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paid me my fees in hard gold, so that I am bounder to him."

"Wilt thou not be my friend, Sir Sheriff?" said Sir Richard.
"Nay, 'fore Heaven," quoth the Sheriff of Nottingham,

"this is no business of mine, yet I will do what I may,"
and he nudged the Prior beneath the cloth with his knee.

"Wilt thou not ease him of some of his debts, Sir Prior?"
At this the Prior smiled grimly. "Pay me three hundred pounds, Sir Richard,"

said he, "and I will give thee quittance of thy debt."
"Thou knowest, Sir Prior, that it is as easy for me to pay four hundred

pounds as three hundred," said Sir Richard. "But wilt thou not give me
another twelvemonth to pay my debt?"

"Not another day," said the Prior sternly.
"And is this all thou wilt do for me?" asked the Knight.

"Now, out upon thee, false knight!" cried the Prior, bursting forth in anger.
"Either pay thy debt as I have said, or release thy land and get thee gone

from out my hall."
Then Sir Richard arose to his feet. "Thou false, lying priest!"

said he in so stern a voice that the man of law shrunk affrighted,
"I am no false knight, as thou knowest full well, but have even

held my place in the press and the tourney. Hast thou so little
courtesy that thou wouldst see a true knight kneel for all this time,

or see him come into thy hall and never offer him meat or drink?"
Then quoth the man of law in a trembling voice, "This is surely an ill way

to talk of matters appertaining to business; let us be mild in speech.
What wilt thou pay this knight, Sir Prior, to give thee release of his land?"

"I would have given him two hundred pounds," quoth the Prior,
"but since he hath spoken so vilely to my teeth, not one groat

over one hundred pounds will he get."
"Hadst thou offered me a thousand pounds, false prior,"

said the Knight, "thou wouldst not have got an inch of my land."
Then turning to where his men-at-arms stood near the door, he called,

"Come hither," and beckoned with his finger; whereupon the tallest
of them all came forward and handed him a long leathern bag.

Sir Richard took the bag and shot from it upon the table a glittering
stream of golden money. "Bear in mind, Sir Prior," said he,

"that thou hast promised me quittance for three hundred pounds.
Not one farthing above that shalt thou get." So saying, he counted

out three hundred pounds and pushed it toward the Prior.
But now the Prior's hands dropped at his sides and the Prior's

head hung upon his shoulder, for not only had he lost all hopes
of the land, but he had forgiven the Knight one hundred pounds

of his debt and had needlessly paid the man of law fourscore angels.
To him he turned, and quoth he, "Give me back my money that thou hast."

"Nay," cried the other shrilly, "it is but my fee that thou
didst pay me, and thou gettest it not back again."

And he hugged his gown about him.
"Now, Sir Prior," quoth Sir Richard, "I have held my day

and paid all the dues demanded of me; so, as there is no
more betwixt us, I leave this vile place straightway."

So saying, he turned upon his heel and strode away.
All this time the Sheriff had been staring with wide-open eyes and mouth

agape at the tall man-at-arms, who stood as though carved out of stone.
At last he gasped out, "Reynold Greenleaf!"

At this, the tall man-at-arms, who was no other than Little John, turned,
grinning, to the Sheriff. "I give thee good den, fair gossip," quoth he.

"I would say, sweet Sheriff, that I have heard all thy pretty talk this day,
and it shall be duly told unto Robin Hood. So, farewell for the nonce,

till we meet again in Sherwood Forest." Then he, also, turned and followed
Sir Richard down the hall, leaving the Sheriff, all pale and amazed,

shrunk together upon his chair.
A merry feast it was to which Sir Richard came, but a sorry lot he left behind

him, and little hunger had they for the princely food spread before them.
Only the learned doctor was happy, for he had his fee.

Now a twelvemonth and a day passed since Prior Vincent of Emmet sat
at feast, and once more the mellow fall of another year had come.

But the year had brought great change, I wot, to the lands
of Sir Richard of the Lea; for, where before shaggy wild grasses

grew upon the meadow lands, now all stretch away in golden stubble,
betokening that a rich and plentiful crop had been gathered therefrom.

A year had made a great change in the castle, also, for, where were
empty moats and the crumbling of neglect, all was now orderly

and well kept.
Bright shone the sun on battlement and tower, and in the blue air

overhead a Hock of clattering jackdaws flew around the gilded
weather vane and spire. Then, in the brightness of the morning,

the drawbridge fell across the moat with a rattle and clank
of chains, the gate of the castle swung slowly open,

and a goodly array of steel-clad men-at-arms, with a knight
all clothed in chain mail, as white as frost on brier and thorn

of a winter morning, came flashing out from the castle courtyard.
In his hand the Knight held a great spear, from the point of which

fluttered a blood-red pennant as broad as the palm of one's hand.
So this troop came forth from the castle, and in the midst

of them walked three pack horses laden with parcels of divers
shapes and kinds.

Thus rode forth good Sir Richard of the Lea to pay
his debt to Robin Hood this bright and merry morn.

Along the highway they wended their way, with measured
tramp of feet and rattle and jingle of sword and harness.

Onward they marched till they came nigh to Denby, where,
from the top of a hill, they saw, over beyond the town,

many gay flags and streamers floating in the bright air.
Then Sir Richard turned to the man-at-arms nearest to him.

