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thyself up bravely, for the news is sad, I wot. Thus it is:
I hear that two tinkers are in the stocks for drinking

ale and beer!"
"Now a murrain seize thee and thy news, thou scurvy dog,"

quoth the Tinker, "for thou speakest but ill of good men.
But sad news it is indeed, gin there be two stout fellows

in the stocks."
"Nay," said Robin, "thou hast missed the mark and dost but weep

for the wrong sow. The sadness of the news lieth in that there be
but two in the stocks, for the others do roam the country at large."

"Now by the pewter platter of Saint Dunstan," cried the Tinker, "I have
a good part of a mind to baste thy hide for thine ill jest.

But gin men be put in the stocks for drinking ale and beer,
I trow thou wouldst not lose thy part."

Loud laughed Robin and cried, "Now well taken, Tinker, well taken!
Why, thy wits are like beer, and do froth up most when they grow sour!

But right art thou, man, for I love ale and beer right well.
Therefore come straightway with me hard by to the Sign of the Blue Boar,

and if thou drinkest as thou appearest--and I wot thou wilt not belie
thy looks--I will drench thy throat with as good homebrewed as ever

was tapped in all broad Nottinghamshire."
"Now by my faith," said the Tinker, "thou art a right good fellow

in spite of thy scurvy jests. I love thee, my sweet chuck,
and gin I go not with thee to that same Blue Boar thou mayst

call me a heathen."
"Tell me thy news, good friend, I prythee," quoth Robin as they

trudged along together, "for tinkers, I ween, are all as full
of news as an egg of meat."

"Now I love thee as my brother, my bully blade," said the Tinker,
"else I would not tell thee my news; for sly am I, man, and I

have in hand a grave undertaking that doth call for all my wits,
for I come to seek a bold outlaw that men, hereabouts, call

Robin Hood. Within my pouch I have a warrant, all fairly written out
on parchment, forsooth, with a great red seal for to make it lawful.

Could I but meet this same Robin Hood I would serve it upon his
dainty body, and if he minded it not I would beat him till every

one of his ribs would cry Amen. But thou livest hereabouts,
mayhap thou knowest Robin Hood thyself, good fellow."

"Ay, marry, that I do somewhat," quoth Robin, "and I have seen him this
very morn. But, Tinker, men say that he is but a sad, sly thief.

Thou hadst better watch thy warrant, man, or else he may steal it
out of thy very pouch."

"Let him but try!" cried the Tinker. "Sly may he be,
but sly am I, too. I would I had him here now, man to man!"

And he made his heavy cudgel to spin again. "But what manner
of man is he, lad?

"Much like myself," said Robin, laughing, "and in height and build
and age nigh the same; and he hath blue eyes, too."

"Nay," quoth the Tinker, "thou art but a green youth.
I thought him to be a great bearded man. Nottingham men

feared him so."
"Truly, he is not so old nor so stout as thou art," said Robin. "But men

do call him a right deft hand at quarterstaff."
"That may be," said the Tinker right sturdily, "but I am more

deft than he, for did I not overcome Simon of Ely in a fair
bout in the ring at Hertford Town? But if thou knowest him,

my jolly blade, wilt thou go with me and bring me to him?
Fourscore bright angels hath the Sheriff promised me if I serve

the warrant upon the knave's body, and ten of them will I give
to thee if thou showest me him."

"Ay, that will I," quoth Robin, "but show me thy warrant, man, until I
see whether it be good or no."

"That will I not do, even to mine own brother," answered the Tinker. "No man
shall see my warrant till I serve it upon yon fellow's own body."

"So be it," quoth Robin. "And thou show it not to me I know not to whom
thou wilt show it. But here we are at the Sign of the Blue Boar,

so let us in and taste his brown October."
No sweeter inn could be found in all Nottinghamshire than that

of the Blue Boar. None had such lovely trees standing around,
or was so covered with trailing clematis and sweet woodbine;

none had such good beer and such humming ale; nor, in wintertime,
when the north wind howled and snow drifted around the hedges,

was there to be found, elsewhere, such a roaring fire as blazed upon
the hearth of the Blue Boar. At such times might be found a goodly

company of yeomen or country folk seated around the blazing hearth,
bandying merry jests, while roasted crabs[2] bobbed in bowls

of ale upon the hearthstone. Well known was the inn to Robin Hood
and his band, for there had he and such merry companions

as Little John or Will Stutely or young David of Doncaster
often gathered when all the forest was filled with snow.

As for mine host, he knew how to keep a still tongue in his head,
and to swallow his words before they passed his teeth, for he knew

very well which side of his bread was spread with butter,
for Robin and his band were the best of customers and paid

their scores without having them chalked up behind the door.
So now, when Robin Hood and the Tinker came thereto and called

aloud for two great pots of ale, none would have known from look
or speech that the host had ever set eyes upon the outlaw before.

[2] Small sour apples.
"Bide thou here," quoth Robin to the Tinker, "while I go

and see that mine host draweth ale from the right butt,
for he hath good October, I know, and that brewed by Withold

of Tamworth." So saying, he went within and whispered to the host
to add a measure of Flemish strong waters to the good English ale;

which the latter did and brought it to them.
"By Our Lady," said the Tinker, after a long draught of the ale,

"yon same Withold of Tamworth--a right good Saxon name, too, I would
have thee know--breweth the most humming ale that e'er passed the lips

of Wat o' the Crabstaff."
"Drink, man, drink," cried Robin, only wetting his own lips meanwhile.

