‘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’ [‎336] (357/508)

2^6 . A Voyage to EAST-INDIA, cfac.
./ , in 2Ce^ 5 where they committed the Robbery. From Jif 1 ''
'U / U whofe example we may learn 5 that it is not in the power of any ilarrJ, 1
a ffiidion, how heavy foever it light, and how long foever it lie ' L "'
if it be not fan6tified 3 to do any man good. That when the rod
is upon a man 3 if he be not taught as well as chafimd^ all the
ftripes beftowed on him are caft away. A man might have hoped ^
that thefe wretched fellows had been long enough in the fire to
have purged awaji their drof. But atflidions, like fire, harden
as well as foften y and Experienceteachesus, that the winds and •
waves though they beatj with their greatefi violence upon the
Rocks, yet leave them as they found themunmoveableV Itbe^
ing a moft tryed Truth recorded by Solomon, Fr^.27 .22. that.
Bray or beat a fool in a. morter, he will not leave his fooliJbnef\
But as he was put in, fo will he come out a fool.
The year following we carried three more condemned per-
fonstobe left in this place, but they hearing of theillfuccefsof
tfreir Prcdeceflbrs , and that it was very unlikely for them to
find any fafe footing here, when we were ready to depart thence,
and toleave ,thcm on thefhore, they all came and prefented
themfelves on-their knees, with many tears in their Eyes unto*
oqt chief Commander Captain Jofeph, moft humbly befeeching
him, that he 'woul^l give Order that they might be be
fore he deparied, inthatrp/^e, which they much rather chofe,*
than to be there left 5 we thought it was a very fad fight to be
hold three men in fuch -a coridition,that made them efteem^^-
ing to be n/ercy. Our Commander told them, that he had no
Commiflion to execute them, but to leave them there, and fo he
muft do. And fb he believed he had done 5 but our fifth.Ship the
Swan ftaying in this place after us a day or two 3 took thefe
poor men into her, and then took her courfe for Bantam whither
haiJ was bound - An(1 the our laft Ship , whofe fight and
' K /^\ ' com P a ny we loft in that moft violent ftorm (before mention'd)
y at the beginning of Our Voyage, was fafely preferved, and hap«
' pily afterward found her way to Bantam likewile.
j We made our abode in this Harbour till the twen ty eigh th fol-
t u-rtxy lowing^ on which day we being well watered and refrefhed, de-
Ph parted. And the tw enty ninth we doubled the Cape of good
1 a l'i X whofc Latitude is thir ty five degrees South. Otf this Cape
J ' 1 there fetteth continually a moft violent Current Weftward,
whence it comes to pafs,that when a ftrong contrary wind meets
it (as often-times k doth) their impetuous oppofition makes
the Sea fo to rage, as that (bme Ships have been (wallowed, but
many more very much endangered amongftthofe huge Moun
tains of water, and very few Ships puis that way without a
Itorm. We kept on in a circular courfe, to gain a South-weft
wind ^ for ye muft know, that the wind in thofe parts, and fo
in Eafi-India, blows (and but with a very little variation) half
the year South-weft, and the other half North-eaft ^ we failed
here Southerly, till we had raifed the South-me almoft forty
vU ^ degrees