‘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’ [‎411] (432/508)

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A Voyage to EAST-INDIA, &>€.
day there, will flip on loofe Coats over the other, made either
of quilted Silk 5 or Callico , or of" our Englifli Scarlet-broad
cloth (for that is the colour they moft love.) Under their
Coats they have long Breeches like unto Irifti-troufeS;, made ufu*
ally of the fame cloth, which come to their Anckles, and ruflle
on the fmall of their legs. For their feet, they keep them (as
was before obferved) always bare in their ihooes.
Some of their Grandees makes their Coats and Breeches of
ftriped Taffataof feveral colours, or of fome other filk fluff all
of the fame colour, or of flight cloth of Silver or Gold, all
made in that Country* But pure white and fine Callico-laune,
(which they there make likewife) is for the moft part the height
of all their bravery 5 the collars, and fome other parts of their
upper coats, being fet off with fome neat ftitching.
Upon their heads they wear a long wreath of cloth, about
half a yard broad, ufually white, but fometimes of other co
lours. Which cloth worn for their head-covering, is fometimes
inter-woven in fpaces with threds of coloured filk, or iilver, or
gold } and when not fo, one end of that wreath of cloth worn
by Gallants is ufually thus inter-woven 5 and fo put upon their
heads, that its gaynefs may appear. This headTCOvering of
theirs, they call a Stwfh, which incircles their heads many times,
and doth mervelloufly defend them from the violence of the
Sun» And becaufe this covering muft needs keep their heads
hot, they provide for this^ as well as they can, by (having the
hair continually from off them. And they have girdles made of
the lame wreaths of cloth for the better fort, /thus inter-woven,
which come twice at leaft about them, made very trim with that
kind of weaving, efpecially on both ends, which hang down di-
redly before them. , • ' . ;
And thus have I prefented a Mahometan there in his proper
drefs whofe habit will more vifibly appear together in the JMo~
gols Pidure, portrayed and after put into this difcourfe. ^
Now for the Mahometan women,,, (becaufe I had never fight
of thofe of the greateft quality) I cannot give fuch an account
of them in refped of the Habits. For thefe, unlefs they be dif-
honeft, or poor, come not abroad 5 but for the fafhion of their
Garments, they do not differ much from thofe the men wear,
for they wear Coats, and Breeches ohe very like, the other, on
ly women bind their longhair with Phillets, whicWiang down
behind them. They wear likewife Upon their heads Mantles or
Vails (ufually made of white Callico ^ or of their Pintados)
which hanff down over their other Garments-. .. urt er, t e
women have their EarsJwred, not only in their flaps, but roun
about them, wherein they wear yery little Pendants r thole ot
the richer fort are made of flat, narrow and thin pieces of Gold
or Silver ^ thofe worn by the poorer fort mac e o t-i as, C)r •
kept bright, fo that all are in the fame ialhion Ttn-y c 0 T v
work upon the edges and ends of thofe Pendants. And ^9
G g g 2 women