‘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’ [‎460] (481/508)

^6o A Voyage to EAST-INDIA,
and was turned out of the Treafury, as poor and empty as he
eame into it. He is a rich man whatever he hath (be it more
or lefs) that is contented. He is a poor man, who ftill wants
more, in becoming poor by plenty, wanting what he hath as
well and as much as what he hath not 3 and fo do very many
who are the greateft engroflers of the worlds wealth. 9
■. r\ r; r'....> ' .. " >, » - ' i.
SECTION XXV.
Of hisPaJihms at home and abroad fee. where^fomethina
of his Quality) and Difpofttion.
T^jOw what he doth, and how he behaves himfelfamongft
1>| his houle-full of Wives and Women cannot be known
and therefore not related 5 but when he (hews himfelf (as be
fore) thrice openly to his people, every day, he had always
fopptlung o r ot h er prefented before him to make him fport
and to give him prefent content. :
^ ^ 0 . rnet ^ ines he delighted himfelf in feeing Horfes ridden
the Natives there (as before) being very excellent in their well-
j t ^ ern * Sonietimes he (aw his great Elephants
fagnt. And at other times he pleafed himielf in feeing wreft-
^ or jugling, and what elfe he liked.
And it happened that Cbut a few years before our abode
there) a Juggler of fa Kingdom famous for Witches,
and men of that profeffion) brought an Ape before the King
(^mowas ever greedy to pleafe himfelf with Novelties) pro-
lelling that he would do many ftrange feats; The Mogal was
ready prefently to make a trial of this, and forthwith called
omc boys about him (which he was conceived to keep for fuch
Ule as I dare not name, ) andplucking a Ring from his finger
gave it one of them to hide, that he might make a trial,whe-
er or no the Ape could find it out 3 who prefently went to
the boy that had it. The Mogol made fome further trials like
this,. where the Ape did his part as before. And before the
was taken out of his prefence , this ftrange,' and unex-
- iollowln g came into the King's thought. There
are Uaid he) many difputes in the World about that true Pro-
phct which hould come into the World. We, raid the M opo L
are for Mahomet, The Perfians magnifie Mortis Hale (but
tney are Mahometans for Religion likewife.J The Hindoos, or
Heathens there, have many whom they highly extol and
magnihe - as Vrcmaw, and Bramon, and Ram, and Perm^ar 1
f le ^r-n e ^ re i f ? r the Jews for Mofes, the Chrittians
01 ^hnit j and he added three more whofe names I have not,
who make up the number of twelve, who have all their feve-
ra -to owers in that part of the Worldjand then he caufed thofe
twelve Names to be vvritten in twelve feveral Scrolls, and put
V m H toge-