Sayes, Lye there, lye there, now fir Guye,

And with me be not wrothe;

Iff thou have had the worst strokes at my hand, 175 Thou shalt have the better clothe.

Robin did off his gowne of greene,
And on fir Guy did throwe,
And hee put on that capull hyde,
That cladd him topp to toe.

Thy bowe, thy arrowes, and litle horne,

Now with me I will beare;

For I will away to Barnèfdale,

180

I heare nowe tydings good,

For yonder I heare fir Guyes horne blow,

And he hath flaine Robin Hoode.

Yonder I heare fir Guyes horne blowe,

Itt blowes foe well in tyde,

And yonder comes that wightye yeoman,
Cladd in his capull hyde.

: 195

Come

Come hyther, come hyther, thou good fir Guy,
Afke what thou wilt of mee.

OI will none of thy gold, fayd Robin,

Nor I will none of thy fee:

But now I have flaine the master, he fayes,
Let me goe strike the knave;

For this is all the meede I aske;
None other rewarde I'le have.

Thou art a madman, fayd the sheriffe,

Thou sholdst have had a knightes fee:

But feeing thy asking hath beene foe bad,
Well granted it shal bee.

When Little John heard his master fpeake,
Well knewe he it was his steven:
Now fhall I be loofet, quoth Little John,
With Chrift his might in heaven.

Faft Robin hee hyed him to Little John,

He thought to loose him blive;

The sheriffe and all his companye

Faft after him can drive.

Stand abacke, stand abacke, fayd Robin;

Why draw you mee fo neere?

Itt was never the ufe in our countryè,

Ones fhrift another fhold heere.

200

205

210

215

220

But

But Robin pulled forth an Iryth knife,

And lofed John hand and foote,

And gave him fir Guyes bow into his hand,
And bade it be his boote.

Then John he took Guyes bow in his hand,
His boltes and arrowes eche one:

When the sheriffe faw Little John bend his bow,

He fettled him to be gone.

Towards his houfe in Nottingham towne,

He fled full fast away;

And foe did all the companye;

Not one behind wold stay.

But he cold neither runne foe fast,

Nor away foe faft cold ryde,

But Little John with an arrowe foe broad,

225

230

235

He fhott him into the '

backe'-fyde.

The title of SIR was not formerly peculiar to Knights, it was given to priests, and fometimes to very inferior perfonages.

IX.

IX.

AN ELEGY

ON HENRY FOURTH EARL OF NORTH

UMBERLAND.

The fubject of this poem, which was written by SKELTON, is the death of HENRY PERCY, fourth earl of Northumberland, who fell a victim to the avarice of Henry VII. In 1489 the parliament had granted the king a fubfidy for carrying on the war in Bretagne. This tax was found fo heavy in the North, that the whole country was in a flame. The E. of Northumberland, then lord lieutenant for Yorkshire, wrote to inform the king of the difcontent, and praying an abatement. But nothing is fo unrelenting as avarice : the king wrote back that not a penny should be abated. This message being delivered by the earl with too little caution, the populace rofe, and fuppofing him to be the promoter of their calamity, broke into his houfe, and murdered him with feveral of his attendants: who yet are charged by Skelton with being backward in their duty on this occafion. This melancholy event happened at the earl's feat at Cocklodge, near Thirske, in Yorkshire, April 28. 1489. See Lord Bacon, &c.

If the reader does not find much poetical merit in this old poem (which yet is one of Skelton's beft), he will fee a ftriking picture of the state and magnificence kept up by our

ancient

ancient nobility during the feudal times. This great earl is defcribed here as having among his menial fervants, KNIGHTS, SQUIRES, and even BARONS: See v. 32. 183. &c. Which however different from modern manners, was formerly not unufual with our greater Barons, whofe caftles had all the splendour and offices of a royal court, before the Laws against Retainers abridged and limited the number of

their attendants.

JOHN SKELTON, who commonly ftyled himself Poet Laureat, died June 21. 1529. The following poem, which appears to have been written foon after the event, is printed from an ancient MS. copy preserved in the British Museum, being much more correct than that printed among SKELTON's Poems in bl. let. 12mo. 1568.-It is addreffed to Henry Percy fifth earl of Northumberland, and is prefacea, &c. in the following manner :

Poeta Skelton Laureatus libellum fuum metrice

alloquitur.

Ad dominum properato meum mea pagina Percy,
Qui Northumbrorum jura paterna gerit.
Ad nutum celebris tu prona repone leonis,
Quæque fuo patri tristia jufta cano.
Aft ubi perlegit, dubiam fub mente volutet
Fortunam, cuncta quæ male fida rotat.
Qui leo fit felix, & Neftoris occupet annos ;
Ad libitum cujus ipfe paratus ero.

SKELTON LAUREAT UPON THE DOLORUS DETHE AND
MUCH LAMENTABLE CHAUNCE OF THE MOOST
HONORABLE ERLE OF NORTHUMBERLANDE.

Wayle, I wepe, I fobbe, I figh ful fore

The dedely fate, the dolefulle deftenny Of him that is gone, alas! withoute restore,

Of