CHAPTER I. "Then among streams and flowers, The little winged powers Went singing carols without torch or bow: The nymphs and shepherds sat, Mingling with innocent chat, Sports and low whispers; and with whispers low, "My lands are sett to wad, Robin. Until a certain day. To a rich abbot here besides, LEIGH HUNT. I have none other, then, said the knight, By dear worthy God, then, Robin, he said, ROBIN HOOD BALLAD. pictured to himself nothing could be so agreeable as a wife like Maude, and had invested her with all the charms of an angel. She knew the extent of his affection for her, and she strove hard that she should not fall much short of his high opinion of her. Will made his home in the wood because Robin had done 80; and as Marian had set so noble an example, Maude could do no less than follow it, and therefore became a tenant of the forest also. There were many maidens who followed their precedent, and were incited to this from the enjoyment they had received during the festival of Robin's wedding. Robin Hood loved the fair sex generally, from an innate predisposition towards them, and for the sake of the fair being whom he had wedded, he had inculcated this feeling among his followers, so that a female might at any time have passed alone and safely through any part of the forest peopled by his men; and if it so chanced that they encountered any of the band, they were kindly invited to partake of refreshment, which, if they did, was spread bounteously, but unostentatiously before them, and then they were ARIAN kept her word: notwithstanding the escorted safely through the wood, without being persuasions of Robin Hood to the contrary, offended by word or deed of those who were guides; she made her home in the green wood, and when this began to be known, as soon it did, because it was his home, because he found and spread far and wide, many young girls with a safety there which the law elsewhere denied him. bright eyes, and feet almost as light as their hearts, Her brother, Allan, too, had offered her an asylum in often strolled through the valleys and glades of his residence, which was situated in a sweet dale to Shirewood, and when by their firesides, were frethe west of Mansfeld; but kindly thanking him, shequently heard to say that the merrie men, nathless preferred sharing the couch of skins where her husband rested, to all the luxuries his mansion afforded; and so she dwelt in the bonnie Shirewood, queen of the forest, even as Robin Hood was king. Allan, at the instigation of Robin Hood, immediately upon his marriage, had entered into negotiations with Henry II. to sell his estates in Huntingdonshire, at two-thirds of their value; at the same time making an offer to forego a part of the arrears due to him, on consideration of his confirming his marriage with the Lady Christabel. Henry, who sought every opportunity of becoming master of the richest estates in England, availed himself of the offer with avidity, and by an especial act, confirmed the ceremony, the performance of which had been so unceremoniously taken out of the hands of the Lord Bishop of Hereford. Allan had been so speedy in this affair, and Henry so eager to conclude it, that he scarce inquired into the facts of the case; and when the Bishop arrived to lay before the king a statement of the contumely with which he had been treated, the negotiations were concluded and ratified. The only redress he obtained was a warrant and reward to apprehend the bold outlaw, Robin Hood, and the power to inflict summary punishment upon him when and wherever he might be taken. This had been already done, and the Bishop therefore returned as he went; but he resolved to endeavour to capture Robin, and proceeded to raise an addition to his armed retinue, with the intention and hope of succeeding in persuading Baron Fitz Alwine and Sir Tristram of Goldsborough to join their forces with his, and exterminate the outlaw and his band. Allan, having concluded his sale satisfactorily, had quitted Huntingdonshire, and built a pretty dwelling in the centre of a beautiful dale, a short distance from Mansfeld, and here lived happily with Christabel, obtaining the name, from his residence, of Allan of the Dale, or as it was then abbreviated, Allan-a-Dale. Will Scarlet, in the possession of his wife, was as happy as any man could possibly be. Naturally possessing a good flow of spirits, of a sanguine temperament, and of a warm imagination, he had what was reported of them, were dear creatures after Merrily, most merrily, did this body of people dwell in the green wood. The cave, already spoken of, had been enlarged and improved considerably; it "His men" says Major, "most skilful in battle, whom four times that number of the boldest fellows durst not attack." He further says, "I disapprove of the rapine of the man, but he was the most humane, and the prince of all robbers."