Frank Sidgwick

“ The weaver standing by the river side said:—Now will I cool your hot blood, Master Robert, and if you cannot swim the better you shall sink and drown, With that he hurled the sack in, thinking that it had been Robin Good-fellow. Robin, standing behind him, said—
For this your kindness, master, I you thank: Go swim yourself; I'll stay upon the bank. With that Robin pushed him in, and went laughing away, ho, ho, hoh! ”

“ Maids in your smocks, Look well to your locks, And your tinder box, Your wheels and your rocks, Your hens and your cocks, Your cows and your ox, And beware of the fox. When the bellman knocks, Put out your fire and candle-light, So they shall not you affright: May you dream of your delights, In your sleeps see pleasing sights. ”

“ The bat's abroad likewise, And the night-raven, Which doth use for to call Men to Death's haven. Now the mice peep abroad, And the cats take them, Now do young wenches sleep, Till their dreams wake them. Make a ring on the grass With your quick measures: Tom shall play, I will sing For all your pleasures. Thus danced they a good space: at last they left and sat down upon the grass; and to requite Robin Good-fellow's kindness, they promised to tell to him all the exploits that they were accustomed to do: Robin thanked them and listened to them, and one began to tell his tricks in this manner. ”

“ If you refuse my proffered kindness never look to enjoy your wished-for happiness. I love true lovers, honest men, good fellows, good housewives, good meat, good drink, and all things that good is, but nothing that is ill; for my name is Robin Good-fellow, and that you shall see that I have power to perform what I have undertaken, see what I can do. ”

“ At the sight of this the old usurer would have risen out of his bed, and have leaped out of the window, but he was stayed by Robin Good-fellow, who spake to him thus—
If thou dost stir out of thy bed, I do vow to strike thee dead. I do come to do thee good; Recall thy wits and starkled [8] blood. The money which thou up dost store In soul and body makes thee poor. Do good with money while you may; Thou hast not long on earth to stay. ”

“ I give my horns to other men, And ne'er require them again. Then come away, you wanton wives, That love your pleasures as your lives: To each good woman I'll give two, Or more, if she think them too few. Then would he change his note and sing this following, to the tune of What care I how fair she be? ”

“ Command me, Robin, thou shalt know, That I for thee will ride or go: I can do greater things than these Upon the land, and on the seas." The Tricks of the Fairy called Grim "I walk with the owl, and make many to cry as loud as she doth hollo. Sometimes I do affright many simple people, for which some have termed me the Black Dog of Newgate. At the meetings of young men and maids I many times am, and when they are in the midst of all their good cheer, I come in, in some fearful shape, and affright them, and then carry away their good cheer, and eat it with my fellow fairies. ”

“ The Hostess's Tale of the Birth of Robin Good-fellow Once upon a time, a great while ago, when men did eat more and drink less—then men were more honest, that knew no knavery, than some now are that confess the knowledge and deny the practice—about that time (whensoe'er it was) there was wont to walk many harmless spirits called fairies, dancing in brave order in fairy rings on green hills with sweet music (sometime invisible) in divers shapes: many mad pranks would they play, as pinching of sluts black and blue, and misplacing things in ill-ordered houses ”

“ I ne'er recanted what I once said. I now do see, as nature fades, And all her works decay, So women all, wives, widows, maids, From bad to worse do stray. As herbs, trees, roots, and plants In strength and growth are daily less, So all things have their wants: The heavenly signs move and digress; And honesty in women's hearts Hath not her former being: Their thoughts are ill, like other parts, Nought else in them's agreeing. ”

“ Many other ways have I to fright the simple, but the understanding man I cannot move to fear, because he knows I have no power to do hurt.
My nightly business I have told, To play these tricks I use of old: When candles burn both blue and dim, Old folk will say, Here's fairy Grim. More tricks than these I use to do: Hereat cried Robin, Ho, ho, hoh!" The Tricks of the Women Fairies told by Sib "To walk nightly, as do the men fairies, we use not; but now and then we go together, and at good housewives' fires we warm and dress our fairy children. ”

“ For his humours of begging he used this song, to the tune of The Jovial Tinker [15] .
Good people of this mansion, Unto the poor be pleased To do some good, and give some food, That hunger may be eased. My limbs with fire are burned, My goods and lands defaced; Of wife and child I am beguiled, So much am I debased. Oh, give the poor some bread, cheese, or butter, Bacon, hemp, or flax; Some pudding bring, or other thing: My need doth make me ax [16] . I am no common beggar, Nor am I skilled in canting: You ne'er shall see a wench with me, Such tricks in me are wanting. ”

“ Many old women, that then had more wit than those that are now living and have less, said that a fairy had gotten her with child; and they bid her be of good comfort, for the child must needs be fortunate that had so noble a father as a fairy was, and should work many strange wonders. To be short, her time grew on, and she was delivered of a man child, who (it should seem) so rejoiced his father's heart, that every night his mother was supplied with necessary things that are befitting a woman in child-birth, so that in no mean manner neither ”

“ Sometimes I find a slut sleeping in the chimney-corner, when she should be washing of her dishes, or doing something else which she hath left undone: her I pinch about the arms, for not laying her arms to her labour. Some I find in their bed snorting and sleeping, and their houses lying as clean as a nasty dog's kennel; in one corner bones, in another egg-shells, behind the door a heap of dust, the dishes under feet, and the cat in the cupboard: all these sluttish tricks I do reward with blue legs, and blue arms. ”

