The Jesuit relations and allied documents : travels and explorations of the Jesuit missionaries in New France, 1610-1791 Volume 18

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THE JESUIT RELATIONS

AND

ALLIED DOCUMENTS

Vol- XV hi

The edition consists of sev-
en hundred iind fifty sets
all nuinbired

No.

'.^:JV f'^E LAW SOCltTY

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents

Travels and Explorations

OF THE Jesuit Missionaries
IN New France

1616-1791

THE ORIGINAL FRENCH , LATIN, AND ITAL-
IAN TEXTS, WITH ENGLISH TRANSLA-
TIONS AND NOTES; ILLUSTRATED BY
PORTRAITS, MAPS, AND FACSIMILES

EDITED BY

REUBEN GOLD THWAITES
Secier^ry Of the SlJitc Hiiturical Sotiety of Wisconala

Vol. xvni

HURONS AND QUEBHC: 1640

ComiiaTfe, PUBLiSHJi:us, M Dcccxcviii

CcromHT, 1 598

BY

The BURR(5W^ TiSL0T>EER3 Co

ALL RltiKTS I^E^EKVKD

TVjf /flf/^^rftf / Pr^sSy CUvir/and

EDITORIAL STAFF

Editor

Translators -

Assistaut Editor
Bibliographical Adviser

Reuken' Gold Thwaites

FlKLOW AtKXAN-DEa
PEHCV FavOK BlCKXELL

William Fkederk Gtese
Crawford Lindsay
William Price
Hiram Allen Sober
Emma Helpn Blair
Victor Hugo Paltsits

1

CONTEXTS OF VOL. XVill

Preface to Volume XVTIT . . i

XXXVin, Lettrc au T. R. P, Mutio Vitelleschi,

Geii6ral de la Compag-nie de J6siis,
^ Rome. Josepk-Afurie ChaHmonot;
Pays des Huron^, May 34, 1640 to

XXXTX. Lettre au R. P. Philippe Nappi,
Sup^neuv de la Maisoii Professe,
^ Rome. Joseph-Mark Chanmonot ;
Pays des Huroni;, May ?6, J64O 14

^L. Lettre au R. P. Philippe Nappi,
Sup^rieur de !a Maison Professe,
S. Rome. Josspk-Marie Chanmojiot ;
Saiate-Marie aux Hurons, August
3- ^640 , . .36

XLL Relation de ce qvi s'cst pass^ en la
Kovvelle France, en Tannic 1640.
[Chaps, i.-x. of Part I-] Paid h
Jeune; Kebec, September 10, 1640 47

BlBLIOGRAPIErCAL DaTA: VOLUME XVIII . 2^1

Notes , , , . , .255

1

ILLUSTRATION TO VOL XVIII

I. Photographic facsimile of title-page, Rdaiion

of 1G40 . . . .50

PREFACE TO VOL XVllI

Following is a synopsis of the documents contained

ID the present volume:

XXXVIII. Joseph Made Chaumonot writes to
the Father General (May 24. [640) a brief letter,
sketching the state of the Huron mission. It has
thirteen priests^ with several dorni^a; it eomprises
thirty -two villages, " in which not a single cabin re-
mains where the Gospe! has not been prociaxmed, "
The missionaries have been frequently persecuted,
but none have yet perished.

XXXIX. Two days later (May 26), Chaumonot
writes to Father Nappi, of Rome, a more detailed
account of the mission,— the manner in which the
Fathers live, their methods of work, the characteris-
tics of the savages, the persecution experienced from
them, and the ravages of the epidemic. He then nar-
rates the miraculons cure of two blind persons by-
one of the missionaries, and the details of several
baptisms. The death of an Iroquois prisoner, by
torture, is described; and allusion is made to the
possibility that some of the missionaries may meet
similar treatment from the Iroquois. Chaumonot
sends greetings to many of his friends by name, and
closes by asking for some masses and communions,
of which the missionaries are often deprived.

