‘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’ [‎166] (187/508)

The Travels of Peter Delia Valle,
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thereof ^ yet the univcrdil cuftom is fuch^ that few ufe them,
even when they lie before them. The truth is 3 they waih their
Hands many tunes during one dinner;, to wit 5 as often as they
^reafe them, but they wipe them notfuii: ^ for neither do they
make ufe of napkins, whether they have any before them (a S
for the moft part they have) or not 5 but bdides the trouble of
waft ing lb often, in my judgment, there is but little neat-
nefle in walhing their anointed Hand after that manner j
and , I know not, whether the wafting cleanfes or de
files more : I being inur'd to the neatnefs ot Italy, could not
conform to flovenlinels: and, let them cover this barbarous
cuftom with what pretence they pleale, either of military man
ners, or what elfe they think fit ^ 'tis little trouble for a civil
Man to carry, even in the Warr and FravelSj amongft other ne-
ceflary things, a fpoon, knife, and fork, where-with to eat hand-
fomely : The Turks thcmfelves, as barbarous as they are, yet
are lo much obfervers of this, that amongft them there is not the
meaneft Souldier, but who, if he hath not other better conve
nience, at leaft carries his fpoon ty'd to the belt ot hislword. In
jfhort, rhv King frequently urg'd me to eat of the Rice, and I as
often deny'd with feveral excufes ^ at laft he was fo importunate,
that 1 was fain to tell him , I could not eat that meat in that
manner, becaufel had not my Inftruments. The King told mej
I might eat after my own way, and take what Inftruments
I would, which (hould be fetch'd from my Houfe. I reply'd
divers times, that there was no need, and that"my tafiing of it
was enough to teffifie my Obedience : However 5 by all means he
would have what was neceflary fetch'd from my Houfe. Sol fent
my Brachman and my Chriftian Servant with my key, and they,
the King fo enjoyning, went ^ and return'd in a moment, for my
Houfe was dircftly over againft the Palace. They brought me
a fpoonjafilver-fork^and a clean and fine napkin,very handfome-
ly folded in fmall plaits, this.I fpread upon my knees which it
covcr'd down to my feet, and lb I began to eat Rice, powring
the butter upon it with a fpoon 5 and the other things with the
fork, after a very cleanly manner, without greafing my felf, or
touching any thi ig with my Hands, as 'tis my cuftom. The King
and all the reft admir'd thefe exqpifite, and to them unufual,
modes ^ crying out with wonder De«r«, De«r«, that I was a
Deurtf) that is, a great Man, a God, as they fpeak. I told the
King, that to eating according to my cuftom, there needed
much preparation of a table, linnen, plates, difties, cups, and
other things but I was now travelling through ftrange
Countries, and treated my felf, al/a Soldatefea , after theSoul-
diers fafhion, leading the life of a Gioghi, and conlequently, had
not with me fuch things as were neceiiary. The King anfwer'd,
that it fuffie'd him to fee thus much , fince thereby he eafily
imagin'd how all my other things would be , and that, in brier,
he had never feen any Europaean like me , and that it was a great
con-