A New Ballad of bold ROBIN HOOD:
SHEWING
His Birth, Breeding, Valour and Marriage, at Titbury Bull-running: Calculated for the Meridi[an]
of Scaffordshire, but may serve for Derbyshire or Kent.
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KInd Gentlemen will you be patient a while
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Ay, and then y[o]u shall hear anon,
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A very good Ballad of bold Robin Hood,
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and of his Man brave Little John.
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In Locksly Town in merry Nottinghamshire,
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in merry sweet Locksly Town;
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There bold Robin Hood he was born and was bred
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bold Robin of famous renown.
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The Father of Robin a Forrester was,
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and he shot in a lusty long bow,
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Two North Country miles and an inch at a shot,
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as the Pinder of Wakefield does know.
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For he brought Adam Bell, and Clim of the Clugh,
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and William a Clowdel-le;
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To shoot with our Forrester for forty mark,
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and the Forrester beat them all three.
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His Mother was Neece to the Coventry Knight,
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which Warwickshire Men call Sir Guy;
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For he slew the blew bore that hangs up at the gate,
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or mine Host of the Bull tells a lye.
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Her Brother was Gamwel of great Gamwel-hall,
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and a noble House-keeper was he,
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Ay, as ever broke bread in sweet Nottinghamshire,
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and a Squire of famous degree.
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The Mother of Robin said to her Husband,
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My Honey, my Love, and my Dear;
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Let Robin and I ride this morning to Gamwel,
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to taste of my Brothers good cheer.
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And he said, I grant thee thy boon, gentle Joan,
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take one of my Horses I pray:The Sun is a rising, and therefore make haste,
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for tomorrow is Christmas-day.
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Then Robin Hoods Fathers grey gelding was brought
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and sadled and bridled was he,
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God-wot, a blew Bonnet, his new suit of cloaths,
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and a Cloak that did reach to his knee.
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She got on her Holy-day kirtle and gown,
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they were of a light Lincoln green,
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The cloath was home spun, but for colour and make
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it might a beseemd our Queen.
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And then Robin got on his basket-hilt sword,
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and a dagger on his tother side:
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And said, My dear Mother, lets haste to be gone,
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we have forty long miles to ride.
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When Robin had mounted his Gelding so grey,
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his Father without any trouble,
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Set her up behind him, and bad her not fear,
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for his gelding has oft carried double.
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And when she was settled, they rode to their Neighbours
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and drank and shook hands with them all:
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And then Robin gallopt and never gave ore
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till they lighted at Gamwel-hall.
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And now you may think the right worshipful Squire
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was joyful his Sister to see;
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For he kist her and kist her, and swore a great oath,
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thou art welcome, kind Sister, to me.
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To morrow when Mass had been said in the chappel
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six tables were coverd in the hall;
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And in comes the Squire and makes a short speech,
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it was, Neighbours youre welcome all.
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But not a Man here shall taste my March-beer
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till a Christmas carrol be sung;
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Then all clapt their hands, and they shouted and sung
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till the hall and the parlour did ring.
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Now mustards Braun, roast-beef and plumb-pies,
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were set upon every table:And noble George Gamwel said, Eat and be merry,
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and drink too as long as youre able.
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When dinner was ended his Chaplain said grace,
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and be merry, my friends said the Squire,
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It rains and it blows, but call for more ale,
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and lay some more wood on the fire.
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And now call ye Little John hither to me,
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for Little John is a fine Lad
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At gambols and juggling, and twenty such tricks,
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as shall make you both merry and glad.
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When Little John came to gambols they went,
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both Gentlemen, Yeomen and Clown;
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And what do you think? Why as true as I live;
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bold Robin Hood put them all down.
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And now you may think the right worshipful Squire
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was joyful this sight for to see,
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For he said, Cousin Robin, thoust go no more home,
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but tarry and dwell here with me.
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Thou shalt have my land when I dye, and till then
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thou shalt be the staff of my Age.
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Then grant me my boon dear Uncle, said Robin,
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that little John may be my Page.
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And he said kind Cousin I grant thee thy boon,
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with all my heart so let it be,
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Then come hither, Little John, said Robin Hood,
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come hither, my Page, unto me.
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Go fetch me my Bow, my longest long Bow,
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and broad arrows one two or three;
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For when it is fair weather well into Sherw[o]od,
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some merry pastime to see.
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When Robin Hood came into merry Sherwo[o]d,
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he winded his bugle so clear;
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And twice five and twenty good Yeomen and bold,
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before Robin Hood did appear.
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Where are your companions all? (said Rob. Hood)
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for still I want forty and three:
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Then said a bold Yeoman, Lo yonder they stand,
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all under a green wood tree.
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As that word was spoke Clorinda came by,
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the Queen of the Shepherds was she:
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And her gown was of Velvet as green as the grass
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and her buskin did reach to her knee.
