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THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD.
IT was about seven hundred years ago, in England, when
Richard the First was King, that ROBIN HoOD lived. At that
time a large part of the land was covered with great forests, in
which deer and other game run wild; and it was near the borders
of one of these, called Sherwood Forest, that Robin Hood was
From his earliest years he had a great love for all the manly out
door sports and games of those times; and he became very expert
at them; above all, in the use of the bow and arrows. He grew so
skillful in this that there was no archer in all the county round who
could compare with him, and he always carried off the prizes at the
shooting matches. Beside this, he had bright wits, and a merry
heart; loved a song and a jest; and was liked by all who knew him
But something took place which drove him into a way of life that,
otherwise, he might not have chosen for himself. All the game in
the forest belonged to the King. It was against the law to shoot it;
and the King had men in the forest, called foresters, to catch those
who did so and have them punished.
One day, as Robin Hood was passing through the forest, he met
with a party of these foresters. One of them was a man who had
had a great name as an archer, and was jealous of Robin Hood's
growing fame. He began to taunt Robin, and at last dared him to
show his skill by shooting a deer which came in sight at a great dis-
tance. Robin Hood's temper was up; and, without thinking, he
put an arrow in his bow and let it fly at the deer, which it struck and
killed. The forester only became more angry at this feat, which was
one that he could not do himself, so he said he would take Robin
The Baldwin Library
THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD.
and have him hung for killing the King's deer. Robin started to fly,
but the foresters followed him so closely that he saw no chance of
escaping, so he turned, and again drawing his bow, sent an arrow
into the heart of the man who had begun the quarrel. He dropped
dead, while his comrades stood still, not knowing but that they
might be served as badly, so Robin Hood escaped.
But as there would now be no mercy shown to him if any of the
King's men laid hands upon him, he became an outlaw, that is he
lived in the forest, and got his food by shooting the deer and other
game, trying of course not to come in the way of the foresters.
Now there were many other young men who, from one cause and
another, had taken to this kind of life, and Robin Hood soon gath-
ered them into a band of which he was made captain, and which
became so strong that in the end they were more of a terror to the
foresters than the foresters to them. They wore a uniform of Lin-
coln green, with scarlet caps; and beside his bow and arrows, each
man had a short sword, while the captain carried a bugle-horn with
which to call his men when he needed them.
They led a pleasant life in the green woods, but it was an entirely
unlawful one, for beside shooting the game, they used to rob rich
people who passed through the forest. But Robin Hood though a
-obber, was in many ways so good that he was thought well of by
most people; for he would not take from those who were poor-in-
stead, he often gave them help. He would let none of his men hurt
or rob a woman, and when the weak were wronged he took their
He gave a proof of this one day when he stopped a knight
named Sir Richard of the Lea, who was passing, with two follow-
ers, through the forest. Robin saw that the knight wore a very
sad face, and he asked why this was so. The knight replied that
he had met with losses, and had been forced to mortgage his lands
to the Abbot of St. Mary's at York, who, if the money was not
paid next day, would seize all he had. Robin Hood was touched
by the sadness of the knight, and agreed to lend him the sum
needed, to redeem his lands. The knight departed in great joy,
ROBIN HOOD MEETS SIR RICa-lARD OF THE LEA.
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ROBINHOODMEET SIRRICHRDF F TH LEA
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F-RIAR TUCK CARRIES ROBIN HOOD OVER THE BROOK.
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THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD.
and this kind deed was told of, far and wide, to Robin Hood's great
Robin Hood's dearest friend, and the next in command to him-
self, was called Little John. The way in which they came together
was this. Robin liked to roam the forest by himself in search of
adventures; and one day, as he was passing thus along a forest-
path, he came to a brook over which a narrow plank was laid for a
bridge. At the same time a tall stranger, carrying a staff in his
hands, drew near from the other side. They met in the middle,
and as they could not pass, it became a question which should go
back. "Let me pass," said the'stranger, "or it will be the worse
Robin laughed at the idea of anyone trying to scare him by
threats, and told the stranger to go back or he would put an arrow
'Then," said the other "thou art a coward, for none other would
offer to use a bow and arrows against a man armed only with a
Now Robin Hood was anything but a coward, and could not bear
to do that which would give anybody a right to call him one; so he
stepped aside and cut for himself a staff of oak.
"Now" said he, "we are equal, we will fight it out, and which-
ever first knocks the other in the water shall be victor."
The stranger was seven feet tall, and though Robin Hood was ex-
pert in the use of the quarter-staff, he found him more than a match.
After they had thumped each other well for awhile, the stranger at
last hit Robin a blow which sent him into the brook. He waded to
the bank while the stranger stood and laughed at him. Then Robin
Hood sounded his horn, and his men came running from all sides.
When he told them how he had been served they wished to give the
stranger a taste of the water too, but Robin, who was very much
pleased with his strength and skill, stopped them, and asked the
stranger if he would not be one of his merry men.
"Most willingly," cried he, and though my name be John Little,
I hope you will find that I can do great things !"
THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD.
The merry-men laughed when they heard the big stranger's name;
and one of them said that it should be changed from John Little to
Little John, which was done, and he was ever after called that way.
