Wilmington daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1872-1874, 1874-07-25

almost none OF the convenienceS that we enjoy.
believe that they had no forks even; and
were obliged to take thier food in thier fingers.
Olny think of II.
said like 10 believe Tie stories about Rob-
In Hood: Lat US try to believe them for
little while. will tell you what he is said to
, have done, Just as if really believed that he
One Of the best ballads Is called "a I.ytell
Geste of Robyu Hode. !" for they did not know
how to spell In those days as we do now, and
often took good deal more trouble than WAS
necessary. 1t seems to me great deal easier
to spell little" in our way. The "Lyteli
Geste" Is divided into eight parts, that are,
queerly enough, called "Fyttes," and cannon
Inmagine why. However, the eight "fyttes"
tell most Of the story of kobin Hood, and they
are full of strange words. Among these are
''thorow" for thorough; "iapes" for jokes
"fotes" for feet; :'lough" for laughed; ;+seler-
err for one who had charge OF the cellar;
"pees" for peace; and "fet' for fetched. You
sec many of the old words are shorter than
ours, and some are, think. more expressive,
We must not stop too long looking at the
words. queer and interesting as they are; but
turn to The little of the story that we shall b,
able TO examine. In the frst "fytte" of the
"I.ytel Geste" we are introduced to some OF
chief OF these was called Little John.
When Robin Hood met any man who could
beat him .ie always invited him to join hi,
band He met stranger once on bridge
and was thrown by him into the water, after
pretty good beating with the .quarterstatf.
This stranger proved to be named John Little
He was very large man, and the outlaws
changed his name 10 Little John, as sort OF
a joke.
And so, ever after. as long as he lived.
Although he was proper and tall.
Yet, nevertheless. the truth to express,
Still Little John they did him call"
Will Scarlet was another very important mem
ber of the boni and he tco had beaten Rob-
In. George a-Green, the Pinder or Penner
THE pound keeper OF Wakefield Much. "A
seems to have married; and Friar Tuck are
the others of whom we hear tho most.
Allin-a- Dale and Arthars-Blsnd are two
others. The first Of these is introduced to us
IS in love with young damsel. who was
taken from him TO lie An old knights bride
and the ballad tells us chow ROBIN Hood.
plying the Young mans case, took her from
the old knight, when they were going 10 be
married. and restored her to her own love
again."
young Allin frisked through the forest,
chanting a roundelay. The next day when
his hopes we're blightel by the old knight,
| he was seen to ''come dropping along tho
way"
"The scarlet he wore the day before
1t was clean cast away;
AnS Sass at sy'sy and i'sF " tts9f !sA'
Robin Hood had compssslon on poor, dis.
| tressed Allin-as who would not ?-and
stopped the wedding OF the old knight, CIV
| ing his bride to her lover, whom she want.
| ed TO marry. Allin Joined Robins band ont
| OF gratitude for this.
| Artbur-a.Bland wa, a very different msn
He was tanner OF Nottingham, aud he
| tanned" Robins hide, as the ballad says,
after a we'll fought contest. He proved to be
q relative of Little John, and said:
Tell me, Q tell me, where is Little John
| Of him tain would here;
For we are allied by the msthers' side
And he is my kinsman dear"
| do not know the names of the msm bers
OF the band. There were a hundred or =
| hundred and fifty OF them, and their greatest
| delight appears to have been to live tree
life in The woods. to take money away from
the rich and give 1t to the poor, Il call that
robbery, and to fight aud make trials OF
| strength. They were wonderful srchers
and l suppose could split very narrow
wand stuck in the ground at a very great
distance. 1t was long time before guns
and gunpowder were used.
Ii does not appear very strange TO me that
common Eoglish people like io sing about Robin
Hood. There is something very charming in
The thought OF living in The greenwood, with a
roof OF leaves and carpet of moss. We are apt
to think little Of the rain that drips through such
a roof oftentinies, and Of the bugs that always
burrow in such carpet.
But, besides the charm Of an out-ofdoor life,
the people thought of Robin Hood "a their
J champion. lie fought foreigner, and the peo.
pie of almost any country like a strong man who
stands up for them sgainAt people OF other lands
believe this was really the great reason why
the stories Of Robin Hood became so very popu
lar. Perhaps there was once man who WAS
much loved who had some OF bis traits. Sup
l bo hal liya1 in fha ~ ma of Richard Coln 10
: de Lion. aud had been written about, or talked
about, or made the subject Of songs, l think
that every new writer, or talker, or singer, would
have tried to make him appear little more
tbrave, little more skillul as a shooter, little
more patriotic than he Ind been. and you eau
see his character would thus have grown TO bs
very different from what it iirst was.
If there had been Robin Hood he would
not be the Robin Hood that we should See after
!, ell the writers, takers, and singers had labor
ed over him. He would appear to us sort o
ideal man, composed of iucongruous traits 0
character-a hero.
| Much as like to think Of Robit Hood as
/ real man, am forced 10 believe that something
like what have described has been done to h
history, and that what We see Is the portrait o
hero of the English imagination.
Ever since-I cannot tell when-certain
, games aud festivals have been celebrated in En-
: gland in honor oil Robin Hood. Generally theJ
: occur on Mayday; and the people dance around
Maypoles, eayly dressed. calling themselves th,
/ Abbott of Unreason-thAt is ,Friar Tuck Robir
D Hood. Little John, and Maid Marian Besides
{ that they fight and shoQs-uot in saraest now
as they used to do in old times.
Perhaps some of you have read of king
Arthur and his wonderful Knights ofthe Rounl
Table Mr.. Tennyson has written great dea
about them. They are said to have flourishe,
!. six or eight hundred years before the time O
: poh;n Hood and vet think there ia n wonder