Epilogue.
THUS END the Merry Adventures of Robin Hood; for, in spite of his promise, it was many a year ere he saw Sherwood again.
After a year or two at court Little John came back to Nottinghamshire, where he lived in an orderly way, though within sight of Sherwood, and where he achieved great fame as the champion of all England with the quarterstaff.

Will Scarlet after a time came back to his own home, whence he had been driven by his unlucky killing of his father's steward.

The rest of the band did their duty as royal rangers right well.

But Robin Hood and Allan a Dale did not come again to Sherwood so quickly, for thus it was: Robin, through his great fame as an archer, became a favorite with the King, so that he speedily rose in rank to be the chief of all the yeomen.

At last the King, seeing how faithful and how loyal he was, created him Earl of Huntingdon; so Robin followed the King to the wars, and found his time so full that he had no chance to come back to Sherwood for even so much as a day.