Robin Hood - Chapter 7: Robin Hood Masked VirtuAule LiveStream English + Phonetics = Story - Robin Hood - Chapter 7: Robin Hood Masked This live video broadcast retells the story of Robin Hood in different episodes. The seventh episode of this English Classic describes how Robin wins the golden arrow at a contest that the Sheriff of Nottingham organized to catch Robin. Hear the spoken text while you read the English and Phonetics together. This practice will improve your pronunciation and will increase your vocabulary and comprehension. After the reading, the speaker will introduce some topics for consideration and discussion. You can find links to all the references here: presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ekKVX8Dh_bvmYkw3j_i3DE4RMgMi-aLUlvt8u3TQH94/edit?usp=sharing Main site: https://virtuaule.com YouTube video channel: @Virtuaule Facebook video: https://www.facebook.com/virtuaule/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/VirtuAule Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtuaule-english-language-system/ Instagram: VirtuAule English Language Sys (@virtuauleenglishlanguagesystem) The Sheriff announced a special harvest festival in Nottingham. ‘There will be an archery contest with a prize of a golden arrow.' The Sheriff expected Robin to enter and win the contest. That way he could arrest Robin Hood and hang him. Soon Robin heard about the contest. On the day of the archery contest, archers had come from all over England. The Sheriff’s men were told to watch out for Robin Hood in disguise. The people cheered when the Sheriff stood up and raised his hand. 'All men who wish to enter the contest may shoot an arrow,' he said. For the first hour, a hundred men took turns to shoot an arrow at a target. Twelve archers were chosen because of their skill. Among the twelve men was the Sheriff's champion Gilbert Red Cap. The Sheriff watched the twelve men carefully but he could not identify Robin Hood. For the second part of the contest, the twelve archers shot only two arrows each. After that, the three best archers would then shoot one arrow at a target from two hundred paces. The man who shoots closest to the centre of the bull's eye wins. A tall stranger dressed in blue stepped forward. He gave his name as Robert of London. Both of his arrows hit the target. The other archers took turns to shoot. Only Gilbert Red Cap was able to hit the target. The last archer to shoot in the contest was a strange man with poor clothes and a bent back. He had a black patch that covered half his face and his right eye. 'He is a strange-looking man,' said the Sheriff. The beggar stepped forward. His arrow hit the centre of the bull's eye. 'That beggar is lucky,' said the Sheriff. Now the three best archers could shoot only one arrow each. Robert of London was the first to shoot. The Sheriff thought to himself, ‘This man is tall and fair - just like the description of Robin Hood!’ His arrow hit near the bull's eye. 'A good shot,' said the Sheriff, 'but Gilbert can do better. Then Gilbert stepped forward. In fact, Gilbert’s arrow went right to the centre of the bull’s eye. 'He is better than Robin Hood,' said the Sheriff.

VirtuAule LiveStream English + Phonetics = Story - Robin Hood - Chapter 6: The Abbot: Outwitted

This live video broadcast retells the story of Robin Hood in different episodes.

The sixth episode of this English Classic describes how Robin outwits the Abbot and his men and takes forty bags of gold.

Hear the spoken text while you read the English and Phonetics together. This practice will improve your pronunciation and will increase your vocabulary and comprehension.

After the reading, the speaker will introduce some topics for consideration and discussion.

You can find links to all the references here:

presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1U1BvOv5dhEaKUHQC1v4FdalNUMt0WUHKPnD7S2ZO-u4/edit?usp=sharing

Main site: https://virtuaule.com

YouTube video channel: @Virtuaule

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/VirtuAule

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtuaule-english-language-system/

Instagram: VirtuAule English Language Sys (@virtuauleenglishlanguagesystem)

The covered wagon

with knights dressed as monks

moved slowly into Sherwood Forest.

As they came to the middle of the forest,

one of the knights said,

‘Robin Hood doesn’t know

that the Sheriff and his men

are coming from Nottingham.’

