‘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’ [‎155] (176/508)

Into the E AST-INDIES.
to certain places, whereby to improve them. I (poke to the
Queen wkh my head uncover'd all the while 5 which courteueji
it beine mycuftom to ufe to all Ladies my equals, onely upon
the account of being fuch, I thought ought much rather to be
us'd to this who was a Queen,aad in her own Dominions, where
I was come to vifit and to do her Honour.
A fter (he was gone her Way, I with my people enter d into a v ui,
little village, and there took a lodging in an empty houfe belong
ing to a Moor of the Country, and near the Palace ; but I
caus'd my diet to be prepar'd in an other houfe of a neighbour
Moor , that fo I tnight have the convenience of eating fleto or
W T nleas'd; which in the houfes of Gentiles would not be (ut-
fer ! d. The inhabitants of Manil are partly and partly .
Malabar-Moors, who havfi alfo their MefchiUs there •, which was
of much couvenience to me. The Name of the Queen of Oka* is y
Mae-deui-CiaHtru-, of which words, fisher proper Name ,
p J(5OTifics as much as Lady, and with this word they are alfo
wonttofigwfie all their gods, not have they any other in their
Lanauaae to denote God but Deii, or Dcurif, which are bo h
one, and equally attributed to Princes i whereby it appears that
the gods of the Gentiles are for the moft parr nothing elfe but
fuch Princes as have been famous in the world, and defervd
that Honour after their deaths i as likewife Cwhich is my ancient
opinion ) that the word CGod] where-with weiby an mtroduc d
cuftom denote the Supream Creator, doth 'j 0 \^P® 1 r y 3 nl ld e
that Fitft Caufe, who alone ought to be ador d by the W orld,
but fignifi-d at firft, either Great Lord, or the like 5 whence t
was attributed to Heroes and (ignal perfons in the world, fuitable
to that ofthe Holy Scripture, Filti Deorunt, Fihi Hommm -, and
confequently, that the gods of the Gen though ador d and
wotfhip 'd both in ancient and modern times were never held
bv us in that degree wherein we hold God the Creator of the
Univerfe, and wherein almoft all Nations of the world always
held and do hold him j (feme calling him, Cmfa Prima ; others,
Ani^ia Mundi ; others, Perahrahmi, as the Gentiles at this day
}n India:) But that the other gods are and were always iath
as Saints are amongftus 5 of the truth whereof,! have great g
ments at leaft amongft the Indian-Ge»f*/e' ; or if more then
Saints'yet at leaft Deifi'd by favour, and made afterwards Om,
as Hercules, Romulus, Augnji** , &c. were amongft the a^
mans. But to return to ourpurpofe, they told me the wor
Ciaut'ru fthe laft in the Quesn ot Ola'x.ai Name^ was a Ti
of Honour peculiar to all the Kings and Qjeens o O
therefore poffibly fignifies either Prince, otKing, andQ^en,
or the like. As for this eountnes being
I underftood from intelligent perfons of the Go " n "y' a
Olaza Men were and are always wont to reign,
cuftom receivdin Indm amongft the greateftP a «of the G ^
tjjes, the Sons do not fucceed the Fathers, but the Son . ftej
JJSk 3
e