‘The travels of Sig. Pietro della Valle, a noble Roman, into East-India and Arabia Deserta. In which, the several countries, together with the customs, manners, traffique, and rites both religious and civil, of those Oriental princes and nations, are faithfully described: In familiar letters to his friend Signior Mario Schipano. Whereunto is added a relation of Sir Thomas Roe’s voyage into the East-Indies’ [‎145] (166/508)

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Into the EAST-INDIES. 145
other company but a Veturino , or Hackney-man, and a
whocarry'd my luggage, without any other fetvanti for as for
OaUt the Perfian, alias Cacciatur^ I was conftrain a to dilmils
for ionie uncoiniTienclable aftions 5 and (end liim back from
Ikkert to Gvd, I will not omit to tell you, that this my brave
God-lbn. ( whom I had brought fo carefully out of Verjia^ and
trufted fo much, and who alone of all my ancient^ fervants re
mained with me) one day cunningly open'd a light box or
-balket ( Canefiri the Portugals call them ) wherein I kept my
Clothes, and which, after the fafhion of the Country, was not
of wood, but of hoops lind with leather, and clos'd with little
Pad-locks, like thofe which are us'dati^e for Plate ^ and
they are thus contriv d that they may be of little weight,becaufe
m thefe parts, carriages and baggages for travel are more fre
quently tranfported upon Mens fhoulders then upon beafts
backs 5 and one of thefe bafkets oi CaPtejiri is juft a Man's bad.
.Now the good Cacciatiir having open d mine, without hurting
'the lock, or medling With the linnen which he found therein,
took out onely all the little mony which I then had, and had put
into it, to avoid carrying its weight about me 5 it was in one
of thofe long leathern purfes, which are made to wear round
the wafle like a girdle, and was full of SpaniQi Rialls, a Coyn
in thefe parts, and almoft in all the world current enough. His
intention, I conceive, was to leave me (as they fay) naked in
the Mountains in the center of India-^ and peradventure, to go
into fome Territory of the Gentiles ov Mahometans^ thereto pafe
a jovial life upon my cxpence. But it pleas d God, the theft
being done in my Chamber, where none but he refortedj we
had vehement fufpition of him ^ awil therefore the Ambaflador
making ufe of his Authority, caus'd him to be laid hold on, and
we found the theft in his breeches tyd to his naked ftefh 5 and
thus I recover'd my money. I was unwilling any hurt (hould be
done to him, and withall, to keep him longer ^ neverthelef*
that he might not go into the Infidel-Countries, left thereby he
ihoddlofe his Religion and turn to his native errors, Ifenthim
away with fome trufty perfons to Goa, giving him Letters alfo
to Signora JUaria , but fuch as whereby they might know that I
had difmis'd him, and that he was not to be entertaind there,
though otherwife indempnifi'd. By this Story you may fee how
much a Man may bedeceiv'd in his trufting ^ how little benefits
prevail upon an unworthy nature 5 and withall, you may con-
fidertowhat misfortunes a Stranger isfubjedin ftrange Coun
tries ^ fo that if I had had nothing elfe, being thus depnv d
of all, I (hould have been left to perilh miferably amongft Bar
barians, j
But leaving him to his Voyage, I departed from and {i,
having pafs'd the Town Badrapor, I left the road of Ahineh, and ^
by another way more towards the left hand, went to dine undct ^
certain Trees near a fmall Village of four Houfcs, which they
U call