A a in Ritson's Robin Hood, 1795, II, 146, "compared with the York copy," that is, with two or three slight changes: Evans, Old Ballads, 1777, 1784, I, 211. B, the Scottish copy, is very likely only an imperfect remembrance of a broadside, but the date of the Manuscript, though this is perhaps not determinable, has been put as early as 1730.
Robin Hood, expecting the Bishop of Hereford to pass near Barnsdale, has a deer killed for his dinner. He dresses himself and six of his men in shepherd's attire, and when the Bishop approaches they make an ado to attract his attention. The Bishop interrogates them. Robin owns that they mean to make merry with the king's venison. The Bishop will show them no mercy; they must go before the king with him. Robin summons his band with his horn and it is the Bishop's turn to cry mercy. Robin will not let him off, but takes him to Barnsdale, and makes him great cheer. The Bishop foresees that there will be a heavy reckoning. Little John searches the Bishop's portmanteau, and takes out three hundred pound; enough, he says, to make him in charity with the churchman. They make the Bishop dance in his boots, A, or sing a mass, B, and he is glad to get off so lightly.
The Bishop of Hereford appears in the next ballad, Robin Hood and Queen Katherine. He there tells us that Robin had made him sing a mass out of hours, and had borrowed money of him against his will.
The conclusion of this ballad is to the same effect as that of the preceding, and was probably suggested by the Gest. No copy has been found, in print or writing, earlier than the last century; a fact of no special importance. Whenever written, if written it was, it is far superior to most of the seventeenth century broadsides. Mr. Chappell speaks of; it as being now (thirty years ago) the most popular of the Robin Hood set.
Translated by Talvj, Charakteristik, p. 493; Anastasius Grün, p. 151; Loève-Veimars, p. 204.
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