‘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’ [‎34] (55/508)

Wi
1 ^ v ihe Travels of Peter Delia Vallc,
_ Z onv as, on the contrary, when the Moon is in the middleof
-dts/esrxSzs/ Heaven, the Xide ufesto beat thehigheft. But in the Gulph^of
£ / * Cambaia , I know not upon what reafon, perhaps becaule 'tis
^ ,/ much within the Land 5 and far from the great mafs of the
^ ~ Ocean, it happens at another different hour, yet well known to
w v the Country-people. The more cautious, wait alfo the moft fit-
/ 7 ting days in the moneth^ becaufe at the New Moon and Full
J Moon the Waters are always greater and higher s and, without
' / a comparifon, higheft and moft impetuous of all, about the iEqui-
L noxes and Solftices: In the quartersof the Moon the Tides are
J / moderate, and in other intermediate days, lower then the reft.
So that we being come to this place a few days before the New
^ Moon, were come in a good time , and iikewife in a feafonablc
hour, the CafiU^ or Caravan , having fet forth from the City
in fuch a moment as was exactly convenient for ordering matters
right; for the owners of the Coaches, and the others i in ploy'd
in this Journey, are well inftruded of every thing, and know
what they have to do. So being united in a great troop 5 the
better to break the ftream, wepafs'd over all that fpaceof five
Cos, which was moift, yet firm ground 3 faving that in four
places where we foarded the running-water of the River 3 which
neverthelefs is (alt there, the great ftrength of the Sea over-
; • t coming that of the River. Of the four ftreams which we waded,
the firft Was incOnfiderable, the other three came higher then
the belly of the Oxen which drew the Coaches, into which ne-
verthelefi the Water entered not, becaufc their floar, andelpe-
cially the wheels are very high 5 and you fit, according to the
manner of the Eaft, as upon plain ground, without hanging tlbe
Legs downwards, but keeping them bow'd under you. For
greater fecurity, they hir'd fundry men on foot, who held die
Coaches on either fide ftedfaft with their hands, that fo in regaid
of their lightnefs, they might not float and be carry # d away 5
and alfo to carry our bundles high on their heads, that lb the
fame might not be wetted if the Water fhould come into the
body of the Coaches. The men who go on foot in this paflage,
f either ftrip themfelves naked, covering onely their privides
with a little cloth, or pulling up their coat, which, as I faid^is of
plain white linnen, and ferves both for garment and ftrirt^ and
alfo tucking up their breeches made of the fame, they care not
for wetting themfelves. Tis certainly an odd thing to behoM
in this paflage, which is very much frequented, abundance of
people^ go every day in this manner, fome in Coaches and Chair-
riots, others on Horfeback and a foot ? men and alfo women
naked, without being (hie who fees them > a fpeftacle, no doubt,
fumciently extravagant. This wet paflage being over^ there
remain two other Cos 9 but of firm and higher ground, (which is
mot overflow'd, although it be plain and the Sea-(hore) to arrive
at the City of Cambaia, whither we came before dinner-time,
Jaaving travel! d that day^ in Jall 5 twelve And here iikcwiie
/ / ; '
. L/ wc