Maid Marian

riff, what's yo

nry

ole: she had obtained this indulgence by means of an obsolete habit of always telling the truth and keeping her word, which our enlightened age has discarded with other

s knowledge, fearing that they might cause the interruption of her greenwood liberty; and it was only during her absence at Gamwell feast, that the butler, being thr

castle wall, he perceived a large party of armed men on the other side of the moat, who were calling on the warder in the king's name to lower the drawbridge and raise the portcullis, which had both been

e devil's name?"

Ralph Montfaucon, knight, is sore wounded in the arm; and we are charged to apprehend William Gamwell the younger, of Gamwell Hall, and fath

ingham? You are a set of vagabond rascals in disguise; and I hear, by the bye, there is a gang of thieves that has just set up business in Sherwood Forest: a pretty presence, i

e heed how you resist lawful auth

villains, you shall be more grievously bruised by me than ever was the sheriff b

gations, said that doubtless brother Michael had heinously offended; but it was not for the civil law to take cognizance of the misdoings of a holy friar; that he would summon a chapter of monks, and pass on the offender a sentence proportionate to his offence. The ministers of civil justice said that would not do. The abbot said it would do and should; and bade them not provoke the meekness of his catholic charity to lay them under the curse of R

e grievous bruising of the sheriff of Nottingham. Matilda told him the whole history of Gamwell feast, and of their battl

ow, Mawd, you must not go about so any more, sweet Mawd: you must stay at home, you must ensconce; for there is your tame sheriff on the one hand, that will take you perforce; and there is your wild forester on the other hand, that will take you without any force at all, Mawd: your wild forester, Robin, cousin Robin, Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest, that beats and binds bishops, spreads nets for archbishops, and hunts a fat abbot as if he were a buck: excellent game, no doubt, but you must

e condition of keeping me at home: I

tch and ward, Mawd, watch and ward is my word: if yo

an hour; but the friar made his appearance

ing, and ea

o forth

a skull and the

a ghostl

friar, fighting friar, hacking friar, thwacking friar; cracking, crackin

strong baron, mighty baron, flighty baron, mazed baron, crazed baron, hacked baron, thwacke

baron, "bully friar, by cal

pes untracked does more credit to his heels than his arms. I p

sword. If I had had the luck to meet with a fighting friar indeed, I might have been thwacked, and soundly

now, holy fathe

" said the friar, "wh

seek some h

one my bea

wight who t

for my gho

oll, lev

for my ghost

ter then, father

grievously beaten my dearly beloved brethren: I grieve thereat; but they enforced me thereto. I have beaten them much; I mowed them down to the right and to the left, and left them like an ill-reaped field of wheat, ear and straw pointing all ways, scattered in singleness and jum

tle softened; "and God send you be never

he friar, "to

again, father, I tr

is blown over,

ugh flooded Trent were between us, a

forehead, and walked