‘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’ [‎390] (411/508)

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A Voyage E A S T-I N D I A,
from a very gallant, and very valiant man, as he defcrib'd him, a
man big enough to beat aG^/i^and then he further told us,
that his honour was ever more dear unto him than his life 3 and
therefore notwithftanding the lofs of the Viceroys favour, and
What elfe might happen , he entred the Lifts with him 5 and
though he found him the ftouteft adverfary that ever he oppofed,
yet after a long conflid this little Knight kill'd that great Gyant,
and left him there dead likewife : which done, He (not daring to
return any more unto Goa) told us, that he came naked out of
the field as we then faw him with no ornaments (I aflure you)
about him, fit to make him a Viceroys companion, nor any wea
pon fit to Dub him Knight of the Golden Rapier. He further
added, that he was now refolved not to live any longer amongft
the Chriftians, but that he defired to live antongft the Englifh,
butwhen we replyedthat we were Chriftians, he cried JeJu Ma
r/a ! as wondring at it, and further told us, that he never heard
fb before.
When this Rhadowantadiji had ended his perillous ftory, it
was dinner time, and the Merchants bid him to fit down with us
and eat, and fo he did, where certainly he laid about him more
valiantly than ever he had done before in the field, giving our
meat many a cut, and eating, as if he had been more than half
• ftarved. He continued with us there fdr fomefew days, and af
ter, when his hunger was well fatisfied, and his fpirits well re-
frefhed, he began to take fome exception againft his place at the
T able, becaufe he eat at the lower end thereof, faying, that the
company there were but Fadors, Servants, but he was a Gen
tleman, and therefore his due place was higher at the board, but
then correded himfelf,faying,that it was not to be much confider-
ed where he fate, for his place made the upper end of the Table
where ever he was placed : and fuddenly after, this Don Qnixot
being weary of his ftay with us (though he was but too well
ufed ) and having a great mind to ramble further, told our Com
pany, that he being an Hidalgo, it was very difhonourablefor
him to take entertainment upon the terms he had it 5 and there
fore defired us to make a little Purfe for him, on which he would
live as long as he could, and then creep into fome Defert place,
and there repent and dye. And now our great Gheft, having
fpent all his humour, and told us all his Dream, had his defire
granted in fome money that was given to him 5 andfo we parted
with our Knight Errant, who lived longer than he told us he
would live, for half a year after I took notice of him at the
gcls Court, and there I leave him.
I will now ihortly relate a ftory of another of his Nation (and
I do believe, as good a Gentleman as himfelf) who called himfelf
Antonio de U Valla. It happened, that a little before pur co
ming thence, my Lord Emballadour going from his own houfe
to dine at the Engliih Fadory mSnrat, and I waiting on him,
there appeared then to us a walking Skeleton 2 moft miferably
clothed^
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