"
And with that, he threw off his long gown.
The king laughed loud and long.
"A merry fellow you are," said he, "and you shall be the Abbot of
Canterbury in your master's place."
"O king! that cannot be," said the shepherd; "for I can neither read
nor write."
"Very well, then," said the king, "I will give you something else to
pay you for this merry joke. I will give you four pieces of silver
every week as long as you live. And when you get home, you may tell
the old abbot that you have brought him a free pardon from King
John."
A STORY OF ROBIN HOOD.
In the rude days of King Rich-ard and King John there were many great
woods in England. The most famous of these was Sher-wood forest, where
the king often went to hunt deer. In this forest there lived a band of
daring men called out-laws.
They had done something that was against the laws of the land, and had
been forced to hide themselves in the woods to save their lives. There
they spent their time in roaming about among the trees, in hunting the
king's deer, and in robbing rich trav-el-ers that came that way.
There were nearly a hundred of these outlaws, and their leader was a
bold fellow called Robin Hood. They were dressed in suits of green,
and armed with bows and arrows; and sometimes they carried long wooden
lances and broad-swords, which they knew how to handle well.
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