"I go to the market at Nottingham Town to sell my beef and my
mutton,"
answered the Butcher. "But who art thou that comest from Locksley Town?"
"A
yeoman am I, and men do call me Robin Hood."
"Now, by Our Lady's grace," cried the Butcher, "well do I know thy name,
and many a time have I heard thy deeds both sung and
spoken of.
But Heaven
forbid that thou shouldst take aught of me!
An honest man am I, and have wronged neither man nor maid;
so trouble me not, good master, as I have never troubled thee."
"Nay, Heaven
forbid, indeed," quoth Robin, "that I should take from
such as thee, jolly fellow! Not so much as one
farthing would I
take from thee, for I love a fair Saxon face like thine right well--
more especially when it cometh from Locksley Town, and most especially
when the man that owneth it is to marry a bonny lass on Thursday next.
But come, tell me for what price thou wilt sell me all of thy meat
and thy horse and cart."
"At four marks do I value meat, cart, and mare," quoth the Butcher,
"but if I do not sell all my meat I will not have four marks in value."
Then Robin Hood plucked the purse from his
girdle, and quoth he,
"Here in this purse are six marks. Now, I would fain be a
butcherfor the day and sell my meat in Nottingham Town. Wilt thou close
a
bargain with me and take six marks for thine outfit?"
"Now may the blessings of all the saints fall on thine honest head!"
cried the Butcher right
joyfully, as he leaped down from his cart
and took the purse that Robin held out to him.
"Nay," quoth Robin, laughing loudly, "many do like me and wish
me well, but few call me honest. Now get thee gone back
to thy lass, and give her a sweet kiss from me." So
saying,
he donned the Butcher's apron, and, climbing into the cart,
he took the reins in his hand and drove off through the forest
to Nottingham Town.
When he came to Nottingham, he entered that part of the market
where
butchers stood, and took up his inn[2] in the best place
he could find. Next, he opened his stall and spread his meat
upon the bench, then,
taking his cleaver and steel and clattering
them together, he trolled aloud in merry tones:
[2] Stand for selling.
"Now come, ye lasses, and eke ye dames,
And buy your meat from me;
For three pennyworths of meat I sell
For the
charge of one penny.
"Lamb have I that hath fed upon nought
But the
dainty dames pied,
And the
violet sweet, and the daffodil
That grow fair streams beside.
"And beef have I from the heathery words,
And
mutton from dales all green,
And veal as white as a maiden's brow,
With its mother's milk, I ween.
"Then come, ye lasses, and eke ye dames,
Come, buy your meat from me,
For three pennyworths of meat I sell
For the
charge of one penny."
Thus he sang blithely, while all who stood near listened amazedly.
Then, when he had finished, he clattered the steel and cleaver still
more loudly, shouting lustily, "Now, who'll buy? Who'll buy?
Four fixed prices have I. Three pennyworths of meat I sell to a
fat friar or
priest for
sixpence, for I want not their custom;
stout aldermen I
charge threepence, for it doth not matter to me
whether they buy or not; to buxom dames I sell three pennyworths
of meat for one penny for I like their custom well; but to the bonny
lass that hath a
liking for a good tight
butcher I
charge nought
but one fair kiss, for I like her custom the best of all."
Then all began to stare and wonder and crowd around, laughing,
for never was such selling heard of in all Nottingham Town;
but when they came to buy they found it as he had said,
for he gave goodwife or dame as much meat for one penny as they
could buy
elsewhere for three, and when a widow or a poor woman
came to him, he gave her flesh for nothing; but when a merry lass
came and gave him a kiss, he
charged not one penny for his meat;
and many such came to his stall, for his eyes were as blue as the skies
of June, and he laughed
merrily, giving to each full measure.
Thus he sold his meat so fast that no
butcher that stood near
him could sell anything.
Then they began to talk among themselves, and some said, "This must
be some thief who has
stolen cart, horse, and meat"; but others said,
"Nay, when did ye ever see a thief who parted with his goods so
freely and
merrily? This must be some
prodigal who hath sold his
father's land, and would fain live
merrily while the money lasts."
And these latter being the greater number, the others came round,
one by one to their way of thinking.
Then some of the
butchers came to him to make his acquaintance.
"Come, brother," quoth one who was the head of them all,
"we be all of one trade, so wilt thou go dine with us?
For this day the Sheriff hath asked all the Butcher Guild to feast
with him at the Guild Hall. There will be stout fare and much
to drink, and that thou likest, or I much mistake thee."
"Now, beshrew his heart," quoth jolly Robin, "that would deny a
butcher.
And,
moreover, I will go dine with you all, my sweet lads, and that as fast
as I can hie." Whereupon, having sold all his meat, he closed his stall
and went with them to the great Guild Hall.
There the Sheriff had already come in state, and with him many
butchers.
When Robin and those that were with him came in, all laughing
at some merry jest he had been telling them, those that were near
the Sheriff whispered to him, "Yon is a right mad blade, for he hath
sold more meat for one penny this day than we could sell for three,
and to
whatsoever merry lass gave him a kiss he gave meat for nought."
And others said, "He is some
prodigal that hath sold his land for silver
and gold, and meaneth to spend all right
merrily."
Then the Sheriff called Robin to him, not
knowing him in his
butcher's dress, and made him sit close to him on his right hand;
for he loved a rich young
prodigal--especially when he thought that he might
lighten that
prodigal's pockets into his own most
worshipful purse.
So he made much of Robin, and laughed and talked with him more than
with any of the others.
