No. 135: Robin Hood and the Shepherd
[There are no known traditional US or Canadian versions of this ballad.]
CONTENTS:
1. Child's Narrative
2. Footnotes (There are no footnotes)
3. Brief (Kittredge)
4. Child's Ballad Text A a. (There are changes to make additional texts in End-Notes for A b- A d )
5. Endnotes
ATTACHED PAGES (see left hand column):
1. Recordings & Info: 135. Robin Hood and the Shepherd
A. Roud No. 3985: Robin Hood and the Shepherd (11 Listings)
2. Sheet Music: (Bronson's traditional music versions and other versions)
3. English and Other Versions (Including Child versions A a -A d with additional notes)]
Child's Narative: Robin Hood and the Shepherd
A. a. Garland of 1663, No 13.
b. Garland of 1670, No 12.
c. Wood, 401, leaf 13 b.
d. Pepys, II, 115, No 102.
Roxburghe, II, 392, III, 284; Douce, III, 115 b, by L. How, of the eighteenth century. A manuscript copy in the British Museum, Add. 15072, fol. 59, is a, with omission of 122-154, and a few errors of carelessness.
Printed in Ritson's Robin Hood from c and one of the Roxburghe broadsides. Evans, Old Ballads, 1777, 1784, I, 136, seems to have followed the Aldermary garland, with slight deviation.
Robin Hood, walking in the forest, finds a shepherd lying on the ground, and bids him rise and show what he has in his bottle and bag. The shepherd tells him that he shall not see a drop of his bottle until his valor has been tried. Robin stakes twenty pound on the issue of a fight, and the shepherd his bag and bottle. They fight from ten to four, hook against sword. Robin Hood falls to the ground, and the shepherd calls on him to own himself beaten. Robin demands the boon of three blasts on his horn. These bring Little John, who undertakes the shepherd, and is so roughly handled that Robin is fain to yield his wager, to which Little John heartily agrees.
It is but the natural course of exaggeration that the shepherd, having beaten Robin Hood, should beat Little John. This is descending low enough, but we do not see the bottom of this kind of balladry here.
In King Alfred and the Shepherd, Old Ballads, 1723, I, 43, stanzas 6-17, the king plays Robin's part, fighting four hours with the Shepherd and then craving a truce. Further on Alfred blows his horn. There are also verbal agreements.
Brief Description by George Lyman Kittredge
It is but the natural course of exaggeration that the shepherd, having beaten Robin Hood, should beat Little John. This is descending low enough, but we do not see the bottom of this kind of balladry here.
Child's Ballad Text
'Robin Hood and the Shepherd'- Version A a; Child 135 Robin Hood and the Shepherd
a. Garland of 1663, No 13.
b. Garland of 1670, No 12.
c. Wood, 401, leaf 13 b.
d. Pepys, II, 115, No 102.
1 All gentlemen and yeomen good,
Down a down a down a down
I wish you to draw near;
For a story of gallant brave Robin Hood
Vnto you I wil declare.
Down, etc.
2 As Robin Hood walkt the forrest along,
Some pastime for to spie,
There was he aware of a jolly shepherd,
That on the ground did lie.
3 'Arise, arise,' cryed jolly Robin,
'And now come let me see
What is in thy bag and bottle, I say;
Come tell it unto me.'
4 'What's that to thee, thou proud fellow?
Tell me as I do stand
What thou hast to do with my bag and bottle?
Let me see thy command.'
5 'My sword, which hangeth by my side,
Is my command I know;
Come, and let me taste of thy bottle,
Or it may breed thee wo.'
6 'Tut, the devil a drop, thou proud fellow,
Of my bottle thou shalt see,
Untill thy valour here be tried,
Whether thou wilt fight or flee.'
7 'What shall we fight for?' cries bold Robin Hood;
'Come tell it soon to me;
Here is twenty pounds in good red gold;
Win it, and take it thee.'
8 The Shepherd stood all in a maze,
And knew not what to say:
'I have no money, thou proud fellow,
But bag and bottle I'le lay.'
9 'I am content, thou shepherd-swain,
Fling them down on the ground;
But it will breed thee mickle pain,
To win my twenty pound.'
10 'Come draw thy sword, thou proud fellow,
Thou stands too long to prate;
This hook of mine shall let thee know
A coward I do hate.'
11 So they fell to it, full hardy and sore;
It was in a summers day;
From ten till four in the afternoon
The Shepherd held him play.
12 Robins buckler proved his chief defence,
And saved him many a bang,
For every blow the Shepherd gave
Made Robins sword cry twang.
13 Many a sturdy blow the Shepherd gave,
And that bold Robin found,
Till the blood ran trickling from his head;
Then he fell to the ground.
