ere at our dinere!"

"Take thy good bow in thy hand," said Robin,
"Let Much wend-e with thee,
And so shall William Scath-elock,
And no man abide with me:
And walk up to the Sa-yl-es,
And so to Watling Street,
And wait after some unketh gest,
Up-chance ye mowe them meet.
Be he earl or any bar-on,
Abb-ot or any knight,
Bring him to lodge to me,
His dinner shall be dight."

They went unto the Sa-yl-es,
These yeomen all three,
They look-ed east, they look-ed west,
They might-e no man see.
But as they looked in Barnisdale,
By a dern-e street,
Then came th-ere a knight rid-ing,
Full soon they gan him meet.
All drear-y was his semblaunce,
And little was his pride,
His one foot in the stirrup stood,
That other waved beside.
His hood hanging over his eyen two,
He rode in simple array;
A sorrier man than he was one
Rode never in summer's day.

Little John was full curt-eyse,
And set him on his knee:
"Welcome be ye, gentle knight,
Welc-ome are ye to me,
Welcome be thou to green wood,
Hende knight and free;
My master hath abiden you fast-ing,
Sir, all these hour-es three."

"Who is your master?" said the knight.

John said, "Robin Hood."

"He is a good yeoman," said the knight,
"Of him I have heard much good.
I grant," he said, "with you to wend,
My brethren all in-fere;
My purpose was to have dined to-day
At Blyth or Doncastere."

Forth then went this gentle knight,
With a careful cheer,
The tears out of his eyen ran,
And fell down by his lere.
They brought him unto the lodge door,
When Robin gan him see,
Full curteysly he did off his hood,
And set him on his knee.

"Welc-ome, sir knight," then said Rob-in,
"Welc-ome thou art to me;
I have abiden you fasting, sir,
All these hour-es three."

Then answered the gentle knight,
With word-es fair and free,
"God thee sav-e, good Rob-in,
And all thy fair meyn-e."

They washed together and wip-ed both,
And set to their dinere;
Bread and wine they had enough,
And numbles of the deer;
Swans and pheasants they had full good,
And fowls of the rivere;
There fail