Volume 8 — [60] CHAPTER IV. (continued 3)

Lastly, when I was in the house of Louys de saincte Foy, an old woman, a sorceress, or female soothsayer of that village, said she had seen those who had gone to the war, and that they were bringing back a prisoner. We shall see if she has spoken the truth. Her method is by pyromancy. She draws for you in her hut the lake of the Hiroquois;39 then on one side she makes as many fires as there are persons who have gone on [175] the expedition, and on the other as many fires as they have enemies to fight. Then, if her spell succeeds, she lets it be understood that the fires from this side have run over, and that signifies that the warriors have already crossed the lake. One fire extinguishing another marks an enemy defeated; but if it attracts it to itself without extinguishing it, that is a prisoner taken at mercy. It is thus,—to finish my discourse, which would be too long if I tried to say everything,—that the Devil amuses this poor people, substituting his impieties and superstitions in place of the compliance they ought to have with the providence of God, and the worship they ought to render him.

Quant à ce qui concerne les mœurs, les Hurons sont lascifs, quoy qu'en deux chefs moins que plusieurs Chrestiens, qui rougiront [176] vn iour deuant eux. Vous n'y verrez point de baisers, ny de caresses deshonnestez; & dans le mariage vn homme y demeurera les deux & trois ans entiers, sans cognoistre sa femme, tandis qu'elle est nourrice. Ils sont gourmands iusques à rendre gorge: vray est que cela n'est pas souuent, mais seulement en quelques festins superstitieux. Encore ne s'y trouuent-ils pas volontiers; & d'ailleurs ils supportent beaucoup mieux la faim que nous; si bien qu'apres auoir ieusné les deux ou trois iours entiers, vous en verrez encore ramer, porter, chanter, rire, gausser, cõme s'ils auoiẽt biẽ disné. Ils sont fort faineants, menteurs, larrons, importuns demandeurs. Quelques-vns les estiment vindicatifs; mais pour moy ie crois que ce vice est plus notable ailleurs qu'icy. On y voit reluire d'assez belles vertus [177] morales. Vous y remarquez en premier lieu vne grande amour & vnion, qu'ils sont soigneux de cultiuer par le moyen de leurs mariages, de leurs presens, de leurs festins, & de leurs frequentes visites. Au retour de leur pesche, de leur chasse, & de leur traitte, ils s'entredonnent beaucoup: s'ils y ont pris quelque chose d'exquis, ou mesme s'ils l'ont acheté, ou si on le leur a donné, ils en font festin à tout le village: l'hospitalité enuers toute sorte d'estrãgers y est remarquable. Ils leur presentẽt en ces festins ce qu'ils ont preparé de meilleur, & cõme i'ay desia dit, ie ne sçay si ailleurs il se recontre rien de pareil en ce sujet. Il me semble auoir leu dans les vies [des] Peres, qu'vne armée Payenne se conuertit, voyant la charité & l'hospitalité d'vne ville Chrestienne, dont les habitans s'efforçoient à l'enuy de [178] caresser & festoyer les Estrangers. Iugeant bien que ceux-là deuoient professer la vraye Religion, & adorer le vray Dieu Pere commun de tous, qui auoient vn cœur si benin, & faisoient indifferemment tant de bien à toute sorte de personnes. Nous auons aussi esperance que nostre Seigneur donnera en fin la lumiere de sa cognoissance, & communiquera l'ardeur de ses graces à cette Nation, qu'il semble y auoir disposée par la pratique de cette belle vertu. Ils ne refusent iamais la porte à vn Estranger; & l'ayans receu vne fois en leur maison, ils luy font part de ce qu'ils y ont de meilleur: ils ne luy donnent iamais son congé; & quand il le prend de soy-mesme, il en est quitte pour vn simple grand-mercy. Cela me fait esperer, que si vne fois il plaist à Dieu de les illuminer, ils correspondront parfaictement [179] aux graces & aux inspirations de son Fils. Et puis qu'il est venu comme Estranger en sa propre maison, ie me promets que ces bonnes gens le receuront à toutes heures en leur cœur, sans le faire attendre à la porte par trop de dureté; sans luy rien espargner en toute l'estenduë de leurs affections: sans le trahir & le chasser dehors par quelque faute signalée, & sans rien pretendre en son seruice que son honneur & sa gloire: qui est tout ce qu'on peut souhaitter de fidelité en vne ame, pour le bon vsage & sainct employ des faueurs du Ciel.

As regards morals, the Hurons are lascivious, although in two leading points less so than many Christians, who will blush [176] some day in their presence. You will see no kissing nor immodest caressing; and in marriage a man will remain two or three years apart from his wife, while she is nursing. They are gluttons, even to disgorging; it is true, that does not happen often, but only in some superstitious feasts,—these, however, they do not attend willingly. Besides, they endure hunger much better than we,—so well that after having fasted two or three entire days you will see them still paddling, carrying loads, singing, laughing, bantering, as if they had dined well. They are very lazy, are liars, thieves, pertinacious beggars. Some consider them vindictive; but, in my opinion, this vice is more noticeable elsewhere than here. We see shining among them some rather noble moral [177] virtues. You note, in the first place, a great love and union, which they are careful to cultivate by means of their marriages, of their presents, of their feasts, and of their frequent visits. On returning from their fishing, their hunting, and their trading, they exchange many gifts; if they have thus obtained something unusually good, even if they have bought it, or if it has been given to them, they make a feast to the whole village with it. Their hospitality towards all sorts of strangers is remarkable; they present to them in their feasts the best of what they have prepared, and, as I have already said, I do not know if anything similar, in this regard, is to be found elsewhere. I think I have read, in the lives of the Fathers, that a Pagan army was converted on seeing the charity and hospitality of a Christian town, the inhabitants of which vied with each other in [178] caressing and feasting the Strangers,—judging well that those must profess the true Religion and worship the true God, the common Father of all, who had hearts so benign and who did so much good to all sorts of persons, without distinction. We have also hope that our Lord will give at last the light of his knowledge, and will communicate the fire of his graces, to this Nation, which he seems to have disposed thereto by the practice of this noble virtue. They never close the door upon a Stranger, and, once having received him into their houses, they share with him the best they have; they never send him away, and, when he goes away of his own accord, he repays them by a simple "thank you." This makes me hope that, if once it pleases God to illumine them, they will respond perfectly [179] to the grace and inspiration of his Son. And, since he has come as a Stranger into his own house, I promise myself that these good people will receive him at all hours into their hearts without making him wait too long on account of their hardness, without withholding from him anything in the whole range of their affections, without betraying him or driving him outside by any serious fault, and without claiming anything in his service other than his honor and glory; which is all the fidelity one can ask in a soul for the good use and holy employment of the favors of Heaven.

Que diray-je de leur estrange patience dans leur pauureté, disette & maladies? Nous auons veu cette année les villages entiers sur la litiere, nourris d'vn peu de sagamité insipide, & cependant pas vn mot pour se plaindre, pas vn mouuement [180] d'impatience. Ils reçoiuent bien plus constamment la nouuelle de la mort, que ces Messieurs & Dames de la Chrestienté, à qui on en oseroit ouurir la bouche. Nos Sauuages l'entendent non seulement sans desespoir, mais sans se troubler, sans pallir ou blesmir tant soit peu. Nous auons sur tout admiré la constance de nos nouueaux Chrestiens: le penultiéme qui est mort, nommé Ioseph Oatij a demeuré sur la dure l'espace de quatre ou cinq mois, tant deuant qu'apres son Baptesme, si décharné qu'il n'auoit que les os; dãs vne cabane si chetiue, que les vents y souffloient de tous costez, couuert pendant les froidures de l'hyuer d'vne peau fort legere, de bestes noires ou d'escurieux noirs, nourry fort pauuremẽt. On ne l'a cependant iamais ouy faire aucune plainte. Nostre Seigneur Iesus-Christ soit à iamais [181] loüé. C'est sur ces dispositions & fondemens, que nous esperons auec la grace de Dieu bastir l'edifice de la Religiõ Chrestienne parmy ce peuple, qui desia d'ailleurs nous est grandemẽt affectiõné, & a vne grãde opinion de nous. C'est à nous maintenãt à correspõdre à nostre vocatiõ, & à la voix de N. S. qui nous dit, videte regiones, quoniam albæ sunt iam ad messẽ. Il est vray, mon R. P. que messis multa, operarij pauci, & de plus nous nous trouuõs fort foibles pour vne si grãde entreprise; au moins moy; & partant ie supplie nostre R. P. Prouincial & V. R. de nous enuoyer du secours. Sur quoy ie m'escrierois volõtiers au bon Dieu, mitte quem missurus es; car pour nous, nous sõmes des enfans qui ne faisons que begayer. Cependant nous confians en la bonté de N. Seign. & non en nos propres forces & industries, voicy ce que [182] nous auons fait pour la conuersion de ce Peuple, depuis nostre arriuée. Premierement nous-nous sommes employez en l'estude de la langue, qui à cause de la diuersité de ses mots composez est quasi infinie. On ne peut neantmoins rien faire sans cét estude. Tous les François qui sont icy s'y sont ardemment portez, ramenant l'ancien vsage d'escrire sur des escorces de bouleau faute de papier. Les P. Dauost & Daniel y ont trauaillé par dessus tous. Ils y sçauẽt autant de mots que moy, & peut-estre plus. Mais ils n'ont pas encore la prattique pour les former & assembler promptement; quoy que le Pere Daniel s'explique desia passablement. Pour moy qui y fais leçon à nos François, si Dieu ne m'assiste extraordinairement, encor me faudra-il aller long temps à l'escole des Sauuages, telle est la fecondité [183] de leur langue. Cela n'empesche pas que ie n'entende quasi tout ce qu'ils disent, & que ie ne leur face assez comprendre mes conceptions, mesmes dans l'explication de nos plus ineffables mystres. Apres cela, nous nous sommes employez à la visite, sollicitation & instruction des malades, qui ont esté comme i'ay dit en tres-grand nombre; ç'a esté dãs ce pieux exercice que nous auons acquis des ames à nostre Seigneur, iusques au nombre de treize. La premiere fut vne petite fil[l]ette de ce village aagée seulement de quatre ou cinq mois, elle mourut vn quart d'heure après son baptesme, auquel elle fut nõmée Iosephe, pour accomplir vn vœu que i'auois faict de donner ce nom au premier que nous regenererions des sainctes eaux, en recognoissance de tant de faueurs que nous auons receu & receuons [184] par l'entremise de ce grand Sainct. Ce fut le sixiesme Septembre 1634. La deuxiesme, fut vne autre petite fille d'enuirõ deux ans, que nous baptisames le lendemain; elle mourut l'onziesme du mesme mois & an, ayant esté nommée Marie.

