excellent marksmen at shooting them with the cross-bow. But they wanted something besides meat to eat, so they at once turned robbers. After this, no man could travel alone through Sherwood Forest, without being stripped of his money. ”

“ Now the monk who came to Gamewell-hall was very sorry about this, and wished very much to have a left wing to his abbey: so he made the squire believe that he could not die like a good man, unless he gave the whole of his estate to Fountain Abbey. The squire was very ill, and hardly knew what he did; he forgot Robin Hood, and all that he had said he would do for him, and signed a paper that the monk brought him, to give away his estate. As soon as Robin Hood heard that his uncle was very {5}ill, he made haste home; but the squire was dead a quarter of an hour before Robin came. ”