The stands on the slope were thronged with people; the Nobility, bureaucrats, wealthy magnates, and beautiful women of northern and central England had nearly all congregated here.
These distinguished spectators, dressed in a dazzling variety of colorful clothes, created a cheerful and opulent spectacle. Meanwhile, the grounds inside the arena were packed with well-to-do townsfolk and jovial freemen. Their plainer attire formed a subdued border around the magnificent circle of the wealthy, both tempering its brilliance and making it seem all the more radiant by contrast.
Before the tournament began, the heralds, as was custom, would bellow, "Largesse, largesse, brave Knights!"
Showers of gold and Silver Coins were then thrown down from the stands.
According to tradition, the heralds were the guardians and recorders of honor, and bestowing generous gifts upon them was a magnificent display of Knightly Spirit.
