‘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’ [‎381] (402/508)

A V. oyage to E AST-INDI A,
Some that write of them have abufed the world with this tra
dition that they have no joynts in their legs, and therefore ftand
when they fleepagainft trees to hold them up : which is all very
falfe, for they lye down arid arife again at their pleafure as
other beafts do.
Their motion is not fwift, a walking rather than a pace
about three miles at the moft an hour 5 but of all beafts that ear!
ry burdens they are moft fure' of foot 3 for they never fall^ nor
yet jfhimble to endanger their Rider.
They are moft docile creatures, and of all thbfe we account
meerly fenfible come neereftuntoreafon. ,. r; > ... r .
Lipjius in his Epiftles 5°* out of his obfervation
from others, writes more of them than I can confirm, or an#,
I perfwade my felf, believe 5 yet many things moft re
markable, which feem indeed to be ads of reafon rather than
fenfe, I have obferved in them: for inftance, an Elephant will
do anything his Keeper commands him, as if he bid him to af
fright a man, he will make towards him as if he meant to tread
him into pieces 5 but when he is come at him do him no hurt at ail$
fo if he would have him, to abufe or to difgrace a man, he will
take dirt, or dufl:, or _kenriel-wafer into his Trunk, and dafh it
on his face.
Their Trunks are grifly Snouts of a great length, hanging
down betwixt their long teeth, which teeth nature hath given
them for their defence, otherwife they are of little ufe to them.
In their Trunks they have foch marvellous ftrength, that by
them they can do very much mifchief: for if they ftrike an Horfe,
or Camel, or any other the like beaft with them (asfometimes
they do when as they are mad) they will fo break their bones, as
that they will fpoii, nay kill them at one blow 5 and much more a
man, if he chance to come in their way.
Thofe Trunks of the Elephants are to them as an hand by
which they feed themfelves, and make great ufe of them other-
wife upon all occafioris: for with thofe Trunks they tear off
boughs from trees, by winding them about them, and after, with
them, put boughs into their mouths, and eat the tendereft parts
of them. With thefe they pull up green corn (if they be foffer-
ed) and grafs by the roots, and then againft their legs beat off
the earth and dufi: that hangs about them, before they eat there
of. Thus they deal with fedgs, or weeds, which they find in the
water, firft wafhing off the dirt which hangs on the roots there
of, and then down they go into their vafl: bellies.
The Elephants delight much to bathe themlelves in water ^iri
which, when they find depth enough, they fwim as well as any
other Creatures.
I obferved before, that the male Elephants when they
grow lufly are fometimes mad for their females, but in few
days come again in temper 5 before which time they are fb miA
chievous, that they will ftrike any thing, but their Keepers,
■ that
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