‘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’ [‎413] (434/508)

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A Voyage ^EAST-INDIA,
they borrrow many words, which come fo near it, as that he
who is a good Critick in the Hebrew may very well guefs at the
meaning of much in both thofe Languages, The Perfian is a
Language^ as if it confifted all of Guttural letters (as fome in
the Hebrew Alphabet are called) filling the mouth in the pro
nunciation of them 5 for as the words in that Language are full
of fenfe, fo in their fpeaking they are full of found.
For the Latin and Greek, by which there hath been fo much
knowledg conveyed into the World, they are as ignorant of
them both, as if they had never been 5 and this maybe one great
reafon why there is fo little learning amongft them. But for the
people themfelves, they are men of very ftrong reafon, and
will fpeak ex re nata, upon any offered occafion, very exceed
ing well ^ and doubtlefs they are a people of luch ftrong Capa
cities, that, were there literature amongft them, they might be
the Authors of many excellent works 5 but as the cafe ftands
with them, all that is there attainable towards Learning, is but
to read and write.
And here by the way let me infert this, that I never faw any
Idiot or natural Fool, nor any deformed perfon amongft them,
in any of thole parts.
For Logick and Rhetorick which are fo inftrumental, the
firftto enlarge, and the fecondto polifti difcourfes, they have
none but what is Natural. They fay, that they write fome wit
ty Poems, and compofe many handfom Annals and Stories of
their own, and other adjacent Countries.
They delight much in Mufick, and have fome ftringed, but
many more Wind-inftruments 5 They have the ufeot Timbrels
likewife 5 but for want of pleafing Airs, their Mufickin my ears
never feemed to be any thing but difcord.
Their Books are not many, and thofe are Manufcripts. That
rare and happy invention of Printing, which hath been the ad
vancement of fo much learning within Chriftendom, is not
known without it. -
They have heard of Arijiotle^ whom they call Ajtlis^ and
have fome of his Books (as they fay) in the Arabian Tongue, in
which Language (they further fay) they have many Books writ
ten by Avicenna^ that ancient Phylitian, who was born in
^larchAtjdia^ one of the moft fam'd places within the Tartarian
Empire, the Country (as they believe) where *1 amber lain ^ the
Magols gxczt Anceftor, drew his firft breath.
Someparts or fragments they have of the oldTeftament 5 or
which more, when lihall cometo fpeak of their Religion.
Many amongft them profefs themfelvs to have great skill in
Judicial Aft rology, that great Cheat, which hath been very an
ciently, and often put upon (as the Sacred Story witnefleth) the
|jeopleinhabiting the Eaft, and South parts of the World,
call it a Cheat, becaufe there is, and muft needs be, io mucn
Uncertainty in it 5 all things here below being ordered., and over-
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