PREFACE TO VOL. XVIII

XL. This is another tetter by Chaumoaot to Nap-
pi, dated Angusl; 3 of the same year. The writer
describes a missionary journey made by him with
Br^beuf to a tribe where the Gospel has not before
been preached. Here they are met with distrust and
aversion, arising from the same calumnies that had
so endangered them among the Hurons. Their
books are considered as repositories of magic spells;
and the missionaries are suspected of concocting
these spells even when they kneel in prayer. They
are repeatedly threatened with death; but God pro-
teots them from their enemies. This mission has
little effect, except that they succeed in baptizing
many sick children, without the knowledge of their
relatives; many of these are now in heaven, Chau-
monot does not give the name of this tribe; but,
from the Huron Relation of 1641 (chap, vi.) we learn
that it was the Attiwandaronk or Neutral Nation.
The letter closes by relating several acts of heroism,
among the Hurons, remarkable in " poor infidels
without morality/'

XLI. The Rclaiimt of [640 is a composite. In
iSjy, ISarth^lemy Vimont succeeded Le Jeune as
superior of the order in New France, and his name
appears on the title-page of the annual volume. He
Scems> however, to have only edited the Relathn, or
perhaps only forwarded the matter to Paris for pub-
lication by the provincial; for Part I., the Quebec
portion, is still from the pen of Le Jeune (dated Sep-
tember to); and Part II.. the Huron report, is by
Jerome Lalemant (dated May lj, with a postscript
written August 3). In our present volume, we pub-
lish the £rst ten chapters of Part I., by Le Jeune.

The report opens with a synopsis of Father 11^-

PREFACE TO VOL. XVTH

nard's account of the voyage made by the French
fleet this yearn which also brought over Joseph du
Peron and some lay brethren, and additional nuns
for both convents iit Quebec; all these were heartily
welcomed there. The writer warns the nuns Afho
desire to come to Canada that the country is not
ready for them, and that they must await its devel-
opment. The great object of the missioitaries now
is, to render the savages sedentary; four families of
them are at present living^ in the cabins built for
them by the French,

Le Jeune praises the virtue and piety of the colo-
nists- He relates that a plague of grasshoppers and
other insects was immediately driven away by some
prayers and proceiisions. The people enjoy good
health; the soil is prolific; peace and content pre-
vail. By way of diversion for the people, and honor
to the infant Dauphin of Francej Montmagny has a
miracle play or ^' tragi-comedy " performed, under
the charge of ilartial PiraubtS- For the benefit of
the savages, there is introduced therein " the soul
of an unbeliever, pursued by two demons, who finally
hurl it into a hell which vomits forth flames. The
Struggles, cries, and shrieks of this soul and of these
demons, who speak in the Algonquin tongue, so deep-
ly penetrates the hearts of some, ' ' that a savage, two
days later, tells of h.ideons dreams, inspired by the
spectacle-

Now that the epidemic of smallpox (described m
the R^latioit of 1639) is Over, the savages reasiiemble
at St. Joseph (Sillery), and resume their effort to
become sedentary. Those who are converted decide
among themselves to drive away from this settlement
all who do not believe as they do. Acting 011 the

4 PHHFACE TO VOL. XVIII

advice of the Fathers and a suggestion from Montma-
gny* the governor, they elect, by secret ballotj some
chiefs to rule over them, — the head of these being
Etirtechkavat, a Christian. They not only make all
net:esaary arraagements for the conduct of their
affairs, but summon the women to a council and
admonish them to be forthwith baptised — the disin-
clination of the latter to that rite having been " the
cause of ali their misfortunes/' The women are
warned that hereafter they must obey their hus-
bands ; one of them, having run away, is caught, and
the chiefs ask the Fathers if she would not tetter
be chained by one foot, and whether four days and
nights of fasting would be sufficient penaucp for her
fault.

The Indians have now beguu to cultivate the land-
Father Vimont, the new superior, is residing at Sil-
lery, in order to aid them : and the French colonists
have also done much in this direction. Some Algon-
kins also are settling; at Three Rivers, At both set-
tlements, the converts desire to interest their tribes-
men in their undertaking, and to gather them into
the colonies, to be aided by the French, and to have
but one God. Several instances are given of the
faith, obedience, and viitue displayed by these neo-
phytes. The chief difficulty anticipated by the Fa-
thers is, in the enforcement of single marriage, to
which the savages are unaccustomed. In this, as in
all other mattersi iloniraagny aids the missionaries
to the utmost, — causing three marriages of Sillery
Indians to take place at Quebec, with a magnificent
feast and rich gifts for the bridal party. Many of
the young Indians come to the Fathers " in private,
and ask us to find them wives, or to speak for them

PREFACE TO VOL. XVIIF

to those whom they desire to marry; some widows,
and even some young girlSf ask us secretly to find
them husbands, conEiding in txs more than in those
of their own nation." All the converts show gjeat
solicitude to avoid the sins they have abandoned,
especially the licentious acts and speech so prevalent
among their countrymen; and the girls drive away
their p.-jgan suitors with firebrands,

