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Sean Duggan
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I think that it is meaning 3. The stanza is saying that you will not harm the plowing husbandhusbandman, the good yeomanyeoman walking in the wood, the knightknight, or the squiresquire (levels of citizenship in English society). You can see a similar phrase in lines 3 and 4:

I shall you tel of a gode yeman,
His name was Robyn Hode.

So basically, the stanza is saying

Look, do no husbandhusbandman harm
That tilleth with his plow
Neither should you [harm] a good yeoman
That walks within the woods
Nor [harm] no knight nor no squire
That is a good person.

These lines are in response to Little John asking him who they should rob, beat, and bind, with further lines afterwards where Robin says that they will rob, beat, and bind the (corrupt) bishops and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

'Maistar,' than sayde Lytil Johnn,
'And we our borde shal sprede,
Tell vs wheder that we shal go,
And what life that we shall lede.
'Where we shall take, where we shall leue,
Where we shall abide behynde;
Where we shall robbe, where we shal reue,
Where we shal bete and bynde.'
'Therof no force,' than sayde Robyn;
'We shall do well inowe;
But loke ye do no husbonde harme,
That tilleth with his ploughe.
'No more ye shall no gode yeman
That walketh by gren -wode shawe;
Ne no knyght ne no squyer
That wol be a gode felawe.
'These bisshoppes and these archebishoppes,
Ye shall them bete and bynde;
The hy sherif of Notyingham,
Hym holde ye in your mynde.'

I think that it is meaning 3. The stanza is saying that you will not harm the plowing husband, the good yeoman walking in the wood, the knight or the squire. You can see a similar phrase in lines 3 and 4:

I shall you tel of a gode yeman,
His name was Robyn Hode.

So basically, the stanza is saying

Look, do no husband harm
That tilleth with his plow
Neither should you [harm] a good yeoman
That walks within the woods
Nor [harm] no knight nor no squire
That is a good person.

These lines are in response to Little John asking him who they should rob, beat, and bind, with further lines afterwards where Robin says that they will rob, beat, and bind the (corrupt) bishops and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

'Maistar,' than sayde Lytil Johnn,
'And we our borde shal sprede,
Tell vs wheder that we shal go,
And what life that we shall lede.
'Where we shall take, where we shall leue,
Where we shall abide behynde;
Where we shall robbe, where we shal reue,
Where we shal bete and bynde.'
'Therof no force,' than sayde Robyn;
'We shall do well inowe;
But loke ye do no husbonde harme,
That tilleth with his ploughe.
'No more ye shall no gode yeman
That walketh by gren -wode shawe;
Ne no knyght ne no squyer
That wol be a gode felawe.
'These bisshoppes and these archebishoppes,
Ye shall them bete and bynde;
The hy sherif of Notyingham,
Hym holde ye in your mynde.'

I think that it is meaning 3. The stanza is saying that you will not harm the plowing husbandman, the good yeoman walking in the wood, the knight, or the squire (levels of citizenship in English society). You can see a similar phrase in lines 3 and 4:

I shall you tel of a gode yeman,
His name was Robyn Hode.

So basically, the stanza is saying

Look, do no husbandman harm
That tilleth with his plow
Neither should you [harm] a good yeoman
That walks within the woods
Nor [harm] no knight nor no squire
That is a good person.

These lines are in response to Little John asking him who they should rob, beat, and bind, with further lines afterwards where Robin says that they will rob, beat, and bind the (corrupt) bishops and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

'Maistar,' than sayde Lytil Johnn,
'And we our borde shal sprede,
Tell vs wheder that we shal go,
And what life that we shall lede.
'Where we shall take, where we shall leue,
Where we shall abide behynde;
Where we shall robbe, where we shal reue,
Where we shal bete and bynde.'
'Therof no force,' than sayde Robyn;
'We shall do well inowe;
But loke ye do no husbonde harme,
That tilleth with his ploughe.
'No more ye shall no gode yeman
That walketh by gren -wode shawe;
Ne no knyght ne no squyer
That wol be a gode felawe.
'These bisshoppes and these archebishoppes,
Ye shall them bete and bynde;
The hy sherif of Notyingham,
Hym holde ye in your mynde.'

added 1110 characters in body
Source Link
Sean Duggan
  • 11.4k
  • 2
  • 30
  • 71

I think that it is meaning 3. The stanza is saying that you will not harm the plowing husband, the good yeoman walking in the wood, the knight or the squire. You can see a similar phrase in lines 3 and 4:

I shall you tel of a gode yeman,
His name was Robyn Hode.

