‘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’ [‎350] (371/508)

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A Voyage ^ E A S T-I N D I A, c^v.
called shujhan, where the great King Ahajuerus kept his Royal
and moft Magnificent Court, Efih.i. From hence they journied
afterwards to Candahor, the firft Province North Eafl: under
the fubjeftion of the Great Moghol, and fo to Lahore, the chief-
eft City but one belonging to that great Empire, a place, as' I
have been often told by Tom: Cory at and others, of very great
trade, wealth, and delight, lying more temperately out of the
Parching Sun than any other of his great Cities do: And to
this City he wanted not Company ? nor afterwards to Agra, the
MoghoVs Metropolis or chief City. r
And here it is very obfervable that from Lahore to Agra it is
four hundred Englifh miles, and that the Country betwixt both
thefe great Cities is rich, even pleafant and flat, aCawpaniay
and the rode-way on both fides all this long diftance planted
with great Trees which are all the year cloathed with leaves,
exceeding beneficial unto Travellers forthefhade they afford
them in thofe hot Climes. This very much extended length of
way'twixt thefe two places, is called by Travellers the Long
Wa\, very full of Villages and Towns for Paffengers every where
to find Provifion.
At Agra our Traveller made an halt, being there lovingly re
ceived in the Englifi Faftory, where he ftayd till he had gotten,
to his Turhjjh and Morifco or Arabian Languages, fome good
knowledge in the Perjtan and IndoBan Tongues, in which ftudy
he was alwayes very apt, and ift little time fhewed much profi
ciency. The firft of thofe two, the Perjtan, is the more quaint 3
the other, the Indian, the vulgar Language fpoken in Eafl-India:
In both thefe he fuddenly got fuch a knowledge and maftery,
that it did exceedingly afterwards advantage him in his Travels
up and down the Mogols Territory 5 he wearing alwayes the
Habit of that Nation, and fpeaking their
In the firft of thefe, the Tongue, he made afterwards
an Oration to the Great Mogol, bringing in that Story of the
Queen of Sheba, 1 Kings 10. (in which parts of that Sacred
Hiftory the Mahumetans have fome knowledge^ and he told
him, that as the Qyeenof sheba having heard of the Fame of
King Solomon, came from far to vifit him, which when fhe had
done, (he confefled that though (he had heard very much of
him, and many things beyond her belief, yet now feeing what
(he did, acknowledged that fhe had not heard half of that which
fhe now faw concerning the Wifdom, and Greatnefi, and Reti
nue, and Riches of Solatoton : So our Orator told ihe Aiogol, that
he had heard very much of him before he had the Honour to
fee him (when he was very far offin his own Country) but now
what he beheld did exceedingly furmount all thofie former Re
ports of him which came to his Ears at fuch a diftance from him :
Then larding his fhort fpeech with fome other pieces of Flattery,
which the liked well,concluded ; And when he had done,
the Mogol gave him one hundred Roopus, which amounts to the
value
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