Or sachiés por vérité qe de ceste vile de Canbalu se partent montes voies lesquel vont por maintes provences, ce est à dire qe le une vait à tel provinces, et ceste à tel, et toutes les voies sunt devises là où elle vont, et ce est moût sçue chouse. Et sachiés qe quant l'en s'en part de Canbalu por toutes les voies qe voz ai contes, et il est alés vingt cinq miles, adonc le mesajes dou grant sire qe ceste vingt cinq miles ont alés, il trovent une poste que s'apelent janb. en lor langue, et en nostre langaje vaut à dir poste de chevaus, et de chascune poste treuvent les mesajes un moût grant paleis et biaus, là où les mesajes dou grant sire herbergient, et cest erbergies ont moût riches lit, fornis des riches dras de soie, et ont toutes les couses qe as autres mesajes convient, et se un rois hi venist, si seroit bien, herbergiés ; et encore voz di que à ceste poste treuvent les mesajes bien quatre cens chevaus que le grant sire a stabli, qe toutes foies hi demorent et soient aparoillés por sez mesajes quant il les envoie en aucune part, Et encore sachiés que en toutes vingt deus miles ou ongnes trente sunt ceste poste que je voz ai dit, ce est en toutes les principaus voie que vunt à les provences qe je voz ai contés desoure. Et chascune de ceste poste treuvent les mesajes da trois cens chevaus à quatre cens, tuit aparoillés à lor comandemant ; et encore hi treuvent si biaus palais con je voz ai contés là où les mesajes herberjent si richemant con je voz ai devisé desoure. Et en ceste mainere vait por toutes les provences et reingnes dou grant sire. Et quant les mesajes vont por desviables leus que ne i trouve ne maison ne herberges, si hi a fait faire le grant sire poste en chascun leu desviable et palais et toutes les chouses come ont les autres postes, et des chevaus et de arnois, mes ce sunt plus grant jornée : car il sunt faites les postes à trente cinc miles, et tiel hi a à plus de quarante, et en ceste mainere qe vos avés hoï vunt por toutes pars les mesajes dou grant sire, et hont herbergies, et chevaus aparoilés à ogne jornée, et ce est bien la greingnor autesse et la grandese greingnor qe aie ne baust onques nul enperaors, ne nulz rois, ne nul autre homes teroine. Car sachiés tout voiremant que plus de deus cent mille chevaus demorent à cestes postes propemant por les sez mesajes, et encore voz di que les paleis sunt plus de dix mille qe sunt ensi forni de riches arnois con je voz ai contes, et ce est chouse si merveilose et de si grant vailance, qe à poine se poroit bien conter ne scrivre. Et encore voz conterai una cause qe je avoit dementique, qe fait à nostre materie qe je vos ai ore contés. Il est voir qe entre le une poste et l'autre sunt ordreé ogne trois mile ha un chasaus, qe hi poit avoir entor quarante maison esquelz demorent homes à piés qe encore font ceste mesajarie dou grant sire, et voz dirai comant; il portent une grant centure toute pleine environ de sonaille, por ce qe quant il vont qe il soient oï de bien longe, et cesti vont toutes foies au grant gallon, et ne vont for qe trois moilles ; et les autres qe est à chief des les trois miles qe bien de longe le oient venir, demore tout aparoilles, et tant tost qu'il est celui venu il prant la chouse qu'il aporte, et prant une carte petite qe li done l'escrivain, e se met corant, et vait jusque à le autre trois miles et fait ausi come avoit fait le autre. Et si voz di qe en ceste mainere ha le grant sire de cesti homes à piés noveles des dix jornée en un jorno et en une noit. Car sachiés qu'il vont cesti homes à piés en un jor et en une noit dix jornée, et en deus jors et deus noit aportent noveles de vingt jornée, et ausi auroit noveles en dix jors et en dix nuit de cent jornée. Et si voz di qe cesti tielz homes aportent au seingnors plusors foies fruit de dix jornée en un jor. Et les grant sire à ceste tielz homes ne prant nul treu, mes fait lor doner dou sien et des chevaus qe je vos ai dit, qe sunt tant por les postes por les mesajes porter. Voz di tout voiremant qe le sire grant les ensi establi, car il dit qui est près à la tel poste la tiel cité, et il fait veoir quant chevalz puet tenoir por les mesajes, et l'en li dit cent, et il li est comandé qe il mètrent à la tel poste cent chevaus, puis fait veoir toutes les autres viles et chastiaus quant chevaus puent tenir et celz qu'il puent tenir, et elz comande qu'il tienent à la poste. Et en tel maineres sunt ordenée toutes les postes, si qe rien ne i met le grant sire, for tant seulemant qe les postes des leu desvoiables fait-il fornir de sez chevaus propes. Et si voz di qe quant il est beinzonz qe mesajes de chevaus aille tostainemant por conter au grant sire d'aucune tere qe soit revelles, ou d'aucun baron, ou des chouses qe soient beizognables au seingnor, il chevauchent bien deus cent miles en un jor, ou voir deus cens cinquante, et voz mostrerai raison comant. Quant les mesajes vuelent aller si tostainemant et tantes miles en un jor con je voz ai contés, il a la table dou gerfaus, en senificance qe il vuelt aler tostainemant. Se il sunt deus, il se muent dou leu où il sunt sor deus buens chevaus fors et corant, il se bindent tout lor ventre, et lieu lor chief, et se metent le grant cors tant con il plus puent, et corent tant qu'il sunt venus à l'autre poste de vingt cinq miles, et adonc treuvent autre deus chevaus aparoilés, fres et repousés, et corant. Il montent tant tosto qu'il ne se repousent ne pou ne grant; et quant il sunt montés, il se metent maintinant tant com il puent dou cheval traire, et ne restent de corer tant qu'il sunt venus à l'autre poste, et iluec treuvent les autres chevaus aparoillés, et il montent ausi crament et se metent (à) la voie. Et ensi font dusqe au soir : et en ceste mainere qe je voz ai contés vont cesti tiel mesajes bien deux cent cinquante miles por aporter novelles au grant sire, et encore quant il beizogne vont-il bien trois cens, et cesti tielz mesajes sunt mont preziés. Or voz laison de ceste raison des mesajes que bien la voz avon monstre apartemant, mes desormes voz conterai d'oune grant bonté que fait le grant sire à sez homes par deus foies l'an.

