All Gentlemen, Merchants, and others, who have occasion to travel between _London_ and _Westchester_, _Manchester_, and _Warrington_, or any other Town upon that Road, for the accommodation of Trade, dispatch of Business, and ease of Purse, upon every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Morning, betwixt Six and ten of the Clock, at the House of Mr. _Christopher Charteris_, at the sign of the Hart's-Horn, in West-Smithfield, and Post-Master there, and at the Post-Master of _Chester_, at the Post-Master of _Manchester_, and at the Post-Master of _Warrington_, may have a good and able single Horse, or more, furnished at Threepence the Mile, without the charge of a Guide; and so likewise at the House of Mr. _Thomas Challenor_, Post-Master at _Stone_ in _Staffordshire_, upon every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays Morning, to go for _London_. And so likewise at the several Post-Masters upon the Road, who will have all such set days so many Horses with Furniture in readiness to furnish the Riders without any stay to carry them to or from any the places aforesaid, in Four days, as well to _London_ as from thence, and to places nearer in less time, according as their occasions shall require, they ingaging at the first Stage where they take Horse, for the safe delivery of the same to the next immediate Stage, and not to ride that Horse any further without consent of the Post-Master by whom he rides, and so from Stage to Stage to their Journeys end. _All those who intend to ride this way are desired to give a little notice beforehand, if conveniently they can, to the several Post-masters where they first take horse, whereby they may be furnished with so many Horses as the Riders shall require with expedition._ This undertaking began the 28 of _June_ 1658 at all the Places abovesaid, and so continues by the several Post-Masters. The intimation that these horses might be had without the "charge of a guide" gives us an insight into the bad condition of the roads up to that period. We can scarcely imagine, in these days, the necessity for a guide to direct us along the great highways of England, and can with difficulty realize to ourselves the fact that as late as the middle of the seventeenth century the interior of the country was little better than a wilderness, as we may indeed gather from Pepy's journey from London to Bristol and back, in which the item "guides" formed no inconsiderable portion of his expenses.