‘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’ [‎176] (197/508)

The Travels of Peter Delia Valle,
^nd that thepkee and the Seignory thereof was by them given to
the Giorfi i who, as they have no Wives, fo the Dominion of this
Hermitage and the adjacent Land, goep not by Inheritance but
by Eledive Succeffion. I thought to find abundance of Gioghi
here as in our Covents, but I faw not above one or two ^ and
they 3 told me, they refort not together, but remain difpers'd
here and there as they lift, abide in feveral places in Temples
where they pleafe, nor are fubjed to their King in point of Obe
dience, as ours are to their Superior, but onely do him Reve
rence and Honour , and at certain folemn times great numbers
of them affemble here, to whom during their ftay, the King
fup plies Visuals. In the Hermitage live many Servants of his and
Labourers of the Earth, who till tkefe Lands, whereby he gets
Provifion. They told me, that what he pofleffes within and
without the Hermitage, yields him about five or fix thoufand
Pagods yearly 5 the greateft part whereof he expends in Feafts,
and the reft in diet,and in what is needful for the ordinary fervice
of the Temple, and his Idols 5 and that Venk-tapk Naiekahzd not
yet taken Tribute of him, but 'twas feared he would hereafter.
At length I went to fee the King of the Gioghi) and found him
employed in his bufinefs after a mean fort, like a Peafant or Vil-
laeer.He was an old man with a long white bea^but ftrong and
lufty s in either ear hung two little beads, which feemed to be of
Gold, I know not whether empty or full, about the bignefs of a
Mulket-bullet 5 the holes of his ears were large, and the tips
much ft retched by the weight 5 on his head he had a little red
' bonnet, fuch as our Galley -Oaves wear, which caps are brought
out of Europe to be fold in India with good profit. From the
girdle upwards he was naked, onely he had a piece of Cotton
wrought with Lozenges of feveral colours crofshis (houlders^ he
was not very low, and, for an Indian, of colour rather white then
otherwife. He feemed a man of judgement, but upon tryal in
lundry things, I found him not learned. He told me, that for
merly he had Horfes, Elephants , Palanchinoes, and a great
equipage and power htiox^Venkctap^ N^/e^took away all from
him, fo that now he had very little left. That within twenty
dayes after, there was to be a great Feaft in that place, to which
many Gioghi would repair from feveral parts ^ that it would be
worth my feeing, and that I ftiould meet one that could fpeak
Arabick^ and Perfian , and was very learned, who could give me
fatisfaftion of many things 5 and extolling the qualities of this
Giogho, he told me that he had a very great Head (to fignifie the
greatnefs of which, he made a great circle with his arms) to wit,
of hair, ruffled and long, and which had neither been cut nor
combed a great while. I alked him to give me his Name in
writing , for my Memory 5 fince I was come to fee him. He
anfwer d mel, ' as the Orientals for the fnoft part do to fuch curi-
* ous demands) To what purpofe was it ? and,in fine, he would not
give it mejbut I perceiv'd 'twas through <1 vain and ignorant fear,
that