The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood | Page 7

I
ween, to christen our bonny babe, is it not so, merry boys?" And "Aye!
Aye!" cried all, laughing till the woods echoed with their mirth.
"Then seven sponsors shall we have," quoth Will Stutely, and hunting
among all the band, he chose the seven stoutest men of them all.
"Now by Saint Dunstan," cried Little John, springing to his feet, "more
than one of you shall rue it an you lay finger upon me."
But without a word they all ran upon him at once, seizing him by his
legs and arms and holding him tightly in spite of his struggles, and they
bore him forth while all stood around to see the sport. Then one came
forward who had been chosen to play the priest because he had a bald
crown, and in his hand he carried a brimming pot of ale. "Now, who
bringeth this babe?" asked he right soberly.
"That do I," answered Will Stutely.
"And what name callest thou him?"
"Little John call I him."
"Now Little John," quoth the mock priest, "thou hast not lived
heretofore, but only got thee along through the world, but henceforth
thou wilt live indeed. When thou livedst not thou wast called John
Little, but now that thou dost live indeed, Little John shalt thou be
called, so christen I thee." And at these last words he emptied the pot of
ale upon Little John's head.
Then all shouted with laughter as they saw the good brown ale stream
over Little John's beard and trickle from his nose and chin, while his

eyes blinked with the smart of it. At first he was of a mind to be angry
but found he could not, because the others were so merry; so he, too,
laughed with the rest. Then Robin took this sweet, pretty babe, clothed
him all anew from top to toe in Lincoln green, and gave him a good
stout bow, and so made him a member of the merry band.
And thus it was that Robin Hood became outlawed; thus a band of
merry companions gathered about him, and thus he gained his
right-hand man, Little John; and so the prologue ends. And now I will
tell how the Sheriff of Nottingham three times sought to take Robin
Hood, and how he failed each time.

Robin Hood and the Tinker
Now it was told before how two hundred pounds were set upon Robin
Hood's head, and how the Sheriff of Nottingham swore that he himself
would seize Robin, both because he would fain have the two hundred
pounds and because the slain man was a kinsman of his own. Now the
Sheriff did not yet know what a force Robin had about him in
Sherwood, but thought that he might serve a warrant for his arrest as he
could upon any other man that had broken the laws; therefore he
offered fourscore golden angels to anyone who would serve this
warrant. But men of Nottingham Town knew more of Robin Hood and
his doings than the Sheriff did, and many laughed to think of serving a
warrant upon the bold outlaw, knowing well that all they would get for
such service would be cracked crowns; so that no one came forward to
take the matter in hand. Thus a fortnight passed, in which time none
came forward to do the Sheriff's business. Then said he, "A right good
reward have I offered to whosoever would serve my warrant upon
Robin Hood, and I marvel that no one has come to undertake the task."
Then one of his men who was near him said, "Good master, thou
wottest not the force that Robin Hood has about him and how little he
cares for warrant of king or sheriff. Truly, no one likes to go on this
service, for fear of cracked crowns and broken bones."

"Then I hold all Nottingham men to be cowards," said the Sheriff. "And
let me see the man in all Nottinghamshire that dare disobey the warrant
of our sovereign lord King Harry, for, by the shrine of Saint Edmund, I
will hang him forty cubits high! But if no man in Nottingham dare win
fourscore angels, I will send elsewhere, for there should be men of
mettle somewhere in this land."
Then he called up a messenger in whom he placed great trust, and bade
him saddle his horse and make ready to go to Lincoln Town to see
whether he could find anyone there that would do his bidding and win
the reward. So that same morning the messenger started forth upon his
errand.
Bright shone the sun upon the dusty highway that led from Nottingham
to Lincoln, stretching away all white over hill and dale. Dusty was the
highway and dusty the