Читать книгу The Ancient English Poetry - Various Authors - Страница 40

480. See Thoresby's Ducat. Leod. p. 576. Biog. Brit. vi. 3933.

481. Stukeley, in his Palæographia Britannica, No. II. 1746.

482. See also the following ballad, v. 147.

483. Num. D. 5. 2.

484. Old Plays, 4to. K. vol. x.

485. Ser. 6th before K. Ed. Apr. 12. fol. 75, Gilpin's Life of Lat., p. 122.

486. [when woods are bright.]

487. [twigs.]

488. [Ver. 1. shales, f. MS.]

489. [V. 4. birds singe, f. MS.]

490. [woodpecker or thrush.]

491. [V. 5. woodweete, f. MS.]

492. [In place of ver. 6–12 between brackets the f. MS. has—

"Amongst the leaves a lyne

* * * * *]

And it is by two wight yeomen

By deare God that I meane."]

493. [faith.]

494. [dream.]

495. [strong.]

496. [from me.]

497. [revenged.]

498. [dress ye, get ye ready.]

499. [Ver. 28. a shooting gone are they, f. MS.]

500. [were they aware.]

501. [V. 34. had beene many a mans bane, f. MS.]

502. [horse-hide.]

503. [V. 40. to know his meaning trulye, f. MS.]

504. [strange.]

505. [V. 42. and thats a ffarley thinge, f. MS.]

506. [breed mischief.]

507. i.e. ways, passes, paths, ridings. Gate is a common word in the north for way.

508. [greensward between two woods.]

509. [Ver. 61. yet one shoote I'le shoote, says Little John, f. MS.]

510. [V. 64. to be both glad & ffaine, f. MS.]

511. [V. 65. John bent up a good veiwe bowe, f. MS.]

512. [prepared.]

513. [V. 69. woe worth thee, wicked wood, says litle John, f. MS.]

514. help.

515. [Ver. 74. the arrowe flew in vaine, f. MS.]

516. [V. 78. to hange upon a gallowe, f. MS.]

517. [V. 79. then for to lye in the green-woode, f. MS.]

518. [V. 80. there slaine with an arrowe, f. MS.]

519. [V. 82. 6 can doe more then 3, f. MS.]

520. [V. 83. and they have tane litle John, f. MS.]

521. [V. 87. But thou may ffayle, quoth litle John, f. MS.]

522. [V. 88. If itt be christ's own will, f. MS.]

523. [V. 90–92. in place of these three verses the f. MS. has:—

"for hee is bound fast to a tree,

and talke of Guy and Robin Hood

In they green woode where they bee

how these two yeomen together they mett

under the leaves of Lyne,

to see what marchandise they made

even at that same time."]]

524. [Ver. 93. good morrow, good fellow! quoth Sir Guy, f. MS.]

525. [V. 96. a good archer thou seems to bee, f. MS.]

526. [ignorant.]

527. [V. 97. quoth Sir Guye, f. MS.]

528. [V. 101. I seeke an outlaw, quoth Sir Guye, f. MS.]

529. [V. 103–4.—

"I had rather meet with him upon a day

Then 40li. of golde."]

530. [V. 105–8. in place of these four verses the f. MS. has—

"Iff you tow mett itt wold be seene whether were better

afore yee did part awaye;

Let us some other pastime find,

good ffellow, I thee pray:"]

531. [trial of skill.]

532. [V. 109–10.

"Let us some other masteryes make,

and wee will walke in the woods even," f. MS.]

533. [at a time not previously appointed.]

534. [shrubs.]

535. [briar.]

536. [mark in the centre of the target.]

537. [Ver. 116. prickes full near, f. MS.]

538. [V. 117. sayd Sir Guye, f. MS.]

539. [V. 119. nay by my faith, quoth Robin Hood, f. MS.]

540. [V. 120. the leader, f. MS.]

541. [V. 121–23:—

"the first good shoot that Robin ledd

did not shoote an inch the pricke ffroe.

Guy was an archer good enoughe."]

542. [V. 125. the 2nd shoote Sir Guy shott.]

543. [the ring within which the prick was set.]

544. [pole.]

545. [V. 129. gods blessing on thy heart! sayes Guye.]

546. [Ver. 133. tell me thy name, good fellow, quoth Guy.]

547. [lime.]

548. [V. 135. good robin.]

549. [V. 136–140:—

"I dwell by dale and downe, quoth Guye,

and I have done many a curst turne;

and he that calles me by my right name,

calles me Guy of good Gysborne."]

550. V. 144. a ffellow thou hast long sought.

551. The common epithet for a sword or other offensive weapon, in the old metrical romances is Brown, as "brown brand," or "brown sword," "brown bill," &c., and sometimes even "bright brown sword." Chaucer applies the word rustie in the same sense; thus he describes the reve:—

"And by his side he bare a rusty blade."

Prol. ver. 620.

And even thus the God Mars:—

"And in his hand he had a rousty sword."

Test. of Cressid. 188

Spenser has sometimes used the same epithet. See Warton's Observ. vol. ii. p. 62. It should seem, from this particularity, that our ancestors did not pique themselves upon keeping their weapons bright: perhaps they deemed it more honourable to carry them stained with the blood of their enemies. [As the swords are here said to be bright as well as brown, they could not have been rusty. The expression nut-brown sword was used to designate a Damascus blade.]

552. [Ver. 149. "to have seen how these yeomen together fought."]

553. [V. 151–2:—

"itt was neither Guy nor Robin Hood

that ffettled them to flye away."]

554. [careless.]

555. [maid.]

556. V. 163. awkwarde, MS.

557. [V. 164. "good sir Guy hee has slayne," f. MS.]

558. [Ver. 172. cold tell who Sir Guye was.]

559. [V. 173. good Sir Guye.]

560. [V. 182:—

"and with me now Ile beare

ffor now I will goe to Barnesdale," f. MS.]

561. [small hill.]

562. [Ver. 199:—

"Ile none of thy gold, sayes Robin Hood

nor Ile none of itt have," f. MS.]

563. [voice.]

564. [quickly.]

565. [help.]

566. [Ver. 225–8:—

"But John tooke Guyes bow in his hand,

his arrowes were rawstye by the roote;

the sherriffe saw little John draw a bow

and ffettle him to shoote."]

567. [V. 229. Towards his house in Nottingham.]

568. [V. 233–6:—

"But he cold neither soe fast goe,

nor away soe fast runn,

but litle John with an arrow broade

did cleave his head in twinn," f. MS.]