‘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’ [‎288] (309/508)

288 T/;e Travels of Peter Delia Valle,
Son of the no lefs famous Captain Miltiades. You may fee
rrohusinthe Life of the faid where he faith,"
Oppiclo Citto eft tnoriUHs, after he had conquer'd moft part of the
Ilbnd Cyprus, Two or three hours before noon , we pafs'd by
the place where theSalt-work is 3 which, though through the
neghgence of the Turks, who do not cleanfe and empty it well,
it decayes and fills up every day 5 yet in my time it yielded
yearly about 10000 Piafters 3 and almoft all Ships make ballaft
of Salt 5 particularly, thofe of Venice are all oblig'd to take as
much as will ferve for that purpofe , and many times they take
more, which at Venice is a good commodity, and a Trade referv'd
to the Prince. Then we pafs'd through a Village call'd Brome-
Uxaia^ and at length arriving at Kiti, which lyes a little diftant
from the Sea, (theCoaftof thelfland running Weft-ward from
the Saline ) we vifited Aluife Cucct^ whom (indeed like a
Philofopher, as he profefles to be) we found living in a Houfe,
which had fometimes been great and fair, but was now half ru
in d 5 the Garden had a fmall Brook, with ftruftures of Foun
tains and fuch like things, but all out of order, and referving
no other beauty befides a great number of Orange-Trees,planted
regularly, and of equal height, and making a goodly and de
licious Grove. I difcours'd with the faid Sig: Aluife^ and Jic
feem'd an intelligent Perfon 5 but becaufe he was fick, or at
leaft recovering, and (b weak that he could fcarce lpeak 3 1 could
not benefit by him as Idefir'd. I afk'd him concerning Cddmid
and its fpecies, and other Minerals, which you writ me word
that you defir'd from Cyprus, and I accordingly (ent to timfa
(the chief City of the lOand, and the place of the Baflia's re-
lidence)^ as alfo concerning the Book of Galen, He told me,
there was feme at this day, but 'twas hard to meet with any
that knew it,or could tell where to find it, the people being very
Ideots, and the Mines intermitted heretofore by the Chrifti-
ans, for fear of alluring the Turks thereby to invade the Ifland,
as alfo fince by the Turks through ignorance. After this and
luch other Difcourfe, we returned to Larnaca by a different road,
about the midft whereof we found another Village, call'd A/m-
go > but all thefe Villages in former times well peopled, are now
ajmolt wholly deftroy'd and uninhabited.
I I. the ninth. Being return'd to the Ship, the next day
I took the height; ot the Sun with ray Aftrolabe in the Port deUd
Saline of Cyprus, and found him decline Southward from the
Zenith 29 degrees, 29 minutes, 50 feconds. Onwhichdayhe
was in degrees of- .
September the thirteenth, 1 went afliore in the Morning to
Larnaca again, irora whence, upon the Confuls inftance, I was
accompany d by Sig: Gio FrancefcoParente, two other Venetians,
a Greek nam d Alejer Manoli, my (ervantAZ/r/je/, and a Janizary
tor our guard, to a delicious place of Devotion, call 'd by the
Oieeks, Agia-Nappa, that is, Holy, about eight leagues from
LarnacA,