hands; and thou were the courtliest
knight that ever bare shield; and thou were the truest friend to thy
lover that ever bestrode horse; and thou were the truest lover of a
sinful man that ever loved woman; and thou were the kindest man that
ever struck with sword; and thou were the goodliest person that ever
came among press of knights; and thou were the meekest man, and the
gentlest, that ever ate in hall among ladies; and thou were the
sternest knight to thy mortal foe that ever put spear in rest.'"

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 23: See, the author's "Stories of the Wagner Operas."]

ROBIN HOOD

Among the most popular of the prose epics is the story of Robin Hood,
compiled from some twoscore old English ballads, some of which date
back at least to 1400. This material has recently been charmingly
reworked by Howard Pyle, who has happily illustrated his own book. The
bare outline of the tale is as follows:

In the days of Henry II lived in Sherwood Forest the famous outlaw
Robin Hood, with his band of sevenscore men. At eighteen years of age
Robin left Locksley to attend a shooting-match in a neighboring town.
While crossing the forest one of the royal game-keepers tauntingly
challenged him to prove his skill as a marksman by killing a deer just
darting past them. But, when the unsuspecting youth brought down this
quarry, the forester proposed to arrest him for violating the law.
Robin, however, deftly escaped, and, when the keeper sent an arrow
after him, retaliated by another, which, better aimed, killed one of
the king's men!

Although unwittingly guilty of murder, Robin, knowing his life was
forfeit, took to the forest, where he became an outlaw. In vain the
Sheriff of Nottingham tried to secure him: Robin always evaded capture
at his hands. Still he did not remain in hiding, but frequently
appeared among his fellow-men, none of whom would betray him, although
the sheriff promised a reward of two hundred pounds for his capture.

Once, while in quest of adventures, Robin met on a narrow bridge a
stranger who refused to make way for him. Irritated by what he
considered the man's insolence, Robin seized his quarter-staff, only
to find that his antagonist more than matched him in the skilful use
of this weapon. Then a misstep suddenly toppled Robin over into the
stream, where he might have perished had not some of his men leaped
out of the thicket to his rescue. Vexed at being beaten at
quarter-staff, Robin n