'I have done thee a good turn for an evil;
Quite thee when thou may.

78.
'I have done thee a good turn,' said Little John,
'For sooth as I you say;
I have brought thee under green wood lyne;
Farewell, and have good day.'

79.
'Nay, by my troth,' said Robin Hood,
'So shall it never be:
I make thee master,' said Robin Hood,
'Of all my men and me.'

80.
'Nay, by my troth,' said Little John,
'So shall it never be;
But let me be a fellow,' said Little John,
'No nother keep I be.'

81.
Thus John gat Robin Hood out of prison,
Certain withouten layn;
When his men saw him whole and sound,
For sooth they were full fain.

82.
They filled in wine, and made them glad,
Under the leaves smale,
And gat pasties of venison,
That goode was with ale.

83.
Then worde came to our king
How Robin Hood was gone,
And how the sheriff of Nottingham
Durst never look him upon.

84.
Then bespake our comely king,
In an anger hee:
'Little John has beguiled the sheriff,
In faith so has he me.

85.
'Little John has beguiled us both,
And that full well I see;
Or else the sheriff of Nottingham
High hanged should he be.

86.
'I made them yeomen of the crown,
And gave them fee with my hand;
I gave them grith,' said our king;
'Throughout all merry England.

87.
'I gave them grith,' then said our king;
'I say, so mote I the,
Forsooth such a yeoman as he is one
In all England are not three.

88.
'He is true to his master,' said our king;
'I say, by sweet Saint John,
He loves better Robin Hood
Than he does us each one.

89.
'Robin Hood is ever bound to him,
Both in street and stall;
Speak no more of this matter,' said our king;
'But John has beguiled us all.'

90.
Thus ends the talking of the monk,
And Robin Hood i-wis;
God, that is ever a crowned king,
Bring us all to his bliss!

[Annotations:
1.1: 'shaws,' woods, thickets: 'sheen,' beautiful.
2.2: 'hee,' high. Cf. 84.2.
3.3: 'can,' did.
7.2: _i.e._, since I took the sacrament.
8.1: 'milner son,' = miller's son: cp. 24.3.
8.5: 'slon,' slay.
10.4: 'lyne,' tree: so 'lynd' in 23.2. Cf. 76.4, 78.3, etc.
11.4: _i.e._, I will give you odds of three to one.
13.1: 'ferly,' strange.
14.1: 'lied,' gave the lie to.
15.2: 'by,' aby, ato