Whan Robyn had tolde his tale,
He leugh and had good chere:
'By my trouthe,' then sayd the knyght,
'Your money is redy here.'

274.
'Broke it well,' said Robyn,
'Thou gentyll knyght so fre;
And welcome be thou, gentyll knyght,
Under my trystell-tre.

275.
'But what shall these bowes do?' sayd Robyn,
'And these arowes ifedred fre?'
'By God,' than sayd the knyght,
'A pore present to thee.'

276.
'Come now forth, Lytell Johan,
And go to my treasure,
And brynge me there foure hondred pounde,
The monke over-tolde it me.

277.
'Have here foure hondred pounde,
Thou gentyll knyght and trewe,
And bye hors and havnes good,
And gylte thy spores all newe.

278.
'And yf thou fayle ony spendynge,
Com to Robyn Hode,
And by my trouth thou shalt none fayle,
The whyles I have any good.

279.
'And broke well thy foure hondred pound,
Whiche I lent to the,
And make thy selfe no more so bare,
By the counsell of me.'

280.
Thus than holpe hym good Robyn,
The knyght all of his care:
God, that syt in heven hye,
Graunte us well to fare!

[Annotations:
208., 209.: A repetition of 17 and 18.
211.2: 'tray and tene,' grief and vexation.
213.: _i.e._ Benedictines.
214.3: 'wedde,' wager.
215.2: 'frese' occurs nowhere else, and its meaning is unknown.
215.3: 'seker and sad,' resolute and staunch.
216.2: 'somers' = sumpters, pack-horses.
218.2: 'prese,' crowd.
225.2: 'lefe,' pleased, willing.
225.4: 'Maugre,' in spite of.
227.3: 'no force,' no matter.
229.2: 'felaushyp' = our fellows.
230.2: 'raye,' striped cloth.
232.4: 'avowe,' patron.
234.2: A common form of asseveration = 'upon my life';
'the' = thrive. Cf. 243.4.
237.1: 'borowe,' security.
239.2: 'chere,' countenance.
243.4: See 234.2 and note.
244.3: 'myster,' need.
247.3: 'male,' trunk. See 134.2 and 374.1.
250.3: 'pay,' liking.
251.2: 'hende,' gracious.
253.2: 'mote,' meeting.
254.3: 'reves,' bailiffs.
256.1: 'corser,' coffer (?).
271.2: 'broke,' enjoy. Cf. 274.3 and 279.3.
273.2: 'leugh,' laughed.
275.2: 'ifedred,' feathered.]

THE FIFTH FYTTE (281-316)

+Argument.+--The story now returns to the Sheriff of Nottingham, and
relates how he offered a prize for the best archer in the north. Robin
Hood, hearing of this match,