‘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’ [‎434] (455/508)

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curious Manufadupes, or the Cloath and Stuff which this Em
pire affords.
This people marry into, and confequently ftill keep in their
own Tribes, Sefts^ Occupations ? and ProfelTions. For inftance,
all Bramins (which are their Priefts, the Sons of all which are
Priefts, likewife) are married to Bra/uins daughters ^ fo a Mer
chants Ton marries a Merchants daughter, and fo men of feveral
Trades marry to the fame Trade. Thus a Coolee (who is a
Tiller of the Ground) marries his fon to a Coolees daughter ^
and foin all other profeffions they keep themfelves to their own
Tribes and Trades, not mixing with any other, by which means
they never advance themfelves higher than they were at firfh
They take but one wife, and of her they are not fo fearful
and jealous as the Mahometans are of their feveral wives and
women, for they fuffer their wives to go abroad whither they
pleafe. They are married very young, about fix , or (even
years bid, their Parents making Matches for them, who lay hold
of every opportunity tobeftow their Ghildren. Becaufe confin'd
to their own Trilx^ they have not fuch variety , of choice as
otherwife they might have; and when they attain to the age
of thirteen, or fourteen, or fifteen years at the moft, they bed
together.
Their Marriages are fblemnized (as thofe of the Mahometans)
with much company, and noife > but with this difference, that
both the young couple ride openly on horie-back, and for the
mofl part, they are fo little, that fome go on their horfe lides to
hold them up from falling. They are bedeck d, or ftrewed all
over their cloathing, with the choice flowers of that Country,
faftned in order all about their Garments. > q ^ a
For their Habits they differ very little from the Mahome^as,
but are very like them civilly clad, but many of their women
were Rings on their Toes ^ and therefore go bare foqt. They
wear likewife broad Rings of Brafs, or better metal, upon their
Wriffs, and fmall of their Legs, to take off and On.
They have generally (I mean the Women) the flaps, or tips
of their ears, boared when they are young '■> which holes daily
extended and made wider, by things put and kept in them for
fha$ purpofe, at laft become ib large, as that they will hold
Rings (hollowed on the out-fide like Pullies) for their flefh to
reft in that are as broad in their circumference, fbme of them (I
dare fay) as little Sawcers. But though thofe fafhions of theirs
fbem very ftrange at firft fight, ye|: they keep fb conftantly to
them5 as to all their other habits, without any alteration, that
their general and continual wearing of them makes them to feem
lefs ftrange unto others which behold them.
•And for their Diet very many of them (as the Banians in ge
neral (which are a very ftri£t Seft) will eat of nothing that hath
had, or may have life. And thefe live upon Herbs, and Roots,
atfd^read, and Milk, and ^u^ter, and Chcefe, and Sweet
meats,