Robin Hood dress'd himself in shepherd's attire,
With six of his men alsò;

And, when the bishop of Hereford came by,
They about the fire did go.

"O what is the matter?" then said the bishop,
"Or for whom do you make this a-do?
Or why do you kill the king's ven'son,
When your company is so few?"

"We are shepherds," said bold Robin Hood,
"And we keep sheep all the year,
And we are disposed to be merry this day,
And to kill of the king's fat deer."

"You are brave fellows!" said the bishop, "And the king of your doings shall know : Therefore make haste, and come along with me, For before the king you shall

go."

"O pardon, Opardon," said bold Robin Hood, "O pardon, 1 thee pray!

For it becomes not your lordships coat

To take so many lives away.'

"No pardon, no pardon,” said the bishop,

"No pardon I thee owe;

Therefore make haste, and come along with me,

For before the king you shall go."

Then Robin set his back against a tree,
And his foot against a thorn,
And from underneath his shepherds coat
He pull'd out a bugle horn.

He put the little end to his mouth,
And a loud blast did he blow,

'Till threescore and ten of bold Robin's men
Came running all on a row:

All making obeysance to bold Robin Hood; 'Twas a comely sight for to see.

"What is the matter, master," said Little John, "That you blow so hastily?"

"O here is the bishop of Hereford,

And no pardon we shall have."

"Cut off his head, master," said Little John, "And throw him into his grave."

"O pardon, O pardon," said the bishop, “O pardon I thee pray;

For if I had known it had been you,

I'd have gone some other way.”

"No pardon, no pardon," said bold Robin Hood, "No pardon I thee owe;

Therefore make haste, and come along with me,
For to merry Barnsdale you shall

go."

Then Robin he took the bishop by the hand,

And led him to merry Barnsdale;

He made him to stay and sup with him that night, And to drink wine, beer, and ale.

"Call in a reckoning," said the bishop,

"For methinks it grows wond'rous high." "Lend me your purse, master," said Little John, "And I'll tell you bye and bye.”

Then Little John took the bishop's cloak,

And spread it upon the ground,

And out of the bishop's portmantua

He told three hundred pound.

"Here's money enough, master," said Little John, "And a comely sight 'tis to see;

It makes me in charity with the bishop,
Tho' he heartily loveth not me."

Robin Hood took the bishop by the hand,
And he caused the music to play;

And he made the old bishop to dance in his boots;

And glad he could so get away.

132

THE WANDERING JEW.

WHEN as in faire Jerusalem
Our Saviour Christ did live,

And for the sins of all the worlde

His own deare life did give;

The wicked Jewes with scoffes and scornes
Did dailye him molest,

That never till he left his life,

Our Saviour could have rest.

When they had crown'd his head with thornes,

And scourg'd him to disgrace,

In scornfull sort they led him forthe

Unto his dying place,

Where thousand thousands in the streete

Beheld him passe along,

Yet not one gentle heart was there,

That pityed this his wrong.

Both old and young revilèd him,

As in the streete he wente,

And nought he found but churlish tauntes,
By every ones consente :

His owne deare crosse he bore himselfe,

A burthen far too great,

Which made him in the street to fainte,

With blood and water sweat.

Being weary thus, he sought for rest,
To ease his burthened soule,

Upon a stone; the which a wretch
Did churlishly controule;

And sayd, "Awaye, thou King of Jewes,

Thou shalt not rest thee here;

Pass on; thy execution place

Thou seest nowe draweth neare."

And thereupon he thrust him thence;
At which our Saviour sayd,

"I sure will rest, but thou shalt walke,
And have no journey stayed."
With that this cursed shoemaker,
For offering Christ this wrong,
Left wife and children, house and all,
And went from thence along.

Where after he had seene the bloude
Of Jesus Christ thus shed,
And to the cross his bodye nail'd,
Awaye with speed he fled
Without returning backe againe
Unto his dwelling place,

And wandred up and downe the worlde,
A runnagate most base.

No resting could he finde at all,
No ease, nor hearts content;

No house, nor home, nor biding place:
But wandring forth he went
From towne to towne in foreigne landes,
With grieved conscience still,
Repenting for the heinous guilt
Of his fore-passed ill.

Thus after some fewe ages past
In wandring up and downe,
He much again desired to see
Jerusalems renowne;

But finding it all quite destroyed,

He wandred thence with woe,

Our Saviours wordes, which He had spoke,
To verifie and showe.

"I'll rest,” sayd Hee, “but thou shalt walke;"So doth this wandring Jew

From place to place, but cannot rest

For seeing countries newe;
Declaring still the power of Him,

Whereas he comes or goes,
And of all things done in the east,
Since Christ His death, he showes.

The world he hath still compast round
And seene those nations strange,
That hearing of the name of Christ,
Their idol gods doe change:

To whom he hath told wondrous thinges
Of time forepast, and gone,

And to the princes of the worlde
Declares his cause of moane:

Desiring still to be dissolv'd,
And yield his mortal breath;
But, if the Lord hath thus decreed,
He shall not yet see death.
For neither lookes he old nor young,
But as he did those times,

When Christ did suffer on the crosse
For mortall sinners crimes.

He hath past through many a foreigne place, Arabia, Egypt, Africa,

Grecia, Syria, and great Thrace,

And throughout all Hungaria,

Where Paul and Peter preached Christ,
Those blest apostles deare;

There he hath told our Saviours wordes,
In countries far and neare.

And lately in Bohemia,

With many a German towne;
And now in Flanders, as tis thought,
He wandreth up and downe:
Where learned men with him conferre
Of those his lingering dayes,

And wonder much to heare him tell
His journeyes, and his wayes.

If people give this Jew an almes,
The most that he will take
Is not above a groat a time:
Which he, for Jesus' sake,
Will kindlye give unto the poore,
And thereof make no spare,
Affirming still that Jesus Christ
Of him hath dailye care.