‘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’ [‎61] (82/508)

»cte.
I ^ Pllti.
d
clo thof !
mo "R 'licJ4
^Vaswt
""naftafflayj
, beginning tlei
^ich I believe,
livery,Lakei,
motion to the
to any
mh a piece of
of fire in the
fet fire Mat
nd about, be-
tuind another
inkle Water on
tmually ftir up
tioaofaclotb,
more fpeedily,
ce the fire into
tbe aftieSj and
'd there in the
/rapt before it
r to foine poor
ire burnt witli
i fpend much;
rdinary wood,
t buried, as we
•wonder, that
nany dead per-
j and very po-
ei the Otntiks
idonely in the
hat all that dye
of the day,
me day we
had
^ U of
tfcupoftin the
o ^metun
i lodged; and
1 and Mjj»;
^hichteve?
ben 1
for Surhy I
Into the EAST-INDIES.
XX.
lextMor"'
March the (eventh;, In the Morning we vifited the Father Je~
fuitj who was not a Prieft, but one of thofe whom they call
Fratel/i, Brothers 3 or young Fryars. He gave me Letters to
F. Antonio Albert in o, an Italian ^ and Redor of their Colledge
in Daman) and to the Father Reftor of their Colledge of BajfaiWy
defiring them that fince I could not imbarque at Cambaia in the
Cafila A train of travellers; a caravan; or any large party of travellers. of the Tortngals^ becaufe I was to return to Surat, where I
had left my goods in the Ships, they would favour me and aflift
me to get convenient paflage for Goa in the faid Cafila A train of travellers; a caravan; or any large party of travellers. , either at
Daman or Bajf 'aim 3 where I intended to meet it as it return'd.
I on the other fide gave this Father a Letter to their Fathers Re-
fident at Agra, t6 whom I had vritten formerly from Verfta,
defiring them to fend me fome correft Copy of the Terfian
Books^ written by their Fathers inthatCourtj in order to get
the lame printed at Rome ^ and by Sig: Alberto SciUing, I had
underftood that my firft Letter was receiv'd there 5 and that the
faid Fathers o( Agra knew me by report, and the relation of
divers who had feen me in Perjia, particularly of this Sig; Alberto,
In this other Letter from Cambaia, I acquainted them with my
Voyage to Coa-^ and defiring them to write to me there, and
remember to favour me with thofe Books. Having dilpatchcU
the Father Jefuit, we return'd to the Dutch Houfe to have a
Collation 5 and here we were entertain'd a good while with
goodMufick by an Indian, who fung tolerably well, andplay'd
upon a certain odd inftrument us'd in India 5 which pleas'd me
well enough^ecaufeit was not fo obftreperous Mufick as the or
dinary of the vulgar Indians, but rather low and very fweet,and
theMufician was fkilful according to the mode of the Country, ^ y y
having liv'd at the Court of fifapor, inthefervice of Adilpah, ^
His Inftrument was made of two round Gourds dy'd black andj^^
vernifti'd , with a hole bor'd in one of them, to reverberate the
found. Between the one Gourd and the other,about thediftance
of three fpans,was faftned a piece of wocd^pon which they both
hung, and the firings which were many, partly ofbrafs^nd part
ly of fteel,were extended,paffing over many little pieces of wood
like fq, many bridges ^ and thefe were the frets, which he touch 'd
with the left Hand to diverfify the founds, and the ftrings with
the right, not with his Fingers or Nails, but with certain iron
wires faftned to hisFingers,by certain rings like thimbles, where
with he did notftrike the ftrings ftrongly, but lightly touch 'd
them from the top downwards, fo that they render'd a found
fufficiently pleafant. When he play'd, he hel& the Inftrument at
his breaft by a ftring that went round his nec\k, and one of the
Gourds hung over his left fhoulder, and th^ other under his
right arm, fo that it was a prety fight. Collation and Mufick
ended, we were conducted about two Cos out of the City by
the Dutch Merchants, and took the (ame wdyby which we
came. We pafs'd over the five of wet ground, with the four
Currents of Water, of which the fecond was the deepeft (having
waited
: m: