Ellustrated Article.

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IN the "hot and piping days" of the first Plantagenet, lived, as is well known, that prince of Archers, Robin Hood; whose well feathered shafts were aimed with as little ceremony against the lordly prior of St. Mary's as against the fat bucks of Barnsdale and Sherewood forests. At the same period also, lived Sir, Philip Murdach, the renowned sheriff of Nottingham, immortalized in ballad and legend, for having been more successful in maintaining the king's prerogatives in that good town, than in the wooded domains by which it was environed. Now the proude sheriffe" had entrusted to his care and guardianship the daughter of his noble cousin, Sir Gilbert Marsh; a knight who possessed, as he well merited, the reputation of being VOL. II. B

self to the party of the latter, and at the time of our tale, he was, with the young princes, Henry, Geoffroi, and Richard, at the Court of the French monarch.

Alice Marsh was as pretty a maid, and as cheerful as you would meet with in a summer day's ramble, through any county in this fair realm, not even excepting Lancashire itself, where, as we know She had been blessed by nature with to our cost-pretty maidens most abound.

"A merry eye,-a cherry lip,
A passing pleasing tongue!"

and there was a lightness and buoyancy in her gait, which showed she had been a stranger to those sorrows and disappointments which oppress the soul, and darken the sunny horizon of youth. Moreover, heaven had favoured her with as lovely a set of features as ever entered into the formation even of an English countenance. Her hair was black as the raven's wing and 29-SATURDAY, JULY 19, 1828.

the glances of her eyes were keen enough to penetrate the heart of the stoutest knight though cased in a breastplate of steel!

Now the sheriff had a son of nearly the same age as our fair heroine, an honest, sprightly youth, who spent most of his time in protecting his father's deer, or else in listening to his sage judgments in the town-hall of Nottingham; for he looked upon his sire as a second Daniel," and even aspired one day to inherit his scarlet cloak. Between this son and his gentle ward, Sir Philip Murdach had long ago in his own mind formed, a happy union.' But princes have told us, we cannot control our affections ;" and Master Walter of Nottingham took it into his head very early in life to fall in love with a daughter of the chief ranger of the adjoining forest. Fortunately this was but a boy's attachment, and, in obedience to the prudential whispers of his sire, and the solemn monitions of his lady-mother, was soon given up, and he turned his whole attention seriously and earnestly to press a lover's suit with the blithsome Alice Marsh.

Matters were in precisely this situation, when late one evening, there rode a young and gallant knight-your knights of old were necessarily gallant-into the ancient town of Nottingham; and, notwithstanding the fame of the King's Head for" pipes of sack and butts of claret," he passed by that renowned hostelry, and proceeded direct to the mansion of the Sheriff, a fair and goodly looking fabric. Here he found an hearty English welcome, and partook of his host's substantial hospitality, sans cost, and sans expense. But not content, as an honest man he should have been, with satisfying his hunger with the best of the land, and resting his wearied limbs upon a feather-bed, he, quite reckless of its consequences, actually fell in love with the daughter of Sir Gilbert Marsh ;-nay, what is more, he persisted in declaring his attachment, and even went so far as to swear eternal fealty and knight-service to the gentle Alice, whom he thereby acknowledged as the true and only lady of his love: and so well did he employ the short period of his visit, that, at his departure, he received from the maid a pretty bracelet; in token,

it may be presumed, of her readiness to acknowledge him as her sworn champion, in bower and battle-field. Who the noble stranger was, or whence he came, could not then be ascertained; since he refused to disclose the secret of his name; for which, indeed, he was to be praised; seeing that, according to his own account, he had but very recently been admitted into the order of knighthood; and was even then in quest of his first adventure; being of course ignorant how it might terminate. He deemed it therefore, neither prudent nor becoming to reveal his name, until he should have achieved some enterprise calculated to confer honour thereupon.

"Call me," quoth he," the knight of the Wounded Hart, since such is the cognizance on my pennon and on my shield:" -perhaps also, he had another reason for saying so, and was willing to

"Moralize two meanings in one word."

