chariot,
before which elephants, foure great horses richly trapped and couered doe
lead the way. Hard by the chariot on both sides thereof, are foure Barons
laying hold and attending thereupon, to keepe all persons from approaching
neere vnto their emperour. Vpon the chariot also two milke-white
Ier-falcons doe sit, and seeing any game which hee would take, hee letteth
them flie, and so they take it, and after this maner doeth hee solace
himselfe as hee rideth. Moreover, no man dare come within a stones cast of
the chariot, but such as are appointed. The number of his owne followers,
of his wiues attendants, and of the traine of his first begotten sonne and
heire apparent, would seeme incredible vnto any man, vnlesse hee had seene
it with his owne eyes. The foresayd great Can hath diuided his Empire into
twelue partes or Prouinces, and one of the sayd prouinces hath two thousand
great cities within the precincts thereof. Whereupon his empire is of that
length and breadth, that vnto whatsoeuer part thereof he intendeth his
iourny, he hath space enough for six moneths continual progresse, except
his Islands which are at the least 5000.

Of certaine Innes or hospitals appointed for trauailers throughout the
whole empire.

The foresayd Emperor (to the end that trauailers may haue all things
necessary throughout his whole empire) hath caused certaine Innes to be
prouided in sundry places vpon the high wayes, where all things pertaining
vnto victuals are in a continuall readinesse. And when any alteration or
newes happen in any part of his Empire, if he chance to be farre absent
from that part, his ambassadors vpon horses or dromedaries ride post vnto
him, and when themselues and their beasts are weary, they blow their horne,
at the noise whereof, the next Inne likewise prouideth a horse and a man,
who takes the letter of him that is weary and runneth vnto another Inne:
and so by diuers Innes, and diuers postes, the report, which ordinarily
could skarce come in 30. dayes, is in one naturall day brought vnto the
emperor: and therefore no matter of any moment can be done in his empire,
but straightway he hath intelligence thereof. Moreouer, when the great Can
himselfe will go on hunting, he vseth this custome. Some twenty dayes
iourney from the citie of Kambaleth there is a forrest containing sixe
dayes iourney in circuit, in which forrest there are so many kinds of
beasts and birds, as it is incredible to report. Vnto this