Of thy goodnesse and thy grace,
For my men and me!'

413.
'Yes, for God,' sayd Robyn,
'And also God me save,
I aske mercy, my lorde the kynge,
And for my men I crave.'

414.
'Yes, for God,' than sayd our kynge,
'And therto sent I me,
With that thou leve the grene-wode
And all thy company;

415.
'And come home, syr, to my courte,
And there dwell with me.'
'I make myn avowe to God,' sayd Robyn,
'And ryght so shall it be.

416.
'I wyll come to your courte,
Your servyse for to se,
And brynge with me of my men
Seven score and thre.

417.
'But me lyke well your servyse,
I wyll come agayne full soone,
And shote at the donne dere,
As I am wonte to done.'

[Annotations:
354.4: 'and yf' = if.
357.3: Plumpton Park is said by Camden in his Britannia to be in
Cumberland, east of Inglewood.
358.3: 'unneth,' scarcely.
364.2: 'The ball in the hood' is a very early colloquialism for
the head.
366.2: 'halke,' hiding-place.
366.4: 'welt,' disposed of.
367.1: 'fostere,' forester.
371.1: 'dyght,' dressed.
372.1: 'cote' = cowl; here, however, not the hood, but the frock
of a monk.
373.4: 'covent' = convent (as in 'Covent Garden'), company of monks.
374.1: 'male-hors,' pack-horse; 'somers,' sumpter-horses.
374.4: 'lynde,' trees.
382.3: 'Halfendell' = halfen deal (which survives in Somerset
dialect), the half portion: _deal_, as in 'a great deal' = dole,
or that which is dealt.
385.1: 'brode targe,' broad charter. Cf. a 'braid letter.'
388.4: 'dyghtande' (intended for a past participle), made ready.
389.4: 'on a row': cf. 306.4.
391.2: 'pyne,' passion.
394.3: 'ylke,' same.
395.2: 'Or' = ere.
395.4: 'lende,' dwell.
397.4: 'merkes,' distances between the 'yerdes' or rods.
398.4: _i.e._ his arrow he shall lose.
408.2: 'yede,' went.
410.2: 'Wystly,' observantly, closely.
414.2: 'sent' = assent.
414.3: 'With that,' provided that, on condition that.
417.1: 'But,' unless.
417.3: 'donne,' dun.]

THE EIGHTH FYTTE (418-456)

+Argument.+--For a jest, the king disguises himself and his men once
more, this time in Lincoln green, which he purchases off Robin Hood.
The whole party proceeds to Nottingham, where the appearance of so many
green mantles causes a general flight of the inhabitants. The kin