‘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’ [‎290] (311/508)

fhe fravels Peter Dells \ alle^
namely, confiftbg of 3 Nave's or Hies, fupportedonely by4Pil^
afters 3 with three Cupola's on a row in the middle Nave^the place
within ainongft the Pillafters ferving for men, and that round
about for women by themfelves. Behind the Altar they (hew a
Subterranean Sepukhre, like a little Grotto, and enter'd into by
a fquare hole like that of a Tomb 5 they fay it was the Sepulchre
o£Lazarus rais 'd by Chrift 5 and that he built the Church whilft
he was Bifhop here, and at laft dy'd here 5 from whence his Body
was afterwards tranfported fir ft to Confiantinofle^ andtheoto
Marfcilles : The truth whereof, they affirm, is prov'd bythe
Miracles done every day in the faid Sepulchre, as healing the
Tick, and the like 5 but this is repugnant to the Hiftory we have
in the Breviary, Martyrologie, &c.
September the twentieth, The Conful gave me a piece of Ltd*-
nO'Vergine, that is, pure, without any other mixture^ as it comes
naturally i whereof there is plenty in Cyprus ; and fome intelli
gent perlbns of the Country whom I confulted purpofdy, told
mc, 'tis generated of the Dew which falls from Heaven, juftas
Manna is, and that'tis gather'd off the leavs of a plant no higher
then a fpan and half, ortwofpans^ which matter they boyle,
and being vifcid like wax, form into rolls like little Candles,
which they wrap afterwards round together. The faid LaJd-
num is black, hath a good quick Aromatical SmeU 5 and, in out
Countries, mixt with other things , makes a good Perfume,
and, perhaps, ferves for Medicinal Ufes 5 as you kriow very
well. t j s ,
September the one and twentieth, Sig:C/V4c/jgave me fomeof
theftone^M»fi/J, a fort of ftonethat may be fpun, of which
the Ancients made the Cloth which, they fay, was incombuftible,
and the fire onely cleans d it, as water doth other Linnen 5 in
which Cloth they burnt dead bodies, and fo preferv'd the alhes
thereof from being mingled with thofe of the vyood. At this
day none knows how to make the Cloth, or to fpin the matter 5
although a whitilh matter like Cotton is clearly feen to iffue out
of the ftone, not uncapable of being fpun. The colour of the
Stone, whenintire, isgreeniQi, inclining to black, but fhining
enough, almoft like Talk 5 yet when tis broken or Ipun, the
matter that iffues out of it is white. 1 remember I once faw
fomeof this Stone, and the Cloth woven thereof, in the Study of
Ferrante Imperato at Naples, amongft other Curiofities.
the twenty fourth, TheConlul invited us to dinner
in the Venetian Ship where we ftay'd not onely
to dine, butalfoto lleep all-night, being entertained with Mu-
fick, and the good converfation of Sig; Parente, Flatro^O* Rocco
Andreani, who were there. The next day, we returned to our
own Ship, and the Evening following I went alhore again. A new
man was expefted to come to govern the Ida nd, theoldbeing
already departed upon the arrival ofan Officer of the new, who,
as their cuftom is, was come with the Title of Mujjekm^ to pre
pare