The Confused Messenger

A court employed messengers to carry orders to officials throughout the realm.

Some orders couldn't be delivered: the official had died, or moved, or the order referenced a case that didn't exist.

Rather than have messengers wander indefinitely, the court created a register of failed orders. Messengers deposited undeliverable orders there and moved on.

A clerk reviewed the register weekly, correcting what could be corrected, discarding what couldn't matter.

Messengers kept moving. The system kept flowing.