"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" [‎٤‎٥‎١] (٥٠٨/٤٧٢)

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that wretched Creature be condemn'd it a mori^ntfe mori finti-
at ., fotodie^asthat he may feel tortures and torments in dying
(which are as fo many feveral deaths.) The Elephant will
break his bones by degrees (as men are broken upon the wheel)
as firft: his Legs., then his Thighs^ after that the bones in both his
Arms^this donej his wretched Spirit is left to breathe its lad out
of the midft of thofe broken bones.
But it is a very fad thing, and very much unbefeeming a man 3
as he is a man, to feemto takepleafure in executing of punifti-
mentj as thofe appear to do, who make it their bufinefs to
ttudy, and invent tortures to inflid on others.
I have been told by fome, who were eye-witneffes fwhom I
dare credit, and therefore I dare relate it) of ftrange kinds of
death executed by the command of the King of Japan upon his
filbjefts: where fome are crucified or nail'd to a Crofs .'others
rather roafted, than burnt to death 5 Thus, there is a ftakefet
up, and a Circle of fire at a pretty diftance, made round about
it 5 the condemned perfon being naked, is fo faftned to that
ftake 8 as that he may move round about it, and fo doth as long
asl\e is able to ftir, till his fle(h begins to blifter 5 then he falls
down, and there lies roaring till the fire, made about him, puts
him tofilence by taking away both his voice and life.
Now the^iay that one great reafon, why they put men there
unto fiich exqCiifite torments, is, becaufe they hold it a thing of
the greateft difhonour there for any man to die by the hand
of an Executioner : therefore they are ufually commanded^
when they are fentenced to die, to rip up, or cut open their
own bellies, and thofe who will not fo do are tormented in
dying. Hence moft of that people,when as they have received
that hard command to prevent death , by dying j call for
their friends about them, eat, and feem to be merry with
them, and then in the clofe of the meal, and in their prcfence,
commit this fad flaughter upon themfelves, as firft thofe poor
wretches make themielves naked to the middle, he, or they
who are to die ^ then the moft wretched felf-murderer, who
is to ad that bloody part, ftrikes a (harp Knife into the bottom
ot his belly, then rips himfelf up, and after gives himielfone
other cut crofs his belly, and when he hath done both thefe, if
after he can but wipe his bloody knife upon a white paper, or
napkin that is laid by him, he is believed to part with his life
with a very great deal of honour, and immediatly (as he is made
to believe) goes to FaJ {amafJ i whom they fay is the God of war.
So much power the Devil hath in thofe dark places of the world,
to make the people there do what he pleafe. Oh tis a j?miferyo
all miferies here to be a drudge, a bond -man, a (lave to the De
vil ! as thofe , and fo infinite multitudes more proteilmg
Chrift, are, by obeying Satan in his moft unreafonable com
mands, and yet will not be made fenfible of that, their a e
bondage.
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