‘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’ [‎387] (408/508)

A Voyage A? E A S T-IN D I A, &€.
r ' The Weapons they ufe in their Wars are. Bows and Arrows^
Swords and Bucklers j fliort Lances having v excellent good
fceel-heads, and ihort pieces like unto Carbines, befides thofc
carried upon Elephants (before defcribed ) (bme Foot-men in
their Wars carry thofe leffer Guns, with BoWsand Arrowy
Swords and Bucklers, and fhey are excellent Marks-men* They
make good Gun-powder for their oWn u(e, and fire their Guns
with Match, or Touch-wood* Their Swords are made crooked
like Falchons, and are very (harp 5 but for want of skill in thofe
that temper them, will eafily break, but not bend. And there
fore we fell at good rates our Englilh Sword-blads that will bow,;
and become ftrait again. They have (and they (ay that for ma
ny generations paft have had) great Ordnance, though they fel-
dora make ufe of them in their Wars. *
Their warlike Mufickarefome Kettle-drums carried on horfe-
back, with long wind Inftruments, which make not Mufick, but
noife, fo harih and unpleafing, that it is enough to fright away
their enemies. C • ■
They fay, that in their Military engagements, they make at
the firft very furious onfets, which are too violent long to con-
tinue, for the Scale quickly decides the controverfie, when that
fide which happens firft to be wbrftedjand to be put into dif-
order, knows better to Run than to Rally again.
There are fbme of the Mogols own Subjeds which are men of
courage \ thofe of note among the Mahometans are called TSalo-
ches^ inhabiting adjoyning unto the Kingdom of Perfia,
(fpoken of before) and there are others called Patans, taking
their denomination from a Province of that name in the Ring*
domof Bengala. Thefe will look art enemy boldly in theface^
and maintain with their lives, their reputation and valour.
Amongft the many Sedts of Hindoos or Gentiles (after fpoken of)
which are fubjeft to this King, there is but one race of fighters
called Kajhloots , a number of which live by fpoil, who i-n
Troops furprize poor Paffengers, tor the mofb part murther-
ing thofe whom they get under their power* Thefe excepted,
the reft of the Mogols Natives, for the generality of them^ had
rather eat than quarrel, and rather quarrel than fight. I fay
quarrel, for I have feveral times obferved there, that when two
of them,, have been both well armed, and have moft (hamefully
abufed one another, in bafer language than I can exprefs, yet
durft not draw their weapons in conclufion, when one of them
hath caught the other by the throat, and forced him up againft
fome wall, the futfercr would cry out pitiouily, and the ftanders
by would admire the other for his valour, faying, Shu-Abas 5 a
proverbial fpeech amongft them relating to the late King of
Jkf, called Sha-Abas, a Prince much renowned for valour 5 and
when any man did a thing they thought gallantly^, they cryea
Sha-Abas, ds much as to fay, it was done as well as the Peruatx
King could have done it.
D d d 2 * et