"رحلات السيد بيترو ديلا فالي، وهو نبيل روماني، إلى الهند الشرقية وصحراء الجزيرة العربية. وفيها يصف بدقة البلدان المختلفة، وكذلك العادات، الأعراف، التجارة، الطقوس الدينية والمدنية، لهؤلاء الأمراء وتلك الأمم الشرقية: في رسائل وديّة إلى صديقه السيد ماريو سكيبانو. وتم إضافة سرد عن رحلة السير توماس رو إلى جزر الهند الشرقية" [‎١‎٦‎٩] (٥٠٨/١٩٠)

il
Into the EAST-INDIES.
- can fcarce acknowledge my felf an Italian any longer. He
P r wit Hl t prayed me once wkh much eatneftnefle and courtefie, font
1- Wetd ' H of a juvenile curiofity ) to unbrace one of my Oeeves a little
ent »efro tt( ; and my breaft, that he might fee whether my body were
J Mone y,att( correfpondent to my face. I laughed , and , to pleale him,>
ofi did fo : When they fawthat I was whiter under my clothes
"Mothctfc' C where the Air and Sun had not fo much injured me) thanm
dmWifU the face, they all remained aftonifhed, and began to cry out
Aat UaJ a pain that I was a De»r»,that I was a Heroe-.a go(l, and that blef-
11 pleas'dmi fed was the hour when I entered into their Houfe, (I took my
alone and ft felf to be Hercules, lodged in the Country of Evader) and
»ill infen; fc the King being much fatisfied with my courtehe, faid, that he
istheyartn# knewmeto bea Noble Man by my civil compliance with hisde-
revtr ten A mands i that if I had been fome coarfer perfon 1 would not ha ve
), Imuft havti ^one fo, but perhaps, have taken ill 5 and been oifended with
itocureasoodi thofe their curious Queftions. , r
v/e\\ for it f« As for the Ceremonies of eating, I muft not omit 5 that atter x i ^
d; andtki ^e faw that I had done eating, notwithftanding his many inftan-
iki or rJ " ces to me to eat more ' he was contented th f 1
lirher m fe U end s and becaufe moft of the meat remained untouch d, and it
nJr n ' was not lawful for them to touch it or keep it in the Houfe,
} ana upiaio* caufed m Chrift i an Servant to come in and carry it all a~
idmg upon tfe ^ that he mi ht eat it ). which he aid in the napkin which T
uch things a ^ ^ b e f or e: for tolling it away, in regard of the difcourte-
,ceot MerchaK j t wou ja be to me, they judged not convenient. At length
; good one tok: when I role up from my feat and took leave of the King, they
pod ones, aodi cau f e a m y faid Servant to ftrew a little Cow-dung, Cwhich they
King was m4 had ^ ot rea(; jy for the purpofej upon the place where I had fat.
Men, that Ifpok which, according to their Religion, was to be purified. In the
1 did not. lib mean time as I was taking leave of the Ring, he cauicd to be pre-
ings, which aft® fented to me, (for they were ready prepared in the Chamber )
lealkdmecoDCE delivered to my Servants to carry home four Lagne^ (ib
g them^ tltfp they call in India,) efpeeially the the Indian Nuts be-
db withail, d fore they be ripe, when inftead of Pulp they contain a fweet re-
thcrufes. freftiing water, which is drunk for delight 5 and if the Pulp, (tor
that it was J 5 of this water it is made)be begun to be congealed,yet that little is
' Country, ill® very tender, and is eaten with much delight, and is accounted
ir lived there 2 coolings whereas when it is hard and fully congeal ed 5 the Nut
mprhing^ remaining without water within, and in the inner part tome-
him And® 1 what empty, that matter of the Nut which is ufedmore tor
t0 J ' f aU ce then to eat alone, is, in my opinion > hot, and not ot fo good
y 1^: tafte, as before when it was more tender.) Ofthefe Lagne he
>VV 1 at deal off 1 caus'd four to be given me, befides I know not how many great
^ re tir awMY- bunches ofMoitl, 01 Indian F/gj, which, though afmall matterj
ern0 arc neverthelels the delights of this Country 5 wherefore as fuch
^asin co^^ I received them, and thanking the King for them, who alio
illy 0 / j! thank'd me much for my vifit, teftifying feveral times that he
^gh in ") ^ | iad ver y great contentment in feeing me) at length taking
many Tr l a i my leave, I departed about an hour or little more before night,
[amfo^r z I intended
•n