iends
and fatherly guardians; for he holds that in giving to boors and old
women what he takes from priests and peers, he does but restore to the
former what the latter had taken from them; and this the impudent varlet
calls distributive justice. Judge now if any loyal subject can be safe
in such neighbourhood."

While the sheriff was thus enlightening his companion concerning the
offenders, and whetting his own indignation against them, the sun was
fast sinking to the west. They rode on till they came in view of a
bridge, which they saw a party approaching from the opposite side, and
the knight presently discovered that the party consisted of the lady
Matilda and friar Michael, young Gamwell, cousin Robin, and about
half-a-dozen foresters. The knight pointed out the earl to the sheriff,
who exclaimed, "Here, then, we have him an easy prey;" and they rode on
manfully towards the bridge, on which the other party made halt.

"Who be these," said the friar, "that come riding so fast this way? Now,
as God shall judge me, it is that false knight Sir Ralph Montfaucon, and
the sheriff of Nottingham, with a posse of men. We must make good our
post, and let them dislodge us if they may."

The two parties were now near enough to parley; and the sheriff and the
knight, advancing in the front of the cavalcade, called on the lady,
the friar, young Gamwell, and the foresters, to deliver up that
false-traitor, Robert, formerly Earl of Huntingdon. Robert himself made
answer by letting fly an arrow that struck the ground between the fore
feet of the sheriff's horse. The horse reared up from the whizzing, and
lodged the sheriff in the dust; and, at the same time, the fair Matilda
favoured the knight with an arrow in his right arm, that compelled him
to withdraw from the affray. His men lifted the sheriff carefully up,
and replaced him on his horse, whom he immediately with great rage and
zeal urged on to the assault with his fifty men at his heels, some of
whom were intercepted in their advance by the arrows of the foresters
and Matilda; while the friar, with an eight-foot staff, dislodged the
sheriff a second time, and laid on him with all the vigour of the church
militant on earth, in spite of his ejaculations of "Hey, friar
Michael! What means this, honest friar? Hold, ghostly friar! Hold, holy
friar!"--till Matilda interposed, and delivered the battered sheriff
to the care of the foresters. The friar continued flourishing his
staf