Marco Polo : vol.1 / Page 251 (Color Image)

0251	Marco Polo : vol.1

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD' THE GREAT POST ROADS

may know that when one goes off from Cambaluc by all the roads of which I

have told you (I speak of those which are the more principal and chief) and he is gone R

twenty-five miles or thirty, and more and less according to the distances of the cities, then R

the messengers of the great lord who have [45c] gone these twenty-five miles they find

a post which is called iamb in their language, and in our tongue means to say a

post with horses. And at each post wherever they go the messengers find a very great FB

palace and beautiful and rich where the messengers or envoys of the great lord may FB L

lodge with dignity, and these lodgings have the rooms full of very rich beds and very L FB FB

beautiful, furnished with rich silk cloths and have all the things which are right for

exalted messengers and are required by them; and if a great king carne there he would LT R

yet be well lodged in any one of the like posts. They are provided with everything by the R

neighbouring cities and villages; and some the court provides. And again I tell you that at

these posts where these palaces are the messengers of the great Kaan • change horses, for they LT LT TA

find quite four hundred good horses at each which the great lord has appointed that R VB

they always stay there and be ready for his messengers and ambassadors when he sends R

them in any direction on his business, that they may be able to dismount there and leaving R

the tired horses to take the fresh ones ; • and at some there are three hundred, according as more FB

are needed at one than at the other. • And when the lord desires horses he sends his messenger to VB

these posts, & there are sent him as many horses as he demands. And again you may know

that in this way at all ends of twenty-five miles or every thirty are made ready these VA TA TA

posts of which I have told you, that is on all the main roads which go to all the VA

provinces of which I have told you above. And at each of these posts the messengers FB

find from three hundred horses to four hundred all ready for their orders . And again

they find there so fine palaces or stations as I have told you above where the messengers VB TA

lodge so richly as I have described to you above. And in this way it goes through all

the principal provinces and realms, cities & places of the great lord up to the borders of FB V P

the neighbouring provinces. And when the messengers go by places off the road strange VA

& wild. and mountainous, where one finds no house nor lodging, where there are no R R

villages and the cities are far off, yet the great [45d] lord has had posts made there in

each place off the road as in the other places of which I have told you, and palaces and all FB

the things as the other posts have, no more nor less, and horses, four hundred to a post, • FB R

which are kept at the great Kaan's own expense, and harness and all the other necessary things. L R

But in those places they are not found so close together, but they are greater days marches VA

to ride, for they are made, the posts, at thirty-five miles and there are some at FB

forty & sometimes more than forty' (for the others are at twenty-five to thirty miles). distant L FB VA

1 FA: de.xxxv.a.xlv. FB,R omit V (above): 25 to 4o LT: aut ad quadraginta ad plus, at 40 at most"? TA,P: 35 to 4o.

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