HOOD, ROBIN, the hero of several old ballads and traditionary stories, which gener ally represent him as an outlaw and a robber, but of a gallant and generous nature, haunting the depths of Sherwood forest. Nottinghamshire, and of Barnsdale lows!. Yorkshire, in an early era of Enelish history, which it has hitherto been customary to fix in the 12th century. earliest authentic notice of him is in the Vi,ion of Piers Ploughman, a poem dating from between 1355 and 136•: "rhymes of Robin hood and Randolph earl of Chester" arc there alluded to. About 1495. Wynkyn de Worde printed a poem of considerable length, entitled The Lytel Geste of Ravi HeAld—appar ently a series of rude popular ballads strung together, being probably a modification of the rhymes" spoken of in Piers Ptraighman. Thus we see evidence for a ennsidera ble antiquity to tlehaflads commemorating Robin it of id, a collection of which tilled two little volumes printed by Ritson in 1795. It is also certain that, In the early part of the 16th c., there was a wide-spread celebration of annual rustic sports and masquer adings, under tile name of the Robin Hood Games, in which the deeds of the hero, and his companions, Little John, Friar Tuck, etc., and of his sylvan mistress, Maid Marian, were represented. These even extended to Scotland, where the Reformers had some difficulty in putting them down. In the ballads and the games alike, Robin was always exhibited as a valiant man out of suits with fortune, giving to the poor much of what lie took from the rich, most skillful with the long bow and the quarte•-staff, and almost unfailingly victorious in personal encounters with whatsoever opponent.
In addition to these evidences of the existence of such a hero, we must remark that his grave has for ages been pointed to in Kirklees park, Yorkshire, marked by a flat stone on which was carved a flowery cross.
While there could be little doubt that some such predatory outlaw as Robin Hood once existed, and that he was of a character to excite, generally speaking, the affections rather titan the reprobation of the people, there was a sad want of documentary eVi deuce regarding him, until the publication of a tract by the Rev. Joseph Hunter in 1832.
In this brochure, it is, first, shown that one of the ballads represents Robin as going, by the invitation of "Edward our comely king," to meet him at Nottingham; as there accepting service with his majesty; and as accompanying him to court; where, how ever, becoming sick almost to death with that kind of life, he did not remain above 15 months; after which he retired, and resumed his wonted free and jovial life in the forest. Mr. Hunter then proceeds to show that king Edward II. in 1323 made a prog ress through the western and midland counties, in the course of which he came (Nov. 9) to Nottingham; that in the exchequer accounts between Mar. and Nov. of the ensuing year, among the names of 24 "portents" of the king, to whom wages were paid, occur those of "Ribyn and Symon and that, finally, at the latter date occurs an entry " Robyn Hod, heretofore one of the portcurs, because he could no longer work, received as a gift, by command, tos.;" the name from this time appearing no more. Mr. Hunter likewise ascertained that, at a date six years antecedent to the royal progress above mentioned, the name of "Robertus Hood " is found in the court-rolls of the manor of Wakefield, as that of defender in a suit regarding a small piece of land. The probability therefore is that Robin Hood lived and acted as the ballads represent him only a few years before the era of Piers Pjougliman, and really passed from wild forest life into the royal service for a brief space—an adventure which might appear as the most incredible attributed to him, if we did not know something of the,whimsical and puerile character of Edward II., which was such that he did not disdain occasionally to seek amusement in playing at chuck-farthing with his servants. Mr. Hunter further deemed it likely that Flood was one of the yeomen who joined the discontented barons under the earl of Lancaster, and were ruined by the failure of their enterprise. If so. his life in the forest might be rather a sort of guerrilla warfare than a practice of simple rapine; and hence it might, in some measure, arise that the " gests" of Robin Hood became the subject of so much romantic aud affectionate sentiment on the part of the community.