‘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’ [‎416] (437/508)

A Voyaoe to EAST-INDIA, &c.
was not above the toarth Man returned home. And hehimfelf
by violent Fluxes^ was twice brought even to the very brink of
the Grave.
The Natives of Eaji-Inclia in all their violent hotdircafes 3
make very little ufe of Phyficians, unlefs it be to breathe a
Vein fometiines, after which they ufe much fafting as their moft
hopeful remedy.
The foul Difeafe is too common in thofe hot Climates,
where the people that have it are much more affedfed with the
trouble it brings, than with the fin or fhame thereof.
The people in Edji-ItidiaYwe up to our greateft Ages^ but
without all queftion they have more old people than we ^ a
thing not to be wondered at, if weconfider the great Tempe
rance of that people in general in their eating and drinking.
But to proceed. The Hindooes or Heathens there begin their
year the firft day of March. The Mahometans begin theirs, the
tenth, at the very inftant as the Aftrologers there ghefs that
the Sun enters into Aries , their year as ours is divided into
twelve Moneths, or rather into thirteen Moons, for according
to them they make many payments. They diftinguifti their
time in a much different manner from us^ dividing the day into
four, and the night into as many parts, which they call Pores $
which again they fubdivide each of them into eight parts,
which they call Grees 5 meafured according to the ancient cu-
ftom, by water dropping out of oneveffel into another, by
which there alwayes ftands a Man appointed for that fervice,
to turn that veffel up again when it is all dropped out, and then
to ftrike with an hammer (^upon the brim of a concave piece of
Metal, like the inner part of a large Platter, hanging by the
brim on a wire J the number of thofe and G ! reex as they
pafs. It hath a deep found, and may be heard very far 5 but
thefe are not common amongft them. Neither have they any
Clocks, or Sun-Dials, to (hew them further how their time
pafleth. /
W e lived there fome part of our t ime a little within, or under
the Tropick^of Cancer^ and then the Sun was our Zenith> or Ver-
ticle at noon-day direftly over our heads, at his return to his
Northern bounds ( of which I have fpoken lomething before.)
The Sun-rifing there, was about fix hours in the Morning before
its appearing here, fo that it is twelve of the Clock with them,
when it is but fix with us. We had the Sun there above the Ho
rizon in December, when the dayes are (horteft near eleven
hours 3 and in when they are at their fulleft length, feme-
what more than thirteen hours, which long ablenceof the Sun
there from the face of the Earth, was very advantagious to
cool both the Earth and Air. I proceed to fpeak
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