Lithe and listen,gentlemen,That be of freeborn blood;
I shall you tell of a good yeom-an,His name was Robin Hood.
Robin was a proud outlaw,Whil-es he walked on ground,So curteyse an outlawe as he was one Was never none yfound.
Robin stood in Barnysdale,And leaned him to a tree,And by h-im stood Little John,A good yeom-an was he;
And also did good Scath-elock,And Much the miller's son;
There was no inch of his bod-y,But it was worth a groom.
Then bespake him Little John All unto Robin Hood,"Master,if ye would dine betime,It would do you much good."
Then bespak-e good Rob-in,"To dine I have no lust,Till I have some bold bar-on,Or some unketh gest,That may pay for the best;
Or some knight or some squy-ere That dwelleth here by west."
A good mann-er then had Robin In land where that he were,Every day ere he would dine Three masses would he hear:
The one in the worship of the Father,The other of the Holy Ghost,The third was of our dear Lady,That he loved of all other most.
Robin loved our dear Lad-y,For dout of deadly sin;
Would he never do company harm That any woman was in.
"Master,"then said Little John,"An we our board shall spread,Tell us whither we shall gon,And what life we shall lead;
Where we shall take,where we shall leave,Where we shall bide behind,Where we shall rob,where we shall reve,Where we shall beat and bind."
"Thereof no force,"then said Rob-in,"We shall do well enow;
But look ye do no housbonde harm That tilleth with his plow;
No more ye shall no good yeoman,That walk'th by green wood shaw,Ne no knight,ne no squy-er,That would be a good fel-aw.
These bishops,and these archbishops,Ye shall them beat and bind;
The high sheriff of Nottingham,Him hold in your mind."
"This word shall be holde,"said Little John,"And this lesson shall we lere;
It is ferr-e days,God send us a geste,That we were 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.