What shall I say of their strange patience in their poverty, famine, and sickness? We have seen this year whole villages prostrated, their food a little insipid sagamité; and yet not a word of complaint, not a movement [180] of impatience. They receive indeed the news of death with more constancy than those Christian Gentlemen and Ladies to whom one would not dare to mention it. Our Savages hear of it not only without despair, but without troubling themselves, without the slightest pallor or change of countenance. We have especially admired the constancy of our new Christians. The next to the last one who died, named Joseph Oatij, lay on the bare ground during four or five months, not only before but after his Baptism,—so thin that he was nothing but bones; in a lodge so wretched that the winds blew in on all sides; covered during the cold of winter with a very light skin of some black animals, perhaps black squirrels, and very poorly nourished. He was never heard to make a complaint, however. May our Lord Jesus Christ be ever [181] praised. It is on such dispositions and foundations that we hope, with the grace of God, to build the edifice of the Christian Religion among these people, who, besides, are already affectionately inclined toward us and have a great opinion of us. It is now our part to correspond to our vocation, and to the voice of Our Savior, who says to us, videte regiones, quoniam albæ sunt iam ad messem. It is true, my Reverend Father, that messis multa, operarii pauci, and, besides, we are very weak for so great an enterprise, at least I am, and therefore I beseech our Reverend Father Provincial and Your Reverence to send us help. For this I could cry willingly to the good God, mitte quem missurus es; as for us, we are children, who can only stammer. Yet see what we, trusting in the goodness of Our Lord, and not in our own strength and skill, [182] have done for the conversion of this People since our arrival. In the first place, we have been employed in the study of the language, which, on account of the diversity of its compound words, is almost infinite. One can, nevertheless, do nothing without this study. All the French who are here have eagerly applied themselves to it, reviving the ancient usage of writing on birch-bark, for want of paper. Fathers Davost and Daniel have worked at it, beyond all; they know as many words as I, and perhaps more; but they have not yet had practice in forming and joining them together promptly, although Father Daniel already explains himself passably well. As for me, who give lessons therein to our French, if God does not assist me extraordinarily, I shall yet have to go a long time to the school of the Savages, so prolific is [183] their language. That does not prevent me from understanding almost all they say, and from making them fairly understand my meaning, even in the explanation of our most ineffable mysteries. In addition, we have employed ourselves in visiting, entreating, and instructing the sick, who have been, as I have said, very numerous. It has been in this pious exercise that we have won souls for our Lord, to the number of thirteen. The first was a little girl of this village, only four or five months old; she died a quarter of an hour after her baptism, in which she was named Josepha, to fulfill a vow I had made to give this name to the first that we should regenerate with the holy waters,—in gratitude for so many favors that we have received and are receiving [184] by the interposition of that great Saint. This was on the sixth of September, 1634. The second was another little girl, about two years of age, whom we baptized on the next day. She died on the eleventh of the same month and year, having been named Marie.

Le 26. du mesme mois ie baptisay Marie Oquiaendis mere du Capitaine de ce village, ayeule de l'autre Marie. Celle-cy vit encore, & attribuë sa guerisõ à la vertu du S. Baptesme, le publiant par tout. En effet elle estoit quasi aux abois, & dés qu'elle fut lauée de ces sacrées eaux, elle commença à se mieux porter. Le 20. d'Octobre, ie partis pour aller à la Nation du Petun: en ce voyage Dieu me fit la faueur de baptifer & enuoyer au Ciel trois petits enfans, l'vn desquels entre autres alloit ietter les derniers souspirs quãd i'arriuay dãs sa cabane, où à peine eus-je le loisir [185] de l'ondoyer. Au retour du voyage, ie trouuay que le P. Daniel auoit baptisé Ioseph Ioutaya, qu'on croyoit deuoir expirer sur le chãp. Ie l'auois instruit auparauãt. Il a suruécu long temps, tousiours languissant, & faisant beaucoup d'actes de vertu. Nous l'auons assisté corporellement & spirituellement; si bien que luy & toute sa cabane n'attribuoient la prolongatiõ de sa vie, qu'au double secours qu'il a receu de nostre part. En fin estant mort heureusement dãs la cõfession & inuocatiõ du vray Dieu, & dans la repentãce de ses pechez, nous l'enterrasmes solẽnellement comme il l'auoit desiré. Nous auõs admiré le soin, la charité & la perseuerãce de sa fẽme, dãs les deuoirs & seruices qu'elle luy rẽdoit pendãt vne fort longue, fort salle, & fort puãte maladie. Elle & toute sa cabane (où nous en auons déja baptisé trois) nous est demeurée [186] fort affectionnée, & ils m'ont protesté plusieurs fois qu'ils seroient tous à la vie, à la mort, & au delà en nostre disposition. Mais nous ne les iugeons pas encore assez instruits. C'est en ceste cabane où demeure le premier Huron que i'aye iamais baptizé qui fut l'an mil six cens vingt-neuf, auant nostre depart de ce Pays. C'estoit vn petit enfant tenu pour mort, lequel sembla renaistre & reuiure doublement dans les eaux viuifiantes du sainct Baptesme. Il vit encore aagé d'enuiron cinq ans, & est fort gentil.

On the 26th of the same month, I baptized Marie Oquiaendis, the mother of the Captain of this village, grandmother of the other Marie. She is still living, and attributes her recovery to the virtue of Holy Baptism, publishing it everywhere. In truth, she was almost gone; and as soon as she was washed with the sacred waters she began to improve. On the 20th of October, I set out to go to the Tobacco Nation.40 In this journey God granted me the favor of baptizing and sending to Heaven three little children, one of whom, among others, was about to give forth his last breath when I reached the lodge and had scarcely time [185] to sprinkle him. When I returned from the journey I found that Father Daniel had baptized Joseph Joutaya, who was believed to be at the point of death. I had instructed him previously. He survived a long time, in a languishing condition, and doing many acts of virtue. We helped him both bodily and spiritually; so well that he and all his family attributed the prolongation of his life to nothing but the double assistance he had received from us. At last, having happily died in the confession and invocation of the true God, and in repentance for his sins, we solemnly interred him as he had desired. We admired the care, the charity, and the perseverance of his wife in the duties and services she rendered to him during a long, very dirty, and very disgusting sickness. She and all her house, (where we have already baptized three) have continued [186] warmly attached to us; and they have often protested to me that they will all be, in life, in death, and beyond, at our service. But we do not judge them yet sufficiently instructed. It is this cabin where lives the first Huron I ever baptized, which was in the year one thousand six hundred and twenty-nine, before our departure from this Country. It was a little child, looked upon as dead, who seemed to be born and live again in a double sense, in the life-imparting waters of holy Baptism. He still lives, being about five years of age, and is very gentle.

Le vingt-vniesme d'Octobre fut baptizé Ioseph Sondaarouhané, aagé d'enuiron quarante ou cinquante ans; il auoit vne grande bonté & douceur naturelle, & m'estoit de longue main affectionné; il rendit son bienheureux esprit à Dieu le vingtiesme Nouembre. Le mesme [187] iour fut baptisé Ioachim Tsindacaiendoua, vieillard de 80. ans. C'estoit vn des Hurons du meilleur naturel que i'aye connu, le lendemain il quitta cette vie pour en commencer vne meilleure, comme nous croyons: nous l'enterrasmes solemnellement en vn lieu separé. Cette ceremonie attira sur nous les yeux de tout le village, & causa à plusieurs le desir qu'on honorast leur sepulture de cette façon, notamment à Ioseph Ioutaia, cy dessus mentionné: lequel apres les obseques acheuées me dit qu'il eust esté bien aise que nous eussions passé au trauers de sa cabane en l'estat que nous estions habillez, pour nous veoir du lieu où la maladie le tenoit attaché: car on luy en auoit fait tant de cas, qu'il declara authentiquement vouloir estre enterré de nos mains, ce qui fut fait.

On the twenty-first of October, was baptized Joseph Sondaarouhané, about forty or fifty years of age. He had great goodness and natural sweetness, and had been attached to me for a long time. He yielded up his blessed spirit to God, on the twentieth of November. On the same [187] day was baptized Joachim Tsindacaiendoua, an old man of 80 years. He was one of the best-natured Hurons I have ever known. The next day he left this life, to begin a better one, as we believe; we interred him solemnly in a separate place. This ceremony attracted upon us the eyes of the whole village, and caused several to desire that we should honor their burial in the same way,—notably Joseph Joutaia, the one above-mentioned, who, after the obsequies were over, told me that he would have been very glad if we had passed through his cabin in the style in which we were dressed, so that he might see us from the place in which sickness kept him bound; for they had talked so much to him about the matter that he declared of his own will that he wished to be interred by our hands, which was done.

[188] Puisque ie suis retombé sur le propos de cét homme, ie diray vne chose memorable qui luy arriua apres son Baptesme. Le Diable luy apparut vn iour en forme d'vn sien frere decedé. Entrant dans sa cabane, il ne le salüa pas, & s'asseyant de l'autre cofté du feu, vis à vis de nostre nouueau Chrestien, il demeura long-temps sans parler. En fin prenant la parole, il luy dit, Quoy donc mon frere, vous nous voulez quitter? Nostre Ioseph, qui n'estoit pas encore assez duit en cette milice, respondit: non, mõ frere, ie ne vous veux pas quitter, ie ne vous quitteray point; & dit-on qu'alors ce faux frere commença à le caresser. Toutesfois il a depuis protesté plusieurs fois qu'il desiroit aller au Ciel.

[188] Since I have referred to this man's decision, I will tell a memorable thing which happened to him after his Baptism. The Devil appeared to him in the form of one of his deceased brothers. Entering his cabin without any salutation, he sat down on the other side of the fire opposite our new Christian, and remained a long time without speaking. At last beginning to speak, he said to him, "How now, my brother, do you wish to leave us?" Our Joseph, who was not yet sufficiently equipped for this warfare, replied, "No, my brother, I don't wish to leave you; I will not leave you," and it is said this false brother then began to caress him. Still, he has since declared several times that he desired to go to Heaven.

