Robin Hood, from the best accounts, was born at Locksley, in the county
of Nottingham, in the reign of King Henry II., and about the year of
Christ 1160. His extraction was noble, and his true name was Robert
Fitzoothes, which vulgar pronunciation corrupted into Robin Hood. He was
frequently styled, and commonly reputed to have been Earl of Huntington,
descending from Ralph Fitzoothes, a Norman, who came over to England
with William Rufus; marrying Maud, daughter of Gilbert de Gaunt, Earl
of Kyme and Lindsey, to which title in the latter part of his life, he
appears to have had some pretension. In his youth, he is reported to
have been of a wild and extravagant disposition, insomuch that his
inheritance being consumed or forfeited by his excesses, and his person
outlawed for debt, either from necessity or choice, he sought an asylum
in the woods and forests. Or, as some writers state, one of his first
exploits was the going into a forest, when, bearing with him a bow
of exceeding strength, he fell into company with certain rangers or
woodmen, who quarrelled with him for making show to use such a bow as no
man was able to shoot with. Robin replied, that he had two better than
that at Locksley, only he bore that with him now as a byrding bowe.
At length the contention grew so hot that a wager was laid about the
killing of a deer at a great distance, for performance of which Robin
offered to lay his head to a sum of money, the advantage of which rash
speech the others presently took; the mark being found out, one of them,
to make Robin's heart faint, and hand unsteady, when he was about
to shoot, urged him with the loss of head if he missed the mark,
notwithstanding which, Robin killed the deer, and gave every man his
money again, except him who upbraided him with loss of head if he lost
the wager; he now said they would drink together, when they began to
quarrel and fight with him, but Robin getting a little distance off,
with shooting, despatched them, then fled away and retired to the woods;