So basically, the stanza is saying

Look, do no husband harm
That tilleth with his plow
Neither should you [harm] a good yeoman
That walks within the woods
Nor [harm] no knight nor no squire
That is a good person.

These lines are in response to Little John asking him who they should rob, beat, and bind, with further lines afterwards where Robin says that they will rob, beat, and bind the (corrupt) bishops and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

'Maistar,' than sayde Lytil Johnn,
'And we our borde shal sprede,
Tell vs wheder that we shal go,
And what life that we shall lede.
'Where we shall take, where we shall leue,
Where we shall abide behynde;
Where we shall robbe, where we shal reue,
Where we shal bete and bynde.'
'Therof no force,' than sayde Robyn;
'We shall do well inowe;
But loke ye do no husbonde harme,
That tilleth with his ploughe.
'No more ye shall no gode yeman
That walketh by gren -wode shawe;
Ne no knyght ne no squyer
That wol be a gode felawe.
'These bisshoppes and these archebishoppes,
Ye shall them bete and bynde;
The hy sherif of Notyingham,
Hym holde ye in your mynde.'

I think that it is meaning 3. The stanza is saying that you will not harm the plowing husband, the good yeoman walking in the wood, the knight or the squire. You can see a similar phrase in lines 3 and 4:

I shall you tel of a gode yeman,
His name was Robyn Hode.

So basically, the stanza is saying

Look, do no husband harm
That tilleth with his plow
Neither should you [harm] a good yeoman
That walks within the woods
Nor [harm] no knight nor no squire
That is a good person.

I think that it is meaning 3. The stanza is saying that you will not harm the plowing husband, the good yeoman walking in the wood, the knight or the squire. You can see a similar phrase in lines 3 and 4:

I shall you tel of a gode yeman,
His name was Robyn Hode.

So basically, the stanza is saying

Look, do no husband harm
That tilleth with his plow
Neither should you [harm] a good yeoman
That walks within the woods
Nor [harm] no knight nor no squire
That is a good person.

These lines are in response to Little John asking him who they should rob, beat, and bind, with further lines afterwards where Robin says that they will rob, beat, and bind the (corrupt) bishops and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

'Maistar,' than sayde Lytil Johnn,
'And we our borde shal sprede,
Tell vs wheder that we shal go,
And what life that we shall lede.
'Where we shall take, where we shall leue,
Where we shall abide behynde;
Where we shall robbe, where we shal reue,
Where we shal bete and bynde.'
'Therof no force,' than sayde Robyn;
'We shall do well inowe;
But loke ye do no husbonde harme,
That tilleth with his ploughe.
'No more ye shall no gode yeman
That walketh by gren -wode shawe;
Ne no knyght ne no squyer
That wol be a gode felawe.
'These bisshoppes and these archebishoppes,
Ye shall them bete and bynde;
The hy sherif of Notyingham,
Hym holde ye in your mynde.'

Source Link
Sean Duggan
  • 11.4k
  • 2
  • 30
  • 71

I think that it is meaning 3. The stanza is saying that you will not harm the plowing husband, the good yeoman walking in the wood, the knight or the squire. You can see a similar phrase in lines 3 and 4:

I shall you tel of a gode yeman,
His name was Robyn Hode.

So basically, the stanza is saying

Look, do no husband harm
That tilleth with his plow
Neither should you [harm] a good yeoman
That walks within the woods
Nor [harm] no knight nor no squire
That is a good person.