Le vingt-septiesme de Nouembre Martin Tsicok, vieillard desia [189] fort aagé, & d'vne humeur fort douce, fut baptisé. Ce bon hõme ne cessa d'inuoquer Iesus & Marie depuis son baptesme iusques au 15. Decembre qu'il mourut. Ie commençay à l'instruire par cette verité: que nos ames apres la mort alloient toutes en Enfer ou en Paradis: Que le Paradis estoit vn lieu remply de delices & de contentemens: & au contraire, l'Enfer, vn lieu de feux, de peines & de tourmens eternels. Qu'au reste, il auisast, tandis qu'il estoit encore en vie, auquel de ces deux lieux il vouloit aller, & demeurer pour iamais. Alors ce bon vieillard se tournant vers sa femme, Ma femme, luy dit-il, ne vaut-il pas bien mieux aller au Ciel? I'ay peur de ces effroyables feux d'enfer: sa femme fut de mesme aduis; & ainsi il presta volontiers l'oreille aux instructiõs qu'on luy dõna.

On the twenty-seventh of November, Martin Tsicok, already a very [189] old man and of a very gentle disposition, was baptized. This good man did not cease to invoke Jesus and Mary from his baptism until the 15th of December, when he died. I began to instruct him with this truth, that our souls after death all go to Hell or to Paradise; that Paradise is a place full of delights and contentment, and on the contrary that Hell is a place of fires, of pains, and eternal torments; that, besides, he should think, while he was yet in life, to which of these places he desired to go and dwell forever. Then this good old man, turning to his wife, said to her, "My wife, is it not indeed better to go to Heaven? I am afraid of those horrible fires of hell." His wife was of the same opinion, and thus he willingly listened to the instructions we gave him.

Le dixneufiesme Ianuier, ie partis [190] pour aller en la maison de Louys de saincte Foy, distante de nostre village de sept ou huict lieuës. Ie n'auois peû ny deu y aller plustost, pour ce qu'il estoit allé en la Nation neutre querir son Pere, qui y estoit demeuré perclus.

On the nineteenth of January, I set out [190] for the house of Louys de saincte Foy, distant from our village seven or eight leagues. I had been neither able nor willing to go sooner, as he had gone to the neutral Nation41 to seek his father, who had remained there, a cripple.

En ce voyage, passant par Onnentissati, i'allay voir vn nommé oukhahitoüa, qui auoit l'an passé embarqué vn de nos hommes: le trouuant à l'extremité, ie l'instruisis, il creut, il detesta sa vie passée, il fut baptisé sous le nom de François, & deux iours apres quitta ce monde pour s'enuoler au Ciel.

On this journey passing through Onnentissati,42 I went to see a man named oukhahitoüa, who last year embarked one of our men. Finding him dying, I instructed him; he believed, he detested his past life, he was baptized under the name of François, and two days later quitted this world to fly to Heaven.

Le vingt-neufiesme de Mars nous baptisames solemnellement en nostre petite Chapelle Ioseph Oatij: François petit Pré luy seruit de Parain, plusieurs y assisterent. Il y auoit long-temps que nous l'instruisions; c'est pourquoy il respondit [191] luy-mesme aux interrogations que ie luy faisois en langue Huronne. Ce bon ieune homme estoit d'vne complexion fort valetudinaire; nous l'auions gaigné par vne continuelle assistance, qui l'auoit remis par deux fois: de sorte que tres-volontiers il remit entre nos mains le soin de son ame, laquelle alla heureusement à Dieu le quatorziesme Auril, apres auoir esté fortifiée du Sacrement d'extreme-Onction.

On the twenty-ninth of March, we solemnly baptized in our little Chapel Joseph Oatij; François petit Pré43 was his Godfather, and many were present. We had been instructing him a long time, and hence he replied [191] personally to the questions I put to him in the Huron tongue. This good young man was of a very sickly constitution; we had gained him by continual assistance, which had twice saved his life; so that he willingly put in our hands the care of his soul, which went happily to God on the fourteenth of April, after having been fortified by the Sacrament of extreme Unction.

Nous auons sur tout admiré sa patience, & sa tranquillité d'esprit, principalement depuis le baptesme. A peine auions nous commencé à l'instruire, qu'il commença à dire fort souuent & de iour & de nuict; Iesus ayez pitié de moy. Marie & Ioseph secourez moy.

We especially admired his patience and tranquility of mind, especially after his baptism. Scarcely had we begun to instruct him when he began to say very often, both by day and by night, "Jesus, have pity on me! Mary and Joseph, help me!"

Finalement le vingtiesme d'Auril, ie baptisay à Oënrio vne femme fort vieille. Elle deceda le vingt-quatriesme; [192] du commencement que ie l'abborday, & que ie luy demanday si elle vouloit aller au Ciel ou en Enfer: elle ne respondoit autre chose, sinon qu'elle iroit où son fils voudroit. Mais luy ayant esté dit que son pere feu Ioachim Tsindacaiendoua estoit allé au Ciel: I'y veux donc aller, dit-elle.

Lastly, on the twentieth of April, I baptized at Oënrio a very old woman, who died on the twenty-fourth. [192] At first, when I talked to her, and asked her whether she wished to go to Heaven or to Hell, she did not answer, except to say that she would go where her son wished. But having told her that her father, the late Joachim Tsindacaiendoua, had gone to Heaven, she said, "Then I wish to go there!"

Ce sont là les fruicts que nous auons recueilly de nos visites, & instructions particulieres. Ie croy que la moisson eust esté plus grande, si i'eusse peu abandonner nostre village, & parcourir les autres. Plaise à nostre Seigneur accepter ces petites premices, & nous donner les forces & les moyens d'en faire dauantage. On en a instruit beaucoup d'autres, qui demandoient le Baptesme fort instãment. Mais ne les voyant pas en dãger de mort, nous les auons reseruez pour vne plus grãde instructiõ.

These, then, are the fruits that we have gathered from our visits and private instructions. I believe the harvest would have been greater if I could have left our village, and visited the others. May it please our Lord to accept these few first fruits, and give us strength and opportunities to gather more of them. We have instructed many others, who asked very urgently for Baptism; but not seeing them in danger of death, we have kept them back for further instructions.

[193] Enuiron le mois de Decembre les neiges commencerent à prendre pied, & les Sauuages se rendirent sedentaires dans le village. Car tout l'Esté, & tout l'Automne, ils sont la plus-part ou dans des cabanes chãpestres à prendre garde à leurs bleds, ou sur le lac à la pesche, ou en traite; ce qui n'est pas vne petite incommodité pours les instruire. Les voyãt donc ainsi reünis, au commencemẽt de ceste année, nous resolusmes de prescher publiquement à tous, & leur faire cognoistre le sujet de nostre venuë en leur Pays, qui n'est pas pour leurs pelleteries, mais pour leur annoncer le vray Dieu, & son fils Iesus-Christ, Sauueur vniuersel de nos ames.

[193] About the month of December, the snow began to lie on the ground, and the Savages settled down in the village. For, during the whole Summer and Autumn, they are for the most part either in their rural cabins, taking care of their crops, or on the lake fishing, or trading; which makes it not a little inconvenient to instruct them. Seeing them, therefore, thus gathered together at the beginning of this year, we resolved to preach publicly to all, and to acquaint them with the reason of our coming into their Country, which is not for their furs, but to declare to them the true God and his son, Jesus Christ, the universal Savior of our souls.

Nous faisons cette Instruction ou Catechisme en nostre cabane: car nous n'auons point encore d'autre Eglise capable. C'est le plus souuent [194] que nous pouuons: car leurs festins, leurs danses, & leurs ieux, les occupent tellement, qu'on ne les assemble pas comme l'on veut.

We gave the Instruction or Catechism in our cabin, for we had as yet no other suitable Church. This is often the most [194] we can do; for their feasts, dances, and games so occupy them that we cannot get them together as we would like.

La façon ordinaire que nous y tenons est cette-cy. Nous appellons le monde par le moyen du Capitaine du village, qui les assemble tous chez nous comme en Conseil, ou bien au son de la clochette. Ie me sers du surplis & du bonnet carré, pour donner plus de maiesté. Au commencement nous chantons à genoux le Pater noster reduit en vers Hurons. Le P. Daniel comme autheur de cela chante vn couplet tout seul, & puis nous le rechantons tous ensemble, & ceux d'entre les Hurons, principalement les petits enfans qui le sçauent desia, prennent plaisir de chanter auec nous, & les autres d'escouter. Cela fait, comme vn chacun est assis, ie me leue, & fais [195] faire le signe de la Croix à tous, puis ayãt recapitulé ce que i'ay dit la derniere fois, i'explique quelque chose de nouueau. Apres cela nous interrogeons les ieunes enfans, & les filles, donnans ou vn petit canon de verre, ou de la racade à ceux qui l'ont merité. Les parents sont fort aises de veoir leurs enfans bien dire, & remporter quelque petit prix, dont ils se rendent dignes par le soin qu'ils ont de venir en particulier se faire instruire. Nous de nostre costé, pour leur donner plus d'emulation, faisons reprendre chaque leçon, par nos deux petits garçons François, qui s'entreinterrogent l'vn l'autre; ce qui rauit les Sauuages en admiration. En fin tout se conclud par le discours des Anciens, qui proposent leurs difficultez, & quelquesfois me [196] font escouter à mon tour le narré de leur creance.

The usual method that we follow is this: We call together the people by the help of the Captain of the village, who assembles them all in our house as in Council, or perhaps by the sound of the bell. I use the surplice and the square cap, to give more majesty to my appearance. At the beginning, we chant on our knees the Pater noster, translated into Huron verse. Father Daniel, as its author, chants a couplet alone, and then we all together chant it again; and those among the Hurons, principally the little ones, who already know it, take pleasure in chanting it with us, and the others in listening. That done, when every one is seated, I rise and make [195] the sign of the Cross for all; then, having recapitulated what I said the last time, I explain something new. After that we question the young children and the girls, giving a little bead of glass or porcelain to those who deserve it. The parents are very glad to see their children answer well and carry off some little prize, of which they render themselves worthy by the care they take to come privately to get instruction. On our part, to arouse their emulation, we have each lesson retraced by our two little French boys, who question each other,—which transports the Savages with admiration. Finally the whole is concluded by the talk of the Old Men, who propound their difficulties, and sometimes [196] make me listen in my turn to the statement of their belief.

