Henry III.

The knight being un

able to pay,

Hood lends

him

money to

The knight, however, declares that he has but ten shillings, upon which

"Said Robin, 'If thou hast no more,

No penny of that I take;

And if thou have need of any more

I lend it for thy sake.'"

Robin now asks the knight for his history, and he tells him

"Within these years but two or three,

My neighbours well have known,

That I might spend four hundred pound,
Good money of my own.'"

And he goes on to say, that his son, having slain a knight, probably in a tournament, he had to pay a fine Robin of four hundred pounds, and as he had not got the money, he borrowed it of the Abbot of St. Mary's at redeem his York, promising to repay it in a year or forfeit his lands from estate. Robin Hood now agreed to lend him the money, gave him good clothes, mounted him on a good horse, and lent him Little John to be his squire. The knight then told Little John that he must at once go to pay the abbot, or else his land would be forfeited. The abbot and the monks thought the knight would

the Abbot

of St. Mary's.

But in time to bring sorrow to them all

The knight he was at their gate."

The knight then put on his old clothes, and went

into the abbot's hall.

"By favour, Sir Abbot,' said the knight,

'I come to hold my day; '

But the very first word the abbot spoke

Was this, Hast thou brought my pay?""

The knight then declares he has no money, and has

come to beg for mercy.

"Now, good Sir Sheriff, be my friend,

For the love of God,' said he.

"Thou hast failed of thy day,' said the justice,

Thy land in forfeit goes.'

Now, good Sir Justice, be my friend,

Defend me from my foes.

"Now, good Sir Abbot, be my friend,
As thee it may well beseem,

And hold my lands in thy own hands
Till I shall them redeem.'

"The abbot sternly on him looked,

And shameful names did call:

'Out, out,' he said, 'thou base false knight,

Go get thee from my hall.'

"Up then stood the gentle knight,

And to the abbot cried,

'To suffer a knight to kneel so long,
Is an uncourteous pride.'

"With that he strode to a board anon,

Unto a table round,

And there he shook out of a bag

Even four hundred pound.

"Still sat the abbot, and ate no more,

For all his royal fare,

He cast his head o'er his shoulder,

And fast began to stare."

Henry III.

and are much astonished when he

appears.

The knight begs for

mercy, to try them.

They give no mercy,

but the knight needs none,

and repays them.

Henry III.

Triumph of the

knight.

Death of
Robin

Hood.

Then said the knight,

"Know ye, Sir Abbot, and know all,

That I have kept my day,

And I will have my land again,

For aught that you can say.'

"The knight strode bravely from the door,
Away was gone his care,
And his good clothing on he put,
And left the other there.

"Merrily singing went he forth,

As men have told in tale ;
And his ladye met him at his gate,
At home in Utery's dale."

The knight repaid Robin Hood faithfully the money he had borrowed of him.

There are many more ballads about Robin Hood, but I shall here insert only an account of his death. Poor Robin Hood was ill, and thinking he ought to be bled, he went to Kirkleys nunnery for the purpose, according to the custom of the times. The nun belonged to the rich clergy party, who owed Robin Hood many a grudge, and she left poor Robin to bleed to death. Robin thought he would try to get his friends, who had accompanied him to the nunnery, to come to his help :

"He then bethought him of his bugle horn,

Which hung low down to his knee;

He set his horn unto his mouth,

And blew out weak blasts three.

Then Little John, when hearing him,

As he sat under the tree,

I fear my master is near dead,
He blows so wearily.'

"Now Little John to fair Kirkley is gone,

As fast as he can dree;

But when he came to Kirkley Hall

He broke locks two or three,

"Until he came bold Robin to;
Then he fell on his knee;

'A boon, a boon,' cries Little John,
'Master, I beg of thee.'

"What is that boon,' quoth Robin Hood,
'Little John, thou beg'st of me?'
'It is to burn fair Kirkley Hall,
And all their nunnery.'

"Now nay, now nay,' quoth Robin Hood,
"That boon I'll not grant thee;

I never hurt woman in all my life,
Nor man in woman's company.

"I never hurt fair maid in all my time,
Nor at my end shall it be;

But give me my bent bow in my hand,
And a broad arrow I'll let flee;

"And where this arrow is taken up,
There shall my grave digged be.
Lay me a green sod under my head,
And another at my feet;

"And lay my bent bow by my side
Which was my music sweet;

And make my grave of gravel and green,
Which is most right and meet.'

"These words they readily promised him,
Which did bold Robin please;

And there they buried bold Robin Hood,
Near to the fair Kirkleys."

Heary III.

Robin Hood is believed to be buried in the park of Kirklees, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now belonging to Sir George Armitage.

Henry III.

The Wife and Issue of King Henry the Third.

On January 14th, A.D. 1236, he married Eleanor, second daughter of Raymond, Count of Provence, who survived him 19 years. She died a nun at Ambresbury, and was buried in a monastery there.

By her he had six sons, and three daughters. His eldest son Edward, who succeeded him, was born at Westminster on June 16, A.D. 1239.

Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, his second son, was born January 16, A.D. 1245. He was invested by the Pope with the kingdom of Sicily, but never possessed it. He died in A.D. 1296.

The four youngest of his sons died in their infancy, and were buried, three at Westminster, and the fourth in the Temple Church in Fleet Street.

Margaret, his eldest daughter, born in A.D. 1241, was married to Alexander III., King of Scotland, and died in A.D. 1275.

Beatrice, his second daughter, was born at Bordeaux on June 25th, A.D. 1242, married John de Dreux, Duke of Britanny, and Earl of Richmond, and died in A.D. 1275.

Katherine, his third daughter, died in her infancy.30