"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 butcher

for 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."

• butcher [´butʃə] n.屠夫，刽子手 (初中英语单词)
• spoken [´spəukən] speak的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• forbid [fə´bid] vt.禁止，不许，阻止 (初中英语单词)
• bargain [´bɑ:gin] n.买卖合同 v.议(价) (初中英语单词)
• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)
• violet [´vaiələt] n.&a.紫罗兰(的)；紫色 (初中英语单词)
• priest [pri:st] n.教士；牧师；神父 (初中英语单词)
• elsewhere [,elsweə] ad.在别处；向别处 (初中英语单词)
• stolen [´stəulən] steal 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• sheriff [´ʃerif] n.郡长；行政长官 (初中英语单词)
• moreover [mɔ:´rəuvə] ad.再者，此外，而且 (初中英语单词)
• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)
• thrust [θrʌst] v.&n.猛推；冲；刺；挤进 (初中英语单词)
• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
• highway [´haiwei] n.公路，大道 (初中英语单词)
• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)
• preserve [pri´zə:v] v.保藏 n.保藏物 (初中英语单词)
• girdle [´gə:dl] n.腰带 vt.用带束(缠) (高中英语单词)
• dainty [´deinti] a.秀丽的 n.美味 (高中英语单词)
• mutton [´mʌtn] n.羊肉 (高中英语单词)
• merrily [´merili] ad.欢乐地；愉快地 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• gladly [´glædli] ad.愉快地，高兴地 (高中英语单词)
• gossip [´gɔsip] n.&vi.说闲话；聊天 (高中英语单词)
• steward [´stju:əd] n.管家；服务员 (高中英语单词)
• grimly [´grimli] ad.严厉地；坚强地 (高中英语单词)
• shrewd [ʃru:d] a.精明的；狡猾的 (高中英语单词)
• thankful [´θæŋkfəl] a.感激的；欣慰的 (高中英语单词)
• gateway [´geit-wei] n.入口；通道；途径 (高中英语单词)
• trader [´treidə] n.商人；商船 (高中英语单词)
• onward [´ɔnwəd] ad.&a.向前(的) (高中英语单词)
• nottingham [´nɔtiŋəm] n.诺丁汉 (英语四级单词)
• yeoman [´jəumən] n.自由民；自耕农 (英语四级单词)
• joyfully [´dʒɔifuli] ad.高兴地，快乐地 (英语四级单词)
• sixpence [´sikspəns] n.六便士(硬币) (英语四级单词)
• whereupon [,weərə´pɔn] ad.在什么上面；因此 (英语四级单词)
• whatsoever [,wɔtsəu´evə] (强势语)=whatever (英语四级单词)
• perchance [pə´tʃɑ:ns] ad.偶然；可能 (英语四级单词)
• beguile [bi´gail] vt.欺骗；消磨(时间) (英语四级单词)
• traveled [´trævəld] a.见面广的；旅客多的 (英语四级单词)
• farthing [´fɑ:ðiŋ] n.法新 (英语六级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
• liking [´laikiŋ] n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 (英语六级单词)
• prodigal [´prɔdigəl] a.浪费的 n.挥霍者 (英语六级单词)
• worshipful [´wə:ʃipfəl] a.虔敬的；崇拜的 (英语六级单词)
• forefinger [´fɔ:,fiŋgə] n.食指 (英语六级单词)