"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" [‎١‎٨‎١] (٥٠٨/٢٠٢)

Into the EAST-INDIES. 18
and 28 minutes, which according to that Canon is the greateft
Declination 5 ifit be not really fo 3 the little that is wanting may
be allowed for the anticipation of four hours^if not more 5 that the
Noon-tide falls fooner at Calecut than in any other Meridian of
S^rfl/^according to which my Canon of Declination (hall be cal
culated 5 fo that if from the 34 degrees 50 minutes in which I
found the Sun^ youfubftrad the 23 dgrees 28'. which I prefup-
pofe him to decline from the iEquinoftial towards the South,
the remainder is 11 degrees 2 2 / . and fo much is the Elevation of /^y
the North Pole in this place 5 and confequently, the City of ' / I
Cakcut lyes 11 degrees 2 2 / . diftant from the iEquinodial
wards the North. After dinner, I landed alfo with the Captain " 1
of my Ship^and fome other Souldiers 5 we went to fee the Bazar,
which is near the (hore 5 the Houfes, or rather Cottages are
built of Earth and Palm-leav 5 t s being very low, the Streets alfo
are very narrow, but indifferently long 5 the Market was full
of all forts of provifion, and other things neceffary to the liveli
hood of that people, conformable to their Cuftom 5 for as for
Clothing, they need little, both Men and Women going quite
naked, laving that they have a piece either of Cotton or Silk
hanging down from the girdle to the knees, and covering their
(hame ^ the better fort are Wont to wear it either all blew, or
white ftrip'd with Azure, or AzurjC and fome other colour, a
dark blew being moft efteernd amongft them. f Moreover, both
Men and Women wear their hair long, and ty'd about the head $
the Women, with a lock hanging on one fide under the ear be-
commingly enough, asalmoftall Indian-Women do 5 thedref-
fing of whofe head, is, in my opinion, the gallanteft that I have
feen in any other Nation : The Men have alock hanging down
from the crown of the head , fometimes a little inclined on one
fide 5 fome of them ufe a fmall colour'd head-band, but the Wo
men ufenone at all. Both fexes have their arms full of bracelets,
their ears of pendants, and their necks of jewels > the Men com
monly go with their naked Swords and Bucklers, or other Arms
in their hands, as I faid of thofe of Balagate.
The Inhabitants of the Kingdom of Calecut, and the In-land IX,
parts, efpecially the better fort, are all Gentiles, of the Rac®
Nairi for the moft part, by profeffion Souldiers , fufficiently ^^
fwafhingand brave: But the Sea-coafts are full of Malahari, an 1
adventitious people, though of long (landing 5 {ox Marco Polo V /'
who writ four hundred years (ince, makes mention of them 5 /
they live confufedly with the Pagans, and fpeak the fame
Language, but yet are Mahometans in Religion. From them,
all that Country for a long trad together is call'd Malabar, fa
mous in India for the continual Robberies committed at Sea
by the Malabar Thieves^ whence in the Ba%ar ot Calecut, be-
fides the things above-mention'd, we faw fold good ftore of the
Portugals commodities, as Swords, Arms, Books, Clothes of
Goa, and the like Merchandizes taken from frrtvgal
\