‘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’ [‎169] (190/508)

il
Into the EAST-INDIES.
- can fcarce acknowledge my felf an Italian any longer. He
P r wit Hl t prayed me once wkh much eatneftnefle and courtefie, font
1- Wetd ' H of a juvenile curiofity ) to unbrace one of my Oeeves a little
ent »efro tt( ; and my breaft, that he might fee whether my body were
J Mone y,att( correfpondent to my face. I laughed , and , to pleale him,>
ofi did fo : When they fawthat I was whiter under my clothes
"Mothctfc' C where the Air and Sun had not fo much injured me) thanm
dmWifU the face, they all remained aftonifhed, and began to cry out
Aat UaJ a pain that I was a De»r»,that I was a Heroe-.a go(l, and that blef-
11 pleas'dmi fed was the hour when I entered into their Houfe, (I took my
alone and ft felf to be Hercules, lodged in the Country of Evader) and
»ill infen; fc the King being much fatisfied with my courtehe, faid, that he
istheyartn# knewmeto bea Noble Man by my civil compliance with hisde-
revtr ten A mands i that if I had been fome coarfer perfon 1 would not ha ve
), Imuft havti ^one fo, but perhaps, have taken ill 5 and been oifended with
itocureasoodi thofe their curious Queftions. , r
v/e\\ for it f« As for the Ceremonies of eating, I muft not omit 5 that atter x i ^
d; andtki ^e faw that I had done eating, notwithftanding his many inftan-
iki or rJ " ces to me to eat more ' he was contented th f 1
lirher m fe U end s and becaufe moft of the meat remained untouch d, and it
nJr n ' was not lawful for them to touch it or keep it in the Houfe,
} ana upiaio* caufed m Chrift i an Servant to come in and carry it all a~
idmg upon tfe ^ that he mi ht eat it ). which he aid in the napkin which T
uch things a ^ ^ b e f or e: for tolling it away, in regard of the difcourte-
,ceot MerchaK j t wou ja be to me, they judged not convenient. At length
; good one tok: when I role up from my feat and took leave of the King, they
pod ones, aodi cau f e a m y faid Servant to ftrew a little Cow-dung, Cwhich they
King was m4 had ^ ot rea(; jy for the purpofej upon the place where I had fat.
Men, that Ifpok which, according to their Religion, was to be purified. In the
1 did not. lib mean time as I was taking leave of the Ring, he cauicd to be pre-
ings, which aft® fented to me, (for they were ready prepared in the Chamber )
lealkdmecoDCE delivered to my Servants to carry home four Lagne^ (ib
g them^ tltfp they call in India,) efpeeially the the Indian Nuts be-
db withail, d fore they be ripe, when inftead of Pulp they contain a fweet re-
thcrufes. freftiing water, which is drunk for delight 5 and if the Pulp, (tor
that it was J 5 of this water it is made)be begun to be congealed,yet that little is
' Country, ill® very tender, and is eaten with much delight, and is accounted
ir lived there 2 coolings whereas when it is hard and fully congeal ed 5 the Nut
mprhing^ remaining without water within, and in the inner part tome-
him And® 1 what empty, that matter of the Nut which is ufedmore tor
t0 J ' f aU ce then to eat alone, is, in my opinion > hot, and not ot fo good
y 1^: tafte, as before when it was more tender.) Ofthefe Lagne he
>VV 1 at deal off 1 caus'd four to be given me, befides I know not how many great
^ re tir awMY- bunches ofMoitl, 01 Indian F/gj, which, though afmall matterj
ern0 arc neverthelels the delights of this Country 5 wherefore as fuch
^asin co^^ I received them, and thanking the King for them, who alio
illy 0 / j! thank'd me much for my vifit, teftifying feveral times that he
^gh in ") ^ | iad ver y great contentment in feeing me) at length taking
many Tr l a i my leave, I departed about an hour or little more before night,
[amfo^r z I intended
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