friar himself, as soon as the wagon was in motion, addressed himself
civilly enough to his fellow-travellers, and assured them there was
nothing to fear, unless Adam thought fit to disturb his incantations.
The captives answered not his address, but nestled close to each other,
interchanging, at intervals, words of comfort, and recoiling as far
as possible from the ex-tregetour, who, having taken with him a more
congenial companion in the shape of a great leathern bottle, finally
sunk into the silent and complacent doze which usually rewards the
libations to the Bromian god.

The vehicle, with many other baggage-wagons in the rear of the army in
that memorable night-march, moved mournfully on; the night continued
wrapped in fog and mist, agreeably to the weatherwise predictions of the
friar. The rumbling groan of the vehicle, the tramp of the soldiers, the
dull rattle of their arms, with now and then the neigh of some knight's
steed in the distance, were the only sounds that broke the silence, till
once, as they neared their destination, Sibyll started from her father's
bosom, and shudderingly thought she recognized the hoarse chant and the
tinkling bells of the ominous tymbesteres.

CHAPTER III. A PAUSE.

In the profound darkness of the night and the thick fog, Edward had
stationed his men at a venture upon the heath at Gladsmoor, [Edward "had
the greater number of men."--HALL, p. 296.] and hastily environed
the camp with palisades and trenches. He had intended to have rested
immediately in front of the foe, but, in the darkness, mistook the
extent of the hostile line; and his men were ranged only opposite to
the left side of the earl's force (towards Hadley), leaving the right
unopposed. Most fortunate for Edward was this mistake; for Warwick's
artillery, and the new and deadly bombards he had constructed, were
placed on the right of the earl's army; and the provident earl,
naturally supposing Edward's left was there opposed to him, ordered
his gunners to cannonade all night. Edward, "as the flashes of the
guns illumined by fits the gloom of midnight, saw the advantage of
his unintentional error; and to prevent Warwick from discovering it,
reiterated his orders for the most profound silence." [Sharon Turner.]
Thus even his very blunders favoured Edward more than the wisest
precautions had served his fated foe.

Raw, cold, and dismal dawned the morning of the fourteenth of April, the
Easter Sabbath. In the f