Another time, as Robin Hood was walking through the green-wood,
he found a fat friar sitting near a brook, and thought he would have
some sport with him, so he said :-
"Carry me over the brook, fat friar, or I will beat thee till thou
art sore. "
The friar, without a word, tucked up his gown and carried him
over, but as Robin started off, he cried:-
"Stop, my fine fellow, and carry me back or it will cause thee
Robin took the friar on his back, and carried him over, and set
him down, saying:-
"Now take me over once more, fat friar. As thou art twice my
weight, it is right I should have two rides to thy one."
The friar again took him on his back, but in the middle of the
stream he threw him in the water, saying:-" Now, my pretty youth,
let us see if thou canst swim."
Then he went laughing on his way. But Robin was angry, and
ran after him, and attacked him with his staff. The friar defended
himself, and they fought for a long time without either getting the
best of it. Finally, when both were tired out, Robin Hood told
the friar who he was, and asked him if he would not like to join
his band, and be their chaplain. The friar was a jolly fellow, and
was quite willing to take Robin's offer. So he became one of the
merry-men, and was almost as famous as Robin Hood himself,
being known as Friar Tuck.
Robin, before he became an outlaw, had been in love with a
young maiden named Marian, but he had not seen her since. Her
love for him did not die out, however; and finally her longing to
see him became so great that she put on boy's clothes, and went
to seek him in the forest. She met him at last; but he did not
know her in her strange dress, and she would not, at first, tell him
who she was, but drew her sword and dared him to fight. He, of
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KINL hICHARD PARDONS ROBIN HOOD AND HIS MEN.
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THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD.
course, soon overcame her; so she took off her cap, and let her
beautiful hair fall over her shoulders, and then Robin Hood knew
her. He still loved her as much as ever, and they were soon
married by Friar Tuck, the merry-men celebrating their wedding
with great festivity.
It was the way of the outlaws when they caught any one who
seemed likely to have much gold or silver about them, to take them
to dine with Robin Hood. After they had been feasted he would
see how much they had, and would make them pay for their enter-
tainment according to their means. One day they brought before
him a rich Abbot, the same who had been so harsh with Sir Richard
of the Lea. Robin Hood resolved that beside taking his gold, he
would put him to shame; so after they had stripped him of all his
money, they tied him upon a mule's back, with his face to the tail;
and in that ridiculous posture sent him out of the forest, amidst
hooting and laughter.
After Robin Hood had lived this life for several years, he 3nei
one day a knight clad in black armor, and wearing the red cross
of a Crusader. Now Robin had a great respect for those who had
gone to the Holy Land to fight; so he addressed the knight in a
friendly way, and asked him to come and be entertained. The
knight consented, and Robin conducted him to where the merry-
men held their feasts, and they all sat down to eat and drink. The
knight proved to be a jovial companion, and did his share in the
way of joke and song. When the meal was over, he spoke to
Robin Hood, and said:-
What wouldst thou give, Robin Hood, if I could get the King
to forgive thy misdoings? Wouldst thou be one of his men and
serve him faithfully ?"
This was what Robin wished more than all else in the world.
"I would be glad," said he, "to give up the life I lead. I did not
like it from the first. Some men praise my deeds; but, for my own
part, I hate my way of living. King Richard is a brave prince, and
if he would but forgive me, he would find me as true, and as full of
love for him, as any man in his service."
THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD.
"I am King Richard," said the knight, as he stood up with a
majestic air; and when he had said this, Robin Hood and all his
men fell down on their knees before him.
"Stand up, my brave men," said the King. "You have been
thieves, which you should not have been, but you are able to serve
me if you will. I will forgive what you have done up to this time,
but take care that your acts from henceforth are such that I shall
feel no grief for the way I now treat you." Then Robin and his
men arose and gave three cheers for the King.
When the King returned to London, Robin and many of his men
went with him, while those who remained were made foresters.
Robin rose so high in the King's favor that he became rich, and
was made Earl of Huntingdon. He continued to be as good-hearted
as before; and never refused to help the poor and unfortunate,
when it was in his power to aid them.
But when he grew old, he began to long for the green-wood, and
wished that he might go to end his days there. So he got the
King's consent to leave the court, and sought his old haunt in Sher-
wood; his dear friend, Little John, going with him. They spent
some time there happily, but one day, as they were walking together,
Robin Hood said:-
We have shot many shots together, but to-day I feel as though
I could shoot no more."
"What ails thee, dear master;" said Little John.
"I know not," said Robin Hood,-" but my fingers are feeble,
take me to Kirkleys Priory, Little John: perhaps my cousin there
may relieve me by letting a little blood."
So Little John took him and gave him into the care of his cousin,
who was prioress. But the prioress, whether she meant it or not,
bled him too much, and when Little John came again, he found his
master dying. He asked Little John to open the window, and give
him his bow and arrows. Then with all the strength he had left, he
drew the bow, and shot an arrow out of the window, and told Little
John to bury him where it fell. He soon breathed his last, and his
heart-broken friend laid him in the grave as he had directed.