‘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’ [‎60] (81/508)

The Travels of t'eter Delia Valle,
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(catter'd about the fame. The next Morning early., we re-
turn'd to this Field, and faw feveral Bodies burnt, and parti
cularly obferv'd the Funeral of one Woman from the beginning
to the end. They carry the Corps wrapt in a cloth of of
' a red colour for the moft part, and much in ufe among the
7 ' ans forother purpofes. They carry it not upon a Biere, as we
do ? but ty'd to and hanging down like a lack 3 tron^. a ftafFiay d
crofs two Men's (boulders. They make the funeral pile of wood,
lay'd together in form of abed, of equal length and breadth,
and fufficient to receive the Body > upon which, beginning then
to lament with a loud voice, they lay the carkafs naked and fu-
pine, with the Face and Feet towards the Sea 5 which I believe,
is likewife obferv'd (where the Sea is not) towards Riven,Lakes,
and Cifterns, the Indians having a particular devotion to the
Water 5 nor do I know, that herein they have refped to arty
Region of Heaven. They cover the privities with a piece of
wood, anoint the Hands and Feet, put a coal of fire in the
Mouth 5 and then all things being prepar'd, theyfet fire firft at
the Throat, and afterwards to the whole pile round about, be
ginning firft at the Head, but with their Faces turn'd another
way, as Virgil faith our Anceftors did 5 Then fprinkle Water on
the ground round about the pile, which they continually ftir up
with ftaves in their Hands, and blow with the motion of a cloth,
to the end the flame may not fpread, but burn more fpeedily.
The body being confum'd by degrees , they reduce the fire into
a round form, and when all is burnt, they leave the allies, and
fbmetimes a piece of a bone not wholly confum'd there in the
fame place: The cloth wherein the body was wrapt before it
was committed to the pile, they give in Charity to fome poor
. , perfon prefent. Such as have where withall, are burnt with
odoriferous and precious wood, in which the rich fpend much 5
but they that cannot reach lb high, ufe ordinary wood.
Children under two years of age are not burnt but buried, as we
(aw fome in the fame Field. Nor let the Reader wonder, that
in the fame day and hour we hapned to fee fo many dead per-
fons ^ for, befides that Cambaia is a large City and very po
pulous, as all the Cities and Lands of India are i the Gentiles
are wont to perform this Ceremony of the dead onely in the
Morning, at a fet hour, and in that place ^ fo that all that dye
in the whole City, during the twenty four hours of the day, are
' ^ ' ' l id ^ roil ^ t to ^at place at the fame hour. The fame day we had
News ofa Jefuit's coming to CambaiahomGoa, v/ithaCafila of
/ - > ^ VortHgalVxigptS) which was going for.• Whereupon in the
Evening, Sig: Alberto Scilling and I, in company of a Venetian
Merchantj went to vifit him at the houfe where he lodged 5 and
having told him that we were to go the next day for Surat^ I
defir'd him togive aletter tothe Jefuitsof Daman and BajJ'aim,
where I hop'd to touch upon the way to Goa 5 which he very
courteoufly condefcending to do, we went again the next Morn
ing to fee him before we departed. March
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