The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle (ebook reader online free txt) 📕

” `Now, Lancelot, in all men’s sight Thou art the head and chief Of chivalry. Come, noble knight, And give her quick relief.’

“But Lancelot he turned aside And looked upon the ground, For it did sting his haughty pride To hear them laugh around.

” `Come thou, Sir Tristram,’ quoth the King. Quoth he, `It cannot be, For ne’er can I my stomach bring To do it willingly.’

” `Wilt thou, Sir Kay, thou scornful wight?’ Quoth Kay, `Nay, by my troth! What noble dame would kiss a knight That kissed so foul a mouth_?’

” `_Wilt thou, Gawaine?’ `I cannot, King.’ `Sir Geraint?’ `Nay, not I; My kisses no relief could bring, For sooner would I die.’

“Then up and spake the youngest man Of all about the board, ‘Now such relief as Christian can I’ll give to her, my lord.’

“It was Sir Keith, a youthful knight, Yet strong of limb and bold, With beard upon his chin as light As finest threads of gold.

“Quoth Kay, `He hath no mistress yet That he may call his own, But here is one that’s quick to get, As she herself has shown.’

“He kissed her once, he kissed her twice, He kissed her three times o’er, A wondrous change came in a trice, And she was foul no more.

“Her cheeks grew red as any rose, Her brow as white as lawn, Her bosom like the winter snows, Her eyes like those of fawn.

“Her breath grew sweet as summer breeze That blows the meadows o’er; Her voice grew soft as rustling trees, And cracked and harsh no more.

“Her hair grew glittering, like the gold, Her hands as white as milk; Her filthy rags, so foul and old, Were changed to robes of silk.

“In great amaze the knights did stare. Quoth Kay, `I make my vow If it will please thee, lady fair, I’ll gladly kiss thee now_.’

“_But young Sir Keith kneeled on one knee And kissed her robes so fair. `O let me be thy slave,’ said he, `For none to thee compare.’

“She bent her down, she kissed his brow, She kissed his lips and eyes. Quoth she, `Thou art my master now, My lord, my love, arise!

” `And all the wealth that is mine own, My lands, I give to thee, For never knight hath lady shown Such noble courtesy.

” `Bewitched was I, in bitter pain, But thou hast set me free, So now I am myself again, I give myself to thee_.’ “

“Yea, truly,” quoth Robin Hood, when the Tanner had made an end of singing, “it is as I remember it, a fair ditty, and a ballad with a pleasing tune of a song.”

“It hath oftentimes seemed to me,” said Will Scarlet, “that it hath a certain motive in it, e’en such as this: That a duty which seemeth to us sometimes ugly and harsh, when we do kiss it fairly upon the mouth, so to speak, is no such foul thing after all.”

“Methinks thou art right,” quoth Robin, “and, contrariwise, that when we kiss a pleasure that appeareth gay it turneth foul to us; is it not so, Little John? Truly such a thing hath brought thee sore thumps this day. Nay, man, never look down in the mouth. Clear thy pipes and sing us a ditty.”

“Nay,” said Little John, “I have none as fair as that merry Arthur has trolled. They are all poor things that I know. Moreover, my voice is not in tune today, and I would not spoil even a tolerable song by ill singing.”

Upon this all pressed Little John to sing, so that when he had denied them a proper length of time, such as is seemly in one that is asked to sing, he presently yielded. Quoth he, `Well, an ye will ha’ it so, I will give you what I can. Like to fair Will, I have no title to my ditty, but thus it runs:

“O Lady mine, the spring is here, With a hey nonny nonny; The sweet love season of the year, With a ninny ninny nonny; Now lad and lass Lie in the grass That groweth green With flowers between. The buck doth rest The leaves do start, The cock doth crow, The breeze doth blow, And all things laugh in—”

“Who may yon fellow be coming along the road?” said Robin, breaking into the song.

“I know not,” quoth Little John in a surly voice. “But this I do know, that it is an ill thing to do to check the flow of a good song.”

“Nay, Little John,” said Robin, “be not vexed, I prythee; but I have been watching him coming along, bent beneath that great bag over his shoulder, ever since thou didst begin thy song. Look, Little John, I pray, and see if thou knowest him.”

Little John looked whither Robin Hood pointed. “Truly,” quoth he, after a time, “I think yon fellow is a certain young miller I have seen now and then around the edge of Sherwood; a poor wight, methinks, to spoil a good song about.”

“Now thou speakest of him,” quoth Robin Hood, “methinks I myself have seen him now and then. Hath he not a mill over beyond Nottingham Town, nigh to the Salisbury road?”

“Thou art right; that is the man,” said Little John.

“A good stout fellow,” quoth Robin. “I saw him crack Ned o’ Bradford’s crown about a fortnight since, and never saw I hair lifted more neatly in all my life before.”

