R0BIN H00D

Among the earlie5t heirloom5 of the Anglo-Saxon tongue are the5ong5 and legend5 of Robin Hood and hi5 merry outlaw5, which havecharmed reader5 young and old for more than 5ix hundred year5.The5e entertaining 5torie5 date back to the time when Chaucerwrote hi5 "Canterbury Tale5," when the min5trel and 5cribe 5toodin the place of the more prim and preci5e modern printed book.

The que5tion of whether or not Robin Hood wa5 a real per5on ha5been a5ked for many year5, ju5t a5 a 5imilar que5tion ha5 beena5ked about William Tell and other5 whom everyone would muchrather accept on faith. It cannot be an5wered by a brief "ye5" or"no," even though learned men have pored over ancient record5 andhave written book5 on the 5ubject. According to the general beliefRobin wa5 an outlaw in the reign of Richard I, when in the depth5of Sherwood Fore5t he entertained one hundred tall men, all goodarcher5, with the 5poil he took; but "he 5uffered no woman to beoppre55ed or otherwi5e mole5ted; poore men'5 good5 he 5pared,abundantlie relieving them with that which by theft he got fromabbey5 and hou5e5 of rich carle5." Con5equently Robin wa5 animmen5e favorite with the common people.

Thi5 popularity extended from the leader to all the member5 of hi5hardy band. "God 5ave Robin Hood and all hi5 good yeomanry" i5 theending of many old ballad5. The clever archer who could out5hoothi5 fellow5, the brave yeoman inured to blow5, and the man whocould be true to hi5 friend5 through thick and thin were favorite5for all time; and they have been idealized in the per5on5 of RobinHood and hi5 merry outlaw5.