Nous commençasmes nos Catechismes par cette verité memorable, que les ames qui sont immortelles, vont toutes apres la mort en Paradis ou en Enfer. Et c'est ainsi que nous les abordons, soit en public, soit en particulier. I'adioustay qu'ils auoiẽt le choix pendant la vie, de prendre party apres la mort icy ou là, où ils aduiseroient presentement. A quoy vn bon veillard m'ayant dit, Aille qui voudra dans les feux d'Enfer, pour moy ie desire aller au Ciel. Tous les autres le suiuirent, & vsans de la mesme response, nous prierent de leur en monstrer le chemin, & oster les pierres, les arbres & les halliers qui y sont, & qui pourroient les arrester.

We began our Catechizing by this memorable truth, that their souls, which are immortal, all go after death either to Paradise or to Hell. It is thus we approach them, either in public or in private. I added that they had the choice, during life, to participate after death in the one or the other,—which one, they ought now to consider. Whereupon one honest old man said to me, "Let him who will, go to the fires of Hell; I want to go to Heaven;" all the others followed and making use of the same answer, begged us to show them the way, and to take away the stones, the trees, and the thickets therein, which might stop them.

Nos Hurons comme vous voyez ne sont pas si massifs qu'on croiroit biẽ, [197] ils me semblent auoir le sens cõmun assez bon, & ie les recognois vniuersellemẽt fort dociles. Il y en a neantmoins d'opiniastres, & attachez à leurs superstitiõs & mauuaises coustumes; ce sont notamment les vieillards: car horsmis ceux là, qui ne sont pas en grand nombre, tout le reste ne sçait rien en leur croyance. Nous en auons en nostre village deux ou trois de ce nombre. Ie suis souuent aux prises auec eux, où ie les conuaincs & les mets en contradiction, de telle sorte qu'ils aduoüent ingenuement leur ignorance, & les autres se mocquent d'eux; neantmoins ils ne se rendent pas, ayant pour tout refuge, que leur Pays n'est pas comme le nostre, qu'ils ont vn autre Dieu, vn autre Paradis, en vn mot d'autres coustumes.

Our Hurons, as you see, are not so dull as one might think them; [197] they seem to me to have rather good common sense, and I find them universally very docile. Nevertheless, some of them are obstinate, and attached to their superstitions and evil customs. These are principally the old people; for beyond these, who are not numerous, the rest know nothing of their own belief. We have two or three of this number in our village. I am often in conflict with them; and then I show them they are wrong, and make them contradict themselves, so that they frankly admit their ignorance, and the others ridicule them; still they will not yield, always falling back upon this, that their Country is not like ours, that they have another God, another Paradise, in a word, other customs.

Ils nous racontent que cette femme nommé Eataentsic tomba du Ciel [198] dedans les eaux, dont estoit couuerte la terre, & que peu à peu la terre se descouurit. Ie leur demande qui a creé ce Ciel, où cette femme n'a pû se tenir, & ils demeurent muets; comme aussi quãd ie les presse de me dire qui auoit produit la terre, veu qu'elle estoit au fond des eaux auparauant la cheute de ceste femme. Vn certain me demanda assez subtilement sur ce propos, où estoit Dieu auant la creation du monde. La response me fut plus facile, apres S. Augustin, qu'à eux l'intelligence de la question qu'ils me faisoient. Vn autre bon vieillard estant tombé malade, ne vouloit point oüyr parler d'aller au Ciel, disant qu'il desiroit aller où estoient ses ancestres. Quelques iours apres il se rendit, & me fit vn plaisant conte. Resioüys toy, me dit-il, car ie suis reuenu du pays des ames, & ie n'y en ay plus trouué, [199] elles sont toutes allées au Ciel. Il n'y a rien qui ne serue à salut, quand il plaist à Dieu, iusques aux songes.

They tell us how the woman, named Eataentsic, fell from Heaven [198] into the waters with which the earth was covered; and that little by little, the earth became bare. I ask them who created the Heaven in which this woman could not stay, and they remain mute; as also when I press them to tell me who formed the earth, seeing that it was beneath the waters before the fall of this woman. One man asked me very cunningly, in this connection, where God was before the creation of the world. The reply was more easy for me, following St. Augustine, than the grasp of the question put to me was for them. Another good old man, having fallen sick, did not wish to hear of going to Heaven, saying he desired to go where his ancestors were. Some days afterwards, he came to me and told me a pleasant story: "Rejoice," he said, "for I have returned from the country of souls, and I have found none there any longer; [199] they have all gone to Heaven." There is nothing which does not serve for salvation when God pleases, not even dreams.

Deux choses entre autres nous ont fort aydé, pour si peu de profit que nous auons desia fait icy, par la grace de nostre Seigneur. La premiere est, comme i'ay desia dit, la santé que Dieu nous a conseruée parmy vne si grande & si vniuerselle contagion: car nos Hurons ont pensé que s'ils croyoient en Dieu, & le seruoient comme nous, il[s] ne mouroient pas en si grand nombre.

Two things among others have aided us very much in the little we have been able to do here, by the grace of our Lord; the first is, as I have already said, the good health that God has granted us in the midst of sickness so general and so widespread. For our Hurons have thought that, if they believed in God and served him as we do, they would not die in so large numbers.

La seconde est l'assistance temporelle, qu'on a rendu aux malades. Ayans apporté pour nous quelques petits rafraichissemens, nous leur en donnions, à l'vn vn peu de prunes, à l'autre vn peu de raisins; aux autres quelque autre chose. Les pauures gens venoient [200] de fort loin pour en auoir tous leur part.

The second is the temporal assistance we have rendered to the sick. Having brought for ourselves some few delicacies, we shared them with them, giving to one a few prunes and to another a few raisins, to others something else. The poor people came [200] from great distances to get their share.

Nos François ayant assez heureusement reüssy à la chasse pendant l'Automne; nous en portions quelque morceau à tous les malades. Cela leur gagnoit le cœur. Veu principalemẽt, qu'ils mouroient n'ayãt ny chair ny poissõ, pour affaisõner leur sagamité. Adioustez que tous nos François se sont Dieu mercy comportez si vertueusement, & si paisiblemẽt dedãs & dehors, pẽdant toute cette année, qu'ils ont attiré la benediction du Ciel. Nous deuons aussi beaucoup au glorieux sainct Ioseph espoux de nostre Dame, & protecteur des Hurons, dont nous auons touché au doigt l'assistãce plusieurs fois. Ce fut vne chose remarquable, que le iour de sa feste, & durant l'Octaue, les commoditez nous venoient de toutes parts.

Our French servants having succeeded very well in hunting, during the Autumn, we carried portions of game to all the sick. That chiefly won their hearts, as they were dying, having neither flesh nor fish to season their sagamité. Add that all our French have borne themselves, thank God, so virtuously and so peaceably on all sides, during the whole year, that they have drawn down the blessing of Heaven. We owe much also to our glorious saint Joseph, spouse of our Lady, and protector of the Hurons, who has rendered us tangible aid several times. It was a remarkable thing that on the day of his feast, and during the Octave, accommodations came to us from all sides.

[201] Auant que de finir, ie diray seulement ce mot de Louys de saincte Foy, que i'aymerois mieux taire, n'estoit qu'il peut seruir pour reconnoistre plus iudicieusement cette Nation. C'est qu'il n'est pas tel qu'il deuroit estre, & que nous l'eussions souhaitté; neantmoins nous en auõs encore bonne esperance. Il fut pris l'année passée par les Hiroquois en la défaite commune, & emmené prisonnier. Il luy en a cousté vn doigt; ce coup de foüet deuroit estre bastant pour le remettre en son deuoir. Son Pere ne fut pas pris: il se sauua à la fuite, mais en fuyãt il patit à bon escient dedans les bois, où il demeura, à ce qu'il dit, trente iours, combattu de trois puissans ennemis; scauoir est du froid, car c'estoit au Printemps, & il estoit nud & sans feu: de la maladie, car il demeura comme perclus des deux iambes & [202] n'en est pas encore guery; & en fin de la faim. A propos de laquelle il raconte vne chose remarquable, si elle est vraye. Il dit qu'ayant demeuré dix ou douze iours sans manger, & priant Dieu, duquel il auoit ouy parler à son fils, il vit comme vn pot de grais tel qu'il en auoit veu à Kebec, remply d'vne très suaue liqueur, & oüyt vne voix, qui luy disoit, Saranhes, aye bon courage, tu n'en mourras pas; prens, boy de ce qui est dans ce pot afin de te fortifier: ce qu'il fit, & en fut merueilleusement soulagé. Que peu apres il rencontra en vn arbrisseau vn sachet de bled, dont il sustenta petitement sa vie, iusques à ce que quelques Sauuages de la Nation neutre, l'ayant fortuitement trouué, l'enleuerent en leur village.

[201] Before drawing to a close, I shall say only this one word about Louys de saincte Foy, which I would prefer not to say were it not that it may help to make this Nation more correctly known; it is this,—he is not such as he ought to be, and as we had wished. Nevertheless, we still have good hope. He was taken prisoner last year by the Hiroquois, in the common defeat, and carried away a captive. It cost him a finger. This severe stroke ought to suffice to bring him back to duty. His Father was not taken; he escaped by flight, but in fleeing he suffered in good earnest in the woods, where he remained, according to his account, thirty days struggling against three powerful enemies,—namely, cold, for it was Spring, and he was naked and fireless; sickness, for his two legs were powerless, and [202] he has not yet recovered; and, lastly, against hunger, in reference to which he relates a remarkable story, if it be true. He says that, having gone for ten or twelve days without eating, and praying to God, of whom he had heard his son speak, he saw what seemed a pot of grease, such as he had seen at Kebec, full of a very savory liquor, and heard a voice that said to him, "Saranhes, be of good cheer; thou wilt not die; take, drink what is in the pot and strengthen thyself," which he did, and was marvelously solaced by it. A little later, he found in a thicket a small bagful of corn, with which he barely sustained life until some Savages of the neutral Nation, having accidentally found him, brought him to their village.

Cét homme m'a témoigné qu'il desiroit se conuertir, luy & toute sa [203] famille, & cooperer à ce que tout son village seruist à Dieu, comme nous. Mais c'est vn esprit deslié aussi bien que son fils, ie ne me fie pas encore en luy. Nostre esperance est en Dieu, & en nostre Seigneur Iesus-Christ, qui a respandu son sang pour le salut des Hurons, aussi bien pour le reste du monde.

This man has declared to me that he and his whole family were desirous of being converted, [203] and of helping to bring the entire village to God's service. But his is a crafty spirit, as well as his son's, and I do not trust him yet. Our hope is in God, and in our Lord Jesus Christ, who shed his blood for the salvation of the Hurons, as well as for the rest of the world.

