ROBIN HOOD AND THE CURTAL FRIAR.

That caused Will Scarlet to laugh

He laughed full heartily,

There is a friar in Fountain's Abbey,*
Will beat both him and thee.

The Curtal Friar in Fountain's Abbey
Well draw can a strong bow;
He will beat you and your yeomen,
Set them all in a row.

Robin Hood took a solemn oath,
It was by Mary free,

That he would neither eat nor drink
Till the friar he did see.

Robin Hood put on his harness good,
On his head a cap of steel,
Broad-sword and buckler by his side;
And they became him weel.

He took his bow into his hand,
It was of a trusty tree,

With a sheaf of arrows by his side,

And to Fountain-dale went he.

And coming to fair Fountain-dale,
No further would he ride;

Then he was aware of a Curtal Friar,
Walking by the water-side.

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* "De Fontibus," or "Fountain's" Abbey, of the Cistercian order, was founded at the beginning of the twelfth century, in a place before called Skeldale, near Rippon. At the dissolution, its revenues amounted according to Dugdale, who gives the clear income, to 9981. 6s. 8d., and according to Speed, who reckons in all the outgoings and rent-charges, to 11737. This valuation places it amongst the greater monasteries, though not Mitred. Its ruins are extensive, and highly picturesque and beautiful: they have been often engraved. Fountain's-abbey was the mother of an Abbey of some note, of the same order, at Woburn, in Bedfordshire.

The friar had on a harness good;
On his head a cap of steel,
Broad-sword and buckler by his side,
And they became him weel.*

Robin Hood lighted from off his horse,

And tied him to a thorn:

Carry me over the water, thou Curtal Friar,
Or else thy life 's forlorn.

The friar took Robin Hood on his back,
Deep water he did bestride,

And neither spoke good word nor bad,
Till he came on the other side.

Lightly stept Robin off the friar's back,
The friar said to him again:

Carry me over the water, thou fine fellow !
Or it will breed thee pain.

Robin Hood took the friar on his back,
Deep water he did bestride,

And spoke neither good word nor bad,
Till he came on the other side.

Lighty leapt the friar off Robin Hood's back,
Bold Robin said to him again:

Carry me over the water, thou Curtal Friar,
Or it shall breed thee pain.

The friar took Robin on his back again,
And stept up to his knee,

* As the Monks were accustomed to appoint some of their order to various offices connected with their domestic concerns,-as "cellarer," "kitchener," &c. &c.; it is not very unlikely that they might sometimes appoint one as overseer over their Chases and harbours for game: but whether delegated or not, they occasionally assumed such strange employments as this friar appears to have done,

And till he came to the middle stream,
Neither good nor bad spoke he.

And, coming to the middle stream,
Then he threw Robin in:

And choose thee, choose thee, fine fellow!
Whether thou wilt sink or swim.

Robin Hood swam to a bush of brooms,
The friar to the willow wand-
Bold Robin Hood is gone to the shore,
And took his bow in his hand.

One of the best arrows under his belt,
To the friar he let fly;

The Curtal Friar with his steel buckler,
Did put his arrow by.

Shoot on, shoot on, thou fine fellow !
Shoot as thou hast begun,

If thou shoot here a summer's day,
Thy mark I will not shun.

Bobin Hood shot on so passing well,
Till his arrows all were gone,

They took their swords and steel bucklers,
And fought with might and main,

From ten o'clock that very day,

Till four in the afternoon;

Then Robin Hood came on his knees,

Of the friar to beg a boon.

A boon! a boon! thou Curtal Friar,

I beg it on my knee;

Give me leave to set my horn to my mouth, And to blow blasts three.

That I will do, said the Curtal Friar,
Of thy blasts I have no doubt;
I hope thou will blow so passing well,
Till both thy eyes drop out.

Robin Hood set his horn to his mouth,

And blew out blasts three,

Half a hundred yeomen, with their bows bent, Came ranging over the lee.

Whose men are these, said the friar,

That come so hastily?

Those are mine, said Robin Hood,
Friar, what is that to thee!

A boon! a boon! said the Curtal Friar,
The like I gave to thee;

Give me leave to set my fist to my mouth,
And to whute,* whutes three.

That will I do, said Robin Hood,

Or else I were to blame;

Three whutes in a friar's fist,

Would make me glad and fain.

The friar he set his fist to his mouth,

And whuted him, whutes three;

Half a hundred good band-dogs

Came running over the lee.

Here is for every man a dog,

And I myself for thee :

Nay, by my faith, said Robin Hood,

Friar, that may not be.

Two dogs at once to Robin did go,
The one behind, the other before;
Robin Hood's mantle of Lincoln green,
From off his back they tore.

* Whistle.

And whether his men shot east or west,
Or they shot north or south,

The Curtal dogs, so taught they were,
They caught the arrows in their mouth.

Take up thy dogs, said Little John,
Friar, at my bidding thee.

Whose man art thou, said the Curtal Friar,
Comes here to prate to me?

I am Little John, Robin Hood's man,
Friar, I will not lie ;

If thou take not up thy dogs anon,
I'll take them up and thee.

Little John had a bow in his hand,
He shot with might and main;
Soon half a score of the friar's dogs,

Laid dead upon the plain.

Hold thy hand, good fellow, said the Curtal Friar,
Thy master and I will agree;

And we will have new orders ta'en,
With all the haste that may be.

If thou will forsake fair Fountain-dale,
And Fountain's Abbey free,
Every Sunday throughout the year,
A noble shall be thy fee.

Every Sunday throughout the year,
Changed shall thy garment be,
If thou will go to fair Nottingham,
And there remain with me.

The Curtal Friar had kept Fountain-dale,

Seven long years and more:

There was neither knight, lord, nor earl,

Could make him yield before.

RITSON, & EVANS.