from the scheming abbot of St. Mary’s York, Sir Rich-
ard returns home to gather the money to repay Robin.
He sets off a year later for Barnsdale in Yorkshire, but is
delayed when he stops to rescue a yeoman at a wres-
tling match. While Robin is impatiently waiting for the
knight to arrive, members of his band, Little John and
Much, waylay a monk from the abbey that tried to steal
the knight’s lands and take him to Robin. After failing
to tell the truth about how much money he is carrying,
the monk is robbed of 800 pounds, twice the amount
owed to Robin, who believes that the Virgin has repaid
the debt twice over. When the knight fi nally arrives,
Robin refuses the knight’s payment and gives him half
of the money taken from the monk. While the exact
source has not been found, a miracle story about the
Virgin Mary aiding a knight likely infl uenced this
adventure, which is cleverly interlaced among three of
the eight fyttes.
In the second episode, Little John, disguised as
Reynold Greenleaf, takes service with the sheriff, and,
together with the sheriff’s cook, robs the sheriff of 300
pounds while he is hunting. Upon meeting the sheriff
in the forest, Little John entices him into a trap by
promising him a stag and a herd of deer. After being
captured, the sheriff swears an oath that he will not
harm Robin or his men if they release him, but later he
attacks them following an archery tournament in Not-
tingham, and Little John is wounded. They escape to
Sir Richard’s castle, where they are offered sanctuary.
Sir Richard is subsequently captured by the sheriff
while he is out hawking; his wife pleads for Robin’s
help. Robin goes into town, shoots the sheriff with an
arrow, and frees the knight. Since the fi rst half of this
section focuses on Little John, some scholars suggest
that it was derived from a separate cycle of Little John
tales, now lost.
In the third episode, the king, upon hearing of Rob-
in’s outlawry, goes to Nottingham to capture him and
Sir Richard, but he searches in vain for six months.
Upon the advice of a forester, he disguises himself as
an abbot and is soon captured by Robin, who robs him
of 40 pounds. When the disguised monarch shows
Robin the king’s seal, Robin exclaims that he loves no
man in all the world as well as his king. After feasting
together, Robin loses an archery game and receives a
buffet or blow from the king, whom Robin fi nally rec-
ognizes and begs for a pardon. The king agrees on the
condition that Robin and his men will enter his service
and give up their outlawry. Robin serves the king for
15 months at court; then, on the pretext of visiting his
chapel in Barnsdale, he returns to Yorkshire, where he
spends the rest of his life until he is treacherously mur-
dered by the prioress of Kirklees abbey. This section
was likely adapted from a popular cycle of tales known
as the “King and the Subject,” in which the monarch
tours his domain in disguise in order to fi nd out what
the commoners think of him.
A Gest of Robyn Hode marks a crucial stage in the
social and economic transformation of late 15th-cen-
tury England, when the urban yeomanry began to
eclipse the lesser aristocracy in power, prestige, and
wealth. As the designated hero of this emerging social
class, Robin Hood proves his superiority to the knightly
class, as represented by Sir Richard, by lending him
the money to redeem his property; he also exposes and
punishes the corrupt abbot and scheming sheriff.
See also “BIRTH OF ROBIN HOOD, THE”; ROBIN HOOD
BALLADS; “ROBIN HOOD’S DEATH AND BURIAL.”
FURTHER READING
Knight, Stephen, and Thomas Ohlgren, eds. Robin Hood and
Other Outlaw Tales. Kalamazoo, Mich.: Medieval Institute
Publications, 1997.
Ohlgren Thomas H., ed. Medieval Outlaws: Twelve Tales in
Modern English Translation. Revised and Expanded Edition.
West Lafayette, Ind.: Parlor Press, 2005.
Thomas H. Ohlgren“GET UP AND BAR THE DOOR” ANONY-
MOUS (16th century) This traditional, humorous
Scottish folk BALLAD is known throughout Europe and
Asia and has many variations, both in verse and prose
form. At Martinmas time (November 11, the feast of St.
Martin), a housewife is boiling puddings (sausages) at
night. A cold wind is blowing under the door, and the
husband asks his wife to close the door. Since she is
busy, she says no, and they strike up a bargain: Who-
ever is fi rst to speak the next word must get up and bar
the door. At midnight, two gentlemen (in other varia-
tions they are “thieves” or “strangers”) ask whether the“GET UP AND BAR THE DOOR” 209