14 'Arise, arise, thou proud fellow,
And thou shalt have fair play,
If thou wilt yield, before thou go,
That I have won the day.'
15 'A boon, a boon,' cried bold Robin;
'If that a man thou be,
Then let me take my beaugle-horn,
And blow but blasts three.'
16 'To blow three times three,' the Shepherd said,
'I will not thee deny;
For if thou shouldest blow till to-morrow morn,
I scorn one foot to fly.'
17 Then Robin set his horn to his mouth,
And he blew with mickle main,
Until he espied Little John
Come tripping over the plain.
18 'O who is yonder, thou proud fellow,
That comes down yonder hill?'
'Yonder is Little John, bold Robin Hoods man,
Shall fight with thee thy fill.'
19 'What is the matter?' saies Little John,
'Master, come tell to me:'
'My case is great,' saies Robin Hood,
'For the Shepherd hath conquered me.'
20 'I am glad of that,' cries Little John,
'Shepherd, turn thou to me;
For a bout with thee I mean to have,
Either come fight or flee.'
21 'With all my heart, thou proud fellow,
For it never shall be said
That a shepherds hook of thy sturdy look
Will one jot be dismaid.'
22 So they fell to it, full hardy and sore,
Striving for victory;
'I will know,' saies John, re we give ore,
Whether thou wilt fight or flye.'
23 The Shepherd gave John a sturdy blow,
With his hook under the chin;
'Beshrew thy heart,' said Little John,
'Thou basely dost begin.'
24 'Nay, that's nothing,' said the Shepherd;
'Either yield to me the day,
Or I will bang thee back and sides,
Before thou goest thy way.
25 'What? dost thou think, thou proud fellow,
That thou canst conquer me?
Nay, thou shalt know, before thou go,
I'le fight before I'le flee.'
26 With that to thrash Little John like mad
The Shepherd he begun;
'Hold, hold,' cryed bold Robin Hood,
'And I'le yield the wager won.'
27 'With all my heart,' said Little John,
'To that I will agree;
For he is the flower of shepherd-swains,
The like I never did see.'
28 Thus have you heard of Robin Hood,
Also of Little John,
How a shepherd-swain did conquer them;
The like did never none.
End-Notes
a, b. Robin Hood and the Shepard: Shewing how Robin Hood, Little John and the Shepheard fought a sore combate.
Tune is, Robin Hood and Queen Katherine.
a. Burden: a third a down is not printed after the first line, but is after the last.
43. hast thou.
54. thy wo.
72. Gome.
204. Eihter.
262. Sheherd.
b. Burden: Down a down a down a down.
After 91, 214, With a, & c.
13. bold for brave.
43. thou hast.
53. tast.
54. thee for thy.
71. bold wanting.
73. pound.
102. standst.
121. chiefest.
133. tickling.
161. Then said the Shepherd to bold Robin.
162. wanting.
171. Robin he.
183. Little wanting.
193. is very bad, cries.
261. Again the Shepherd laid on him.
264. And wanting: I will.
274. I did never.
284. was never known.
c. Robin Hood and the Shepheard: Shewing how Robin Hood, Little John and the Shepheard fought a sore combat.
The Shepherd fought for twenty pound,
And Robin for bottle and bag,
But the Shepheard stout gave them the rout
So sore they could not wag.
The tune is Robin and Queen Katherine.
London, Printed for John Andrews, at the White Lion, in Pie-Corner. (1660.)
Burden: Down a down a down a down.
13. bold for brave.
42. thou hast.
54. my wo.
81. amaze.
113. four till ten.
121. chiefest.
134. And then.
161. wanting.
193. cries for saies.
194. hath beaten.
223. ile know saith.
224. flee.
251. doest.
261. wanting.
262. began.
264. And wanting: I will.
273. Shepheards.
274. I did never.
d. Title as in a, b.
Printed for William Thackeray, at the Angel in Duck Lane. (1689.)
Burden: Down a down down.
13. bold for brave.
23. he was.
43. hast thou, as in a.
51. that for which.
54. thy woe, as in a.
61. Tut wanting.
71. bold wanting.
73. pound.
102. standest.
111. hard.
121. chiefest.
153. beagle.
161. Then said the Shepherd to bold Robin.
162. To that will I agree.
164. flee.
171. he set.
172. with might and main.
183. Little wanting.
193. bad cries.
212. shall never.
213. at thy.
224. flee.
243. thy for thee.
261. Again the Shepherd laid on him.
262. began.
263. Hood wanting.
264. And wanting: I will.
274. I did never.
284. The like was never known.