By this time the young miller had come so near that they could see him clearly. His clothes were dusted with flour, and over his back he carried a great sack of meal, bending so as to bring the whole weight upon his shoulders, and across the sack was a thick quarterstaff. His limbs were stout and strong, and he strode along the dusty road right sturdily with the heavy sack across his shoulders. His cheeks were ruddy as a winter hip, his hair was flaxen in color, and on his chin was a downy growth of flaxen beard.

“A good honest fellow,” quoth Robin Hood, “and such an one as is a credit to English yeomanrie. Now let us have a merry jest with him. We will forth as though we were common thieves and pretend to rob him of his honest gains. Then will we take him into the forest and give him a feast such as his stomach never held in all his life before. We will flood his throat with good canary and send him home with crowns in his purse for every penny he hath. What say ye, lads?”

“Truly, it is a merry thought,” said Will Scarlet.

“It is well planned,” quoth Little John, “but all the saints preserve us from any more drubbings this day! Marry, my poor bones ache so that I—”

“Prythee peace, Little John,” quoth Robin. “Thy foolish tongue will get us both well laughed at yet.”

“My foolish tongue, forsooth,” growled Little John to Arthur a Bland. “I would it could keep our master from getting us into another coil this day.”

But now the Miller, plodding along the road, had come opposite to where the yeomen lay hidden, whereupon all four of them ran at him and surrounded him.

“Hold, friend!” cried Robin to the Miller; whereupon he turned slowly, with the weight of the bag upon his shoulder, and looked at each in turn all bewildered, for though a good stout man his wits did not skip like roasting chestnuts.

“Who bids me stay?” said the Miller in a voice deep and gruff, like the growl of a great dog.

“Marry, that do I,” quoth Robin; “and let me tell thee, friend, thou hadst best mind my bidding.”

“And who art thou, good friend?” said the Miller, throwing the great sack of meal from his shoulder to the ground, “and who are those with thee?”

“We be four good Christian men,” quoth Robin, “and would fain help thee by carrying part of thy heavy load.”

“I give you all thanks,” said the Miller, “but my bag is none that heavy that I cannot carry it e’en by myself.”

“Nay, thou dost mistake,” quoth Robin, “I meant that thou mightest perhaps have some heavy farthings or pence about thee, not to speak of silver and gold. Our good Gaffer Swanthold sayeth that gold is an overheavy burden for a two-legged ass to carry; so we would e’en lift some of this load from thee.”

“Alas!” cried the Miller, “what would ye do to me? I have not about me so much as a clipped groat. Do me no harm, I pray you, but let me depart in peace. Moreover, let me tell you that ye are upon Robin Hood’s ground, and should he find you seeking to rob an honest craftsman, he will clip your ears to your heads and scourge you even to the walls of Nottingham.

“In truth I fear Robin Hood no more than I do myself,” quoth jolly Robin. “Thou must this day give up to me every penny thou hast about thee. Nay, if thou dost budge an inch I will rattle this staff about thine ears.”

“Nay, smite me not!” cried the Miller, throwing up his elbow as though he feared the blow. “Thou mayst search me if thou wilt, but thou wilt find nothing upon me, pouch, pocket, or skin.”

“Is it so?” quoth Robin Hood, looking keenly upon him. “Now I believe that what thou tellest is no true tale. If I am not much mistook thou hast somewhat in the bottom of that fat sack of meal. Good Arthur, empty the bag upon the ground; I warrant thou wilt find a shilling or two in the flour.”

“Alas!” cried the Miller, falling upon his knees, “spoil not all my good meal! It can better you not, and will ruin me. Spare it, and I will give up the money in the bag.”

“Ha!” quoth Robin, nudging Will Scarlet. “Is it so? And have I found where thy money lies? Marry, I have a wondrous nose for the blessed image of good King Harry. I thought that I smelled gold and silver beneath the barley meal. Bring it straight forth, Miller.”

Then slowly the Miller arose to his feet, and slowly and unwillingly he untied the mouth of the bag, and slowly thrust his hands into the meal and began fumbling about with his arms buried to the elbows in the barley flour. The others gathered round him, their heads together, looking and wondering what he would bring forth.

So they stood, all with their heads close together gazing down into the sack. But while he pretended to be searching for the money, the Miller gathered two great handfuls of meal. “Ha,” quoth he, “here they are, the beauties.” Then, as the others leaned still more forward to see what he had, he suddenly cast the meal into their faces, filling their eyes and noses and mouths with the flour, blinding and half choking them. Arthur a Bland was worse off than any, for his mouth was open, agape with wonder of what was to come, so that a great cloud of flour flew down his throat, setting him a-coughing till he could scarcely stand.

Then, while all four stumbled about, roaring with the smart of the meal in their eyeballs, and while they rubbed their eyes till the tears made great channels on their faces through the meal, the Miller seized another handful of flour and another and another, throwing it in their faces, so that even had they had a glimmering of light before they were now as blind