IE n’ay pas esté des plus foibles en cet exercice, qui est propre à gens de ma taille, ferme et courte: mais i’en quitte le mestier: il nous essaye trop, pour y durer long temps.
I have not been one of the weakest at this exercise, which suits people of my build, stocky and short; but I am giving up the trade: it tests us too hard to keep it up for long.
Ie lisois à cette heure, que le Roy Cyrus, pour receuoir plus facilement nouuelles de tous les costez de son Empire, qui estoit d’vne fort grande estenduë, fit regarder combien vn cheual pouuoit faire de chemin en vn iour, tout d’vne traicte, et à cette distance il establit des hommes, qui auoient charge de tenir des cheuaux prests, pour en fournir à ceux qui viendroient vers luy. Et disent aucuns, que cette vistesse d’aller, reuient à la mesure du vol des gruës.
I was just reading that King Cyrus, to receive news more easily from every quarter of his Empire, which was very extensive, had it measured how far a horse could go in a day at one stretch; and at that distance he stationed men whose task was to keep horses ready to supply those riding to him. And some say that this speed of travel matches the speed of the flight of cranes.
Cæsar dit que Lucius Vibulus Rufus, ayant haste de porter vn aduertissement à Pompeius, s’achemina vers luy iour et nuict, changeant de cheuaux, pour faire diligence. Et luy mesme, à ce que dit Suetone, faisoit cent mille par iour, sur vn coche de louage. Mais c’estoit vn furieux courrier: car où les riuieres luy tranchoient son chemin, il les franchissoit à nage: et ne se destourna iamais pour querir vn pont, ou vn gué. Tiberius Nero allant voir son frere Drusus, malade en Allemaigne, fit deux cens mille, en vingt quatre heures, ayant trois coches. En la guerre des Romains contre le Roy Antiochus, T.
Caesar says that Lucius Vibullius Rufus, in haste to carry a warning to Pompey, rode toward him day and night, changing horses to make speed. And Caesar himself, according to Suetonius, covered a hundred miles a day in a hired carriage. But he was a furious courier: where rivers cut across his road, he swam across them, and never turned aside to look for a bridge or a ford. Tiberius Nero, going to see his brother Drusus, who was sick in Germany, covered two hundred miles in twenty-four hours, using three carriages. In the Romans’ war against King Antiochus, T.
Sempronius Gracchus, dit Tite-Liue, per dispositos equos propè incredibili celeritate ab Amphissa tertio die Pellam peruenit: et appert à veoir le lieu, que c’estoient postes assises, non freschement ordonnées pour cette course.
Sempronius Gracchus, says Livy, using relays of horses, reached Pella from Amphissa on the third day, at an almost incredible speed; and from the passage it appears that these were established posts, not ones newly arranged for this ride.
L’inuention de Cecinna à renuoyer des nouuelles à ceux de sa maison, auoit bien plus de promptitude: il emporta quand et soy des arondelles, et les relaschoit vers leurs nids, quand il vouloit r’enuoyer de ses nouuelles, en les teignant de marque de couleur propre à signifier ce qu’il vouloit, selon qu’il auoit concerté auec les siens.
Caecina’s device for sending news back to his household was much quicker still. He took swallows along with him and released them toward their nests when he wanted to send back news, dyeing them with a colored mark that signified what he wished, as he had agreed with his people.
Au theatre à Rome, les maistres de famille, auoient des pigeons dans leur sein, ausquels ils attachoyent des lettres, qu’ils vouloient mander quelque chose à leurs gens au logis: et estoient dressez à en rapporter response. D. Brutus en vsa assiegé à Mutine, et autres ailleurs.
At the theater in Rome, heads of households kept pigeons in the folds of their robes, to which they tied letters when they wanted to send some message to their people at home; and the birds were trained to bring back an answer. D. Brutus used them when he was besieged at Mutina, and others did elsewhere.
Au Peru, ils couroyent sur les hommes, qui les chargeoient sur les espaules à tout des portoires, par telle agilité, que tout en courant, les premiers porteurs reiettoyent aux seconds leur charge, sans arrester vn pas.
In Peru they traveled post on men, who carried them on their shoulders in litters with such agility that, while still running, the first bearers passed their load on to the second without stopping a step.
I’entends que les Valachi, courriers du grand Seigneur, font des extremes diligences: d’autant qu’ils ont loy de desmonter le premier passant qu’ils trouuent en leur chemin, en luy donnant leur cheual recreu. Pour se garder de lasser, ils se serrent à trauers le corps bien estroittement, d’vne bande large comme font assez d’autres. Ie n’ay trouué nul seiour à cet vsage.
I hear that the Valachi, the Sultan’s couriers, travel at extreme speed, since they are entitled by law to unhorse the first passerby they meet on their road, giving him their own exhausted horse. To keep from tiring, they bind themselves very tightly around the body with a broad band, as many others do. I have found no relief in this practice.