134 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



again. Herodotus mentions the singular fact that, from 

 the shore of the jEgean Sea to Susa the capital, there were 

 111 stages for posts, each a day's journey distant from the 

 preceding. 



" It does not, I believe, clearly appear," continued Mr. 

 Eaby, " in what manner, or when, posts were established 

 among the ancient Greeks ; and, although they are known 

 to have existed among the ancient Eomans, it is difficult 

 to trace the period of their introduction among either. 

 Suetonius, however, assures us that Augustus instituted 

 posts along all the great roads of the empire ; and it is 

 also asserted that they were known in the days of the 

 republic, when posts, and post- stations, called statores and 

 stationes, were established by the senate. The epistolary 

 correspondence of antiquity, however, was probably at 

 no period so extensive as to require or maintain post- 

 offices on the footing of modern posts for the mere con- 

 veyance of letters. It is in later times only, when the 

 extension of commerce gave occasion to frequent com- 

 munication, that those establishments are to be found 

 complete. The institution of them in modern history 

 appears to be in the year 807, by the Emperor Charlemagne, 

 but we hear little of their being regularly established in 

 England until the time of James the First. In the time 

 of Charles the First, rates of postage were fixed ; and it 

 is rather a curious fact, that the allowance to postmasters 

 on the road, for horses employed in these posts, was fixed 

 at twopence-halfpenny per mile ; which is, I believe, the 

 exact sum now paid to the proprietors of our mail coaches 

 for conveying the letter-bags. These posts, however, 

 extended then only to a few of the principal roads.''' 



" And can you tell me when travelling by the use of 

 post-horses commenced," asked Frank, " for I lately heard 

 a dissertation on that subject, which came to no satis- 

 factory conclusion ? " 



" At what period the public of any country commenced 

 travelling post, as the term is, is difficult now to decide. 

 Post-horses are mentioned in the Theodosian code (de 

 cursu publico), but I doubt whether any use could be made 

 of them, except by persons travelling in the service of the 

 state. At all events, I remember Pliny found himself 

 compelled to ask permission of his government to avail 

 himself of their services to carry his sick wife. In the 

 year 1548, horses for riding post were let out in England 



