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friar stopped him, saying, "Carry me back again, thou fine fellow, or it shall breed thee pain." Robin took the friar on his back: and having carried him across the water he then insisted on the monk taking him over again, or he would break his bones. The friar took Robin on his back, but on
coming to the middle of the water, he threw him in, saying, "Now, my fine fellow, take your choice whether thou wilt sink or swim." Robin, however, got to land as soon as the friar; and challenged him to wrestle, shoot, and to a bout at quarter-staff; but at none of these could he beat the friar, nor the friar him. Robin was so well pleased with the friar that he wanted him to join the merry men; but the friar would not consent, and even tried to persuade Robin to turn monk; so they shook hands and parted good friends.
Robin Hood, soon after, going by himself into a lone house a little out of the road, found a poor old woman, weeping very bitterly. He desired her to acquaint him with the cause of her sorrow; to which she answered, that she was a widow, and being somewhat indebted to her landlord, expected him every moment to come and seize what few goods she had, which would be her utter ruin. Robin Hood bade her rest herself contented, and he would make things easy; so pulling off his rich laced clothes, and putting on an old coat, which the old woman lent him, and having likewise scoured his horse in an old barn, in a little time came the old miserly landlord, and demanded his rent; upon this Robin Hood rises out of the chimney corner with a short stick in his hand, and says, "I understand, Sir, that my sister here, poor woman! is behind land for rent, and that you design to seize her goods; but, she being a desolate widow, and having nothing to satisfy you at present, I hope you will take so much pity
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