‘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’ [‎389] (410/508)

A Voyage to EAST-INDIA,
,>cf
r^poa
!U r ilier 5 t 0
"^e-back
thirteen to one 5 ana yet fuch beafts they were, as they durft not
make any reiiftance.
But take fome ftories of valiant Portugals before I leave them,
and thefe you fliall have from fome of that Nation themfelves,
whom we not feldom met in India, and would there beg relief
of us s, but I never knew any come to us upon thofe terms ^ but
his pride would excufe his poverty thus, that he was challenged
into the field, and there in fingle combat had fairly flain a man 5
how that he durft not return again any more into the Portugal
Colonies, for fear of the Law, and it was that which put him
at prefent into that fad exigent to ask relief, and this was theit
ufual plea there ^ wheirin truth and in deed, we did believe them
to befuch pitiful wretches, or men of fuch a ftrange refolution^
as that, (as it was written of one called Pifander)they would be
made to fear their own fhadows.
However, upon this account there came upon a time at my firft
coming ifito India^ unto the Faftory at Surat, where I then was,
a moft valiant Portugal (if you will give him leave to tell his
own flory, and believe it when he hath done) who firft for his
peribn was a Quantus tantus^ tantillus^ a very poor, little dwar*
fifh man, whole perfbn promifed as little valour as any that I ever
faw, though I know that high courage is not tyed to an huge
bulk, for (if ftoriesabufe us not) the Great was but a
little man j but what ever Alexander vtzs, I am fure, that this
was a poor little things but however he told us, that he was by
birth an Hidalgo, which iignifies in Spanifti the Son of fome bo
dy, or no ordinary man, but a Gentleman of Spain, and that he
came from thence as a Companion to the King of Spain* Vice
roy, fent to Goa, and himfelf was called the Knight with the
Golden Rapier, and that fiiddcnly after his coming to Goa, he
was honourably invited into the field, there to fight a fingle
Combat with a very gallant man of that place, but he fbon left
him there dead 5 and having done fo, the Viceroy prevented
him with a pardon for that fadt, before he ask'd it a but willing
him withall, now he had been fufficiently tryed, to confine his
Rapier to its fcabbard. But he told us further, that he could
not long after live quietly there, but was provoked again by a
man of nigh refolution, unto a fecond encounter;, when he had
the like fuccefs as before, in killing his Adverfary. The Viceroy
now was very angry with him, but upon much intreaty, as he
faid, pardoned him a fecond time 3 upon the receit of which fa
vour he told us that he was then refolved to throw away his Ra^
pier, to get into a Religious Houfe, and there to remain the re^
(idue of his days, a Convertado or Penitent, But the Viceroy
could not be long without his Company ^ and therefore to gain
it, reftored him again into his former favour: But for himfelf he
wasftilliounhappy (the fame of his great valour beingfpread
abroad) as that he could not long enjoy that peace, and quiet,
which he now fo much defired, but received a third Challenge
from
r
; *•
Wi
\&l
;■
1%
ml
% 1
S.U
ttW,
\3r
i 1