Post roads and messengers

Et sachiés qe quant l'en s'en part de Canbalu por toutes les voies qe voz ai contés, 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 mout grant paleis et biaus, là où les mesajes dou grant sire herbergient, et cest erbergies ont mout 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.

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.

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 aparoillés, 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.

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.

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 revellés, 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.

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.