‘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’ [‎276] (297/508)

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The Travels 0/Peter Delia Valle,
thing but only the Woman or Child related what he or fliefaw
and heard. Healfo caufed two perfons to fit upon the ground one
oppofite to the ofher 5 and giving them four Arrows into their
hand^ which both of them held with the points downward^ and 3
asitwerc 5 in two right lines united one to the other. Then a
queftion being put to him about any bufinefsj he fell to murmur
his inchantmentSj and thereby caufcd the faid four Arrows of
their own accord to unite their points together in the middeft
("though he that held them ftirred not his hand) and according
to the future event of the matter, thofe of the right fide were
placed over thofeof the left 5 or on the contrary. I know well
thit ftich things are not difficult to be done by the art of the De-
vil 3 nor yet to gain belief, the Devil being naturally a Lyar,
but becaufe the feverity in our Countries makes luch pranks ve
ry rare^ I therefore mention thele here.
Juguji the ninteeenth. Being ready to depart from Aleppo to
Alexandretta, thereto go aboard a fmall Ship which was
ready to fet iail fthe great Dutch Ships being already gone be
fore I could be teady), though I hoped to find them in Cyprus,
and perhaps toimbarque in a Ship called the Neptune
for more fecurity with a Caravan of the fame French, When I
fent my Goods aboard, I hid the Coffin of Sitti Maani in a
great Ball of Cotten Yarn 5 alid as fuch it paffed at the Cuftom-
houfe, being feal'd wit this mark P t V, N 6. the Letter de
noting my Name, and the figure fignifying the number of trunks
and bundles that I carri'd with me, being fet upon every one of
them, after the Mercantile falhion. By this means the faid Cof
fin was happily convey'd both in and out, without being undg--
ftood what it was either by the Turks, or Mariners of the Ship,
who otherwife would undoubtedly through their vain Auguries
have fcrupled to carry it.
Augnfi the twenty iecond, I was vifited in the Conful's Houfe
by Metran Ifcivaiab or ifciva-jahabj Archbifhop of MufarquWy
a Syrian Neftorian, who had been fometimes a great intimate to
F. Fra. Tomafo de Novara, and joyn'd with him in the reduction
of that Nation to the obedience of the Catholick Church. He
told me,he was very defirous to go to Rome, and in a manner of-
fer'd himfelf to accompany me, though I was to depart the next
day:but becaufe he faid,he had not his Patriarch's Letters for that
purpofe, but expected themihortly, therefore (according to the
prudent judgment of other perfons who had inform'd me of his
alTairs,namely, that there was little likelyhood ofhis having Let
ters ofmuch importance from the Patriarch, and that his defireof
going to was chiefly upon hope to get fomething therej I
counMl d him by no means to get to -K(7^/e,without his Patriarch s
Letters, inalmuch as the fame would render his reception un
doubtedly more favourable.He came to be of my opinioiijand (aid
he would follow me as foon as his Letters arriv'd, but in the mean
time he defir'd me, that I would carry with me two men of his
Nation,