Collection of ballads, songsheets. 2 vols. London: J. Pitts, 1805-1840? University of Minnesota Libraries. WILSON Rare Books Quarto 820.1 Z. Vol. 1.

Bold Robin Hood.

BOLD Robin Hood ranged the forest all round,
   The forest all round rang'd he,
And there did he meet with a gay lady,
   Come weeping along the highway.

Oh why do you weep my gay lady?
   <W>hy do <you> weep for gold or for fee?
Oh why do you weep for anything else,
   That was taken from any body.

I do not weep for gold<,> she said,
   Nor do I weep for any fee,
Nor do I weep for any thing else<,>
   That was stolen from any body.

Then why do you weep? said <j>olly Robin<,>
   I pray thee come tell u<n>to me,
Why do I weep ? for my three sons<,>
   For they're all comdemned to die.

What church have they robb'd said jolly Robin,
   Or what parish priest have they slain.
<W>hat maid have they forc'd against her own will
   Or with other men's wives have they lain.

No church have they robb'd the lady replied<,>
   Nor no parish priest have they slain,
<N>o maid they have forc'd against her own will<,>
   Nor with other's men's wives have they lain.

Then what have they done said jolly Robin<,>
   I pray thee come tell unto me<.>
They have kill'd sixteen of the King's grenadiers
   And they're all condemned to die.

O go your ways home said kolly Robin<,>
   Go your ways home said he,
And I will go to fair Nottingham town
   For the sake of the squires all three.

Then Robin Hood went to fair Nottingham<,>
   To fair Nottingham <went> he,
And there did he meet with an old beggar man,
   Come weeping all on the highway.

What news what news my old beggar man<,>
   <W>hat news hast thou brought unto me,
There's weeping and wailing in fair Nottingham<,>
   For the sake of the squires all three.

This old beggar man had a coat on his back,
   That was patched both yellow and red,
And Robin Hood thought it would be no disgrace
   To dress in the beggar man's dress.

Robin Hood went to fair Nottingham<,>
   To fair Nottingham town went he,
And there did he meet with the master sheriff<,>
   Likewise the squire<s> all three<.>

One boon one boon said jolly Robin,
   One boon I beg on my knee,
That is for the three squire's sake
   Their hangman I might be.

Soon granted soon granted says the master sheriff<,>
   Soon granted unto thee,
And you shall have all their gay cloathing
   And all their white money<.>

I'll have none of your gay cloathing
   Or none of their white money,
But I'll have three blasts of my bugle horn
   As their souls into heaven may fly.

Then Robin Hood mo<u>nted the gallows so high<,>
   He blew both loud and shrill<,>
Ten hundred and ten of bold Robin Hood's men
   Came tripping all down the green hill.

<W>hose men are all these said the master sheriff<,>
   I pray thee come tell unto thee,
<W>hy they'<re> all mine and none of them thine,
   For they're come for the squire<s> all three.

Go take them go take them says the master sheriff<,>
   Go take <them> along with thee,
There's never a man in fair Nottingham town,
   Shall borrow three more of me.

Pitts, printer, Marble and Toy <W>arehouse 6, Great St. Andrew Street, 7 Dials.


Basic transcription by Kirstin Culler. Pointed brackets mark emendations.
Similar to "Robin Hood Rescuing Three Squires," reprinted by F. J. Child (no. 140) from Robin Hood's Garland (London, n.d.). See also "Bold Robin Hood and the Three Squires" (Digital Tradition).

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Michael Hancher
Department of English, University of Minnesota
URL: <http://umn.edu/home/mh/bold.html>
Comments to: mh@umn.edu
Created 15 May 1997
Revised 28 June 1997