‘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’ [‎388] (409/508)

A Voyage toEAS T-IN DI A,
•-s;
Yet, however the people here in general are cowardly^ they
appear men of very terrible afpeds, having great long Mufta-
cho's upon their upper Lips^ their Chins continually kept bare
by theRafor, which makes them all to look like the Pictures of
our old Britains, or like thofe our rude Painters daub upon
eJcghes, and call them the Nine-worthies. And further ^ to
make them the more formidable, they will appear on horfe-back
as. if they were furrounded with an Armory, or carrying an
whole Armory about them, thus appointed^ At theirleft'fides
fwords hanging on belts, under them (heaves of many arrows ,
on their left (houlders broad Bucklers faftned, and upon their
backs fmallGuns liketo Garbins fixed likewife, at their right
fides Bows hanging in cafes, and Lances (about two yards and an
half long) hanging in loops near their ftirrups (when they carry
them not in their hands) 5 yet for all this Harnefs the moft of them
are like thofe Ephramites, Pfal. 78.9. Who being armed ^ a$id
c arrying bows, turned their heads in the day of battel. For they
dare not look a man of courage in the face, though they be thus
fortified, with fuch variety of weapons for their defence. Nay,
a man of refolution will beat one of thcfe out of all his weapons^
with a fmall Stick or Cane. So that I ftiall do the Natives of
that Country no wrong, if I fay of them, that they are fola U~
bidinefortes, moft ftrong and valiant in their bafelufts, and not
otherwile.
The bafe Cowardice of which people, hath made the great
Mogol fometimes to ufe this Proverb, that one Portugal would
beat three of his people 5 and (becaufe the Englifti there have
many times prevailed much at Sea againft thofe Portugals)he
would further add, that on Englifti-man would beat three
Portugals.
The truth is, that the Portugals, efpecially thofe whicli are
born in thofe Indian Colonies, moft of thema mix'd feed begot
ten upon thofe Natives, are a very low, poor-fpirited people,
called therefore Gallinas delt Mar, The Hens of the Sea«
One notable inftance to prove this .• it happened that the Eafi-
India Company had a very little Pinnace, they called the
which they kept in thofe parts for di(coveries ^ inann'dfhe was
but with ten men, and had only one fmall Murdering-piece with
in her. She upon a time met with a Portugal Ship, going then
towards Ormos, which had one hundred and thirty men aboaiti
hei, and Guns anfwerable to her Burden, and Company^ Our
petty Pinnace came up with her, difcharged her murdering-
Piece, which ilew one of her chief Officers 5 upon which, with
out any further refiftance, (he prefently ftrook her Sails and
yielded. .Our Englifti prefently commanded her Gunners, and
lome other of her Chief Officers, to come aboard them, whicib
immediately they did, and there kept them bound, till they had
taken what they pleafcd out of their Ship, and then let them
go, being moft defervedly ufed in that their fijfTering, they being
thirteen