But whoever he might be, his entertainers felt assured, that he was as brave and honourable a chevalier, as ever girt himself in the panoply of war; the which, courteous reader, thou wilt thyself perceive when we have advanced a little further with the history of his " Lyfe and Atchievements."

Now it chanced that our hero was on his way to join the puissant army, then on the eve of embarkation for Normandy, in order to repel the invasion of Lewis; and on leaving Nottingham, his route lay through the royal and thickly wooded parks of Sherewood. The day was hot and sultry, and he was right glad to escape from the scorching rays of the sun, and to travel beneath the shade of elm, and beech, and towering oak. He was, moreover, delighted with the rich prospects before him, and while he enjoyed the freshness of the breeze, which played with the deep green foliage of summer, his active fancy pictured to his mind the happy day when he should return, crowned with the conqueror's laurels, and having had the point of his pennon torn off, and his name exalted to honour. His pleasant reverie was, however, broken in a short time, by the shrill echoes of a bugle-horn. Reining in his steed, he prepared himself for the anticipated attack. -At the same time, he surmised the sounds which he had heard proceeded from the horn of some of the bold companions of the outlawed earl of Huntingdon; for he had not lived all his life in the "north countree" without hearing of the fame of that noble peer, and of his archers good. -His surmise was right.-The invisible forester again

"Put his horn to his month,

And blew blasts two or three,
And four and twenty bowmen bold,
Came leaping over the Lee."

"Oh yield thee, Sir Knight!" exclaimed the foremost of the company, while his fellows stooped to take aim with their arrows keen, a cloth-yard long.

"And prithee, bold knave, who art thou, that thou thus commandest a true knight to yield?" inquired the traveller; at the same time placing his lance in rest, and adjusting himself for the rencontre.

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Ay, marry an thou wouldst know Sir Knight, we be free rangers of merry Sherewood, and were we to cry, Yield,' to the king's highness, I trow he would not risk disobedience.-To the mark, my merry men!"

At the word, the archers let fly their shafts, which the Knight of the Wounded Hart felt rattle against his helmet and his mail; and but for his breastplate and shield, he had certainly paid dear for his intrusion into the green wood domains of bold Robin à Hood; and ere he had time to clap spurs into his steed, half a score of stout voemen started from the underwood, and seized fast hold of his courser's bridle. A violent scuffle ensued; but with the help of their companions, the assailants succeeded in unhorsing the Knight, who, thereupon, was forthwith conducted into the presence of the monarch of the gay green wood.

"Who have we here, my merry men ?" inquired the hero of ballad and romance:

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By our blessed Lady! as comely a knight and proper, as ye shall meet with at midsummer, 'twixt this and Barnsdale : ay, and as stout of heart too, I warrant me, as ye have had to tussle with this many a day.-Gramercy! little yeoman, but thou hast stained thy last new mantle with the king's dye, the which, as thou art true liegeman and subject, thou shalt answer for before the proud sheriff of Nottingham!"

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"An it so turn out, my master,' replied Little John, "we shall hold it fair to make this gentle pay our fine; for, by the grey cowl o' father Tuck! 'twas his good sword worked the treason, an there be treason in the matter and so, my gallant Knight, unless thou lovest the stout bow and quarter-staff of Little John better than thy courtesy and knighthood, thou wilt tell into his mantle one hundred marks, in good and honest coins; for marry, thou must not expect to leave the gay green-wood, till thou hast paid fair ransom.'

"Ransom !" exclaimed our hero,-

"talk ye of ransom, knaves! By St George, an I give ye other marks for ran

som than those of the lance and sword, ye will fare better at our expense, that we intend ye should do."

"Hola, my gallant! thou talkest boldly, by our Lady; so prithee come on to the proof, and bear thyself puissantly; or thou wilt find corslet and habergeon sorry defence against the sword of Robin Hood!" exclaimed that merry forester, as he drew forth his brand, and placed himself in a posture of attack. The Knight of the Wounded Hart was not slow to answer the call, and a stout and determined conflict immediately ensued. At every pass, his green-coated companions cheered the noble outlaw; but he found he had a more skilful antagonist to contend with than he was prepared just then to meet; and, after giving and taking many a downstroke and thrust, he proposed a cessation of arms, to which his generous foe readily consented.

