erted commas as part of Robin's relation of his dream.
Percy's emendation was:

'The woodweete sang, and wold not cese,
Sitting upon the spraye,
Soe lowde, he wakend Robin Hood
In the greenwood where he lay.

Now by my faye, said jollye Robin,
A sweaven[1] I had this night;
I dreamt me of tow mighty yemen
That fast with me can fight.'

+The Story.+--Whether verses have been lost or not, the story has become
confused, as there is nothing to show how Robin knows that the Sheriff
of Nottingham holds Little John captive; yet he makes careful
preparations to pass himself off as Sir Guy, in order to set John free.

There has come down to us a fragment of a play of Robin Hood and the
Sheriff.[2] In this dramatic fragment, an unnamed knight is promised a
reward by the sheriff if he takes Robin Hood. The knight and Robin shoot
and wrestle and fight; Robin wins, cuts off the knight's head, puts on
his clothes, and takes the head away with him. A second scene shows how
the sheriff takes prisoner the other outlaws, amongst whom is Friar
Tuck; but the allocation of the parts in the dialogue is mostly
conjectural.

[Footnote 1: _sweaven_, dream.]

[Footnote 2: See Introduction, p. xxii.]

ROBIN HOOD AND GUY OF GISBORNE

1.
When shaws been sheen, and shradds full fair,
And leaves both large and long,
It is merry, walking in the fair forest,
To hear the small bird's song.

2.
The woodweel sang, and would not cease,
Amongst the leaves o' lyne,
And it is by two wight yeomen,
By dear God, that I mean.

*** *** ***

3.
'Methought they did me beat and bind,
And took my bow me fro;
If I be Robin alive in this land,
I'll be wroken on both them two.'

4.
'Swevens are swift, master,' quoth John,
'As the wind that blows o'er a hill;
For if it be never so loud this night,
Tomorrow it may be still.'

5.
'Busk ye, bown ye, my merry men all,
For John shall go with me;
For I'll go seek yond wight yeomen
In greenwood where they be.'

6.
They cast on their gown of green,
A shooting gone are they,
Until they came to the merry greenwood,
Where they had gladdest be;
There were they 'ware of a wight yeoman,
His body leaned to a tree.

7.
A sword and a dagger he wore by his side,
Had been many a man's bane,
And he was clad in his capul-hide,
Top and tail and mane.

8.