SECOND OUTLAW     Have you the tongues?

VALENTINE    My youthful travel therein made me happy,

Or else I had been often miserable.

THIRD OUTLAW        By the bare scalp of Robin Hood’s fat friar,

This fellow were a king for our wild faction!

FIRST OUTLAW         We’ll have him. Sirs, a word.

[The Outlaws talk apart]

SPEED            [to Valentine] Master, be one of them:

It’s an honourable kind of thievery.

VALENTINE Peace, villain.

SECOND OUTLAW Tell us this: have you any thing to take to?

VALENTINE Nothing but my fortune.         (4.1.31-40)

These are practical outlaws, albeit easily impressed and oddly unworldly: have you the tongues? asks one. Do you speak any other languages? Valentine’s pleased to oblige: my youthful travel therein made me happy. There’s a bit of nicely calibrated privilege checking, while at the same time asserting his superior experience and also maturity: well, yes, I was lucky enough to be able to travel a bit when I was younger (although travel here could simply be travail, labour: yes, I studied languages). Or else I had been often miserable: if I hadn’t enjoyed it it would have been a trial? But mostly the point is the antithesis with happy; Valentine’s being smooth, a bit opaque, saying what he thinks they want to hear but not giving anything away. Whatever, the third outlaw is massively impressed, employing a vivid, outlaw-appropriate oath to signal his approval: by the bare scalp of Robin Hood’s fat friar (that is, by Friar Tuck’s tonsure) this fellow were a king for our wild faction! What a man! What a born leader! He’s just what we’ve been waiting for! (Does the second outlaw look somewhat put out at this? possibly.) The first outlaw is similarly impressed and his mind’s made up: we’ll have him. Sirs, a word. They just need to sort out the terms and conditions among themselves before making Valentine an offer. Speed sees which way things are going and approves: master, be one of them: it’s an honourable kind of thievery. It could be worse; these seem to be a nicer class of brigand, and if you’re going to be forced into a life of crime, you could do a lot worse? Peace, villain, says Valentine; he’s not sure yet, he needs to keep his wits about him. Shut up, man. The second outlaw—perhaps the most suspicious of the three—seeks further clarification: tell us this: have you anything to take to? What can you contribute financially, what do you bring to the party cash-wise? Nothing but my fortune, Valentine confirms, and he means his luck—which has been rotten recently—rather than anything monetary.