 | The Works of Thomas Love Peacock |  |
66
[A staff, a staff, of a young oak graff]
A staff, a staff, of a young oak graff,That is both stoure and stiff,
Is all a good friar can needs desire
To shrive a proud sherîffe.
And thou, fine fellôwe, who hast tasted so
Of the forester's greenwood game,
Wilt be in no haste thy time to waste
In seeking more taste of the same:
Or this can I read thee, and riddle thee well,
Thou hadst better by far be the devil in hell,
Than the sheriff of Nottinghâme.
| The Works of Thomas Love Peacock | |