‘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’ [‎113] (134/508)

Into ^EAST-INDIES.
Chambers where any one ha s dy'd. I faidj where people not
onely of different Religion 3 but alfo of impure Race have eaten 5
becaufe the Gentiles are very rigorous and fuperftitioua among
themfelves 2 for a noble Race not to hold Commerce of eating
with others more bafe 5 yeaj in one and the fame Race, ( as in
that of the Brachmans which is the nobleft ) fome Braqhmans,
( as thtVanditi, or, Boti, who are held in great efteemamongft
t hem) will not eat in the Company, orfo much as in the Houfe
of a BvdckfMans^ sinay^ or and other Nobles, who t eat ^ &
ari} and much left //
v ^ ^ ^ ✓ ^ —n
Fifh, and are call'd by, the general name Mazari,
efteem'd then thofe who eat none 5 yet the Brachmans, Sinay,
or ^aie^ or other fpecies of Mazari^ who are inferior , eat in
the Houfe of a Panditp.oY ^without being contaminated, but
rather account it an honor. •
After dinner, we departed from , travelling through
unequal wayes and lands like the former, but rather defcending
then otherwife 5 we refted once, a while under a Tree,to ftay for *
the baggage, and then proceeding again at almoft v fix a clock
after noon 3 wc came to the fide of a River called ^rea^jwhich
in that place runs from Weft toEaft, and is not fordable, al
though narrow, but requires a boat to pafs it. On the Southern
bank, on which we came, were four Cottages, where we took
up our ftation that Nighty enjoying the cool, the ftiadow, and
the fight of a very goodly Wood which cloaths the River fides
with green 5 but above all where we lodg'd, on either fide the
way, were liich large and goodly Xrees, fuch fpacious places
underneath for fhade, and the place fo opacous by the thicknefi
of the boughs on high, that indeed, T never faw in my dayes a
fairer natural Grove , amongft other Trees there was abundance , ,
of Bamhu, or very large Indian Canes, twin'd about to the top 1 ty/wswu .
with prety Herbs. The journey of this day was three Cos, or a
League and half. This River, they fay, is one of thofe which
goes to Garfofa. Vitulk Sin ay we found not here , becaufe he
was gone before.
November the fourth. We began in the Morning to pais our ,
Goods^over the River 5 but becaufe there was but one, and that
a fmalf boat, it was ten hours after noon before we had got all
of them over 5 then following our journey through fomewhat
oblique and uneven wayes like the former,we found many Trees
oiMyrohalanes, fuch as are brought into Italy preferv'd in Sugar*
It hath leaves much like that which produces Gum Arabick, by
me formerly defcrib'd 5 different onely in this, that in that of
Gum Arabick, the branch confiftingof many leaves, is much
lefs, round or oval, and feems one leaf made up of many other
long and narrow ones: But in this Myrobalane Tree, the branch
is fufficiently long, and the fmall leaves compofing it in two rows
on either fide, are fomewhat larger 5 nor is the Myrobalane Tree
prickly like that ofGum Arabick. The fruit is round, hard, of
a yellowifh green, fmooth., fhining, of little pulp, but a great
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