‘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’ [‎402] (423/508)

402 A Voyage to E AS T-I N D I A, &c.
One of thofe deferted Mofqnits^ with fome large Torab near
k 5 both vaulted over head (which (hall be after defcribed)
were the bed: places thereto be gotten for my Lord AmbafTa-
dpur and his Company to lodge and be in, we carrying our
bedding, and all things appertainirtg thereto, all neceffaries be^
longing to our Kitchin, and every thing bfcfide for bodily ufe^
from place to place, as we occafionally removed. Here we
ftayed with the Mogolbom the middle of April, till the twenti-
, ethof September following, and then began our pogrefs with
him, towards the City Amadavar, . ■, \
Our abiding place at Mandaa, was very near one of the fides
of that vaft Wildernefi, out of which/ome of thofewild beafts
oft-times in the night came about our habitation, and feldom
teturned back without a Sheep, or a Coat, or a Kid, fome of
which we always kept about us for our provifion. And it was
a wonderful great mercy, thofe furious, and ravening, and
hunger-bit Creatures, did not make their prey fometimes in the
dark and filent nights, while we were fleeping, on fome of our
bodies^ the fore-part of our dwelling (kriding upon pillars 5 and
there was nothing in thofc.open diftances, that had any ftrength
in it to keep them from us-
One night, early in the Eveningj there was a great Lion
which we law,came into our Yard, (though our Yard was com-
palfed^ about with a ftone-wall, that was not low.) And my
Lord Ambaffadour having a: little white neat Shock, that ran
out barking ^t hin), the Lion prefently fnapt him up,leapt again
over the wall, and a way he went.
'or ^ut for a ravening and roaring Lion, as I believe that he can
not be made tame when he is old 5 yet certainly he may be bred
tame,] being kept full, and high fed. For the Mogol, at my
being there, had a very great Lion (I often faw^ which went up
and down 3 amongft the people that frequented his Court, gent-
Jy as a dog, and never did hurt^only he had fome Keepers which
did continually wait upon him. ,
For thole wild and cruel Beafts,one of our Englifh-men watch-
jng in a tree by night,(that ftqod not far from our dwelling)with
a hre-lock charg d with fomelmallbullets,(hot a Tigre,andkird
him Itone-deadgas he was coming towards us.lt was a large beaft.
higher than an IriQi-Greyhound,withgrizled hair,a longhead,&
'harp and fhort picked ears,having a mouth fil'd with cruel teeth^
arter which (we ufually keeping a little fire without our houfe
evei ynight)were not fo much troubled] with thofe night-walkers.
Now to return to that from which I am occafionally digref-
.ed,T told you before what their buildings are. And now for
the furniture that thegreateft men have in them, itisC«r^/«-
pdUx^ very little 5 they being not beautified with hangings, nor
wirh any thing belides to line their walls 5 but where they are
belt adorned, they are kept very white, and fet off with a little
neat painting and nothing elfe^for they have no Chairs,no ftools,
? nor