Madame de la Peltrie comes to Sillery at Christ-
mas, to attend the midnight mass with the savages;
the latter go to escovt her thither, and ' * vie in caress-
ing her." She often visits them, at other seasons,
and takes with her some Indian girls from the Ursu-
line seminary, who have learned to sing very sweet-
ly, both in their own language and in French. The
converts show great zeal,- — they refuse to eat on
fast days, even when in great needn they thank
God when successful in hunting; they are very con-
trite for their faults, and even for their evil dreams.
The children are ready to fight one another for their
beUef- A young man is severely punished by the
Sillery converts, for having married an unbaptized
girl ; and ' ' two boys, who came late to prayers in the
morning, were punished by having a handful of hot
cinders thrown upon their heads, with threats of
greater chastisement in case the offense were repeat-
ed," Another man gives up tobacco, when reproved
by a priest. Pigarouich, erstwhile a medicine man,
is immediatel}' cured of an illness, by prayer; and
the same agency enables him to make a canoe (the
first he had ever built), " as well as the most expert
person could have done." Even the unbelieving
Indians show the utmost respect for the Christian
mysteries and belief, and imitate the actions of those

rj^EFACE TO VOL. XVIfJ

who have been converted; some even have visions
of heaven. A young Christian, h.^ving iosl at gam-
blingn confesses to the priest with great contrition;
and " with charnimg- simplicity " adds, *' I will stake
nothing^ hereafter, except some article of small value,"

Buteiix sends to his superior similar accounts from
the residence at Three Rivers. Many widows and
orphans, made such by the fatal epidemic of last
year, have come hither, to seek aid from the French.
The missionaries aid these, as far as their own
poverty wiU allow^ and, in the spring, set them to
raising corn for their supplies.

Le Jeune relates a tenible tragedy occurring
among a household of savages who had been attacked
by smallpox in the forests. Most of them died : the
head of the family, — -who had recently married in
the savage fashion, without waiting for the Church's
benediction, and whom, in consequence, " God was
sharply pursuing with his judgments, *' — ill and help-
less^ was murdered by his sister, to avoid further
care for him, and to flee Avitli her own son. She at
firi^t abandoned her brother's children, but afterward
compelled the elder of these to strangle his own little
sister- " But God, in whose sight all this fatal trag-
edy was played, willed that this Proserpina should,
play one aet of it. He struck her with the contagion
from which she w^as fleeing ; and, before reaching the
place where she wished to bring her son, she died
like a beast. Finally, her son was brought to the
hospital, where he died in an intolerable stench, but
with strong indications of salvation."

Le Jeune proceeds to enumerate the Indian tribes
of wliom the French have knowledge, from Labra-
dor to Hudson Bay, and from the Mississippi to

PREFACE TO VOL. XV I II

Virginia. This survey reveals a boundless ireld for
missionary labor^ and be asks the aid of Christians
in France to help spread the Gospel therein.

In this connection he states an interesting oc-
currencc — the arrival on the St. Lawrence of an
Englishman, brought hither by Abenaki Indians, who
is " searching for a route through these countries to
the sea. of the North," in which quest he has " for
two years ranged the whole Southern coast, from
Virginia to Quinebiqui." Montmagny sends him to
Tadonssac, that he may return to England by way
of France.

R. G, T.

XXXVIIl— XL

Three Letters by Joseph Marie Chaumonot

XXXVni,— AuT. R. p. G(?nera]de la Compagnie de J^sus;
Pavs des Huron*if 24 Mai, 1640

XXXIX.— Au R. ?- Philippe Nappi, Superieur de la Maison
Proftfsse, a Romt ; P:iy5 dcs Hurons, 26 Mai,
1640

XL,— Au memei Sainte-Msirie aiix Hurons^ 3 AoGt,

1640

SOUPCE : The originals were in halian, and deposited in
tht? archives of the StJciety in Rome, Fathtfr M;ittLn copied
them thcrf in iS^K, and translated them into French ; these
translations being published in Caramon's Premilre MissioK
dis Ji'sjiitfrs sii Cttnada, pp, 195-215- We follow Qirayon
for tiie French te>Lt, and uur English translations are thtre-
froni.