"Ho, landlord! Bring my friend another pot of the same.
And now for a song, my jolly blade."

"Ay, that will I give thee a song, my lovely fellow,"
quoth the Tinker, "for I never tasted such ale in all my days before.

By Our Lady, it doth make my head hum even now! Hey, Dame Hostess,
come listen, an thou wouldst hear a song, and thou too,

thou bonny lass, for never sing I so well as when bright eyes
do look upon me the while."

Then he sang an ancient ballad of the time of good King Arthur,
called "The Marriage of Sir Gawaine," which you may some time read yourself,

in stout English of early times; and as he sang, all listened
to that noble tale of noble knight and his sacrifice to his king.

But long before the Tinker came to the last verse his tongue began to trip
and his head to spin, because of the strong waters mixed with the ale.

First his tongue tripped, then it grew thick of sound; then his head
wagged from side to side, until at last he fell asleep as though

he never would waken again.
Then Robin Hood laughed aloud and quickly took the warrant

from out the Tinker's pouch with his deft fingers.
"Sly art thou, Tinker," quoth he, "but not yet, I bow,

art thou as sly as that same sly thief Robin Hood."
Then he called the host to him and said, "Here, good man, are ten

broad shillings for the entertainment thou hast given us this day.
See that thou takest good care of thy fair guest there, and when he wakes

thou mayst again charge him ten shillings also, and if he hath it not,
thou mayst take his bag and hammer, and even his coat, in payment.

Thus do I punish those that come into the greenwood to deal dole to me.
As for thine own self, never knew I landlord yet that would not charge

twice an he could."
At this the host smiled slyly, as though saying to himself the rustic saw,

"Teach a magpie to suck eggs."
The Tinker slept until the afternoon drew to a close and

the shadows grew long beside the woodland edge, then he awoke.
First he looked up, then he looked down, then he

looked east, then he looked west, for he was gathering his
wits together, like barley straws blown apart by the wind.

First he thought of his merry companion, but he was gone.
Then he thought of his stout crabstaff, and that he had within

his hand. Then of his warrant, and of the fourscore angels
he was to gain for serving it upon Robin Hood. He thrust his

hand into his pouch, but not a scrap nor a farthing was there.
Then he sprang to his feet in a rage.

"Ho, landlord!" cried he, "whither hath that knave gone that was
with me but now?"

"What knave meaneth Your Worship?" quoth the landlord, calling the
Tinker Worship to soothe him, as a man would pour oil upon angry water.

"I saw no knave with Your Worship, for I swear no man would dare call
that man knave so nigh to Sherwood Forest. A right stout yeoman I

saw with Your Worship, but I thought that Your Worship knew him,
for few there be about here that pass him by and know him not."

"Now, how should I, that ne'er have squealed in your sty,
know all the swine therein? Who was he, then, an thou knowest

him so well?"
"Why, yon same is a right stout fellow whom men hereabouts do call

Robin Hood, which same--"
"Now, by'r Lady!" cried the Tinker hastily, and in a deep voice

like an angry bull, "thou didst see me come into thine inn, I,
a staunch, honest craftsman, and never told me who my company was,

well knowing thine own self who he was. Now, I have a right
round piece of a mind to crack thy knave's pate for thee!"

Then he took up his cudgel and looked at the landlord as though
he would smite him where he stood.

"Nay," cried the host, throwing up his elbow, for he feared the blow,
"how knew I that thou knewest him not?"

"Well and truly thankful mayst thou be," quoth the Tinker, "that I
be a patient man and so do spare thy bald crown, else wouldst

thou ne'er cheat customer again. But as for this same knave
Robin Hood, I go straightway to seek him, and if I do not score

his knave's pate, cut my staff into fagots and call me woman."
So saying, he gathered himself together to depart.

"Nay," quoth the landlord, standing in front of him and holding out
his arms like a gooseherd driving his flock, for money made him bold,

"thou goest not till thou hast paid me my score."
"But did not he pay thee?"

"Not so much as one farthing; and ten good shillings' worth of ale have
ye drunk this day. Nay, I say, thou goest not away without paying me,

else shall our good Sheriff know of it."
"But nought have I to pay thee with, good fellow," quoth the Tinker.

" `Good fellow' not me," said the landlord.
"Good fellow am I not when it cometh to lose ten shillings!

Pay me that thou owest me in broad money, or else leave
thy coat and bag and hammer; yet, I wot they are not worth

ten shillings, and I shall lose thereby. Nay, an thou stirrest,
I have a great dog within and I will loose him upon thee.

Maken, open thou the door and let forth Brian if this fellow
stirs one step."

"Nay," quoth the Tinker--for, by roaming the country,
he had learned what dogs were--"take thou what thou wilt have,

and let me depart in peace, and may a murrain go with thee.
But oh, landlord! An I catch yon scurvy varlet, I swear he shall

pay full with usury for that he hath had!"
So saying, he strode away toward the forest, talking to himself,

while the landlord and his worthy dame and Maken stood looking after him,
and laughed when he had fairly gone.

"Robin and I stripped yon ass of his pack main neatly,"
quoth the landlord.

Now it happened about this time that Robin Hood was going
through the forest to Fosse Way, to see what was to be

seen there, for the moon was full and the night gave promise
of being bright. In his hand he carried his stout oaken staff,

and at his side hung his bugle horn. As thus he walked up


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