‘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’ [‎380] (401/508)

Dyars Vatt, juft to fuch an height of their bodies.
The hair upon their Horres(whom they keep plump and fat}
is very fhort, foft;, and lyes fleek upon them .* and I wonder not
at it, they are kept fo daintily 5 every Horfe being allowed a man
to drefs and feed him, and to run by him when he is rode forth
and this is ail his work.
They tye not down their horfe-heads when they ftand ftill (as
we do) with halters, but fecure each horfe by two ropes, faft-
ned to their hind-feet, which ropes are fomwhat long^to be flak
ed down behind them in Tents, or other places wherein they
are kept. . 4
They cut grafs for them green or withered on the earth as
they have occafionto ufe it, never mowing their ground and ma
king Hay as we do. But that which keeps their horfes in heart,
and inflefh, is the Provender they eat, which is a kind of round
grain they call Donna^ fomwhat bigger than our Tares 3 which
they give not unto them dry, but boil'd, and mingled with fome
coarfe Sugar amongft it 5 and when it is cold give it them, nlade
up in round balls, which they put into their mouths, as if they
cramb'd them 3 and fometimes they put a little Butter into thefe
balls to fcour their bodies.
I heir choice good horfes are valued there at as dear if not an
higher rate, than thofe we efteem moft of in England are prized
with us; They make exceflent Saddles, and fome of them of
great value, adorned witlrhandfom and rich trapings, all of them
very eafie both for the horfc, and his rider. They manage their
horfes with ftrong fhaffles, whofe reins and head-fialls are made
fuitable to their Saddles and Trappings,
The Elephants in this vafi: Monarchy are very numerous, and
though they be the largefl, and that by far, of all the Creatures
the earth brings forth 5 yet are they fo tradable, unlefs at fome
times when the Males are mad (of which more afterward) as that
a boy of twelve years old is able to rule the biggefi: of them, in
which we may in a fpecial manner read a Comment on that truth
which tells us how that the Lord hath put the fear of man upon
all the creatures here below.
But for the Elephants (I have begun to fpeak of) they are very
huge vaft over-grown Creatures, lome of whom, which I have
feen, I conceive at the leaft twelve foot high 3 but there are
amongft them (as they fay) fourteen or fifteen foot in height.
The colour of them all is blacky their skins thick, and fmooth
without hair 3 they have full eyes, but not proportionable to
their great bodies 3 they have ears like our Oxen, but not ex
ceeding large, and thofe ears edged (as it were) about with a
fhort hair-fringe 3 and at the end of their tails (which are flender
and not very long) there grows fome hair like wife and a little ce
their eye-lids 3 but no where elfe about their-bodies.
fhe feet of the Elephants look like the trunks of fmall trees
cut fquare off from their roots 3 round about which there are
thick, and fhort 3 and broad claws growing. Some
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