10

LES J^ELATIO.VS DES /^SUITES [Voi- IS

[f9S] Lettre du P. Joseph-Marie Chaumonot, au
T. R. P. Miitio Vitellesdii, General

de la Compagnie de Je-
sus, ^ Rome.

Di] pays des Hurons, 34 mai 1640.

Pas Christi.
Le 10 de septembrc i639. j'arrivai dans le
pays des Hiirons en la Nome lie -France, apr&s nne
navigation de trois mois tri>s-p(iniblc et trts-dange-
rense, qifi hit suivie d^mi voyage d'un autre mois sur
les rivieres, Ie*i lacs et k travers les for^ts-

Nous sommes ici trci^e P^res, tous fran^^ais, aveo
qudques jeunes gens tjni se donnent k nous potir le
soin dn lemporelj et qui nous tienncnt lien dc fr&res
coadjiiteurB. Notre manifcre de vivre paraEtra en
Europe irtis-etrange et tr£s-pdnible, mais nous la trou-
vons fort douce et fort agreable. Nous n'avons m
sel, ni huilcj ni fruits, ui pain, ni vin, except^i celui
que nous gardens pour la uiesse. Toute notre nour-
riture se compose dun grand [196] plat do bois rem-
pli d'une espSce de soupe faite de b]<i d'lnde, ^cras6
entre deuK pierres ou pile dana un mortier, et assai-
sonn^e avec quelques poisaons fum6s. Notre lit est
la terre, couvertc dune 6corce d'arbre ou tout au
plus d'unc natte-

L (Steudue de notre mission comprend cette ann^e

1640] CHAUMONOT TO THE GENERA!^ 11

[195] Letter from Father Joseph Marie Chaumonot

to the Very Reverend Father Mutio Vi-

telleschi, General of the Society

of Jesus, at Rome,

From the Huron country, Hay 24, [640.

Mv Very Revekend Father,
P^tx Christ!.
I arrived in the tTuron country, in New
France, on the loth of September, 1639, after a very
painful and dangerous voyage of three months, which
was followed by a journey of another month upon
rivers and lakeSj and through forests-
There are thirteen Fathers of na here, all French,
with some young men who are given to us for the
care of temporal matters, and who with us take the
plaee of Uy brethren. Our manner of living will
seem in Europe very strange and full of hardship,
but we iind it quite easy and agreeable. We have
neither salt, oil, fruits, bread, nor wine, except what
w^e keep for the mass. Our entire nourishment con-
sists of ['96] a sort of soup made of Indian corn,
crushed between two stones, or pounded in a mor-
tar, and seasoned with smoked fish, — this served in
a large wooden dish. Our bed is the ground, cov-
ered with a piece o£ bark, or, at the most, with a mat.
The extent of our mission comprises this year
thirty-two hamlets or villages, in which not a single

12 LES RELATTO.VS DES J^SU/TES [Vol. 13

Irente-dcux bourgs oit vifUges, dans lesqtEsls il ne
restc p:is ime seulc cabsine oix Vlfivangile n'ait 6l€
annonc^. Bi^aucoup de sauvages ont regu le bapteme.
La. plupart, vktimes d'une ^pid<^mie qui a vavag^
tout le pays, sont au del, nous Tesperons. Cette ma-
ladie a ete roccasion de bien des oaloiiinics et de per-
secutions exdt<5es contre nous sous le pr6te;;te que
nous (Stions les auteurs du Mow. Toutefois aucuu
de nous n'a p^ri dans cette tempote, bien que qnel-
ques-uns aient 6te batonn6s et que d'autres aient vu
la hache lev^e sur eux, et bien prfes de leur tete.

Nous avons tous besoin du secours de vos pri^re^;
c'est pouvquoi nous nous recommandons humblenient
i vos saints Sacrifices.

Je suis,

de Votre Paternity,
Le tr&s-indigne serviteur et iils en
Notre -Seigneur,

Joseph-Maree CHAUMONOT.
Du pays des Hurons, le 24 uiai 1640.

1640] CHAUMOyOT TO THE GENERAL 38

cabin remains where the Gospel has not been pro-
claimed. Many savages ha\'e received baptism ; most
of these, the victim? of an epidemic which has
ravaged the whole country^ are in heaven, we hope.
This malady has been the occ^LSton for many calum-
nies and persecutions, excited against tis under the
pretext that we were the authors of the scourge.
None of us, however, have perished in this tem-
pest, although some have been beaten, and others
have seen the hatchet raised over them, and very near
to their heads.