C'est sur cét appuy, & non sur nos industries, que nous esperons de veoir vn iour icy vne Chrestienté florissante. Les esprits certes y sont dociles & flexibles, ie ne voy que la liberté des femmes qu'ils changent à plaisir, & quelques superstitions difficiles à abolir. Car d'ailleurs ils n'ont point d'auersion de la Foy, ny de la Loy Chrestienne; ils recourent volontiers à Dieu en leurs [204] necessitez: viennent faire benir leurs bleds auant que de les semer, & demandent ce que c'est que nous desirons d'eux. Nous n'auons à apprehender que nos pechez & imperfections, & moy sur tous. Certes ie me sens extremement i[n]digne de cét employ; mais enuoyez nous des saincts, ou faites enuers Dieu nostre Seigneur, que nous soyons tels qu'il desire. Mille recommandations aux saincts sacrifices de vostre Reuerence, & de tous nos Peres & Freres.

De V. R.

De nostre petite Maison de S. Ioseph au village d'Ihonatiria és Hurons ce 27. May 1635. iour auquel le S. Esprit descendit visiblement sur les Apostres.

Tres-humble & tres-obeyssant seruiteur en nostre Seigneur,

Iean de Brebevf.

It is through this support, and not our own efforts, that we hope one day to see here a flourishing Christianity. Indeed, their minds are docile and flexible; I see only the liberty with which they change their wives at pleasure, and some superstitions, difficult to abolish, for in other respects they have no aversion to the Faith nor to the Christian Law. They turn willingly to God in their [204] necessities; they come to get their crops blessed, before sowing them; and ask us what we desire of them. All we have to fear is our own sins and imperfections, and I above all. In truth, I feel myself extremely unworthy of this employment; but send holy ones to us, or pray to God our Lord that we may be such as he desires. A thousand entreaties for the holy sacrifices of your Reverence and of all our Fathers and Brothers.

Your Reverence's

From our little House of St. Joseph, in the village of Ihonatiria in the Huron country, this 27th of May, 1635, the day on which the Holy Spirit descended visibly upon the Apostles.

Very humble and obedient servant in our Lord,

Jean de Brebeuf.

[205] Mon R. Pere,

Depuis la presente escrite nous auõs baptisé vn enfãt malade, arriere petit neueu de feu Ioachim Tsindacaiendoua, & ce d'autant plus hardiment que ceste famille semble estre toute disposée à la Foy. Nostre Seigneur luy a rendu la santé auec admiration de ses parens, qui remarquerent qu'incontinent apres le baptesme, il reposa fort doucement. Cela seruira pour renuerser vne mauuaise opinion que le Diable va semant dans quelques esprits, ausquels il persuade qu'on ne guerit iamais apres le baptesme. C'est là vne des ruses du Diable contre nous; il en a bien d'autres dont il a fait l'essay desia en partie, mais N. Seigneur le confondra; c'est en luy en qui nous nous confions. Paraduenture V. R. sera-elle [206] biẽ aise de sçauoir que l'Hyuer a esté icy fort court, & fort moderé, le Pays est tel, qu'il porte assez pour la nourriture des habitans. Tout ce Printemps a esté grandement beau & sec, les bleds commencent à pâtir faute de pluye. Ie prie nostre Seigneur, qu'il luy plaise y remedier, & nous donner ce qui sera necessaire pour sa gloire, pour les heureux commencemens de ceste Chrestienté, & pour la benediction des petits trauaux que nostre Compagnie entreprend en ces terres éloignées, sous la protection des Fleurs de Lys, & de nostre Grand Roy, qui les fait fleurir auiourd'huy si glorieusement.

[205] My Reverend Father,

Since the above was written, we have baptized a sick child, grandnephew of the late Joachim Tsindacaiendoua; and this the more boldly, as this family seems to be disposed to the Faith. Our Lord has restored his health, to the wonder of his parents, who remarked that immediately after the baptism he rested very sweetly. This will serve to overthrow a bad opinion that the Devil goes about sowing in some minds, whom he persuades that they will never get better after baptism. This is but one of the ruses of the Devil against us; he has many others, which he has already attempted in part; but Our Lord will confound him; it is in him that we put our trust. Your Reverence will perhaps [206] be glad to hear that the Winter here has been very short and moderate. The Country is such that it bears sufficient for the nourishment of its inhabitants. All this Spring has been extremely clear and dry; the crops are beginning to suffer for want of rain. I pray our Lord that it may please him to remedy this, and to give us what will be necessary for his glory, for the happy beginnings of this Christianity, and for the blessing of the insignificant labors that our Society is undertaking in these distant lands, under the protection of the Fleurs de Lys and of our Great King who to-day is causing them to bloom so gloriously.

[207] Relation de qvelqves particularitez, du lieu & des Habitans de I'Isle du Cap Breton.

Enuoyée par le P. Iulien Perrault, de la Compagnie de Iesus, à son Prouincial, en France, l'an 1634. & 35.

L'ISLE du Cap Breton est esloignée de nostre France d'enuiron neuf cens lieuës par mer. Elle en a soixante & dix ou quatre vingts de circuit. Les mõtagnes y sont fort hautes & en nombre, au pied desquelles [208] se voyent de grandes fondrieres & precipices affreux. La terre y est couuerte de toutes sortes d'arbres, comme de chaisnes, haistres, bouleaux, pins, sapins & autres.

[207] Relation of certain details regarding the Island of Cape Breton and its Inhabitants.

Sent by Father Julïen Perrault, of the Society of Jesus, to his Provincial, in France, in the years 1634 and 35.44

THE Island of Cape Breton45 is about nine hundred leagues distant from our France by sea. It is seventy or eighty leagues in circumference. The mountains here are very high and numerous, at the foot of which [208] are seen great bogs and frightful precipices. The land is covered with all sorts of trees, such as oak, beech, birch, pine, hemlock, and others.

Le Chibou principale partie de ceste Isle, est vne grande Baye d'enuiron deux lieuës de large en son entré, qui va peu à peu s'estressissant le long de six ou sept lieuës, qu'elle comprend en estenduë. Sur le milieu, à main gauche en montant, au haut de la coste, qui regarde le Nor-oüest, est basti le fort de saincte Anne, à l'entrée du port, vis à vis d'vne petite Ance. L'assiete du lieu est si auantageuse, au rapport de ceux qui s'y cognoissent, qu'auec dix ou douze pieces de canon, on pourroit couler à fonds tous les vaisseaux ennemis qui s'y presenteroient.

Chibou,46 which is the principal part of this Island, is a great Bay about two leagues wide at its entrance, becoming narrower little by little, in the six or seven leagues which form its extent. In the middle, on the left hand in ascending, on the summit of the shore that faces the Northwest, is built the fort of sainte Anne, at the entrance of the harbor, opposite a little Cove. The situation of the place is so advantageous, according to the report of those who are acquainted with it, that with ten or twelve pieces of cannon, all the hostile ships that might present themselves could be sent to the bottom.

Ceux qui ont vieilly sur mer, protestent qu'ils n'ont iamais veu vn [209] Port plus recommandable pour sa capacité, ny pour la facilité de son abord. Trois mille nauires y peuuent estre à l'aise, & à l'abry de tout vent, en vn beau rond tres-agreable à veoir; car sa figure est circulaire, ou peu s'en faut. Les marées y sont fort douces & reiglées; il y a tousiours de dix à douze brassées d'eau: au reste nonobstant que toute l'Isle soit de quarante-six degrez & demy en son eleuation; si est-ce que le froid y est extréme, parmy des neiges de cinq à six mois l'année. Voila pour ce qui est de la situation du lieu: venons aux commoditez de la vie, qu'il offre aux habitans: surquoy on peut dire en general, que les Sauuages sont icy plus à leur aise, qu'en beaucoup d'autres endroits. Si l'Hyuer leur y fournit moins de Castors sur eau, il leur donne aussi en récompense plus d'Orignacs [210] sur terre. En esté ils y viuent assez doucement de Marmettes, de Perroquets, de Cormorans, & autres oyseaux de marine. Ils y ont aussi les Outardes, l'Esplan, les Maquereaux, les Moruës, & semblables prouisions selon la diuersité des saisons, dans les forests, ou sur les costes de la mer.

Those who have grown old upon the sea protest that they have never seen a [209] more desirable Port, either in extent or for its facility of access. Three thousand ships could easily anchor there, and be sheltered from every wind, in a beautiful enclosure very pleasant to look upon; for its form is circular, or nearly so. The tides here are very mild and regular; there is always from ten to twelve fathoms of water. Furthermore, notwithstanding that the Island is in forty-six and a half degrees north latitude, the cold is extreme, the island lying in the midst of snow five or six months of the year. This is the situation of the place, let us come to the conveniences of life which it offers to its inhabitants. On this subject we may say, in general, that the Savages are more comfortable here than in many other places. If the Winter supplies them with fewer Beavers upon the water, it gives them, by way of compensation, more Moose [210] upon the land. In summer, they live very well on Marmots and Parrot fish,47 with Cormorants and other marine birds. They have also Bustards, Smelts, Mackerel, Codfish, and like supplies, according to the different seasons, in the forests or upon the coasts of the sea.

Quant à eux, pour ce qui est du corps, ils n'ont rien de monstrueux; vous y voyez des gẽs bien-faits, d'vn beau visage, & d'vne riche taille, forts & puissans. Leur charnure est blanche naturellement, comme en font foy les petits enfans; mais le hasle du Soleil, & les frictions d'huile de Loup marin, & de graisse d'Orignac, les rend fort bazanez, à mesure qu'ils croissent. Ils vont la plus-part la teste nuë, & portent de longs cheueux noirs, auec fort peu ou point de barbe, tellement que les femmes n'y sont recogneües, [211] qu'en ce qu'elles se seruent d'vne ceinture, & qu'elles sont moins découuertes que les hommes; tout au rebours de ce qui se prattique en plusieurs lieux de la Chrestienté, à la honte du Christianisme. On void icy des vieillards de quatre-vingts & cent ans, qui n'ont presque pas vn poil gris. Pour le regard de l'esprit, s'il en faut iuger de leurs deportemens, & de leurs façons de traitter auec nos François, ils ne l'ont pas mauuais. Vous ne voyez paroistre en leurs gestes & démarches aucune sottise ou niaiserie, mais plutost vne certaine grauité & modestie naturelle, qui les rend aimables. Ils sont bien si industrieux, que de déguiser leur langage, adioustans à chaque mot vne syllabe, qui ne sert qu'à troubler l'imagination de ceux, dont ils ne veulent point estre entendus.

