Maid Marian Page 13

  CHAPTER XIII

  What can a young lassie, what shall a young lassie, What can a young lassie do wi'an auld man? --BURNS.

  "Here is but five shillings and a ring," said Little John, "and theyoung man has spoken true."

  "Then," said Robin to the stranger, "if want of money be the causeof your melancholy, speak. Little John is my treasurer, and he shalldisburse to you."

  "It is, and it is not," said the stranger; "it is, because, had I notwanted money I had never lost my love; it is not, because, now that Ihave lost her, money would come too late to regain her."

  "In what way have you lost her?" said Robin: "let us clearly know thatshe is past regaining, before we give up our wishes to restore her toyou."

  "She is to be married this day," said the stranger, "and perhaps ismarried by this, to a rich old knight; and yesterday I knew it not."

  "What is your name?" said Robin.

  "Allen," said the stranger.

  "And where is the marriage to take place, Allen?" said Robin.

  "At Edwinstow church," said Allen, "by the bishop of Nottingham."

  "I know that bishop," said Robin; "he dined with me a month since, andpaid three hundred pounds for his dinner. He has a good ear and lovesmusic. The friar sang to him to some tune. Give me my harper's cloak,and I will play a part at this wedding.

  "These are dangerous times, Robin," said Marian, "for playing pranks outof the forest."

  "Fear not," said Robin; "Edwinstow lies not Nottingham-ward, and I willtake my precautions."

  Robin put on his harper's cloak, while Little John painted his eyebrowsand cheeks, tipped his nose with red, and tied him on a comely beard.Marian confessed, that had she not been present at the metamorphosis,she should not have known her own true Robin. Robin took his harp andwent to the wedding.

  Robin found the bishop and his train in the church porch, impatientlyexpecting the arrival of the bride and bridegroom. The clerk wasobserving to the bishop that the knight was somewhat gouty, and thatthe necessity of walking the last quarter of a mile from the road to thechurchyard probably detained the lively bridegroom rather longer thanhad been calculated upon.

  "Oh! by my fey," said the music-loving bishop, "here comes a harper inthe nick of time, and now I care not how long they tarry. Ho! honestfriend, are you come to play at the wedding?"

  "I am come to play anywhere," answered Robin, "where I can get a cup ofsack; for which I will sing the praise of the donor in lofty verse, andemblazon him with any virtue which he may wish to have the credit ofpossessing, without the trouble of practising.

  "A most courtly harper," said the bishop; "I will fill thee with sack; Iwill make thee a walking butt of sack, if thou wilt delight my ears withthy melodies."

  "That will I," said Robin; "in what branch of my art shall I exert myfaculty? I am passing well in all, from the anthem to the glee, and fromthe dirge to the coranto."

  "It would be idle," said the bishop, "to give thee sack for playing meanthems, seeing that I myself do receive sack for hearing them sung.Therefore, as the occasion is festive, thou shalt play me a coranto."

  Robin struck up and played away merrily, the bishop all the while ingreat delight, noddling his head, and beating time with his foot, tillthe bride and bridegroom appeared. The bridegroom was richly apparelled,and came slowly and painfully forward, hobbling and leering, and pursingup his mouth into a smile of resolute defiance to the gout, and oftender complacency towards his lady love, who, shining like gold at theold knight's expense, followed slowly between her father and mother,her cheeks pale, her head drooping, her steps faltering, and her eyesreddened with tears.

  Robin stopped his minstrelsy, and said to the bishop, "This seems to mean unfit match."

  "What do you say, rascal?" said the old knight, hobbling up to him.

  "I say," said Robin, "this seems to me an unfit match. What, in thedevil's name, can you want with a young wife, who have one foot inflannels and the other in the grave?"

  "What is that to thee, sirrah varlet?" said the old knight; "stand awayfrom the porch, or I will fracture thy sconce with my cane."

  "I will not stand away from the porch," said Robin, "unless the bridebid me, and tell me that you are her own true love."

  "Speak," said the bride's father, in a severe tone, and with a look ofsignificant menace. The girl looked alternately at her father and Robin.She attempted to speak, but her voice failed in the effort, and sheburst into tears.

  "Here is lawful cause and just impediment," said Robin, "and I forbidthe banns."

  "Who are you, villain?" said the old knight, stamping his sound footwith rage.

  "I am the Roman law," said Robin, "which says that there shall not bemore than ten years between a man and his wife; and here are five timesten: and so says the law of nature."

  "Honest harper," said the bishop, "you are somewhat over-officious here,and less courtly than I deemed you. If you love sack, forbear; for thiscourse will never bring you a drop. As to your Roman law, and your lawof nature, what right have they to say any thing which the law of HolyWrit says not?"

  "The law of Holy Writ does say it," said Robin; "I expound it so to say;and I will produce sixty commentators to establish my exposition."

  And so saying, he produced a horn from beneath his cloak, and blew threeblasts, and threescore bowmen in green came leaping from the bushes andtrees; and young Allen was the first among them to give Robin his sword,while Friar Tuck and Little John marched up to the altar. Robin strippedthe bishop and clerk of their robes, and put them on the friar andLittle John; and Allen advanced to take the hand of the bride. Hercheeks grew red and her eyes grew bright, as she locked her hand in herlover's, and tripped lightly with him into the church.

  "This marriage will not stand," said the bishop, "for they have not beenthrice asked in church."

  "We will ask them seven times," said Little John, "lest three should notsuffice."

  "And in the meantime," said Robin, "the knight and the bishop shalldance to my harping."

  So Robin sat in the church porch and played away merrily, while hisforesters formed a ring, in the centre of which the knight and bishopdanced with exemplary alacrity; and if they relaxed their exertions,Scarlet gently touched them up with the point of an arrow.

  The knight grimaced ruefully, and begged Robin to think of his gout.

  "So I do," said Robin; "this is the true antipodagron: you shall dancethe gout away, and be thankful to me while you live. I told you," headded to the bishop, "I would play at this wedding; but you did not tellme that you would dance at it. The next couple you marry, think of theRoman law."

  The bishop was too much out of breath to reply; and now the young coupleissued from church, and the bride having made a farewell obeisance toher parents, they departed together with the foresters, the parentsstorming, the attendants laughing, the bishop puffing and blowing, andthe knight rubbing his gouty foot, and uttering doleful lamentations forthe gold and jewels with which he had so unwittingly adorned and coweredthe bride.