-" Majoris Britanniæ Hist.," Edin., 1740. "And of these archers brave, there was not any one, was divided into cells and apartments, principally employed for sleeping in-the broad glades being the hall or dining place; and the inconveniences of bad weather, or the inclemencies of winter, were met in the arrangements which their extensive underground establishment enabled them to make. They made the chief object of their life to render each other as cheerful and as happy as they could, and succeeded; it can scarce be imagined how joyously and merrily they passed their days. The men were all Saxons; many of them men who had been defrauded of birth-his tutoring, her fame ran through the wood, exciting rights and possessions, by Norman oppression; scarce one in the band but what had been a sufferer through Norman avarice or violence; and upon Normans they retaliated whenever it was in their power; succouring, when opportunity served, those who were oppressed and trampled upon; feeding and clothing the poor, and levying contributions upon the rich. There were two classes from whom the poor suffered indeed, the public generally; the wealthy landholders, who at that time were chiefly Normans; and the Church, who left no means untried or unpursued, to squeeze money from both rich and poor, to swell their already enormous revenues. It was, therefore, upon these two classes that Robin Hood commanded levies to be made for the support of the band, and for the purpose of assisting the poor; but he ordered that they should be levied in such a manner as to prevent the necessity of bloodshed. His orders in everything were implicitly obeyed, and as an infringement of any strict law was punished with certain death, from which there was no escape, they were carried out to the letter. By these observances they attained a name for forbearance and good-will, while their abilities as archers gained them a fame which spread far and wide. Several expeditions had been made to dislodge them in vain, and at length they were suffered to dwell there, as they committed no ravages on sur-positively forbid it." rounding property, unmolested by kingly interference. {fection, her left arm extended, holding the bow, her right bent gracefully upwards, drawing the arrow towards her ear, her fair head turned towards the object at which she aimed, and her body half turned from it, one foot slightly advanced, and the whole form proudly erect, forming as noble a view of the human form as can be obtained in any attitude; and when she began to attain the power of performing the niceties of the art, for which Robin was so famed, and which was the stimulant to her not to disgrace Marian found the forest life far more agreeable than she could have anticipated; her every wish was anticipated and gratified as soon as understood. She was made, and felt herself to be, the queen of the merry people tenanting the old wood; and proudly did she witness the warm and affectionate, yet respectful homage, which was paid to Robin Hood, who retained his hold on the hearts of his followers by his uniform kindness and cheerful friendliness to them, and preserved their respect and deference by his extraordinary abilities. Day after day, she wandered out with him to learn all the sweet places and cool recesses which the green wood afforded, and to acquire a knowledge of such sports and pastimes as were then known and pursued. She was presented with a rare and choice set of hawks, and with some little tuition, could fly her hawk with the best and most practised hand; but the art she strove most to accomplish to perfection, was the use of the bow. Robin, with unwearied assiduity, taught her the mys teries of acquiring an accurate aim; he would stand by her as she took her aim; would tell her when the bow-arm was not straight enough, or the wrist curved sufficiently in; would raise it when too low, or depress it when too high; would teach her to fill her eye with the object at which she aimed, and bring the feather to her ear, and having obtained her aim, steadily to let the string loose without a jerk; many other things did he teach her, which she listened to with avidity, followed closely, and obtained the reward by becoming an expert and most accurate archeress. It was a beautiful sight to see her, clothed in a tight dress of Lincoln green, stand to take an aim; her tall, graceful form, exhibited to per still further the admiration of those who dwelled there, and looked up to her affectionately and respectfully. Time passed on, and there seemed little or no abatement of their contentment; she received frequent visits from Christabel and Allan, from the inhabitants of Barnsdale Hall, and from many who, dwelling