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Her gate it was graceful her Body was straight,
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and her countenance free from pride:
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A bow in her hand, and quiver and arrows,
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hung dangling by her sweet side.
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Her eye-brows were black, ay and so was her hair,
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and her skin was as smooth as glass;
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Her visage spoke wisdom and modesty too,
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sets with Robin Hood such a Lass.
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Said Robin Hood, Lady fair, whither away,
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oh whither, fair Lady, away?And she made him answer, to kill a fat Buck,
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for to morrow is Titbury day.
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Said Robin Hood, Lady fair, wander with me,
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a little to yonder green bower,
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There sit down to rest you, and you shall be sure
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of a brace or a lease in an hour.
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And as we were going towards the green bower,
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two hundred good bucks we espyd:She choose out the fattest that was in the herd,
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and she shot him through side and side.
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By the faith of my body, said bold Robin Hood,
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I never saw Woman like thee,
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And comst thou from East, ay or comst thou from West
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thou needst not beg venison of me.
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However along to my bower you shall go,
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and taste of a Forresters meat;
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And when we came thither we found as good cheer,
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as any Man needs for to eat.
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For there was hot venison, and warden-pies cold,
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cream clouted with honey-combs plenty,
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And the Sarvitors they were beside Little John,
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good Yeomen at least four and twenty.
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Clorinda said, Tell me your name gentle Sir? and he said, Tis bold Robin Hood;
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Squire Gamwels mine Uncle, but all my delight
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is to dwell in the merry Sherwood:
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For tis a fine life, and tis void of all strife,
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So tis, Sir, Clorinda replyd;
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But oh, said bold Robin, how sweet would it be,
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if Clorinda would be my Bride?
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She blusht at the motion, yet after a pause,
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said, Yes, Sir, and with all my heart,
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Then let us send for a Priest, said Robin Hood,
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and be merry before we do part.
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But she said, It may not be so gentle Sir,
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for I must be at Titbury feast:And if Robin Hood will go thither with me,
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Ill make him the most welcome Guest.
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Said Robin Hood, Reach me that Buck, Little John,
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for Ill go along with my Dear;[Then] bid my Yeomen kill six brace of bucks,
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[an]d meet me to morrow just here.
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Before we had ridden five Staffordshire miles,
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eight Yeomen that were too bold,
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Bid Robin Hood stand, and deliver his Buck,
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a truer Tale never was told.
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I will nat faith, said, bold Robin; come John,
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stand to me and well beat em all;
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Then both drew their swords, and so cut em and slasht em
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that five of them did fall.
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The three that remaind calld to Robin for quarter,
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and pitiful John beggd their lives;
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When Johns boon was granted, he gave them good counsel,
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and so sent them home to their Wives.
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This battle was fought near to Titbury Town,
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when the bagpipes bated the bull:
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I am King of the Fidlers, and sware tis a truth;
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and I call him that doubts it a Gull.
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For I saw them fighting, and fidld the while,
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and Clorinda sung, Hey derry down:The Bumpkins are beaten, put up thy sword Bob,
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and now lets dance into the Town,
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Before we came to it, we heard a strange shouting,
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and all that were in it lookd madly,
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For some were a bull-back, some dancing a morris,
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and some singing Arthur a Bradly.
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And there we see Thomas our Justices-Clerk,
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and Mary to whom he way kind:
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For Tom rode before her, and calld Mary Madam,
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and kist her full sweetly behind.
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And so may your Worships, but we went to dinner,
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with Thomas, and Mary, and Nan;
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They all drank a health to Clorinda, and told her,
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bold Robin Hood was a fine Man.
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When dinner was ended, Sir Roger the Parson
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of Dubbridge was sent for in haste:He brought his Mass-book, and he had them take hands,
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and he joynd them in marriage full fast.
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And then as bold Robin Hood, and his sweet bride,
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went hand in hand to the green bower,
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The birds sung with pleasure in merry Sherwood,
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and twas a most joyful hour.
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And when Robin came in the sight of the bower,
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Where are my Yeomen? said he.
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And Little John answered, Lo yonder they stand,
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all under the green wood tree.
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Then a Garland the brought her by two and by two,
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and placd them at the brides bed:The Musick struck up; and we all fell to dance,
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till the Bride and the Groom were a bed.
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And what they did there must be counsel to me,
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because they lay long the next day:And I had haste home but I got a good piece
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of the bride-cake and so came away.
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Now out alas, I had forgotten to tell ye,
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that marryd they were with a ring:And so will Nan Knight, or be buried a Maiden,
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and now let us pray for the King.
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That he may get Children and they may get more
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to govern and do us some good,
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And then Ill make Ballads in Rob. Hoods bower
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and sing em in merry Sherwood.
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