only conversed with arms or books." The prince CHAP. IX. expressed an anxiety to procure a horse from Italy; and this was not surprising. The native breeds in India were very poor. The only good horses were brought from Arabia or Persia, and every Portuguese, even of the highest rank, was ready to sell such horses to Indian grandees. Della Valle, however, would listen to no proposals that savoured of trade. He would not sell a horse to the prince, but he promised, if possible, to send one as a present after his return to Rome.

queen of Olaza.

The queen of Olaza never sent for Della Valle. Misses the She walked every morning to the fields, and returned to the palace at night, and busied herself in giving audiences to her subjects and administering justice. Della Valle once tried to speak to her in the fields, but she told him to go home, and she would send for him in the evening. The night, however, passed away without any message from the queen, and he concluded that she was afraid of being obliged to make him a present. As it was, he returned to Mangalore, and never saw her again.

"king of the

Whilst at Mangalore, Della Valle paid a visit to a Visits the celebrated personage, who was known as the "king Yogis." of the Yogis." A certain circle of land had been given to the Yogis by a former Raja of Banghel. It comprised a hermitage, a temple, and certain habitations of Yogis, together with lands and villages that yielded a yearly revenue. One Yogi was placed in charge, and was known as the king, and when he died a successor was chosen by election. The Yogis were not bound to obey their king, but only to pay him reverence and honour. They went wherever they listed, and were generally dispersed amongst

CHAP. IX.

Description of the king.

Visits the Zumorin of Calicut.

City and bazar.

different temples; but at festival times they assembled in considerable numbers near the hermitage and were feasted by their king. The yearly revenue of the territory was about six thousand pagodas, equal to nearly three thousand pounds sterling; and was mostly spent on the maintenance of the king and his servants and labourers, or on the festival entertainments to the Yogis, whilst the remainder was devoted to the service of the temple and idols. Venk-tapa

Naik had not as yet exacted any tribute from the king of the Yogis, but it was believed that he would take an early opportunity of doing so.

Della Valle found the king of the Yogis employed in business of a mean sort, like a peasant or villager. He was an old man with a long white beard, but strong and lusty. He had a golden bead hanging from each ear about the size of a musket-bullet; and he wore a little red cap on his head like those worn by Italian galley slaves. He seemed a man of judgment, but was without learning. He told Della Valle that formerly he had horses, elephants, palanquins, and a great equipage and power; but that Venk-tapa Naik had taken all away, so that he had but very little left.

Della Valle next paid a visit to Calicut, the capital of the Zamorin of Malabar. A Portuguese fleet was proceeding to Calicut, and the admiral of the fleet was going as ambassador to bring about a reconciliation between the Zamorin and his hereditary enemy, the Raja of Cochin, who was a firm and ancient ally of Portugal. Della Valle sailed with the fleet, and as usual had his eyes and ears open to all that was going on.

The coast was infested by Malabar corsairs, who

fled up the creeks and rivers at the approach of the Portuguese. At Calicut Della Valle went ashore with the captain of his ship and some others, and strolled about the town and bazar, whilst the Portuguese ambassador was endeavouring to persuade the Zamorin to make peace with the Cochin Raja. The streets were long and narrow. The houses were mere huts built of mud and palm leaves. The bazar was largely supplied with provisions and other necessaries, but with few articles of clothing, as neither men nor women wore anything except a small piece of cotton or silk hanging from their girdles to their knees.

CHAP. IX.

Malabar, Hindu

madan.

The better sort of people were Hindus, especially Population of those inland, and mostly belonged to the soldier and Muhamcaste, known as Nairs. The sea-coast was inhabited by Malabar Muhammadans, who lived amongst the Hindus and spoke their language, but differed from them in religion. The corsairs who infested the coast were Malabar Muhammadans, and Della Valle saw much of their plunder exposed in the bazar, such as Portuguese swords, arms, books, and clothes, which had been taken from Portuguese ships. No Christian durst buy such articles for fear of being excommunicated by the Catholic clergy.

Zamorin.

Meanwhile the Zamorin had been much troubled Troubles of the by the demand of the Portuguese admiral. He was willing to be at peace with Portugal, but he would not come to terms with the Raja of Cochin.36 He heard that strangers from the fleet were wandering about the city, and he sent for them to the

36 The quarrel was one about caste. The Raja of Cochin affected to belong to a higher caste than the Zamorin of Calicut, and this was an affront which could not be forgiven.

CHAP. IX. palace in the hope of inducing them to plead his

Della Valle at the
Zamorin's

palace.

Fruitless negotiations.

cause.

Della Valle and his companions were ushered into a small court where a number of courtiers were in attendance, and told to sit down on a raised pavement. Presently, two girls, about twelve years of age, entered the court. They had no clothes beyond a blue cloth round their loins, but their arms, ears, and necks were covered with ornaments of gold and precious stones. They were the daughters, not of the Zamorin, but of his sister, who was styled the queen. They expressed wonder at the strangers, and especially at their clothing. Shortly afterwards the Zamorin made his appearance, accompanied by more courtiers, all of whom were equally devoid of clothing." But, in spite of their nudity, there was much etiquette and ceremony. The Zamorin was a young man of thirty, with a handsome presence and long beard. He was loaded with jewels, but wore nothing but a cloth hanging from his girdle. He carried a staff in his hand, on which he leaned in a standing posture, and received the salutations of the European strangers with smiles and courtesies, whilst his great men stood beside him with joined hands. Round about the court were cloistered galleries filled with women, and amongst them was the queen's sister, abundantly adorned with jewels, but with no more clothing than her daughters.

The negotiations had no result, for Della Valle and his comrades knew nothing of the relations between the Zamorin and the Portuguese. Subsequently it

37 Della Valle says that on state occasions the Zamorin wore a white vestment, but never otherwise. None of his Nairs were allowed to wear a vestment at any time.

was known that the Zamorin had rejected the overtures of the Portuguese admiral, and utterly refused to make peace with the Cochin Raja, and the Portuguese fleet returned to Goa with a sense of

failure.

CHAP. IX.

Della Valle describes the peculiar customs of Mala- Nairs of Malabar. bar. The Nairs, or soldier caste, formed no marriage ties. Every woman was supported by a set of lovers, and received them in turns. Whenever a Nair visited a woman he left his weapons at the door, which sufficed to keep out all intruders. The children had no regard for their fathers, and all questions of descent were decided by the mother. The sisters of a Raja chose what lovers they pleased, but only from the castes of Nairs and Brahmans.

Malabar Rajas.

When two Rajas were at war, their persons were Customs of deemed sacred. No one ever fought a Raja, or even struck a blow at his royal umbrella. To shed the blood of a Raja was regarded as a heinous sin, and would be followed by a terrible revenge, known as an

Amok." If a Zamorin was killed, his subjects ran "Amok" for a whole day. A Cochin Raja belonged to a higher caste, and if he were slain his subjects ran "Amok" for a whole year, or, as some said, for the rest of their lives.

on the English,

Della Valle returned to Goa, and thence to Europe Moghul outrage via Bassorah and Aleppo. In March 1624, before he left Goa, news arrived that the Emperor Jehangir had put to death all the English at his court, and ordered the imprisonment of all who were at Surat. It was said that the English had brought these troubles upon themselves from having seized some of the Moghul's ships at sea, in order to procure redress for certain grievances. The story is not improbable,