‘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’ [‎220] (241/508)

hath fcarce hapned between Princes^ unlefs pofiibly there be
fome unknown myfterie in the bufinefs : That the Frofts
having obftruded the mouth of a River in Holland had caus'd
a great inundation, which broke the banks or dikes whereby
they keep out the fea,. and done much damage to the Country:
That twelve Ships which fet forth from thence for India ^
\ being befet by the Spanijb Fleet of Dunkirk^ were partly funk
and partly (hatter'dj fo that they could not come to India,
Xhat the Cathoiicks, in Auguji laft;, upon the precile day
whereon Vrban VIII. was created Popd 5 had obtain'd a fig-
nal vi^ory in Germany againft the Hereticks. That great Fleets
were preparing in England, Spain, and France, for unknown
de/igns. That the Ring oispain was at Sevi%m& the Qiieen had
brought him forth a Daughter who was dead5 but the Daughter
of theConte diVidtgueira, prefent Vice-Roy herein India, had
brought him forth a Son 5 at /Which the Qyeen was much dif-
piea^'d with the Ring. And that in Portugal it was expeded
that the Arch-Duke Leopold ftiould go to govern that Ring-
dom. 11 j ? ! .j. iu
September the fifth, the other three Galeons, which I faid were
to come from Mafiat, arriv'd at (> Thecaufeof their delay
was, as was rightly conjeftur'd, that they had difcover'd an
Englifti Ship upon thofe CQafts 5 ,-and fpent fome time in giving
her chafe, but in vain, through th6 fault.perhaps of the Portugal
Captain who was r loth40 fight her: for one of them made up to
her, and fought a while with her Artillery, but perceiving her
companions came not to 4o the like, gave over, and having
given and receiv'd many (hotSc J^t her go without doing her hurt,
and return'd to her company. The Englifti Ship (hew'd much
bravery 5 for feeing three Veflels coming againfther, Ihe waited
to give them battle without flying. The above-faid Galeons
brought Letters which fignifi'd that Mafcat was molefted with
wars by the neighbouring Arabians 5 which, I conceive, may be
upon fome confederacy with the Ring of Perfia, thereby to di
vert the fortugals from the Siege of Or muz. That Or muz was
well provided with Men jjnd Viduals} that neverthelefs they
hop'd it would be taken, if good (iiccour were fent from Goa,
particularly of Galeons to fight with the Dutch Ships which were
e^pefted to come to the Ports of Perfu to affift Or muz, and re
cruit it with frelh fpldiers. Of the EngliQi there is no fpeech,
becaufe confidering the late tran(a(^ions in Spain^ it is not known
whether there will be War or Peace with them henceforward,
though perhaps the Vice-roy may know fomething in private.
September the twenty ninth, A Jefuit, whofe name I know
not, was confecrated here in their Church of G/e/« 3 Arch-BiQiop
of Angamali, and as they fpeak in the Portugal Language, da
^err^that is, of the Mountaip, where live the Chriftians whom
they call di ban Tome, of the Chaldean Rite, and fbmetimes
lubjeft to the ISchifn^atical Patriarks of Babylonia, but now of
late