"What is toward yonder at Denby today?" quoth he.
"Please Your Worship," answered the man-at-arms, "a merry fair is held

there today, and a great wrestling match, to which many folk have come,
for a prize hath been offered of a pipe of red wine, a fair golden ring,

and a pair of gloves, all of which go to the best wrestler."
"Now, by my faith," quoth Sir Richard, who loved good manly sports

right well, "this will be a goodly thing to see. Methinks we have
to stay a little while on our journey, and see this merry sport."

So he turned his horse's head aside toward Denby and the fair,
and thither he and his men made their way.

There they found a great hubbub of merriment. Flags and streamers
were floating, tumblers were tumbling on the green, bagpipes were playing,

and lads and lasses were dancing to the music. But the crowd were
gathered most of all around a ring where the wrestling was going forward,

and thither Sir Richard and his men turned their steps.
Now when the judges of the wrestling saw Sir Richard coming and knew

who he was, the chief of them came down from the bench where he and
the others sat, and went to the Knight and took him by the hand,

beseeching him to come and sit with them and judge the sport.
So Sir Richard got down from his horse and went with the others

to the bench raised beside the ring.
Now there had been great doings that morning, for a certain yeoman

named Egbert, who came from Stoke over in Staffordshire, had thrown
with ease all those that came against him; but a man of Denby,

well known through all the countryside as William of the Scar,
had been biding his time with the Stoke man; so, when Egbert

had thrown everyone else, stout William leaped into the ring.
Then a tough bout followed, and at last he threw Egbert heavily,

whereat there was a great shouting and shaking of hands,
for all the Denby men were proud of their wrestler.

When Sir Richard came, he found stout William, puffed up
by the shouts of his friends, walking up and down the ring,

daring anyone to come and try a throw with him. "Come one, come all!"
quoth he. "Here stand I, William of the Scar, against any man.

If there is none in Derbyshire to come against me, come all who will,
from Nottingham, Stafford, or York, and if I do not make them one

and all root the ground with their noses like swine in the forests,
call me no more brave William the wrestler."

At this all laughed; but above all the laughter a loud
voice was heard to cry out, "Sin' thou talkest so big,

here cometh one from Nottinghamshire to try a fall
with thee, fellow"; and straightway a tall youth with a tough

quarterstaff in his hand came pushing his way through the crowd
and at last leaped lightly over the rope into the ring.

He was not as heavy as stout William, but he was taller and
broader in the shoulders, and all his joints were well knit.

Sir Richard looked upon him keenly, then, turning to one
of the judges, he said, "Knowest thou who this youth is?

Methinks I have seen him before."
"Nay," said the judge, "he is a stranger to me."

Meantime, without a word, the young man, laying aside his quarterstaff,
began to take off his jerkin and body clothing until he presently stood

with naked arms and body; and a comely sight he was when so bared to the view,
for his muscles were cut round and smooth and sharp like swift-running water.

And now each man spat upon his hands and, clapping them
upon his knees, squatted down, watching the other keenly,

so as to take the vantage of him in the grip.
Then like a flash they leaped together, and a great shout

went up, for William had gotten the better hold of the two.
For a short time they strained and struggled and writhed,

and then stout William gave his most cunning trip and throw,
but the stranger met it with greater skill than his,

and so the trip came to nought. Then, of a sudden,
with a twist and a wrench, the stranger loosed himself,

and he of the scar found himself locked in a pair of arms
that fairly made his ribs crack. So, with heavy, hot breathing,

they stood for a while straining, their bodies all glistening
with sweat, and great drops of sweat trickling down their faces.

But the stranger's hug was so close that at last stout
William's muscles softened under his grip, and he gave a sob.

Then the youth put forth all his strength and gave a sudden trip
with his heel and a cast over his right hip, and down stout

William went, with a sickening thud, and lay as though he would
never move hand nor foot again.

But now no shout went up for the stranger, but an angry murmur
was heard among the crowd, so easily had he won the match.

Then one of the judges, a kinsman to William of the Scar,
rose with trembling lip and baleful look. Quoth he,

"If thou hath slain that man it will go ill with thee,
let me tell thee, fellow." But the stranger answered boldly,

"He took his chance with me as I took mine with him.
No law can touch me to harm me, even if I slew him, so that it

was fairly done in the wrestling ring."
"That we shall see," said the judge, scowling upon the youth,

while once more an angry murmur ran around the crowd; for, as I
have said, the men of Denby were proud of stout William of the Scar.

Then up spoke Sir Richard gently. "Nay," said he, "the youth is right;
if the other dieth, he dieth in the wrestling ring, where he took his chance,

and was cast fairly enow."
But in the meantime three men had come forward and lifted

stout William from the ground and found that he was not dead,
though badly shaken by his heavy fall. Then the chief

judge rose and said, "Young man, the prize is duly thine.
Here is the red-gold ring, and here the gloves, and yonder

stands the pipe of wine to do with whatsoever thou dost list."
At this, the youth, who had donned his clothes and taken up his staff again,

bowed without a word, then, taking the gloves and the ring, and thrusting
the one into his girdle and slipping the other upon his thumb, he turned and,

leaping lightly over the ropes again, made his way through the crowd,
and was gone.

"Now, I wonder who yon youth may be," said the judge, turning to Sir Richard,
"he seemeth like a stout Saxon from his red cheeks and fair hair.

This William of ours is a stout man, too, and never have I seen
him cast in the ring before, albeit he hath not yet striven

with such great wrestlers as Thomas of Cornwall, Diccon of York,
and young David of Doncaster. Hath he not a firm foot in the ring,

thinkest thou, Sir Richard?"
"Ay, truly, and yet this youth threw him fairly, and with wondrous ease.



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