"By our Lady," quoth the hero of Lockesley, "but I did not think thou couldst give and take so evenly. But I should be sorry to harm so valiant a soldier; nay, an it were but for the sake of thy sword arm alone, I could wish thee one of Robin's fellows, and a freeman of merry Sherewood; for, I trow too, from the dainty device on thy buckler, thou canst draw a long bow with the best of us.-Yet, maugre the good opinion I have of thy skill and cunning, I'll wager ten crowns, against the secret o' thy name, I strike the mark first!"

"Agreed, Sir Archer !" replied the Knight; and accordingly be threw down his sword and shield, and took off his baldric and his gauntlets, lest they should in any way impede the free use of his arms. Robin called for his bow, and commanded Little John to give his to their opponent; to whom he also gave half a dozen good arrows from his own sheaf. The distances having been measured, the outlaw shot first, and struck the inner-circle of the target. The Knight proved not so successful, but still made a very fair hit. Robin's second shot went farther off the mark than his first, while the arrow of his rival was lodged in the bull's-eye!

Thy crowns are mine, bold yeoman!" said the wearer of the helmet and corslet, and he held out his hand to receive the wager; but Robin was surprised, seeming as if more unwilling to acknowledge himself beaten, than to part with his crowns. He eyed the stranger attentively from head to heel, and then with a look of peculiar shrewdness observed.

"By the blessed Mary! but thou art a better bowman than I trow oftens puts on the panoply of knighthood, and never

did I see so true an aim in one of gentle. blood, except in Aubrey, son of Earl de Vere, and foster-brother of boid Robin Hood."

"So then, Fitzooth, this steel array, though proof against thy sword and quarter-staff, is not against the glances of thine eyes. Well, well, thou hast a gallant soul, and though thy evil stars forbid us now to entertain thee, as in days of old,

despight the hue and cry of outlawry, here in the green-wood thou art still my brother;-so there's the gloveless hand, brave Earl of Huntingdon!"

"A forfeit, a forfeit, Sir Knight !" shouted out Friar Tuck," for thou hast broken the laws of Sherewood Forest, in calling Robin Hood, the Earl of Huntingdon!"

'Well, honest knave, if it be so, let the forfeit be paid out of the ten crowns I won but now at butts from thy master;" rejoined the Lord Aubrey de Vere,"but I must on, my yeomen, for urgent matters will not let me tarry even in such good and honest company!"

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Nay, but thou shalt not depart, Sir Knight, from Sherewood parks," added the prince of outlaws, ere thou hast eaten of the royal venison, for it must never be told of Robin Hood, that he met his brother in the free forest, and gave him not a forester's welcome. Away then, my true archers, and bring us the fattest buck ye can find for the nonce, and may we never taste the king's deer again, if we are not merry to-day,-so, hey for the greenwood-bower!"

The Knight of the Wounded Hart was fain to accompany the careless revellers to their leafy covert in the most retired part of the forest, where in due time a rich and dainty repast was served up; nor was there any lack of good ale and sack, with spiced wines fit for the flagons and palates of princes. 'The Lord Aubrey quaffed of the latter till he became "hail fellow well met!" with the heroes of the merry green-wood, and in the fulness of his heart, he revealed to his foster-brother how that he had become enamoured of the ward of the sheriff of Nottingham, the fair Alice Marsh; and how that he had likewise become her sworn champion in bower and battle-field. "But," continued he, "I fear me the maiden will be forced by her guardian to give her hand to his son Walter, ere I return to claim her plighted troth!"

"Have ye no fear on that score," replied the hero of Lockesley, “for should any one lead thy ladye-love to the shrine, he shall e'en pay a higher price for his bride than he reckons upon. If the damsel hath plighted troth to thee, Sir Knight,