We all have need of the help of your prayers,
hence we commend ourselves humbly to your holy
Sacrifices,

I am

Your Paternity's
Very unworthy servant and son in

Our Lord,
Joseph Marie CHAUMONOT.^

From the country of the Hurons, May 24, [G40.

U LES RELATIONS DES /^SUITES [Vov 19

["97] Letlre du P. Joseph-Marie Chaumonot au

R. P. Philippe Nappi, Superieur de la

Maison Professe a Rome.

Bu pays des Hurons, 26 mai 1640.

Pax Christi.
Je ne pourrai jamais remercier assez la di-
vine bont^ de la faveur qu'elle m'a faite^ en me
eoaduisant h travers tant de dangers, dans le lieu le
plu!^ favorable qui soit au monde, pom- perfeciionner
nn religieux. Je duis en faire part k Votre R^v^rence,
afin quelle veuille Ijien m aider *\ en reniercier le
bonDieu. L'annee dernicre, j'aidcrit que, aprSs trois
mois dune uavigation trfes-pEsnlblcj je suis arrive
dans la Nouvelle- France, maia qu'il me fallait encore
m'avancer trois cents lieucs plus loin dans le desert-
Voici le r<5cit de ce voyage.

La veille de saint Lament, je m'embarquai dans
un canot de sauvages Hurons (ainsi s'appelle ce peu-
ple) sur la grande rivitsrc, qui porle Ic noni de [198]
ce glorienx martyr; dans queiques endroils, elle est
large de dix, treize, vingt lienes. Pendant cent
iieues de son conrs, scs eaux sont salves, et le flu:^ et
reflux s'y fonf scntfr: aussi est-eUe sujette, vn sa
largeitr, h dcs lempetes, comme I'Oc^an.

Le P, Poncet s'embarqua on m&me ttimps que moi ;
niais quatre jours apr£s le depart, nous fumes obli-

Ifi40] CHA UMONOT TO NAPPl ' ifi

[197] Letter of Father Joseph Marie Chaumonot
to the Reverend Father Philippe Nappi, Supe-
rior of the Professed House at Rome.

(TranslaUd JfGm thf Italian sri^inal priservfd at Rome.)

From the country of the Hurons, May 26, 1640.

Pax Christi-
I shall never be able sufficiently to thank the
divine goodness for the favor that it has done me,
by leading me through so ujany dangers into the
most favorable place in the world for perfecting a
religious- 1 am obliged to acquaint Your Reverence
therewith, to the end that you may kindly consent to
aid mc in thanking the good God for it. Last year,
I wrote that after three months of very difficult navi-
gation 1 arrived in New France, but that I still had
to proceed three hundred leagues further into the
wilderness- Here follows the account of this journey.

On the eve of saint Lawrence, I embarked in a
canoe of Huron savages ;thus this people is called).
on the great river which bears the name of [rgS] that
glorious martyr; in some places it is ten, thirteen,
twenty leagues wide. For a hundred leagues of its
course its waters are salt, and the flow and ebb of
tides is there perceptible: it is also subject^ by reason
of its width, to storms, like the Ocean,

Father Poncel embarked at the same time with
me ; but four days after tlie departure we were obliged

g^s de nous s^parer, laissjant notre premier canot
pour monter s(;par^ment da:is deux autres. Nous
devious cependant aller de compagnie, de telle sorte
que presq^ie chaque soil', nous uous trouvions eu-
semble pour souper et passer la uiiit, avcc les conduc-
teurs de nos canots d'^corte, et souvent mgme nous
avions la g^rande coiissolation de dire la sainle raesse,
le matiu. avant de partir; mais ce fut la seule pen-
dant tout le voyage, qui fiiE de trente jours pour moi
et de trentc-dcux pour le P. Poncet: voyage on ne

