‘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’ [‎236] (257/508)

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The Travels 0/Peter Delia Valle,
II.
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wedetermin d to return to Mafcat 5 and having pafs'd the Ifland
delUrtttoria, (To call 'd from a notable Viftory obtain d by the
Portngals againft an Armada of Turkifh Galleys which came to
make war upon Mafcat) about evening we re -entred the portof
Mafcat 5 where our Ship falling foul upon another Ship that rode
there at anchor 3 we became in a new danger of fuffering (hipwrack
or at lcaft 5 feme confiderable dammage. Many went afhostto
deep there all night > but being our departure was to be fpee-
dilv 3 I only lent my fervants to fetch me fome refreftiment,
January the thirtieth. The Ship having taken water, and ail
our company imbarqu'd, at four a clock afternoon We fet tail
again from Mafcat> and about Ave-Mary-t\n\e repafs'd the JOand
dclla Vittoria (which lies only two leagues from Mafcat} failing
between it and the Continent: as we had done before.
January the one and thirtieth. As we were failing with a fmall
wind ? wedefcry'd a Sail afar off, which feeing us, difcharg'da
Gun, as a (ign for us to ftay till it came up to us; whence we
derftood it to be one oiRuy Freiras Fleet^for by cuft-om the Ships
of War in India do thus,and other Merchant-Ships are oblig'd to
ftay and obey 5 if not, the War-fhip may fink them. Accordingly
we ftay'd, and by the help of Oafs it prefently made towards us.
Wherein I obferv'd the little Military Dilcipline r and good or
der pra&is'd by the Portngals in India 5 for there was all the
reafon in the world, that, if we (tey'd the coming up of this Ship,
according to the icuftom, yet we ftiould not have trufted it till
we knew what it was 5 tor it might have been an Enemy or t
Rover, as there are many in thefe Seas, who being Portngals by
Nation, and baniQi'd for fome mifdemeanbrsi, betake themlelves
to carry Pepper, Arms, and other prohibited things to the
Territories of the Moors. Wherefore to /ecure our felves from
all deceit and dammage, which fuch a Ship feigning to be of
Frezr^'s Armada might have done us, wefhould have ftay'd k-
deed, but it ought to have been with our Arms in our Hands,
Falcons, Corchabufes, and Mufltets loaden 5 and,in{hort 5 in a
pofture of defence and fighting, as occafion requir'd. On the
contrary, this good Difcipline.was obferv'd neither on ourpartj
nor bytheVeliel which came fee who we were 5 which im
prudent confidence, though it fucc^eded well in this cafe, yet
was undeniably a great and perillous error 5 and had the event
been ill, it could not have been excused othcrwife then by faying,
Nonputaram 0 a word) (According to very little befitting
Prudent Men. This Veiielofthe Armada demanded of us water
and Mariners. Now amongft the Portugals^ tis a cuftom for
thefe War-ftiips to take from Merchants which they meet what
they pleafe, either by fair means or by foul 5 although'tisbuta
dilorderly thing, and many inconveniences happen by it. Of
Water we gave them two barrels, but no Mariners, becaufe we
had few enough for our felves, and they took them not by force,
*(as they would perhaps have done from others Jout of refpeft to
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