Now you should know for a fact that many roads lead out of this city of Canbalu to many provinces. One goes to one province and another to another, and every road is named for the place it goes to. This is well known. When you leave Canbalu by any of these roads and have gone twenty-five miles, the messengers of the Great Lord find a post. In their language it is called a janb, which in ours means "post of horses." At each post the messengers find a large and handsome palace where the Great Lord's messengers stay. These lodgings have very rich beds, made up with rich silk sheets, and everything else that messengers need. If a king came there, he would be well lodged. And at this post the messengers find a good four hundred horses, which the Great Lord has placed there. They are always kept there, ready for his messengers whenever he sends them anywhere. These posts stand every twenty-two or every thirty miles on all the main roads that go to the provinces I told you about. At each one the messengers find from three hundred to four hundred horses, all ready at their command. And they find palaces just as fine as I described, where the messengers lodge just as richly. In this way the posts run through all the provinces and kingdoms of the Great Lord. Sometimes the messengers travel through remote places where there is no house or inn. There too the Great Lord has had a post built in each place, with palaces and everything the other posts have, both horses and harness. But these are longer day's journeys, for here the posts are thirty-five miles apart, and some more than forty. In this way, as you have heard, the Great Lord's messengers travel everywhere and find lodgings and horses ready at the end of every day's journey. This is truly the greatest grandeur and splendor that any emperor, king or other man on earth has ever had. For you should know quite truly that more than two hundred thousand horses are kept at these posts just for his messengers. And there are more than ten thousand of these palaces, all furnished as richly as I said. It is so marvelous a thing, and worth so much, that it can hardly be told or written. I will tell you something else that I had forgotten, which belongs with what I have just told you. Between one post and the next there is a village every three miles, with about forty houses. In these live runners, men on foot who also carry the Great Lord's messages. I will tell you how. They wear a large belt hung all around with bells, so that they can be heard from far off as they come. They always run at full speed, and each goes only three miles. The next man, waiting at the end of the three miles, hears him coming from far off and stands ready. As soon as the first man arrives, the next takes what he is carrying, and a little slip of paper that the clerk gives him. Then he sets off running to the next three-mile stop and does just as the other did. In this way the Great Lord gets news from these runners from ten days' journey away in one day and one night. For you should know that in one day and one night these runners cover ten days' journey. In two days and two nights they bring news from twenty days away. So in ten days and ten nights he would have news from a hundred days away. And I tell you that these runners often bring the lord fruit from ten days' journey away in a single day. The Great Lord takes no tax from these men. Instead he has them paid from his own goods. Now for the horses that I told you of, so many of them at the posts to carry the messengers. I tell you quite truly that the Great Lord arranged them like this. He asks which city lies near a certain post, and has someone find out how many horses it can keep for the messengers. They tell him a hundred, and the city is ordered to keep a hundred horses at that post. Then he has all the other towns and castles checked to see how many horses they can keep. He orders them to keep as many as they can at the post. That is how all the posts are arranged, so that the Great Lord pays nothing for them himself. Only the posts in remote places he supplies with his own horses. Sometimes messengers on horseback must go very fast, to tell the Great Lord that some land or some baron has rebelled, or about something else the lord needs to know. Then they ride a good two hundred miles in a day, or even two hundred fifty. I will show you how. When the messengers want to go so fast and so many miles in a day, they carry the gerfalcon tablet. It is a sign that the rider wants to go very fast. If there are two of them, they set out from where they are on two good horses, strong and swift. They bind their bellies tight and wrap their heads. Then they set off at a gallop as fast as they can go, and ride until they reach the next post, twenty-five miles away. There they find two more horses ready, fresh and rested and swift. They mount at once, without stopping to rest at all. As soon as they are in the saddle, they set off again as fast as the horses can go. They do not stop until they reach the next post, and there they find more horses ready. They mount just as quickly and are on their way. They keep this up until evening. In the way I have told you, these messengers ride a good two hundred fifty miles to bring news to the Great Lord, and when it is needed, a good three hundred. These messengers are highly valued. Now we will leave this account of the messengers, for we have explained it clearly. From here on I will tell you of a great kindness that the Great Lord does for his people twice a year.