in Nottingham, felt a desire to see so rare a thing as a quantity of fair, gentle females, dwelling happily in a wood with a band of rude foresters. To her friends Marian was the same warm, earnest, affectionate friend as ever; to strangers, the most courteous and kindest creature imaginable, and the latter never departed but they went away with warm hearts, and tongues full of her praises. We must not omit to say that on the day of her marriage, among many whom she saw for the first time, Hal of the Keep's pretty wife, Grace, was presented to her; after kindly greetings, and while yet retaining Grace's hand in hers, with an affectionate pressure, she turned to Robin and said, a sweet smile illumining her featuresRobin, when you told me, some time since, that it was not always safe to go into Nottingham, I suspect you were making some allusion to our sweet friend here. I can now well believe you that it is not quite safe, and for the future you go not there without me. My dear Grace, you will pardon me, but I must "Why, dear lady ?" asked Grace, innocently. "Why!" echoed Marian, with mirth; "why! Why, how can you put such question with such a grave face? The temptation must be terrible; those eyes of yours would turn an angel from the paths of paradise." "You are pleased to flatter, like a certain friend of yours," returned Grace, with her musical laugh; "but you need not fear, dear lady; Robin Hood loves you too fondly, and I my Hal too dearly, to give either you or him cause for jealousy." 66 Besides, you do not doubt me," said Robin, a wicked smile lurking in the corner of his eye. "To be sure not," said Maude, merrily; "but if I were inclined to be spiteful, I should perhaps tell how Robin once said to me, when I told him he never brought me any news cr "What?" asked Marian, observing her hesitate. 'Something which, for the present, I think I shall keep to myself," she replied. "Oh no!" said Marian; "I cannot allow that, Maude; let us know all his delinquencies. He has been so much petted lately, that unless we discover something against him, he will be so elevated we shall never be able to reduce him to his proper level." "That's truth," answered Maude; "and so, Robin, you see it is my duty to tell." "By all means," laughed he; "wreak your vengeance at once, for I mean to make myself so amiable presently, that you won't have the heart to do it." "There," said Marian, "you perceive I spoke nothing but truth; he is commencing to presume upon our kindness. You have no alternative, Maude; let us hear all." "I am afraid I must then," she responded, with affected solemnity. "Well, then, he told me that he "Oh, but the worst is to come," cried Maude. "Nor I," remarked Marian; " pray go on, Maude." "He said he reached there in the morning and never got away till night, Hal very often being absent, and Grace's eyes were flashing away, her sweet lips smiling, and his own heart going pit-a-pat, until he felt an affection for her and everybody bearing the name of Grace." "You have a tenacious memory, Maude," said Robin. "And so have I," cried Marian, "and a great deal of credibility, too; I believe all Maude said to be true; and it is well I did not hear this yesterday, or I should not have had him-that is, I think I should not. You see, dear Grace, I cannot possibly suffer him to come to Nottingham without me." "I shall be very happy to see you, dear lady," said she, earnestly, and looking in Marian's face to see if she meant what she said seriously, for both Maude and she had spoken with such an affectation of gravity, that her innocent mind could scarce detect it, and § she began to think Maude was really spiteful; "but you have nothing to fear from Robin, for I am sure he loves you very much, for he has often told me so, and I—I—do not remember ever making my eyes flash to my knowledge, or smiling, only when I ought to do so-" "Oh, that was all his vanity, dear Grace," cried Marian, with a merry laugh, which was at once changed to seriousness on finding Grace suddenly burst into tears. My dear, dear Grace, what is this ?" she cried earnestly; "we are only jesting. I shall never forgive myself for having wounded your feelings." "Why, Grace!" said Maude. "Grace, what an ill-natured, wicked creature you must think me, if you believe what I said was more than sport; nay, 'twas but mirth, a heart light-almost too light, made me say what I shall always repent having said, for it has made thee suffer pain." "It is past. I beg your pardon; I am very simple -I did think you were serious; but now I find it was a joke, I can smile, you shall see, as merrily as you;" and, as Grace uttered this, she lifted up her shining eyes, still glittering with tears, and smiled in such a sweet manner that Marian, to hide the emotion it occasioned, embraced