A Bundle of Ballads [23]
"Gram-ercy, sir," said he, "Such a dinner had I not Of all these week-es three; If I come again, Rob-in, Here b-y this countr-e, As good a dinner I shall thee make, As thou hast made to me."
"Gramerc-y, knight," said Rob-in, "My dinner when I have; I was never so greedy, by dere-worthy God, My dinner for to crave. But pay ere ye wend," said Rob-in, "Me thinketh it is good right; It was never the manner, by dere-worthy God, A yeoman to pay for a knight."
"I have nought in my coffers," said the knight, "That I may proffer for shame."
"Little John, go look," said Robin, "Ne let not for no blame. Tell me truth," then said Rob-in, "So God have part of thee."
"I have no more but ten shillings," said the knight, "So God have part of me!"
"If thou have no more," said Rob-in, "I will not one penn-y; And if thou have need of any more, More shall I lend thee. Go now forth, Little John, The truth tell thou me, If there be no more but ten shillings No penny of that I see."
Little John spread down his mantle Full fair upon the ground, And there he found in the knight's coff-er But even half a pound. Little John let it lie full still, And went to his master full low.
"What tiding-e, John?" said Rob-in.
"Sir, the knight is true enow."
"Fill of the best wine," said Rob-in, "The knight shall begin; Much wonder thinketh me Thy clothing is so thin. Tell me one word," said Rob-in, "And counsel shall it be; I trow thou were made a knight of force, Or else of yeomanry; Or else thou hast been a sorry housband And lived in stroke and strife; An okerer, or lechour," said Rob-in, "With wrong hast thou led thy life."
"I am none of them," said the knight, "By him that mad-e me; An hundred winter here before, Mine aunsetters knights have be. But oft it hath befal, Rob-in, A man hath be disgrate; But God that sitteth in heaven above May amend his state. Within two or three year, Robin," he said, "My neighbours well it kend, Four hundred pound of good mon-ey Full well then might I spend. Now have I no good," said the knight, "But my children and my wife; God hath shapen such an end, Till he it may amend."
"In what manner," said Rob-in, "Hast thou lore thy rich-esse?"
"For my great folly," he said, "And for my kind-enesse. I had a son, for sooth, Rob-in, That should have been my heir, When he was twenty winter old, In field would joust full fair; He slew a knight of Lancashire, And a squyer bold; For to save him in his right My goods beth set and sold; My lands beth set to wed, Rob-in, Until a certain day, To a rich abbot here beside, Of Saint Mar-y abbay."
"What is the summ-e?" said Rob-in, "Truth then tell thou me."
"Sir," he said, "four hundred pound, The abb-ot told it to me."
"Now, an thou lose thy land," said Robin, "What shall fall of thee?"
"Hastily I will me busk," said the knight, "Over the salt-e sea, And see where Christ was quick and dead, On the mount of Calvar-y. Fare well, friend, and have good day, It may no better be"--
Tears fell out of his eyen two, He would have gone his way-- "Fare well, friends, and have good day, I ne have more to pay."
"Where be thy friends?" said Rob-in.
"Sir, never one will me know; While I was rich enow at home Great boast then would they blow, And now they run away from me, As beast-es on a row; They take no more heed of me Than they me never saw."
For ruth-e then wept Little John, Scathelocke and Much also. "Fill of the best wine," said Rob-in, "For here is a simple cheer. Hast thou any friends," said Robin, "Thy borowes that will be?"
"I have none," then said the knight, "But him that died on a tree."
"Do way thy jap-es!" said Rob-in, "Thereof will I right none; Weenest thou I will have God to borowe? Peter, Paul, or John? Nay, by him that me made, And shope both sun and moon, Find a better borowe," said Robin, "Or money gettest thou none."
"I have none other," said the knight, "The sooth for to say, But if it be our
"Gramerc-y, knight," said Rob-in, "My dinner when I have; I was never so greedy, by dere-worthy God, My dinner for to crave. But pay ere ye wend," said Rob-in, "Me thinketh it is good right; It was never the manner, by dere-worthy God, A yeoman to pay for a knight."
"I have nought in my coffers," said the knight, "That I may proffer for shame."
"Little John, go look," said Robin, "Ne let not for no blame. Tell me truth," then said Rob-in, "So God have part of thee."
"I have no more but ten shillings," said the knight, "So God have part of me!"
"If thou have no more," said Rob-in, "I will not one penn-y; And if thou have need of any more, More shall I lend thee. Go now forth, Little John, The truth tell thou me, If there be no more but ten shillings No penny of that I see."
Little John spread down his mantle Full fair upon the ground, And there he found in the knight's coff-er But even half a pound. Little John let it lie full still, And went to his master full low.
"What tiding-e, John?" said Rob-in.
"Sir, the knight is true enow."
"Fill of the best wine," said Rob-in, "The knight shall begin; Much wonder thinketh me Thy clothing is so thin. Tell me one word," said Rob-in, "And counsel shall it be; I trow thou were made a knight of force, Or else of yeomanry; Or else thou hast been a sorry housband And lived in stroke and strife; An okerer, or lechour," said Rob-in, "With wrong hast thou led thy life."
"I am none of them," said the knight, "By him that mad-e me; An hundred winter here before, Mine aunsetters knights have be. But oft it hath befal, Rob-in, A man hath be disgrate; But God that sitteth in heaven above May amend his state. Within two or three year, Robin," he said, "My neighbours well it kend, Four hundred pound of good mon-ey Full well then might I spend. Now have I no good," said the knight, "But my children and my wife; God hath shapen such an end, Till he it may amend."
"In what manner," said Rob-in, "Hast thou lore thy rich-esse?"
"For my great folly," he said, "And for my kind-enesse. I had a son, for sooth, Rob-in, That should have been my heir, When he was twenty winter old, In field would joust full fair; He slew a knight of Lancashire, And a squyer bold; For to save him in his right My goods beth set and sold; My lands beth set to wed, Rob-in, Until a certain day, To a rich abbot here beside, Of Saint Mar-y abbay."
"What is the summ-e?" said Rob-in, "Truth then tell thou me."
"Sir," he said, "four hundred pound, The abb-ot told it to me."
"Now, an thou lose thy land," said Robin, "What shall fall of thee?"
"Hastily I will me busk," said the knight, "Over the salt-e sea, And see where Christ was quick and dead, On the mount of Calvar-y. Fare well, friend, and have good day, It may no better be"--
Tears fell out of his eyen two, He would have gone his way-- "Fare well, friends, and have good day, I ne have more to pay."
"Where be thy friends?" said Rob-in.
"Sir, never one will me know; While I was rich enow at home Great boast then would they blow, And now they run away from me, As beast-es on a row; They take no more heed of me Than they me never saw."
For ruth-e then wept Little John, Scathelocke and Much also. "Fill of the best wine," said Rob-in, "For here is a simple cheer. Hast thou any friends," said Robin, "Thy borowes that will be?"
"I have none," then said the knight, "But him that died on a tree."
"Do way thy jap-es!" said Rob-in, "Thereof will I right none; Weenest thou I will have God to borowe? Peter, Paul, or John? Nay, by him that me made, And shope both sun and moon, Find a better borowe," said Robin, "Or money gettest thou none."
"I have none other," said the knight, "The sooth for to say, But if it be our