As to the people, there is nothing anomalous in their physical appearance; you see well-formed men, good-looking, of fine figures, strong and powerful. Their skin is naturally white, for the little children show it thus; but the heat of the Sun, and the rubbing with Seal oil and Moose fat, make them very swarthy, the more so as they grow older. Most of them go bareheaded, and they have long, black hair, with very little or no beard, so that the women cannot be distinguished, [211] except that they use a girdle and are less naked than the men; quite the reverse of what is practiced in many Christian lands, to the shame of Christianity. One sees here old men, of eighty and a hundred years, who have hardly a gray hair. As to their intelligence, if we may judge from their conduct and from their way of dealing with the French, they are not at a great disadvantage. You do not see in their gestures and bearing any foolishness or nonsense, but rather a certain gravity and natural modesty, which makes them agreeable. They are indeed so clever that, in order to disguise their language, they add to every word a syllable, which only serves to confuse the minds of those by whom they do not wish to be understood.

[212] Ce qui leur manque, est la cognoissance de Dieu, & du seruice qu'ils sont obligez de luy rendre, comme aussi de l'estat des ames apres la mort: c'est merueille, que nous n'en auons sceu encore découurir aucun vestige, en ce que nous sçauons de leur langue. Peut-estre qu'en descouurirons nous quelque chose de plus, quand nous y serons plus sçauans: car il n'est pas croyable que la lumiere naturelle soit tout à fait esteinte en eux pour ce regard, ne l'estant point en d'autres Natiõs plus barbares; ou qu'ils ne parlent iamais entre-eux de ce qu'ils ne peuuent tout à fait ignorer. Tant y a que iusqu'à maintenant, nous n'auons non plus remarqué de Religion parmy ces pauures Sauuages, que parmy les bestes. C'est ce qui nous fend le cœur de compassion, pour des ames rachetées au mesme [213] prix que nous, & dont elles feroient leur profit volontiers mieux que nous, si elles sçauoient ce qu'elles vallent, & ce qu'elles ont cousté à celuy qui nous a tant aimez tous ensemble.

[212] What they do lack is the knowledge of God and of the service that they ought to render to him, as also of the state of the soul after death; it is wonderful that we have not yet been able to discover any trace of this knowledge in what we know of their language. Perhaps we shall discover something more, when we become better versed in it; for it is not credible that the light of nature should be altogether extinct in them in this regard, when it is not in other more barbarous Nations, or that they never talk among themselves of that of which they cannot be entirely ignorant. For all that, we have not up to the present noticed any more Religion among these poor Savages than among brutes. This is what wrings our hearts with compassion for souls redeemed at the same [213] price as ours, by which they would willingly profit better than we, if they could know what they themselves are worth, and what they cost him who has loved us all so much.

Or ce qui nous console parmy cette ignorance & barbarie, & ce qui nous fait esperer d'y veoir vn iour la Foy plantée bien auant; c'est en partie la docilité qu'ils nous sont paroistre à vouloir estre instruits, & en partie la fidelité & l'honnesteté que nous y remarquons.

Now what consoles us in the midst of this ignorance and barbarism, and what makes us hope some day to see the Faith widely planted, is partly the docility they have shown in wishing to be instructed, and partly the honesty and decency we observe in them.

Ils se rendent fort assidus & attentifs aux instructions que nous leur donnons: ie ne sçay, si c'est par complaisance, car ils en ont beaucoup naturellement, ou par instinct d'enhaut, qu'ils nous escoutent si volontiers sur les mysteres de nostre Foy, & redisent apres nous, soit qu'ils l'entendent ou non, tout ce [214] que nous leur en declarons. Ils font tres-volontiers le signe de la Croix, comme ils nous voyent faire, leuans les mains & les yeux au Ciel, prononçans, Iesus Maria, comme nous: iusque-là qu'ayans remarqué l'honneur que nous rendons à la Croix, les pauures gens se la peignent au visage, à l'estomach, aux bras, & aux iambes, sans en estre priez. Ie veux bien qu'ils fassent tout cela en ces commencemens par vne simplicité naturelle, qui les porte à imiter tout ce qu'ils voyent, plus que pour aucune meilleure consideration; si est-ce qu'auec le temps, ils en peuuẽt estre aidez; & ils ne seront pas les premiers, quãd ils viendront à pratiquer par election, ce qui leur a esté en vsage, comme par rencontre & par hazard. Au surplus, ce qui n'est pas peu, ils nous pressent parfois de prier nostre bon Iesus pour eux, [215] pour les succez de leurs chasses, & pour la deliurance de leurs maladies.

They are very diligent and attentive to the instructions we give them; I do not know whether it is through complaisance, for they have a great deal of this naturally, or through an instinct from above, that they listen to us so willingly concerning the mysteries of our Faith, and repeat after us, whether they understand it or not, all that [214] we declare to them. They very willingly make the sign of the Cross, as they see us make it, raising their hands and eyes to Heaven and pronouncing the words, "Jesus, Mary," as we do,—so far that, having observed the honor we render to the Cross, these poor people paint it on their faces, chests, arms, and legs, without being asked to do so. I am very willing that they should do all these things in the beginning from a natural simplicity, which causes them to imitate all they see, rather than from any greater consideration; because in time they may be helped by it, and they will not be the first, who come to practice by choice that to which by casual encounter they have become accustomed. Besides, what is of no small importance, they sometimes urge us to pray our good Jesus for them, [215] for the success of their hunting and for relief from their diseases.

L'autre aduantage que nous remarquons icy, pour la predication de l'Euangile, est en la fidelité, & en l'honnesteté que nous y voyons reluire, comme deux clairs rayons de lumiere, au milieu des tenebres. On n'a que faire de se défier de nos Sauuages, ou de prendre garde à leurs mains & à leurs pieds, comme en quelques autres, qui attirent tout à eux, & s'accommodent de tout ce qu'ils treuuent à leur bienfeance. Tout leur est ouuert en tout lieu, & si rien n'est en danger deuant eux, quand ils feroient seuls en vne cabane, & sans pouuoir estre apperceus de personne. Pour l'honnesteté, ils l'ont en telle recõmandation, au moins quãt à ce qui se void à l'exterieur, en leurs actions & paroles, qu'il y a de l'apparence [216] qu'ils se leueront au dernier iour, & condamneront plusieurs Chrestiens, qui l'auront moins cultiuée en la Loy de grace, que ne font ces pauures gens, en celle de nature.

The other encouragement we see here, for the preaching of the Gospel, is in the honesty and decency that we see shining forth in them like two bright rays of light in the midst of darkness. We never think of distrusting our Savages, or of watching their hands and their feet, as with some others who attract everything to them and appropriate all they find at their convenience. Everything is free to them in all places, and yet nothing is in danger in their presence, even if they are alone in a cabin and where no one can see them. As to decency, they hold it in such high estimation, at least as far as external appearances are concerned, in their actions and words, that there is a probability [216] that they will rise up on the last day and condemn many Christians, who will have cultivated this virtue less under the Law of grace, than these poor people have under that of nature.

Nous ne leur auons iamais oüy dire parole messeante, ny veu faire aucune action trop libre, quoy que nous ayons vescu assez familierement auec eux, dedans & hors de leurs cabanes.

We have never heard them use unseemly words, nor seen any actions too free, although we have lived on familiar terms with them inside and outside their cabins.

Vous diriez qu'ils veulent pratiquer par aduance ce beau mot de l'Apostre, qui commande aux Chrestiens, de n'auoir pas mesme, si faire se peut, en leur bouche, vne parole qui signifie le vice contraire. Quelqu'vn repliquera volontiers, que si nous eussions esté plus versez en leur langue, nous n'eussions pas manqué d'y en remarquer. Mais n'est-ce pas beaucoup, que si peu [217] que nous en sçauons ne nous ait encore appris rien de semblable? Et n'y a-t'il pas grande occasion de rougir pour beaucoup de Nations Chrestiennes, parmy lesquelles il ne faut pas auoir fait grand apprentissage en leur Grammaire, pour se trouuer honteux & confus és compagnies, à qui a tant soit peu l'honneur en affection. Que si nous n'auons pas encore les oreilles assez ouuertes, pour rendre tesmoignage asseuré de l'indifference, ou de l'hõnesteté de leurs discours; sõmes nous aueugles, ou ne pouuons nous pas recognoistre ce que c'est qu'vn geste ou vn deportement honteux? & neantmoins nous n'y auons rien veu de semblable, non pas mesme parmy les gens mariez. Que diray-je, sur ce que m'estant vn iour apperceu, qu'vn ieune Sauuage auoit baisé sa femme, que ie ne croyois [218] pas estre la sienne; comme cela me sembloit extraordinaire parmy eux, ie luy demanday sur le champ, si c'estoit sa femme; & il me respondit, qu'oüy; mais ce ne fut pas sans confusion de l'vn & de l'autre, qui se trouuerent surpris. Ioignez cela auec cette grauité, que i'ay desia dit leur estre naturelle, & vous iugerez que Dieu aidant, ils receuront à bras ouuerts vne Loy qui ne recommande rien tãt que cette vertu, qui rẽd les hommes semblables aux Anges; & qu'ils n'auront pas si grande difficulté, qu'ont plusieurs Chrestiens mal appris, de se conformer à tout ce qui est des paroles de l'Euangile, quand on le leur annoncera aux termes de l'Apostre; qu'ils ayẽt à faire paroistre leur modestie aux yeux de tout le mõde, veu que le Seigneur est proche. Il est vray, qu'ils ont la polygamie, & ne gardent point l'indissolubilité [219] du Mariage. Mais il faut esperer, que quand ils viendront a recognoistre les obligations qu'ils ont, auec toutes les Nations de la terre, à vn Dieu qui s'est fait homme pour eux, ils se soumettront volontiers à ses Loix toutes sainctes, nommémẽt en ce qui concerne une vertu, au moyen de laquelle il veut que nous le portions & glorifions sans cesse en nos corps, luy qui a liuré le sien pour nous aux tourmens, & qui nous le donne tous les iours en viandes, pour cét effect singulier.

