"For my great folly,"he said,"And for my kind-enesse.
I had a son,for sooth,Rob-in,That should have been my heir,When he was twenty winter old,In field would joust full fair;
He slew a knight of Lancashire,And a squyer bold;
For to save him in his right My goods beth set and sold;
My lands beth set to wed,Rob-in,Until a certain day,To a rich abbot here beside,Of Saint Mar-y abbay."
"What is the summ-e?"said Rob-in,"Truth then tell thou me."
"Sir,"he said,"four hundred pound,The abb-ot told it to me."
"Now,an thou lose thy land,"said Robin,"What shall fall of thee?"
"Hastily I will me busk,"said the knight,"Over the salt-e sea,And see where Christ was quick and dead,On the mount of Calvar-y.
Fare well,friend,and have good day,It may no better be"--
Tears fell out of his eyen two,He would have gone his way--
"Fare well,friends,and have good day,I ne have more to pay."
"Where be thy friends?"said Rob-in.
"Sir,never one will me know;
While I was rich enow at home Great boast then would they blow,And now they run away from me,As beast-es on a row;
They take no more heed of me Than they me never saw."
For ruth-e then wept Little John,Scathelocke and Much also.
"Fill of the best wine,"said Rob-in,"For here is a simple cheer.
Hast thou any friends,"said Robin,"Thy borowes that will be?"
"I have none,"then said the knight,"But him that died on a tree."
"Do way thy jap-es!"said Rob-in,"Thereof will I right none;
Weenest thou I will have God to borowe?
Peter,Paul,or John?
Nay,by him that me made,And shope both sun and moon,Find a better borowe,"said Robin,"Or money gettest thou none."
"I have none other,"said the knight,"The sooth for to say,But if it be our dear Lad-y,She failed me ne'er ere this day."
"By dere-worthy God,"then said Rob-in,"To seek all England thorowe,Yet found I never to my pay,A much better borowe.
Come now forth,Little John,And go to my treasur-y,And bring me fo-ur hundred pound,And look that it well told be."
Forth then went Little John,And Scathelock went before,He told out fo-ur hundred pound,By eighteen-e score.