At last the dinner was ready to be served and the Sheriff bade
Robin say grace, so Robin stood up and said, "Now Heaven bless
us all and eke good meat and good sack within this house,
and may all
butchers be and remain as honest men as I am."
At this all laughed, the Sheriff loudest of all, for he said to himself,
"Surely this is indeed some
prodigal, and
perchance I may empty his
purse of some of the money that the fool throweth about so freely."
Then he spake aloud to Robin,
saying, "Thou art a jolly young blade,
and I love thee mightily"; and he smote Robin upon the shoulder.
Then Robin laughed loudly too. "Yea," quoth he, "I know thou dost
love a jolly blade, for didst thou not have jolly Robin Hood at thy
shooting match and didst thou not
gladly give him a bright golden
arrow for his own?"
At this the Sheriff looked grave and all the guild of
butchers too,
so that none laughed but Robin, only some winked slyly at each other.
"Come, fill us some sack!" cried Robin. "Let us e'er be merry
while we may, for man is but dust, and he hath but a span to live
here till the worm getteth him, as our good
gossip Swanthold sayeth;
so let life be merry while it lasts, say I. Nay, never look down i'
the mouth, Sir Sheriff. Who knowest but that thou mayest catch
Robin Hood yet, if thou drinkest less good sack and Malmsey, and bringest
down the fat about thy paunch and the dust from out thy brain.
Be merry, man."
Then the Sheriff laughed again, but not as though he liked the jest,
while the
butchers said, one to another, "Before Heaven, never have
we seen such a mad rollicking blade. Mayhap, though, he will make
the Sheriff mad."
"How now, brothers," cried Robin, "be merry! nay, never count
over your
farthings, for by this and by that I will pay
this shot myself, e'en though it cost two hundred pounds.
So let no man draw up his lip, nor
thrust his
forefinger into
his purse, for I swear that neither
butcher nor Sheriff shall
pay one penny for this feast."
"Now thou art a right merry soul," quoth the Sheriff, "and I wot thou
must have many a head of horned beasts and many an acre of land,
that thou dost spend thy money so freely."
"Ay, that have I," quoth Robin, laughing loudly again, "five hundred
and more horned beasts have I and my brothers, and none of them
have we been able to sell, else I might not have turned
butcher.
As for my land, I have never asked my
steward how many acres I have."
At this the Sheriff's eyes twinkled, and he chuckled to himself.
"Nay, good youth," quoth he, "if thou canst not sell thy cattle,
it may be I will find a man that will lift them from thy hands;
perhaps that man may be myself, for I love a merry youth and would
help such a one along the path of life. Now how much dost thou
want for thy horned cattle?"
"Well," quoth Robin, "they are worth at least five hundred pounds."
"Nay," answered the Sheriff slowly, and as if he were thinking within himself,
"well do I love thee, and fain would I help thee along, but five hundred
pounds in money is a good round sum; besides I have it not by me.
Yet I will give thee three hundred pounds for them all, and that in good
hard silver and gold."
"Now thou old miser!" quoth Robin, "well thou knowest that so many horned
cattle are worth seven hundred pounds and more, and even that is but small
for them, and yet thou, with thy gray hairs and one foot in the grave,
wouldst trade upon the folly of a wild youth."
At this the Sheriff looked
grimly at Robin. "Nay," quoth Robin,
"look not on me as though thou hadst sour beer in thy mouth, man.
I will take thine offer, for I and my brothers do need the money.
We lead a merry life, and no one leads a merry life for a
farthing,
so I will close the
bargain with thee. But mind that thou bringest
a good three hundred pounds with thee, for I trust not one that driveth
so
shrewd a
bargain."
"I will bring the money," said the Sheriff. "But what is
thy name, good youth?"
"Men call me Robert o' Locksley," quoth bold Robin.
"Then, good Robert o' Locksley," quoth the Sheriff, "I will come this
day to see thy horned beasts. But first my clerk shall draw up a paper
in which thou shalt be bound to the sale, for thou gettest not my money
without I get thy beasts in return."
Then Robin Hood laughed again. "So be it," he said, smiting his palm
upon the Sheriff's hand. "Truly my brothers will be
thankful to thee
for thy money."
Thus the
bargain was closed, but many of the
butchers talked among
themselves of the Sheriff,
saying that it was but a scurvy trick
to
beguile a poor spendthrift youth in this way.
The afternoon had come when the Sheriff mounted his horse and joined
Robin Hood, who stood outside the
gateway of the paved court waiting
for him, for he had sold his horse and cart to a
trader for two marks.
Then they set forth upon their way, the Sheriff riding upon his
horse and Robin
running beside him. Thus they left Nottingham Town
and
traveled forward along the dusty
highway, laughing and jesting
together as though they had been old friends. But all the time
the Sheriff said within himself, "Thy jest to me of Robin Hood shall
cost thee dear, good fellow, even four hundred pounds, thou fool."
For he thought he would make at least that much by his
bargain.
So they journeyed
onward till they came within the verge of Sherwood Forest,
when
presently the Sheriff looked up and down and to the right and
to the left of him, and then grew quiet and ceased his laughter.
"Now," quoth he, "may Heaven and its saints
preserve us this day from
a rogue men call Robin Hood."
Then Robin laughed aloud. "Nay," said he, "thou mayst set thy mind at rest,
for well do I know Robin Hood and well do I know that thou art in no more
danger from him this day than thou art from me."
At this the Sheriff looked askance at Robin,
saying to himself,
"I like not that thou seemest so well acquainted with this bold outlaw,
and I wish that I were well out of Sherwood Forest."