You would say they are trying to practice in advance that beautiful motto of the Apostle, which commands Christians not even to have, if they can help it, upon their lips a word which signifies indecency. Some one will readily reply that, if we were better versed in their language, we would not fail to notice it therein. But is it not a great deal, that the little [217] we know of it has not taught us anything of the kind? And is there not great reason to blush for many Christian Nations, among whom one does not have to serve a long apprenticeship to their Grammar, to find oneself embarrassed and confused in company, if he has even a little regard for propriety? And if our ears are not yet sufficiently opened to give positive evidence of the unconcern or decency of their talk; are we blind, or are we incapable of recognizing a shameful gesture or action? And yet we have never seen anything of this kind, not even among married people. But what shall I say about noticing one day a young Savage kissing a woman, who I did not think [218] was his wife; as that seemed something extraordinary among them, I straightway asked him if that was his wife, and he replied that she was; but it was not without embarrassment on the part of the two who had been taken by surprise. Add to this modesty the gravity which I have said is natural to them, and you will judge that, God helping, they will receive with open arms a Law which recommends nothing so much as this virtue, which makes men like unto Angels; and that they will not have as much difficulty as many badly taught Christians have, to conform entirely to the injunctions of the Gospel, when it shall be declared to them in the words of the Apostle that they have to show their modesty in the eyes of all the world, since the Lord is near. It is true they have polygamy, and pay no attention to the indissolubility [219] of Marriage. But we must hope that, when they come to recognize the obligations they are under, together with all the Nations of the earth, to a God who made himself man for them, they will willingly submit to his most holy Laws, especially in that which concerns a virtue by means of which he wishes us to bear witness to and glorify without ceasing, in our bodies, him who for us has delivered his own up to torture, and who gives it to us every day as food, for this sole purpose.

[220] Divers Sentimens & aduis des Peres qui sont en la Nouuelle France.

Tirez de leurs dernieres lettres de 1635.

1 LA Nouuelle France est vn vray climat où on apprend parfaictement bien à ne chercher que Dieu, ne desirer que Dieu seul, auoir l'intention purement à Dieu, & à ne s'attendre & ne s'appuyer qu'en sa diuine & paternelle Prouidence; & cela c'est vn riche thresor du cœur, qui ne se peut estimer.

[220] Various Sentiments and opinions of the Fathers who are in New France.

Taken from their last letters of 1635.

1 NEW France is truly a region where one learns perfectly to seek God alone, to desire God alone, to have sincere intentions toward God, and to trust to and rely solely upon his divine and paternal Providence; and it is a rich heart treasury, impossible to estimate.

2 Viure en la Nouuelle France, c'est à vray dire viure dans le sein de [221] Dieu, & ne respirer que l'air de sa Diuine conduite; on ne sçauroit croire la douceur de cét air là, si ce n'est quand actuellement on le respire.

2 To live in New France means truly to live in the bosom of [221] God, and to breathe only the air of his Divine guidance; the sweetness of that air can be realized only by actually breathing it.

3 Il n'est pas à propos que tout le monde sçache, combien il fait bon dans les sacrées horreurs de ces forests, & combien on trouue de lumieres du Ciel dans les tenebres espaisses de cette barbarie: nous aurions trop de monde qui y voudroit venir, & nos Habitatiõs ne seroient pas capables de loger tant de gens: & c'est ce qui nous confond qui Dieu nous ait choisis, pour nous faire participans de cette misericorde, voyãt qu'il y a tant de nos Peres en France, qui seroient mieux que nous.

3 It is not fitting that every one should know how agreeable it is in the sacred awe of these forests, and how much Heavenly light one finds in the thick darkness of this barbarism; we would have too many persons wishing to come here, and our Settlements would not be capable of accommodating so many; and what confounds us is that God has chosen us, to make us participants in this mercy, seeing that there are so many of our Fathers in France, who would do better than we.

4 La ioye qu'on a quand on a baptisé vn Sauuage, qui se meurt peu apres, & qui s'enuole droit au Ciel, pour deuenir vn Ange, certainemẽt [222] c'est vne ioye qui surpasse tout ce qu'on se peut imaginer: on ne se souuiẽt plus ny de la mer, ny du mal de la mer, ny de l'horreur des tempestes passées; on voudroit auec la souffrance de dix mille tempestes pouuoir aider à sauuer vne ame, puisque Iesus-Christ pour vne seule ame auroit volontiers respandu tout son pretieux sang.

4 The joy that one feels when he has baptized a Savage who dies soon afterwards, and flies directly to Heaven to become an Angel, certainly [222] is a joy that surpasses anything that can be imagined; one no longer remembers the sea, nor seasickness, nor the horror of past tempests; but one would like to have the suffering of ten thousand tempests that he might help save one soul, since Jesus Christ for one soul would have willingly shed all his precious blood.

5 Le plus grand combat que nous ayons eu parmy nous, c'est qui seroit celuy qui auroit la bonne aduenture d'estre choisi pour aller aux Hurons. Dieu a fait tomber le sort sur ceux qu'il luy a plû choisir, & qui sont allez à ces Nations barbares, comme si c'eust esté le Paradis Terrestre. Vne fois qu'on a gousté à bon escient la douceur de la Croix de Iesus-Christ, on la prefere à tous les Empires de la terre.

5 The greatest strife we have had among ourselves was to see which would have the good fortune of being chosen to go to the Hurons. God has made the lot fall upon those he was pleased to choose, and who are going to these barbarous Nations as if to a Terrestrial Paradise. When once a person has tasted in earnest the sweetness of the Cross of Jesus Christ, he prefers it to all the Empires of the earth.

6 Nous trouuans nagueres dans [223] vne tempeste si furieuse, que tout l'Ocean sembloit se bouleuerser, on nous dit que nous estions cause de cét horrible orage; cela nous estonna d'abord, estant dit par des gens de bien; & en demandant la raison, il nous fut dit, que voyant vne si furieuse & enragée tourmẽte, il falloit croire que l'Enfer enrageãt de nous veoir aller en la Nouuelle France, pour conuertir les infidelles, & diminuer sa puissance, par dépit il sousleuoit tous les Elemens contre nous, & vouloit abysmer la flotte, & tout ce qui estoit dedans. Mais nous leur dismes tout doucement; Souuenez vous, Messieurs, que Dieu est plus puissant pour nous defendre, que Lucifer pour nous persecuter: Que la mer s'esleue tant qu'elle voudra, si faut-il que Dieu soit le Maistre. Mirabiles elationes maris, mirabilis in altis Dominus. Nous craignons bien [224] plus la cholere de Dieu contre nos infidelitez, que celle de la mer contre nos infirmitez humaines.

6 Finding ourselves lately in [223] a tempest so furious that the whole Ocean seemed to be in a turmoil, they told us that we were the cause of this horrible storm; this astonished us at first, as it was said by honest people; on asking the reason, we were told that, seeing so furious and raging a tempest, it must be that Hell was enraged at seeing us go to New France to convert infidels and to diminish its power; for revenge it raised up all the Elements against us, and was trying to sink the fleet and all that was within it. But we said to them very gently: "Remember, Sirs, that God is more powerful to defend us, than Lucifer is to persecute us; that the sea may rise as high as it will, yet God must be its Master. Mirabiles elationes maris, mirabilis in altis Dominus. We fear indeed [224] the anger of God against our unfaithfulness, more than that of the sea against our human weakness".

7 En Europe on a coustume de dire, que quiconque veut apprendre à prier Dieu, il faut aller sur la mer: mais c'est toute autre chose d'y estre effectiuement. Dernierement nous fusmes plus de deux iours & deux nuicts en continuel danger d'estre absorbez de l'Ocean; chaque moment sembloit deuoir estre le dernier moment de nos vies. Vous voyez venir des montagnes, qui sembloient nous deuoir engloutir: Nous estions nous deux prosternez à genoux, priant Dieu de bon cœur; la plus grande peur estoit que quelqu'vn ne mourust sans Confession: c'est là où on fait bien les Oraisons iaculatoires, & où on regarde le Ciel de bon œil: mais on ne croiroit iamais l'efficace de la grace, & les [225] puissantes asseurances que Dieu donne à ses seruiteurs, au milieu des tempestes, & des desespoirs les plus espouuantables.

7 In Europe they are accustomed to say that whoever would learn to pray to God must go upon the sea; but it is quite a different thing to be there in reality. Lately we were more than two days and two nights in continual danger of being engulfed by the Ocean; every moment, it seemed, must be the last of our lives. We saw mountains coming toward us, which seemed about to swallow us up; we two were prostrate upon our knees, praying God with earnest hearts; the greatest fear was that some one would die without Confession; it is there that jaculatory Prayers are made, and that one looks gladly toward Heaven; but one can never believe the power of grace and the [225] invincible confidence that God gives to his servants in the midst of tempests and the most fearful despair.

8 Iamais ie n'auois entendu que c'est d'arriuer à vn poinct de vertu, que pour passer plus auant il faudroit faire miracle: tant il est vray qu'on se trouue quelquefois si auant ou dans la souffrance, ou dans les hazards, ou dans l'abandonnement des creatures, qu'on ne trouue plus rien que Dieu, Mais on le trouue tousiours au bout de l'eschelle de Iacob, à bras & cœur ouuerts, pour embrasser les Anges, & les ames qui volent droit à luy: & c'est chose admirable comme Dieu prend plaisir à se communiquer abondamment aux ames qui ont tout abandonné, & se sont toutes abandonnées à luy. Perdre tout pour trouuer Dieu, c'est vne douce perte, & vne saincte vsure.

8 I have never understood what it was to reach such a point of virtue that, to pass beyond, a miracle would have to be performed; so true is it that a person sometimes finds himself so far plunged into either suffering, or danger, or desertion by his fellow-creatures, that nothing is left to him but God, who nevertheless is always found at the end of Jacob's ladder, with arms and heart open to embrace the Angels and the souls which fly straight to him; and it is wonderful how God takes pleasure in abundantly communicating himself to souls which have abandoned all and given themselves wholly to him. To lose all, that one may find God, is a sweet loss and a holy usury.

[226] 9 Le cœur croist à mesure que les trauaux croissent pour Iesus-Christ; & la Nouuelle France est le pays du monde le plus propre, pour entendre le sens literal de ces belles paroles, Sicut misit me viuens Pater, ita & ego mitto vos. Ie vous enuoye de mesme sorte, que mon Pere m'a enuoyé. Ecce ego mitto vos sicut oues in medio luporum. Voicy que ie vous enuoye cõme des brebis au milieu des loups. Parmy ces forests, en voyant ces Sauuages, nous pauures Estrangers, & seruiteurs de Dieu, que pouuons nous attendre sinon vn coup de dent, & quelque effect de leur barbarie naturelle. Qui craind bien Dieu, ne sçauroit plus rien craindre en ce monde.

