‘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’ [‎188] (209/508)

The Travels 0/Peter Delia Valle,
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XIV.
many ftrangers together, arni'd^and of fo little confidence with
him as we were: That on the contrary, he had done us much
Honour in invitiag and admitting us to his prefence with all our
weapons, there being no Ambaflador, nor publick perfon, orfo
much a« known amongft us. This partly quieted them, although
they very ill indur'd to fee themfelves (hut up. I told them fur
ther. that it belong'd to the King to difmifs us when he pleas'd,
and that, (houW we be late, the General would excufe us for
our delay, at leaft, if not for our too-great Curiofity, which yet
was no high crime as the cafe ftood, almoft all the Souldiers be
ing come a (bore this day. Neverthelefs they twice or thrice de
manded of the Ring that he would let them go, alledging that
it was already late to return aboard, as indeed it was ^ but
the King alwayes exens'd it, and would not difmifs thein 5 laying,
That we muft ftay till the Man he hadTent for was comegbecaufc
he wasdefirous to talk a little better with us, and that he would
fend us aboard in his own Boats, at any time when it
(hould be needful j for, there being no form'd Harbour at
Calecut , but an open (hoare, the Ships rode at a good diftance
from the Land.
At length came the expeded Interpreter, who was a prime
Brachman, and a Man of great Authority with the King > for I
obferved, that he alone of all that were prefent, leaned upon his
ftafFas the King did, and, as himfelf faid, he had fometimes treat
ed of weighty affairs on his Kings behalf with the Portugals in
/ £ 7 . ^ } the enterprize of Cognale, perhaps not iu the dayes of this Sam-
but of his Predeceflbr : So that he faid, he was very well
known to the Vice-R.oy, and the chief Captains of Goa vers'd
in thofe parts. Upon the entrance of this Man, the King call'd
our Captain to come up to him upon the raifed pavement of the
Porch ^ he refufed at firft twice or thrice, but at length was
prevailed withrby the inftances both of the King himfelf, and of
this Brachmdn. Here the King fell largely to difcourfe with him,
and with us about the Peace, about his defireto have the Fleet
ftay a while longer for eftabliftiing a firm Friendfhip with the
PertHgals^ud about divers o^her things 5 many of which were the
fame that he had fpoken before. In (hort, the Audience lafted
till night, the two little Ladies his Neeces, being prefent almoft
all the time, ("for they went and came now and thenj and the
Queen in the upper Cloyfter, in beholding of whom, tofpeak
truth, I was more attentive than in all hearing thefe difcourfes,
which I well faw were of little importance, and therefore I can
not relate more pundually. At length it growing dark, upon our
Captain s importunity the King difmifs'd us, and the door being
open'd, we were fuffer'd to go forth, but firft he caus'd many
branches of Indian Figs and Lagne, to be brought and prefente'd
to us i) the Courtiers giving them to our Captain and the other
Souldiers, not by ftretching forth the Hand, but by toffing them
in the Aitj as their cuftora is, I believe, to avoid being contami
nated
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