For though my ryme be ragged,

Tattered and jagged,

Rudely rayne beaten,
Rusty and moughte1 eaten,
If ye take well therwith,
It hath in it some pyth.

For, as farre as I can se,

It is wronge with eche degre;
For the temporalte

5

Accuseth the spiritualte;
The spirituall agayne
Dothe grudge and complayne
Upon the temporall men:
Thus eche of other blother 2
The tone agayng the tother.
Alas, they make me shoder!
For in hoder moder1
The Churche is put in faute. "
The prelates ben so haut,"
They say, and loke so hy,
As though they wolde fly
Above the sterry skye.
Laye-men say indede,
How they take no hede
Theyr sely shepe to fede,
But plucke away and pull
The fleces of theyr wull;
Unethes they leve a locke

gave

her quicnes1

In Paradyse to be.
Who shall, etc.

"O my swet store,

My true love therfore

Thy place yt ys above; What man may do more Than only dy therfore,

Lady, for thy love? Who shall," etc.

II

14

21

'Quho is at my windo? Quho? Quho? Go from my windo, go, go!

Quho callis thair

Sa lyke a strangair?

Go from my windo, go!"

"Lord I am heir, ane wretchit mortall That for thy mercy dois cry and call Unto the, my Lord celestiall.

Se quho is at thy windo, quho!"

1 moth 2 complain

the one 4 in secret

5 fault

haughty scarcely

8

show, declare

4. "Sweavens are swift, master," quoth John, "As the wind that blowes ore a hill; For if itt be never soe lowde this night, To-morrow it may be still."

5. "Buske yee, bowne yee, my merry men all, For John shall goe with mee; For I'le goe seeke yond wight yeomen

In greenwood where they bee."

6. They cast on their gowne of greene,
A shooting gone are they,

Until they came to the merry greenwood,
Where they had gladdest bee;

There were they ware of a wight yeoman,

His body leaned to a tree.

7. A sword and a dagger he wore by his side,
Had beene many a mans bane,
And he was cladd in his capull-hyde,3
Topp, and tayle, and mayne.

20

30

nature groves • beautiful of linden 10 stout

20. "Thou shalt be drawen by dale and downe," quoth the sheriffe,

"And hanged hye on a hill:"

“But thou may ffayle," quoth Litle John, "If itt be Christs owne will."

21. Let us leave talking of Litle John, For hee is bound fast to a tree,

And talke of Guy and Robin Hood

In the green woode where they bee.

22. How these two yeomen together they mett, Under the leaves of lyne,

To see what marchandise they made
Even at that same time.

80

90

"Under the leaves of lyne:"

"Nay, by my faith," quoth good Robin, "Till thou have told me thine."

34. "I dwell by dale and downe," quoth Guye, "And I have done many a curst turne; And he that calles me by my right name, Calles me Guye of good Gysborne."

35. "My dwelling is in the wood," sayes Robin; "By thee I set right nought;

My name is Robin Hood of Barnesdale,
A ffellow thou has long sought."

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