Evening star., 1925-06-02
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES Z. TRACEWELL.

Then Robin took them both by the hands.
:, AND dancd round about the oke tree.
FOR tnree merry men. and three merry men,
ana three merry men we be.
Never comes Spring but what the
minds of English-speaking men turn
backward to Robin Hood and his
| merry men Of Sherwood forest.
whether Robin was a real outlaw,
or merely tradition, whether he was
reDei yeoman in Lancaster's rebel
lion under Edward II, or in reality
one with the Teutonic god Wooden, he
holds perennial fascination for all
| who speak his language.
we are the better for believing that
such man as Robin Hood actually
existed; that all the deeds attributed
to him were performed; that he was
brave, courageous, manly, ready to
| fght and ready to forgive; that he
| took money only from the rich and
gave it to the poor.
Robin was not exactly a parlor
character. it is true, but neither was
the England of his day-approxi
mately ll60 to 1247. the traditional
| dates-the England of today, nor its
people the same as we find in Great
/ Britain, or in the United States now
Those were formative years, back
there In the old, old days, when the
! Norman invaders had been assimiIated
by the outnumbering Saxons, and the
very language, though the Franks
contributed a good percentage of
| words took on its characteristic
| Anglo-Saxon features for good
| Robin Hood summed up the vir-
! tues and vices Of the age. IF ever
man was popular in his country. 1t
| was he,' says II. A. Taine, in his
/ History of English Literature" >"
quoting an old historian as follows:
1t Is he whom the common people
! love so dearly to celebrate in games
and comedies, and whose history,
sung by fiddlers. interests them more
than any other"
| Taine gives the following interest.
ing anecdote. which must be read
| with the full realization that those
times were not these times:
| In the sixteenth century he still
had his commemoration day, oh.
served by all the people in the small
towns and in the country. Bishop
Latimer. making his pastoral tour,
| announced one day that he would
preach In certain place.
| AT last a man came and said to
him, 'Syr. thys VS. a busye day with
us; we cannot heare you: 1t US Robyn
Hoodes Daye. The parishe are gone
| dpt Oue W Edtner TOT fLODNn IIOOQe.
Il was fayne there to geve place
! to Robyn Hoode,'' said the bishop
Continuing, Taine says: The bishop
was obliged to divest himself of his
ecclesiastical garments and proceed
on his journey, leaving his place to
archers dressed in green, who PLAYED
| on rustic stage the parts of Robin
| Hood. Little John and their band"
He was the national hero. Taine
continues. Saxon, in the first place,
and waging var against the men of
| law whose sway was so
heavy; generous, moreover. giving TO
a poor ruined knight clothes, horse
and money; compassionate. too, and
kind to the poor. enjoining his men
not to injure yeomen and laborers;
but above all rash, bold, proud, who
would go and draw his bow before the
| sherif's eyes and to his face: ready
with blows, whether to give or take;
and all this joyously, jovial.
ly, like an honest fellow who eats
well, has a hard skin. lives in the
open air. and revels in animal life."
In Somer when the shawes be sheyne,
| And leves be large and long.
Hit is fullc merry in feyre foreste
| To here the foulys song.
X
This old popular poetry is not the
praise of a single bandit, but of an
entire class, the yeomanry," says our
historian. God haffe mersey on