1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Postilion

POSTILION (through the Fr. from the Ital. postiglione), a postboy, rider of a post-horse, hence any swift messenger, but more particularly the rider of the near horse of a vehicle drawn by two or more horses where there is no driver. The swift travelling post chaises of the 18th and early 19th, centuries were usually driven by postilions.