to his objects,--namely, the night march of the troop under Lord
Hastings, and the probability that the conflict was already begun.
"If so," muttered the rebel, "we can see how the tide turns, before we
endanger ourselves; and at the worst, our prisoners will bring
something of prize-money."

While thus soliloquizing, he spied one of those cumbrous vehicles of
the day called whirlicotes [Whirlicotes were in use from a very early
period, but only among the great, till, in the reign of Richard II.,
his queen, Anne, introduced side-saddles, when the whirlicote fell out
of fashion, but might be found at different hostelries on the main
roads for the accommodation of the infirm or aged.] standing in the
yard of the hostelry; and seizing upon it, vi et armis, in spite of
all the cries and protestations of the unhappy landlord, he ordered
his captives to enter, and recommenced his march.

As the band proceeded farther on their way, they were joined by fresh
troops of the same class as themselves, and they pushed on gayly,
till, about the hour of eight, they halted before the hostelry the
captain had spoken of. It stood a little out of the high road, not
very far from the village of Hadley, and the heath or chase of
Gladsmore, on which was fought, some time afterwards, the battle of
Barnet. It was a house of good aspect, and considerable size, for it
was much frequented by all caravanserais and travellers from the North
to the metropolis. The landlord, at heart a stanch Lancastrian, who
had served in the French wars, and contrived, no one knew how, to save
moneys in the course of an adventurous life, gave to his hostelry the
appellation and sign of the Talbot, in memory of the old hero of that
name; and, hiring a tract of land, joined the occupation of a farmer
to the dignity of a host. The house, which was built round a spacious