THE ELIZABETHAN FAIRIES

244 ROBIN GOODFELLOW
Not content with this enumeration, he mentioned his
costume five times over until he finally appeared in his
" Christmas Calues skin sute." lao And the question of
his earthly wardrobe brought about a deal of discussion
between him and Satan in The Devil is an Ass.'O1
Wearing apparel for some reason, either unknown or
forgotten in the 16th century, must originally have been
invested with a particular and important significance in
regard to Robin Goodfellow. On his own part, any
notice of his nakedness or any change suggested in his
costume was the one insult which caused him mortal
offense :
. . . and you have also heard that he would chafe exceedingly, if
the maid or good-wife of the house, having compassion of his naked-
nesse, laid any clothes for him, besides his messe of white bread and
milke, which was his standing fee. For in that case he saith ; What
have we here? Hemton hamten, here will I never more tread
nor stampen.lo2
This idiosyncrasy of Robin recurs again and again in his
subsequent history, and is to be found in modern folk
tales of England and Scotland concerning him. The
formula, " Hemton hamten," connected, it would seem,
in some way with hemp or hemp stalks of superstitious
associations, invariably accompanied the expression of
anger with which he repudiated a proffer of clothes, even
a waistcoat, and was never omitted or forgotten.lo3
On the part of the folk themselves, in the 16th cen-
tury a singular superstition prevailed that turning the
coat or some other garment would protect a mortal from
loo Ibid., 1. 1256.
1°1 Jonson, Gifford ed., I, I. Cf. also V, 4.
lo2 Scot, Dis. of Witch., 1651 ed., p. 66.
lo3 Warner, Albions Erzgland, quarto, 1612, Hazlitt rpt., p. 364.
Robin Goodfellow; his mad prankes, and merry Jests, Halliwell rpt.,
pp. 131-132.