Robin Hood and the Debt of Honour
The outlaw showed that strange as it may be, he did have a code of honour.
?1190s
The outlaw showed that strange as it may be, he did have a code of honour.
?1190s
This tale opens a mediaeval ballad called ‘The Gest of Robin Hood’, and introduces us to the dashing outlaw’s peculiar code of ethics.
IT was Robin Hood’s custom to waylay a knight on the road, and invite him to dinner. As they finished their wine, Robin would ask his guest how much money he was carrying, and if he perjured himself, a scandalised Robin confiscated it.
One such guest said he had just ten shillings which, after a thorough search by Little John, turned out to be true. The knight, whose name was Sir Richard of the Lee, explained that his son had killed someone, and that, to pay compensation to the family, he had borrowed four hundred pounds from the Abbot of St Mary’s Abbey. Now he was broke, the deadline was midnight, and in a few hours his castle and lands would be forfeit.
Robin at once sent Little John to his coffers, and handed the astonished knight four hundred pounds. Our Lady, Robin assured him, would see the loan repaid. And so, with minutes to spare, the knight redeemed his lands and castle from a bitterly disappointed Abbot.
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Why did Robin invite strangers to dine with him?
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Robin Hood invited strangers to dinner. Then he stole their money. This is how he made his living.