‘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’ [‎205] (226/508)

Into the E AS T-I N D I E S.
7 j - 1 o j oo o j —
fame in Italy ^ as alfo fome of the Tree Trifoe with its odoriferous
Flowers, which blow every day and night 9 and fall at the ap
proach of day, as I my felf faw and obferv'd of one that was
planted before the Gate of our Houfe. This Flower is very like
the Jdfiuift of Catalonia, hmthtCanelU hath a yellow one,
which is usd by the Country-people inftead ot Saffron with
their meats, and upon other occafions. Moreover, I faw and ob~
ferv'd in the Lake two forts of Flowers^ one great^ the other vefy
fmalj , both white, with fomething of yellow in the midft 3
the leffer hath no green leaves on the ftalk to be feen| and the
inner part of the white leaves is full of thick and long Doun :
The greater Flower hath fmooth^ong^and ftrait leaves^nd grows
on a Plant whofe leaves are large, and almoft perfeftly round,
fcvimming on the furface of the water, totally expanded almoft
like thofe of a Gourd. Both thefe Flowers have a ftrange pro-^
perty 5 in the night they arc alwayes closM, in the day alwayes
open,difplaying themfelves at the riling, and clofing at the fetting
of the Sun 5 befides, that they are of a very excellent fragrant
finelL I could not keep any to (hew, becaufe they arefo ten
der and fo full of moifture, efpecially the lefler fort which is the
faireft, that they fade prefently upon being kept in papers, as ,
the Cuftomis. The Indians call them and tell a Fable of ^ ^
Brahma s being born of one of thefe Flowers, and afterwards re^
entring into one again, wherein he hath fpent ten thoufand
years. You (ee w^atfine Stories we have here 5 I leave them
with you and kils your Hands.
LETTER VIIL
From Go a Novemb. 4. 1^24*
MY laft I writ to you by the Ship which departed from > % //t fAf.
Goa toToHugah\\e firft of February, and was the only / \/
Ship of that Kingdom that was lent hither this year:
On which Day the Bells rung at Goa, and many rejoycings were / (p) ,
made, particularly, in the Churches of the Jefuits, the An-
gvfiines, the Dominicans, upon News brought of many Martyts y
lately Martyred in ^aydn, amon^ft which were many Religious
of the abovefaid Orders 5 and particularly of Jefuits ^ were
Martyred three Italians, to wit, F,Carlo Spinola, a. Genoueje o[
principal quality : V.Caniillo Cojianzo, a Calabreje, or rather a
Neapolitan, of a Family whofe Eftate lyes in Calabria: And F«
Fietro Paolo, a. Neapolitan Vik.tw\fe 3 if I miftake not.