her warmly. After she had recovered somewhat, she turned to Robin and said, with a pouting lip but smiling eyes "You have been the cause of this scene, Robin; it is all your fault, and you shall pay a penalty for it." "With all my heart!" he cried gaily, "name it!" “Why, sir, that is to kiss Grace at once, as a reparation for your crime." "I shall obey you, Marian, with alacrity; nor would I care how often I repeated the offence, if such were always to be the penalty." "What would Hal say if he were here?" said Grace, blushing a deep crimson, as soon as her lips were disengaged from Robin's. "Why," said Hal, coming up at the moment, "that if he was not exactly pleased with your lips he had better try your cheeks, your forehead, or eyes; and if he is not pleased with them, why, I should say he was unmistakeably the most fastidious being in existence." "I confess to being very much pleased with the lips," said Robin, jocularly. "Without doubt, said Marian, 'so no more trips to Nottingham without me." Hal, with some surprise, inquired the cause, and Maude told him in such a merry manner, that he laughed till he cried again. "Ah, well!" he exclaimed, when he had recovered his breath, addressing himself to Marian, “I think you may rest happy on that point; I am sure you have no cause to fear, and I am sure I have not." "I don't question your happy certainty," said Marian, with a smile, but I must honestly confess that, were I a man, and much in my pretty Grace's company, I should doubt considerably whether the temptation were not very much stronger than my strength of mind to resist its fascination." "Not if you had another to love such as thee!" exclaimed Robin, fondly. "I think so, too," said Maude, looking about for Will, who, being at a short distance, the moment he saw her turn her head towards him, ran hastily up to her. "And so do I," said Hal, kissing his wife affectionately. "Well then," continued Marian, extending her hand to Robin, which he seized and pressed to his lips, “I do not think we can do better than each keep to our own.' This was a point on which they agreed unanimously, and then they went and mixed in the sports which others were pursuing, with glad hearts and nimble limbs. A year passed away-a year of joy it was to them, for it passed and brought no alloy with it, and much, very much pleasure had it brought; it had been crowned too by the birth of three children, Allan being blessed with a girl, while Robin and Will Scarlet became fathers to two fine boys. They had a rare bout of feasting to celebrate the happy event, and Marian, who with Maude had been removed to beneath the roof of her brother, gave Robin no cause to fear by being better than could be expected. His visits to Allan-a-Dale were as frequent as it was thought prudent they should be, and he was usually dismissed, after kissing the child, with some cheerful intelligence respecting his beloved wife. In these visits Will Scarlet invariably accompanied him, and as they journeyed home to the haunt, his spirits scarce knew bounds; he leaped and danced about with joy, to know that Maude was well and his little counterpart was better. One day, after returning from one of these visits, he assembled the whole of his men in one of the broad glades; it was necessary; there had been many additions since he and many of his men had wedded; the laws of the forest, which he had established, had been evaded by some of the new comers, upon the plea of ignorance; they had been pardoned upon their plea, and to do them justice, had rarely again infringed, excepting in cases where their passions led them astray, and from their ignorance of an existing law to prevent it. To obviate this, he called them all together and recapitulated to them every law, the reason of its being framed, its adoption, the necessity for its observance, and the punishment of breaking it. He wound up by saying "Our force now exceeds any power which may be brought against us with an endeavour to oust us from our leafy home; our wealth is such that we are enabled to do much to withdraw from us the odium of the name of outlaws, by such gentle conduct as may shame those who dwell in the protection of the law, and are in the enjoyment of all the luxuries which wealth can afford. To do this, we must, under to act otherwise, we should only be following the all circumstances, abstain from unnecessary violence; base practices of the vile Normans, oppressing those give to the poor whenever it lies in our power; upon { already too much oppressed. Honest yeomen, too, all occasions refrain from injuring ploughmen, hus-fulfilling their duties, molest not. All Saxons are free, gentle and simple; and even our courtesy may be extended to such Norman knights, who not being of No. 25. AUTHOR'S LARGE EDITION. |