meanwhile Robin has escaped to
the greenwood. However, the sheriff lies in wait for the knight,
captures him and takes him bound to Nottingham. The knight's lady rides
to Robin and begs him to save her lord; whereupon Robin and his men
hasten to Nottingham, kill the sheriff, release the knight, and carry
him off to the greenwood.

The latter episode--of Robin's release, at the request of his wife, of a
knight taken captive by the sheriff--comes probably from a separate
ballad: _Robin Hood rescuing Three Squires_ tells a similar story. This
the compiler of the _Gest_ has apparently woven in with the story of the
previous fyttes, though he has not done so very thoroughly (_e.g._, the
inconsistency of Robin's question to the knight's wife, 'What man hath
your lord i-take?' with his knowledge of the knight's defiance of the
sheriff). The compiler has also neatly prepared the way for the
introduction of the seventh and eighth fyttes by the knight's appeal to
the king; but, having done so, he has apparently forgotten the king's
undertaking to come to Nottingham, and has allowed the sheriff to
anticipate that plan and capture the knight without assistance.

THE SIXTH FYTTE

317.
Lythe and lysten, gentylmen,
And herkyn to your songe;
Howe the proude shyref of Notyngham,
And men of armys stronge,

318.
Full fast cam to the hye shyref,
The contre up to route,
And they besette the knyghtes castell,
The walles all aboute.

319.
The proude shyref loude gan crye,
And sayde, 'Thou traytour knight,
Thou kepest here the kynges enemys,
Agaynst the lawe and right.'

320.
'Syr, I wyll avowe that I have done,
The dedys that here be dyght,
Upon all the landes that I have,
As I am a trewe knyght.

321.
'Wende furth, sirs, on your way,
And do no more to me
Tyll ye wyt oure kynges wille,
What he wyll say to thee.'

322.
The shyref thus had his answere,
Without any lesynge;
Forth he yede to London towne,
All for to tel our kinge.

323.
Ther he telde him of that knight,
And eke of Robyn Hode,
And also of the bolde archars,
That were soo noble and gode.

324.
'He wyll avowe that he hath done,
To mayntene the outlawes stronge;
He wyll be lorde, and set you at nought,
In all the northe londe.'

325.
'I wil be at Notyngham,' sayde our kynge,
'Within this fourteennyght,
And take I wyll Robyn H