The King's Disguise, and Friendship with Robin Hood

The work seems loosely based on the 7th and 8th fyttes of A Gest of Robyn Hode which recounts the end of Robin Hood's outlawry after an encounter with the king.

[1] Joseph Ritson was dismissive of the literary merits of the ballad, writing in 1795 that the work seemed "to have been written by some miserable retainer to the press, merely to eke out the book; being, in fact, a most contemptible performance.

[1] The Forresters Manuscript version of the ballad instead immediately launches into an account similar to that of the 8th fytte of A Gest of Robyn Hode which describes Robin's death at Kerklees (sic) Monastery.

The historical King Richard really did move around in disguise while passing through Germany on his return from the Crusades, although his attempt to sneak through failed and he was held captive for a ransom.

[3] Many movie versions of the Robin Hood story conclude with the appearance of King Richard in disguise, returning from the Crusades.