‘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’ [‎101] (122/508)

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Into the EAST-INDIES. ioi
Nareka loft his chief Wife 5 an aged Woman, and well belov'd
by him ^ her name was Badra-Amk 9 Daughter of a noble-man
of the fame Race of Lingavant, which Venkctapb himfelf is oC
tiadrh was her proper name, Amh, Her Title, denoting Princeft
orQaeen. We ftay 'd all this while at O/r^r, becaufeas (bon as
we arriv'd there , Vitula Sway writ to FenJ^tapa Naieka his
Mafter 5 giving him an account of our arrival; and fo it was
neceflary to ftay for his Anfwer and Orders from the Court:
alfo waited for men to carry us upon the way, ("the whole jour
ney being to be made in Litters or PaUnchinoes} together with
our Goods and Baggage, which were likewife to be earry'd by
men upon their (boulders. And the Davkli^ orFeaft of the
Gentiles) falling 6ut in the mean titpe, we were fain to ftay till it
waspafs 'd > and I know not whether the Qjjeens Death and Fu
nerals may not caufe us to ^ay ibme time longer. I will not fup-
prels one ftory which is reported of this Lady. They (ay, thar
twelve or thirteen years fince, when ftie was about five anct
thirty years old, it came to her ears that Venfaapa Naie^d her
Hulband, being become fond of a Mootifti Woman, kept her fe-
cretly in a Fort not farr from the Court, where he frequently fo-
lac One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees 'd himfelf with her for two or three dayes together 5 where
upon Badra-Amk , (firft complaining to him not onely of the
wrong which he did thereby to her, but alfo more of that which
'he did tohimfelf, defiling himfelf with a ftrange Woman of im
pure Race, (according to their fuperftition) and of a Nation
which drank Wine, and eat Flefti, and all fort of uncleannefles
in their account ) told him that if he had a mind to other Wo
men, he need not have wanted Gentile-Women of their clean
Race, without contaminating himfelf with this Moor, and (he
ihould have fuffer'd it with patience 5 butfincehe had thus de-
fil 'd himfelf with her, (he for the future would have no more to
do with him $ and thereupon ihe took an Oath that (he would
be to him as his Daughter, and he (hould be to her as her Fa
ther : After which (he (hew 'd no further refentmenty but liv'd
with him as formerly, keeping him company in the Palace, tend
ing upon him in his ficknefs, and other things with the fame love
as at firft, helping and advifing him in matters of Government^
wherein fhe had alwayes great authority with him > and,in (hort^
excepting the Matrimonial Aft, perfeftly fulfilling all other Of
fices of a good Wife. Venkctafa Naiefa who had much affedion
for her, notwithftanding the wrong he did her with his Moor,
endeavor'd by all means poffible to divert her from this her pur-
pofe, andto perfwade her to live a Matrimonial Lifeftill with
him, offering many times to compound for that Oath by the
alms ot above 20000. Pagods, ( Pagod is a gold coin, near
equivalent to a Venetian Zecchine, or Englifti Angel) but all in
vain , and ihe perfever 'd conftant in this Refolution till death >
which being undoubtedly an aft of much Conftancy and Virtue^
was the caufe that Vwl^tapa Naiek* lov'd her always (b much the
0 more. atfthr