pent plus laborieux

Amv£ au but de ce voyage, jc trouvai on^e de nos
Pferes* dislribucs dans trois Residences pour Stre plus
prts des bourgB importants, qu'ils veulent instruire
et civiUser, Nos habitations sorit d'^corce, comme
celle des sauvages, sans divisions intfSriettres, except^
pour la chapelle. Faute de table et d'ustensiles de
manage, nous mangeons par terre et nous buvons
dans dcs ficorces d'arbres. Toiit I'appareil do notre
cuisine et de notre r^fectoirc [199] consisle dans un
grand plat de bois, plein de sagamif^. h laquelle je ne
vois rien de plus semblable que la colle qui sert \
tapisser les murs- La soif ne nous gSne guf;rc, soit
paree que nous ne nous servons jamais de sel, soit
parce que notre nourriture est touiours Ires-liquidc.
Pourinoi, depuis que je suis ici, je n'ai pas bu en tout
un verre deau, quoiqu'il y ait diSj,^ huit mois que je
sois arrive. Notre lit est formi^ d'une Scorce d'arbre,
SUr laquelle nous mettons une couverture, ^paisse i
peu prfes corome une piastre de Florence. Pour les
dtaps, on n'en parle pas, m^me pour les malades.
Mais la plus grandt; inconimoditi:, e^esl la fum^e qui,
faute de cbeminee, rcniplit toute la oabane et gate

1640] CHAUMONOT TO NAPPT ' 17

to separate, leaving our first canoe in order to get
into two others, singly- We were, however, to go in
company, so that almost every evening we found
ourselves together to sup and pass the night with the
guides of our bark canoes; and often we even had
the great consolation of saying the holy mass in the
morning before starting; but this was the only con-
solation during tlie whole voyage, which was thirty
days for me and thirty-two for Fatter Poncet, — the
most laboriou.^ journey possible. . * * .

Having arrived at the end of this voyage, T found
eleven of our FatherSn distributed in three Residences.
in order to be nearer to important villages, which
they desire to instruct and civilize. Our habitations
are of bark, like those of the savages, and without
interior partitions, except for the chapel. For want
of a table and household utensils, we eat on the
grotind, and drink from the bark of trees. The
whole apparatus of our kiteheu and of our refectory
[ig9] consists of a great wooden dish, full of sags-
mill!, whereto I see nothing more similar than the
paste which is used in covering wallij. Thirst hard-
ly annoys us, — either because we never use salt, or
because our food is always very liquid. As for me,
since I have been here, T have not drunk in all a glass
of water, although it is now eight months since I
arrived. Our bed is made with a piece of bark, upon
which we put a blanket nearly the thickness of a
Florentine piastre. Respecting sheets, there is no
mention of thcmf even for the sick- But the great-
est inconvenience is the sniokCs which, for want of a
chimney, fills the whole cabin and spoils everything
that one would keep. When certain winds blow, it
is no longer possible to stay therein, because of the

18 LES RELATIONS DISS /^SUITES [Voi. 18

tout ce qu'ou vGudrait garder, Quand certains vents
SoufHenlf il n'est plus possible d'y tenir, h cause de
la douleur que ressenttint les yeus. Enhivernous
c'avoTiS pas la ouit d'autre lumibre que celle dii feu
de la. cabane, qui uous sert pour reciter notre br6-
viairc, pour 6tudicr la langue ct pour toute chose.
Le jour* nous nous seivons de I'ouverture lajsEJ^e au
haut de la cabane, et qui est i Ja fois cbemin^e et
fen€tre. Voil,\ la mani^e de vivre dans notre resi-
dence i pour celle que nous gardens quand nous allons
en missionj Votre Reverence doit savoir d'abord que,
quoique ces sauvagea observ^ent entre eux certaines
regies d' hospitality, avec nous ils ne [200] les obser-
vent pas. Nous sommes done obliges de porter avec
nous quelqucE petit s coutcaujc, des aieineSf des
bagnes, des aiguilles, des pendants d'oreille et choses
semblablcs, pour payer nos hotes. Nous portons en
outre une coiiverture en guise de manteau, qui seTt
k nous enveloppcr la nuit.

La maniere d'annoncer la parole de Dieu aux sau-
vagcs u'cst pas de luouter en chairc et dc prccher
sur une place pnbliqiie; il nous faut visiter chaque
cabane en particulier, et aupres du feu, exposer i
ceux qui veulent nous i^couter les myst&res de notre
saintc foi. Ils n'ont en effet aucun autre lieu de
reunion pour traiter leurs affaires, que la cabane de
quelqu'un de leurs capitaines.

