Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/165

 ; These Post Masters likewise conveying in­to the Emperors Tresurie, the Moneys which were returned, had the liberty to difalke what Wages was due to them for their pains; so that all was very well ordered for the good of the State, and this was the Method which had been Established of old. But Justinian having rui­ned the Post betwixt Calcedonia and Dacibile, all who had business that way, were constrai­ned to pass betwixt Constantinople and Heleno­polis, in the little Boats, which were used before only to wast them over the Streight, whereby they were perpetually obnoxious to the Tem­pests which are very frequent in that passage, for when a Man is pressed by the Necessity of his Affairs, he stands not to consider whether it be fair or fowl, or what danger there is of the Weather. The Road to Persia, Justinian left as he found it established, but for all the rest, either into the East or Egypt, in every days journey, he would not suffer those stables of Horses to be continued for the convenience of Travellers, but the passage was made up­on Asses, and those very few: By which means it came to pass, that Advertisements were ve­ry slow from the Provinces, and most common­ly too late for any Remedy to be applyed: Those whose Estates lay upon the Roads, were exceedingly impoverished, having no vent nor utterance for their Commodities; and so much for the Messengers or Posts: I shall speak now of the Spyes. There were great numbers of them