Introduction
Robin Hood, Maid Marian and Robin’s merry men have been tramping carelessly over fields of corn near Wakefield, much to the disgust of George-a-Green, a local pinder (an animal control warden) and the lovely Beatrice beside him. Robin, who for once was armed with no more than a staff like the one George held, said soothingly that for any damage done the amends lay in his own hands.
“MARRY, and so it doth”* answered the pinder, “for I have that in my hand [viz. a quarterstaff], that shall call you to a dear reckoning; but since you seem to be men furnished both with limbs and spirit, if you be such, and not base and effeminate cowards, come not all upon me at once, but one by one, and then have at you, if you were twice as many more;” and the motion pleased them.
Slathbatch entreated to be the first, and was the first that was laid at his master’s feet. Little John would needs revenge his friend and fellow’s quarrel, but dipped his finger in the same sauce. At this Beatrice encouraged, began to laugh; but Marian, who had all this while observed her, did nothing but fret and vex. In the mean time, the friar had buckled himself up for the third encounterer;* but George perceiving him to be a churchman by his shaven crown,* would have refused him, but the nimble friar would needs have a bout with George, who answered, that since he begged a cudgelling at his hands, he was bound in conscience to deny the church nothing, and he would give it him surely; for the friar was laid soon sprawling on God’s earth.
* ‘Marry’ in this case is a now archaic expression, denoting surprise, indignation or emphasis. It is a euphemism for the oath [by] Mary, referring to the Virgin Mary.
* This is Friar Tuck. Whereas monks dedicated themselves to a specific Abbey where they would pursue prayer and self-denial, and support themselves through farming and crafts, friars wandered from town to town preaching the gospel, and begged their living wherever they went. Though the Carmelite or White Friars were founded in about 1155, all other orders of friars date from the time of King John (r. 1199-1216) or later, so if Robin Hood’s career is dated to the reign of Richard I (r. 1189-1199), the probability is that ‘friar’ is an anachronism introduced by later storytellers. Perhaps Tuck was a disillusioned and angry English monk, disgusted at the avaricious men who had climbed to positions of ecclesiastical eminence under the Normans, violently abusing English monks and stamping out English traditions. On greedy abbots, see The Better Man, and on discimination against the English, see Forgotten Melodies.
* Until as recently as 1972, the Roman Church required clergy to be tonsured, i.e. to shave the crown of their heads and maintain this hairstyle ever after; the size of the bald spot varied. In the Eastern Churches, a tonsure consists in trimming a small tuft of hair which is at once allowed to grow back.
Précis
Robin Hood and his men incurred the wrath of George-a-Green, pinder of Wakefield, by behaving no better than witless cattle in the fields, so George challenged each of them to single combat with staves. George dumped Slathbatch unceremoniously on the ground, swiftly followed by Little John and Friar Tuck, while Maid Marian glowered and George’s girl, Beatrice, gloated. (58 / 60 words)
Robin Hood and his men incurred the wrath of George-a-Green, pinder of Wakefield, by behaving no better than witless cattle in the fields, so George challenged each of them to single combat with staves. George dumped Slathbatch unceremoniously on the ground, swiftly followed by Little John and Friar Tuck, while Maid Marian glowered and George’s girl, Beatrice, gloated.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, just, otherwise, ought, until, whereas, whether.
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