Je ne me serais jamais iniagini? une dureti^ commc
eclle d'un cceur sauvage i^levi; dans I'infidelit^. Quand
ils sont eonvaincus de la folie de leurs superstitions
et de leurs fables, et qu*on leur a prouvi! la v^it^ et
la sagesse de la foi, il faudrait, pour achever de les
gagncr, lent promettie que le baptSme leur donnera

le^Oj CHAU.\fDNOT TO KAPPI " 19

pain felt by the eye,'?. In winterf we have □<? other
light by night than that of the cabin fire, which serves
us for reciting our breviary, for studying the lan-
guage, and for everything. By day we use the open-
ing left at the top of the cabin, — which is at once
chimney and window. Such is the manner of living
in our residence ; as for the one that we observe when
we go on a missionf Your Reverence must know, to
begin with, that although these savages practice
among themselves certain rules of hospitality, with
us they [300] apply them not. We are, therefore,
obliged to carry with us a few little knives, awls,
rings, needles, earrings, and such like things, to
pay our hosts. We carry furthermore a blanket in
the guise of a cloak, which serves to wrap us in at
night.

The way of announcing the word of God to the
savages is not to mount a pulpit and preach in a pub-
lic square 1 we must visit each cabin in private, and
beside the fire expound, to those who are willing to
listen to txs, the mysteries of our holy faith. They
have, in fact, no other place of meeting, for transact-
ing their affairs, than the cabin of some one of their
captains.

J should never have imagined a hardness like that
of a savage heart, brought up in infidelity. When
they are convinced of the folly of their superstitions
and of their fables, and when one has proved to
them the truth and the wisdom of the faith, it would
be necessary, in order to finish winning them, to
promise them that baptism will give them prosperity
and long life, — these poor peoples being susceptible
only to temporal goods. That does not result from

fttt LES RELATIONS DJES JJiSU/TI^S [Vol, 18

proEp6rit^ et longue vie, ces pauvres gens n'etant sen-
sible s qu'aux bicna tempovels; cela ne vient pas de
Stupidite; ils sont iiicme plus intellig^ents que nos
campagnardsj et il y a certains capitaines, dont nous
admirons T^Ioqxience, acquise sans beauooup de pr£-
ceptes de rb^toriqiie. [^oij Leur obstinatfon dans
rinfiddlitS est prodnite par la diffic^iltiS qu'ils croient
trouver dans ! 'observation des command erne tits et

surtout du sixi^me.

Le petit nonibre de fideles, que Kotre- Seigneur
s'est choisi, tst une preuve dc ee que peul la grace
dans les cceurs les plus barbares de la terre. J'en
connais un qui, cette anntcj au nionient oii les hosti-
lit^s contre la religion ^taient plus vives, n'a pas
craint de parcourir en ap6tre presque tous les vil-
lages, li allait dans les assemblies et les conscils
des capitaines, lorsqu'ils traitaient quelque affaire^
et blamait bardiment leurs folies- II exaltail la soli-
dity de la doctrine, que Jes robes noires (c'est ainsi
qu'iis nous appellent) fJtaient venus leur enseigner,
protestant qu'il ^tait pr^t i donner sa vfe pour la
d^fendre. Ses auditeura applaudissaient alors i ses
j^^ours; niais ils n'embrassaient pas pour cela la
v^rite, qu'iis roconnaissaient. Ce m6me Sauvage dc-
manda l\. faire les esercices, et il en profita si bien,
que le Pere, qui lui donnait les meditations, en <^tait
6trangement ^merveilli?. Si on 6crit dans la Rela-
tion fran9aise ses reflexions spirituelles, elles pour-
ront servir de legon, m^me aux religieux les plus
pieux et les plus ferventSs 11 avait dans sa famille
une ni^ce, attaqu6e de je ne sais quelle maladie, qui,
la nuit, lui faisait pousser des oris effrayants, comine
si elle avait vu quelque spectre, [202] Pour la d^li-

1640] CHAUMONQT TQ NAPPI Bl

stupidity; they are even more inteliigent than our
njstics, and theje are certain captains whose eloquence
we admire, — acquired without many precepts of
rhetoric, [-orj Their obstinacy in infidelity is pro-
duced by the difficulty which they think to Jind ia
the observance of the commandmentSj and especially
of the sixth.

