‘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’ [‎186] (207/508)

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The Travels of Peter Delia Valle,
himfelf known 3 not onely would not do it 3 but retus d it
both by geftures and words, which I liked not well 5 for (baking
his Head and fmiling, he anfwerd that he would not, that they
{hould not caufe him to commit that falfe Latine, what ever elfe
he did 5 that indeed it was not a thing to be jeafted in 5 with
other fuch gallantries s he conceiving, as I believe, that herein
confided all the punftuality ot this Audience on his part: So
that none of the reft of us cover'd himfelf 5 but it would not
have been ill done^ ifthe favour had been with better Anfwers
then by faying, as the Captain did twice or thrice, (with greater
Courtlhip, as he thought) that it was hot, and therefore he
would not put on his Hat, which his fmiling betray'd to be but
an excufe ^ though he conceiv'd he thereby (he w'd himfelf an ex
cellent Courper, Then the King began to fpeak to our Cap
tain, (whom he well perceiv'd to be the Chief of the company)
concerning the Peace 5 yet laying no more then what he had fig-
nifi'd to our General, and dehring him to perfwade the General
not to depart fo foon from Calecvt, but to ftay till he had con-
fulted better with his Minifters, and had time to give a better
and more determinate Refolution.The Captain anfwer'd cuning-
ly, that thefe matters did not belong to him, who was a private
Souldier, and was come thither onely to fee the City and the
Palace, whither he had been unexpedtedly invited by his High-
nefs 5 that as to the Peace,it was to be treated of with the Gene
ral, who had already anfwered his Highnefs as far as he could,
according to the Orders given him by the Vice -Roy 5 neverthe-
lefs that in Obedience to his Highnefs, he would deliver
this Meflage to him in the Evening. The King (aw that a Soul
dier of ours had one of thofe Harquebuzes, which the Par tubals
call Baccamarti, which are very (hort, of a large bore, and with
a Fire-lock after the Englifh-faihion. He afked to have it
brought to him to look upon , whereupon a Courtier taking it
out of the Souldier's Hand reach'd it to the King, not giving it
into his Hand, Cfbr 'tis not lawful for them to touch a thing at
the fame time with the King) but (becaufe it would neither have
been handfome to have lay 'd it down on the ground for the Ring
to take it up) therefore he took this courfe^ Hefetthe but-end
of the Harquebuz upon the ground at a little diftance from the
King, and then giving the bore-end a gentle caft from himfelf,
made it fall into the Hands of the King, who held them ready for
that purpofe. The Ring taking the Harquebuz in hisHand, pre-
fently fhaked the powder out of the pan upon the ground, left
aqydifafter (hould befallhim, (for he perceived it was charged)
then lifting it up to his Eye, he looked through the fight, (hew
ing thereby that he was a good markef-man, as they told us af
terwards he was. He look'd much upon the Fire-lock as a thing
unknown to them, for their Guns have onely match > and being
he ieemed much taken with this piece , I told the Captain it
would be handfome to prefent it to him, and indeed had it been
mine.