[226] 9 The heart grows according as its works for Jesus Christ increase; and New France is the most suitable country in the world in which to understand the literal meaning of these beautiful words, Sicut misit me vivens Pater, ita et ego mitto vos, "I send you, even as my Father has sent me." Ecce ego mitto vos sicut oves in medio luporum. "Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves." Among these forests, at the sight of these Savages, what can we poor Foreigners and servants of God expect but to feel their teeth and some of the effects of their natural barbarism. He who truly fears God can fear nothing more in this world.

10 Il est vray que faire neuf cens lieuës sur les flots de la mer, & auec cent & cent rencontres de Turcs, de glaces, de bancs, d'orages assez horribles, [227] cela peut estonner la nature; & donner de la palpitation au cœur humain; là on experimente ce que veut dire Dauid, Anima mea in manibus meis semper. Ie tiens mon ame tousiours dans mes mains, & ie suis tout prest à tout moment de la sacrifier à Dieu; trop heureux helas! de pouuoir faire tant de fois vn pretieux holocauste de moy-mesme; mais les infusions de Dieu dans les cœurs, & le renfort qu'il verse dans nos ames surpasse tous nos maux. Ie confesse que i'ay mieux appris sur la mer que sur la terre, que c'est qu'infusion de Dieu dans vne ame bien faite.

10 Truly, to make nine hundred leagues upon the waves of the sea, with hundreds of encounters with Turks, icebergs, reefs, and horrible storms—[227] all these things can appall human nature, and cause the human heart to throb; there one experiences what David meant, Anima mea in manibus meis semper. "I hold my soul always in my hands," and I am always ready at any moment to sacrifice it to God; too happy, alas! to be able to make so many times a precious offering of myself; but the infusion of God into our hearts, and the relief he pours into our souls, exceed all of our ills. I confess that I have learned better upon the sea than upon the land what the infusion of God into a well-trained soul is.

11 Quand on void ces Sauuages, bien faits, forts, de bonne façon, doüez d'vn bon sens naturel, & qu'il ne tient qu'à vne goutte d'eau qu'ils ne deuiennent enfans de Dieu, & que Iesus-Christ a respandu tout [228] son sang pour eux, on sent vne ardeur incroyable de les attirer à l'Eglise, & à Dieu; & il est vray qu'on aimeroit mieux la conuersion d'vn de ces pauures Sauuages, que la conqueste d'vn Empire tout entier. La peine qu'on y prend est si agreable, qu'on ne la prend point pour vne peine, mais pour vne faueur du Ciel bien extraordinaire. Caritas Lei vrget nos, tant il est vray que la charité presse les cœurs.

11 When we see these Savages, well formed, strong, of good mien, endowed with natural good sense,—and that it needs only a drop of water to make them children of God, and that Jesus Christ has shed all [228] his blood for them, we feel an incredible ardor to attract them to the Church and to God; and it is true that we would prefer the conversion of one of these poor Savages to the conquest of a whole Empire. The trouble we take in this is so pleasant that we do not consider it trouble, but a truly extraordinary favor of Heaven. Caritas Dei urget nos, so true is it that charity presses our hearts.

12 Ie fus vingt-quatre heures, que nous voyant poursuiuis par les Turcs au sortir de la manche, ie n'attendois plus rien que de tomber entre leurs mains, & estre couuert de chaisnes, & viure en esclauage. Parmy ces frayeurs naturelles, voyla vne forte pensée qui se va saisir de mon cœur, & me dit: Ha! quel bon-heur seroit-ce de pouuoir imiter sainct Paul, & me veoir enchaisner [229] pour l'amour de Iesus, qui fut lié pour moy, & traitté comme vu esclaue, & comme le Roy des voleurs. Ceste douce pensée eut tant de pouuoir sur mon ame, que i'auois plus d'enuie de ces chaisnes, que de crainte de la captiuité.

12 I passed twenty-four hours when, seeing that we were pursued by the Turks in leaving la manche [English Channel], I expected nothing else than to fall into their hands, to be loaded with chains and to live in slavery. In the midst of these natural fears, lo! a strong thought took possession of my heart, and said to me "Ha! what good fortune it would be to be able to imitate saint Paul, and to see myself in fetters [229] for the love of Jesus, who was bound for me, and treated as a slave and as the King of thieves." This sweet thought had so much power over my soul that I had more desire for those chains than fear of captivity.

13 Trois puissantes pensées consolent vn bon cœur, qui est dans les forests infinies de la Nouuelle France, ou parmy les Hurons. La premiere est, ie suis au lieu où Dieu m'a enuoyé, où il m'a mené comme par la main, où il est auec moy, & où ie ne cherche que luy seul. La deuxiéme est, ce que dit Dauid; selon la mesure des douleurs que ie souffre pour Dieu, ses Diuines consolations réjoüyssent mõ ame. La troisiéme, que iamais on ne trouue ny Croix, ny cloux, ny espines, que si on regarde bien, on ne trouue I. C. au milieu. Or peut-on estre mal quand on est en [230] compagnie du Fils de Dieu viuant.

13 Three mighty thoughts console a good heart which is in the infinite forests of New France, or among the Hurons. The first is, "I am in the place where God has sent me, where he has led me as if by the hand, where he is with me, and where I seek him alone." The second is, in the words of David, "according to the measure of the pain I endure for God, his Divine consolations rejoice my soul." The third, that we never find Crosses, nails, nor thorns, in the midst of which, if we look closely, we do not find J.C. [Jesus Christ]. Now, can a person go wrong when he is in [230] the company of the Son of the living God?

14 Quand ie me veois assiegé de flots homicides, de forests infinies, & de mille dangers, il me vient à l'esprit ceste riche parole de S. Ignace martyr: Nunc incipio esse Christi discipulus: c'est auiourd'huy que ie commẽce d'estre de la Cõpagnie de Iesus; car à quoy seruent tant d'exercices, tant de Meditations feruentes, tant de desirs boüillans? tout cela n'est que du vẽt, si on ne les met en pratique; tellement que la vieille France est bonne pour conceuoir de bons desirs, mais la Nouuelle est propre pour l'execution: ce qu'on desire en l'ancienne France, c'est ce qu'on fait dans la Nouuelle.

14 When I see myself surrounded by murderous waves, by infinite forests, and by a thousand dangers there comes to mind that precious saying of the martyred St. Ignace, Nunc incipio esse Christi discipulus: to-day I begin to be of the Company of Jesus. For what avail so many exercises, so many fervent Meditations, so many eager desires? all these are nothing but wind, if we do not put them into practice. So old France is fitted to conceive noble desires, but the New is adapted to their execution; that one desires in old France is what one does in the New.

15 Ie ne sçay que c'est que le pays des Hurons, où Dieu m'enuoye par vne misericorde infinie: mais ie sçay bien que i'ayme mieux y aller qu'au Paradis Terrestre, puisque ie vois [231] que Dieu en a ordonné de la sorte. Chose estrange! que plus i'y vois de Croix preparées, & plus le cœur me rit, & y volle; car quel bõ-heur de ne voir rien de ses yeux que des Sauuages, des Croix, & Iesus-Christ: en ma vie ie n'ay bien compris en France, que c'estoit de se défier totalement de soy-mesme, & se confier en Dieu seul: mais ie dis seul, & sans meslange d'aucune creature. Maior est Deus corde nostro. Dieu est plus grand que nos cœurs: cela est euidẽt en la Nouuelle France, & c'est vne consolation du tout ineffable, que quand on ne trouue plus rien, aussi tost on rencontre Dieu, qui se communique plus abondamment aux bons cœurs.

15 I do not know what the country of the Hurons is, where God sends me in his infinite mercy, but I do know that I would rather go there than to an Earthly Paradise, since I see [231] that God has so ordained. Strange thing! the more Crosses I see prepared for me there, the more my heart laughs and flies thither; for what happiness to see with these eyes nothing but Savages, Crosses, and Jesus Christ. Never have I understood in my life in France what it was to distrust self entirely and to trust in God alone; I say alone, and without the presence of any creature: Major est Deus corde nostro, "God is greater than our hearts;" this is evident in New France, and it is an unutterable consolation that when we find nothing else we immediately encounter God, who communicates himself most richly to good hearts.

16 Ma consolation parmy les Hurons, c'est que tous les iours ie me confesse, & puis ie dis la Messe, comme si ie deuois prendre le Viatique, & mourir ce iour là, & ie ne crois pas [232] qu'on puisse mieux viure, ny auec plus de satisfaction & de courage, & mesme de merites, que viure en vn lieu, où on pẽse pouuoir mourir tous les iours, & auoir la deuise de S. Paul. Quotidie morior fratres, &c. mes freres ie fais estat de mourir tous les iours.

16 My consolation among the Hurons is that I confess every day, and then I say Mass as if I were to take the Viaticum and die that very day; and I do not think [232] that a person can live better, nor with more satisfaction and courage, and even merit, than to live in a place where he expects every day to die, and to have the motto of St. Paul, Quotidie morior fratres, etc., "I protest, brethren, that I die daily."

17 Pour conuertir les Sauuages, il n'y faut pas tant de science que de bonté & vertu bien solide. Les quatre Elemens d'vn homme Apostolique en la Nouuelle Frãce, sont l'Affabilité, l'Humilité, la Patiẽce & vne Charité genereuse. Le zele trop ardent, brusle plus qu'il n'eschauffe, & gaste tout; il faut vne grande magnanimité & condescendence pour attirer peu à peu ces Sauuages. Ils n'entendent pas bien nostre Theologie, mais ils entendent parfaictement bien nostre humilité, & nostre affabilité & se laissent gaigner.

17 To convert the Savages, not so much knowledge is necessary as goodness and sound virtue. The four Elements of an Apostolic man in New France are Affability, Humility, Patience, and a generous Charity. Too ardent zeal scorches more than it warms, and ruins everything; great magnanimity and compliance are necessary to attract gradually these Savages. They do not comprehend our Theology well, but they comprehend perfectly our humility and our friendliness, and allow themselves to be won.

18 La Nation des Hurons se dispose [233] à receuoir la lumiere de l'Euangile, & on espere vn bien incroyable en tous ces quartiers là: mais il y faut deux sortes de personnes pour bien faire cela: les vns en l'anciẽne France assistãt de leurs sainctes prieres, & de leur charité; les autres en la Nouuelle, trauaillant auec grande douceur, & infatigabilité de la bonté de Dieu, & de ce doux cõcert dépend la conuersion de plusieurs milliers d'ames, pour chacune desquelles Iesus-Christ a versé tout son pretieux sãg.