Robin Hood- Stanwood (ME) 1928 Barry
[From British Ballads of Maine, 1929, Barry Eckstorm and Smyth; Barry's notes follow. The Songster publisher is also Cozans, instead of Cozzens.
R. Matteson 2015]
This is a good traditional version of Child C, which occurs in several editions of Robin Hood's Garland (III, 177). Printed about 1753, it must have been orally current much earlier. Quite a different variant was printed in America in the American Songster (P. J. Cozzens 107 Nassau Street, New York City, p. 204). This seems to have come from either a poor stall copy or from an oral source, judging from the punctuation. That it is related to our text is shown by the "gay lady" or 'fair lady" who is the mother of the squires in Child C. In Child B they are the sons of "as silly old woman." Child A lacks the introductory stanzas, but represents Robin Hood, after he has called his men to him, as throwing off his disguise and threatening to shoot. The sheriff and his "sergiant " are amenable to reason, and the sheriff "held up both his hands" in approved modern fashion. In Child B the sheriff is hanged upon his own gallows. Child C with his releasing the prisoners.
ROBIN HOOD RESCUING THREE SQUIRES
(Child 140)
A. "Robin Hood." Sent in, March, 1928, by Mr. George A. Stanwood of Steuben, who said it was "as much as he could remember," and with the verses probably not in the right order.
1 Robin Hood marched the forest all round,
The forest all round marched he;
The first that he met was a fair young lady
Crying on the highway.
2 'What makes you weep ?' my fair young lady,
'What makes you weep?' said he.
'There's weeping and wailing in all Nottingham
3 'So weep no more, weep no more today,
And I'll call out my merry men
To see what they will say.'
So Robin Hood marched the forest all round,
The forest all round marched he.
4 The next that he met was an old beggar man
Traveling along the highway;
'What news, what news, you old beggar man?
What news, what news today?'
5 There's weeping and wailing in all Nottingham
For the loss of the squires all three.'
'Go change your clothes for mine,' he said,
'Go change your clothes for mine;
6 'Here's fifty bright guineas I'll give unto you:
Go spend them for beer and wine.'
So Robin Hood put on the old man's clothes
That was made of hemp and tow,
7 'It rubs, it scrubs,'says bold Robin Hood,
'But I must go farther this day.'
So Robin Hood marched the forests all round,
The forests all round marched he.
8 The next that he met was master's high sheriff,
Come galloping o'er the highway;
'What news? what news, you old beggar man,
What news, what news today?'
9 'There's weeping and wailing in all Nottingham
For the loss of the squires all three;
Now I want to stand hangman this livelong day
To hang the squires all three.
10 'I want three blasts on my bugle horn
That their souls in heaven might be.'
'You may stand hangman this livelong day
To hang the squires all three.'
11 'And you can have their gay clothing,
Also the bright money
And you can have three blasts on your bugle horn
That their souls in heaven might be.'
12 So Robin Rood mounted the scaffold high,
The scaffold high mounted he,
He gave three blasts on his bugle horn,
That their souls in heaven might be.
13 He gave three more so loud, so shrill
Five hundred and ten of bold Robin hood's men
Came galloping o'er the hills.
14. 'Whose men are these?' said the master's high sheriff,
Whose me are these I see?'
They're mine, not thine,' says bold Robin Hood,
'And has come for the squires all three.'
15 'So take them, you old beggar man,
So take them for thine,
There's not another beggar man in all Nottingham
That shall have three more of mine.'