Suddenly an arrow flew out from the forest.

It hit one of the knights in the chest.

The knight was not hurt

because he was wearing armour

under the monk’s clothes.

Then a tall man stepped onto the road.

Immediately the covers of the wagon opened

and the other knights jumped out.

One of the knights sounded a hunting horn.

Another horn answered from farther up the road.

It was from the Sheriff’s men

who were coming on the same road.

'It's Robin Hood.’ called one of the knights

from the wagon.

The tall man ran into the forest

and the knights ran after him.

They chased the tall man,

who was Little John,

deeply into the forest.

But Little John was so fast and nimble

that the knights could not catch him.

Little John had been alone.

The real Robin Hood was with his men

in another part of the forest.

They were waiting for the Abbot’s cart

to come into the forest on another road.

Finally the fat miller appeared

with his two knights

and the women behind him.

'Where are you going, good miller?'

Robin called out.

But the fat miller said nothing.

'All travellers who pass through Sherwood

must pay a tax,' he told the miller.

'We will take a little flour from you,

but we will take only

the small bags,' Robin said.

The miller's face turned red.

Then Robin pulled the miller out of the cart

and threw him to the ground.

'I am Sir Roger of Doncaster,'

said one of the knights.

'Who is this outlaw

who robs women and a poor miller?'

'I am Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest,'

answered Robin.

'And we shall see

if this miller is really poor.'

He moved the large bags of flour

and found the forty bags of golden crowns.

'Tell me,

The Sheriff of Nottingham collected taxes from all the towns in his county.

His tax collectors were knights and barons and churchmen.

One of these churchmen, the Abbot of Saint Mary's, came to Nottingham every year.

The Abbot brought the taxes he had collected from his town.

Knights and soldiers guarded the Abbot’s money.

Robin discovered that the Abbot was going to pass through the forest on his journey to Nottingham.

‘We must be ready to welcome him,’ said Robin.

Robin needed to know how many men were travelling with the Abbot.

The Sheriff of Nottingham was also looking forward to the Abbot’s visit.

‘Robin Hood will try to steal the tax money from the Abbot as he travels through the forest,’ the Sheriff told his men.

We must be ready for him.

Meanwhile, Robin’s friend Will set out to look for the Abbot and his men.

He waited and watched for approaching visitors near the forest’s edge.

After some time, he spotted a covered wagon with six white horses and many knights and soldiers.

Will followed the Abbot and his men to a small town nearby.

The men stopped for the evening at a small inn.

Will noticed that the men were Normans.

Normans like to have short hair and don’t like to have beards.

Maybe they will need a shave in the morning,’ thought Will, who was a barber.

Will passed the night on the road near the inn.

In the morning, he woke to the sound of the Abbot's men.

They were calling for a barber!

Barbeur!' the knights called in Norman French.

But there was no barber at the inn.

'I am a barber, good sirs,' Will told them.

'Do you know how to shave a monk's head?' the Norman knight asked.

'Yes, I do sir,' said Will.

‘These men have decided to become monks,’said the knight.

'Cut their hair and shave their heads.’

Will started to shave the men's heads.

As Will worked, he was listening to what the men said.

The men spoke French and they did not think that the barber understood.

'Robin Hood and his outlaws will think we are monks.

He will think we are harmless and without weapons.’ they plotted.

After their hair was cut, the knights put on the clothes of monks;

brown clothes that covered their swords and armour.

Then the Abbot of Saint Mary's came out of the inn.

He was wearing the clothes of a miller.

The soldiers put bags of flour onto their wagons

to cover the bags of gold.

The large covered wagon set off along the main road.

The knights, who were now dressed as monks, accompanied the covered wagon full of gold.

The Abbot of Saint Mary's travelled along in another smaller wagon.

He took another road through the forest.

Two knights rode beside his cart.

A group of women walked behind him.

One of the women carried a small child.

The group travelled slowly.

Will ran ahead of them and went to tell Robin what he had seen.