“ How Robin Good-fellow was wont to walk in the Night Robin Good-fellow would many times walk in the night with a broom on his shoulder, and cry "chimney sweep," but when any one did call him, then would he run away laughing ho, ho, hoh! Sometimes he would counterfeit a beggar, begging very pitifully, but when they came to give him an alms, he would run away, laughing as his manner was. Sometimes would he knock at men's doors, and when the servants came, he would blow out the candle, if they were men ”

“ Those blessed joys which then thou shalt possess, No mortal tongue can them declare: All earthly joys, compared with this, are less Than smallest mote to the world so fair. Then is not that man blest That must enjoy this rest? ”

“ So soon as day appeareth in the east Give thanks to him, and mercy crave; So in this life thou shalt be surely blest, And mercy shalt thou find in grave. The conscience that is clear No horror doth it fear ”

“ Thus living, when thou drawest to thy end Thy joys they shall much more increase, For then thy soul, thy true and loving friend, By death shall find a wished release From all that caused sin, In which it lived in ”

“ Another to the tune of The Coranto.
I peeped in at the Woolsack, O, what a goodly sight did I Behold at midnight chime! The wenches were drinking of mulled sack; Each youth on his knee, that then did want A year and a half of his time. They leaped and skipped, They kissed and they clipped, And yet it was counted no crime. The grocer's chief servant brought sugar, And out of his leather pocket he pulled, And culled some pound and a half; For which he was suffered to smack her That was his sweetheart, and would not depart, But turned and lick'd the calf. ”

“ He ground, he thumped, he grew So cunning in his art, He learnt the trade of beating hemp By bussing his sweetheart. But yet, he still would say, If I could get release To see strange fashions I'll give o'er, And henceforth live in peace, The town where I was bred, And think by my desart To come no more into this place For bussing my sweetheart. They all liked his song very well, and said that the young man had but ill-luck. Thus continued he playing and singing songs till candle-light: then he began to play his merry tricks in this manner. ”

“ Be she blacker than the stock, If that thou wilt make her fair, Put her in a cambric smock, Buy her paint and flaxen hair. One your carrier brings to town Will put down your city-bred; Put her on a broker's gown, That will sell her maiden-head. ”

“ This man for his covetousness was so hated of all his neighbours, that there was not one that gave him a good word. Robin Good-fellow grieved to see a man of such wealth do so little good, and therefore practised to better him in this manner. ”

“ How Robin Good-fellow helped Two Lovers and deceived an Old Man Robin going by a wood heard two lovers make great lamentation, because they were hindered from enjoying each other by a cruel old lecher, who would not suffer this loving couple to marry. ”

“ We often use to dwell in some great hill, and from thence we do lend money to any poor man or woman that hath need; but if they bring it not again at the day appointed, we do not only punish them with pinching, but also in their goods, so that they never thrive till they have paid us. ”

“ Sometimes I also steal milk and cream, and then with my brothers, Patch, Pinch, and Grim, and sisters Sib, Tib, Lick, and Lull, I feast with my stolen goods: our little piper hath his share in all our spoils, but he nor our women fairies do ever put themselves in danger to do any great exploit. ”

“ If we find clean water and clean towels, we leave them money, either in their basins or in their shoes; but if we find no clean water in their houses, we wash our children in their pottage, milk, or beer, or whate'er we find: for the sluts that leave not such things fitting, we wash their faces and hands with a gilded child's clout, or else carry them to some river, and duck them over head and ears. ”

“ If thou wilt lead a blest and happy life, I will describe the perfect way: First must thou shun all cause of mortal strife, Against thy lusts continually to pray. Attend unto God's word: Great comfort 'twill afford ”

“ This nicking of the pots he would never leave, yet divers times he had been under the hand of authority, but what money soever he had [to pay] for his abuses, he would be sure (as they all do) to get it out of the poor man's pot again. Robin Good-fellow, hating such knavery, put a trick upon him in this manner.
Robin shaped himself like to the tapster's brewer, and came and demanded twenty pounds which was due to him from the tapster. The tapster, thinking it had been his brewer, paid him the money, which money Robin gave to the poor of that parish before the tapster's face. ”

“ Thus would he continually practise himself in honest mirth, never doing hurt to any that were cleanly and honest-minded.
How The Fairies called Robin Good-fellow to dance with them, and how they showed him their several Conditions Robin Good-fellow being walking one night heard the excellent music of Tom Thumb's brave bag-pipe: he remembering the sound (according to the command of King Obreon) went towards them. They, for joy that he was come, did circle him in, and in a ring did dance round about him. ”

“ In the time of the Saxons' conquest of England there were divers of our countrymen slain by treachery, which made those that survived more careful in dealing with their enemies, as you shall hear.
"After many overthrows that our countrymen had received by the Saxons, they dispersed themselves into divers companies into the woods, and so did much damage by their sudden assaults to the Saxons, that Hengist, their king, hearing the damage that they did (and not knowing how to subdue them by force) , used this policy. ”

“ I find some slovens too, as well as sluts: they pay for their beastliness too, as well as the women-kind; for if they uncase a sloven and not untie their points, I so pay their arms that they cannot sometimes untie them, if they would. ”

“ Many times I get on men and women, and so lie on their stomachs, that I cause there great pain, for which they call me by the name of Hag, or Nightmare. 'Tis I that do steal children, and in the place of them leave changelings. ”

“ Slovens also that neglect their masters' business, they do not escape. Some I find that spoil their masters' horses for want of currying: those I do daub with grease and soot, that they are fain to curry themselves ere they can get clean. ”