‘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’ [‎404] (425/508)

404 A Voyage toEAS T-IN D I A,
Their Tanks ar6 made in low places, and many of them very
deep and large (one mile, and fome of them much more in com-
pafs) made round or four-fquare, or in more fquares, about
which there is a low ftone-wall, that hath many doors in it, and
within that wall fteps, made one below the other round about it
that go down to the bottom thereof, (which is paved likewifeV
thofe fteps are made of well fquared lafting ftone, laid firm'
and eevcn in very good order,for people that'have not plenty of
water otherwife, to go down and take it. Thefe great recepta
cles of water, are made neer places that are very populous; fill'd
when that long feafon of rain (before fpoken of) comes, imme
diately before which time, they clenfe them, that the water may
be more clear, and wholfom. They hold water all the dry fea-
ion or the year. \
For their places of pleafure, they are in their Groves, where
their curious Fruit-frees (before defcribed) grow 5 but efpecially
m their Gardens,, wherein they plant little Vineyards that afford
marvellous fair and fwect Grapes, which they cut green for
tbek eating, or make Raiions of them. But for Wine, they make
none, becaufe their Mahomet forbids the drinking thereof. In
thofe Gardens likewife [ they have many Pome-granat-trees
with all other of the choieeft fruits and flowers their Country
affoids S to which Nature daily yields fuch a fupply, as that
there is beauty to be leen in thofe Trees, and Plants, and that
continually. In the middle of thofe Gardens, they have fiach
Wells (as before are defcribed) the tops whereof ftand a good
deal higher than the planted ground, which lyes eeven, and flat
below them, from whence water is conveyed in narrow open
paflages, (they knowing not the ufe of Leaden-Pipes) to all the
parts of them in the dry feafon of the year. In thofe Gardens
like wife they have little round Tanks to bathe in 5 whofe fides
and bottoms are made firm and fmooth with that plainer before
named 5 they are fill d by aqutf-duffs from thofe Wells, and they
can empty them when they pleafe, as well as fill them. The
water that is conveyed into thofe fmall Tanks, ufually runs down
r€ r j]- 006 '^ a ^ es ? ^ ave many hollows made in them, like
to icoliop-lhells, which water in its paflage makes fuch a pretty
murmure as helps to tye their fenfes with the bonds of fleep, in
t e lot leafons of the day when they conflantly keep their
howtes, and then they lye down neer them on theii : Carpets, to
, e . u a ij cc p* Thofe bathing places are within, or very near
their Garden-houfes, which ufually are by far more neat, than
any other of their dwelling.
' 1 v ^^^aGa^en-houfe, with all thofe accommodations about
. ^ j it, my Lord Embafladour lay with his company at thelaft
- / three moneths before he left EnJl-indU.
S Ancl further, in thofe hot feafons of the day ; the people of
fUe) better quality lying or fitting on their Carpets,or Pallatsfhave fer-
ants itanding about them, who continually beat the air upon
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