noon
No flourish of trumpets heralded the advance ; no gaudy costumes clothed the attending Knights . The bugles were hushed , save where necessary to convey an order ; the banners were bound in sable ; upon every man was the badge of mourning ; Richard himself was clad in black , and the trappings of his horse were raven-hued . Not since the great Henry died at Vincennes , sixty and more years before , had England mourned for a King ; and as they passed along the highway and through the straggling villages , the people wondered at the soberly garbed and quiet column , forgetting , for the moment , that Edward the Fourth was sleeping in the chapel of St. George at Windsor and that his successor was not yet crowned . All morning Gloucester rode steadily onward , halting near noon at a wayside hostelry for refreshment . The keeper , unnerved at the sudden advent of such a guest , could only stand and stare at the Duke , forgetting in his amazement even the accustomed bow with which he would have greeted an ordinary wayfarer , until a sharp word from Catesby brought him to his wits . When the meal was almost finished , a sudden commotion arose outside , and the door was opened to admit one whose appearance showed every evidence of a rapid ride . `` Speak , '' said Richard .