The small number of faithful ones whom^ Our Lord
has chosen for himself, is a proof of what grace can
do in the most barbarous hearts on the earth. I know
one who this year, at the moment when the hostili-
ties against religion were most keen, did not fear to
make the round, as an apostle, of nearly all the vil-
lages. He went into the assemblies and the councils
of the oaptains, when they were transacting some
business, and boldly censured their follies. He ex-
alted the solidity of the doctrine which the '^ black
gowns ■' (thus they call u;;) had come to teach them;
protesting that he was ready to give hi?i life to de-
fend it. His hearers then applauded his remarks ; but
they did not therefore embrace the truth which they
acknow^l edged. This same Savage requested to make
a retreat, and he profited by this so well that the
Father, who gave him the meditations, was strangely
amazed theveat. If his spiritual reflections he writ-
ten in the French Relation, they may serve as a les-
son even to the most pious and to the inost fervent
religious. He had in his family a niece, attacked by
some sickness or other, which at night caused her to
utter frightful cries, as if she had seen some spectre.
[202] To relieve her, he put his chaplet about her
neck, saying to her: " Remember that thou art a
Christian, and that thoii belongest no more to the de-
mon; and make the sign of the cross." She did so,

m LES RELJTIOsWS DES J^SUFTES [Vol. 18

vrer, il lui mit au cou son chapelet, eo liii disant:
V Rappelle-toi que tu ea chrctienne, et que tu n'ap-
(I partiens plus au dSmon, et fais le signe de la croix. a
Elle le fit, et h parlir de ce moment, elle n'a plus ^t^
tourm entire de semblable mal.

II scrait trop 1oii<t de raoonter tons les exemples
h6roiques de Constance que ee Sauvage et quelques
aiitres de nos eonvertis, bien qu'en petit nombre,
nous out donucs. Jfais e'en est asse^ pour inontrer
& V'otre RiSv<5rence que Dieu ne refuse pas sa grace^
meme aux plus sauvages des hommes, et que ces
peuples SOnt capables de recevoir la doctrine de
I'Evangile, malgi'^ la tres-grande difficult!^ qu'il y a S.
Vexpliqner, h. cause de la pauvrebS de la langue ; car
ils n'ont ni vigues^ ni troupeaux, ni tours, ni villes,
ni selt ni JaiiipeSf ni temples* ni maitres d'auoune
science ou art, lis ne savent ni lire ni (^crirCj et nous
avons bcaucoup de peine k leur faire comprendic les
paraboles qui sont sur ces matitrcs dans le saint
Evangile. 11 est vr^ii que ce defaut et celte pauvrei^
de leur langue n'a jamais 6Xg cause du retard de leur
conversion; car les Ptres qui savent leur langue.
leur font assez bien connaitre ce qui est nficessaire
pour le salut, sans ce servir de ces comparaisons.

L'hiver dernier, il n'y a pas eu une seule cabane
[203J dans nos trente-deux bourgs, oil la parole de
Dieu n'ait &t^ pottle; raais les fruits ont ^t6 plus
grands pour I'Eglise triomphante que pour I'Eglise
militanie. Comme il riSgnaii une maladie conta-
gieuse qui n'lSpargnait ni age ni sexe, tout notre soin
^tait de catechiser les maladesj pour leur donner i
la fin de leur vie un passe-port pour le ciel, Le plus
grand nombre de ceux que cette maladie a enlevil'S,
aprfes le saint bapteme, dtaient les petits enfants- ....

1640] aiA UMONOT TO NAPFI

and from that momeat forward, she was not again tor-
mented by the like trouble.

It would be too tedious to relate all the heroic
esamples of constancy :v1iich this Savage and some
others of our converts, though in small number, have
given US- But this is enough to show Your Rever-
ence that God does not refuse his grace, even to the
most savage of men, and that these peoples are cap-
able of receiving the doctrine of the Gospel, not\vith-
standing the very great difficulty of explaining it,
on account of the poverty of the language; for they
have neither vineyards nor flocks, nor towers nor
cities, nor salt, nor lamps, nor temples, nor masters
of any science or art. They can neither read nor
write, and we have much difficulty in making them
understand the parables which are related to these
matters in the holy Gospel, It is true that this de-
fect and this poverty of their language has never been
a cause of the delay in their conversion; for the
Fathers who know their language enable thera to
understand well enough that which is necessary for
salvation, without using these comparisons.

Last winter, there was not a single cabin [203] in
our thirty-two villages into which the word of God
was not carried; but the results have been greater
for the Church triumphant than for the Church mili-
tant. As there prevailed a contagious disease which
spared neither age nor sex. all our care was to cate-
chize the sick, in order to give them at the end of
their life a passport for heaven. The greatest num-
ber of those whom this mal^idy carried off, after holy
baptism, were the little children

The Savages have held several very crowded as-
semblies, to consider means for compelling us to

LES RELA TIONS DESJ^SUITJlS [VoLs la

Les Sauvages out tenii plusieurs asserabl^es trbs-
nombreuses pour avistsr aux moyens de noiis forcer ^
quitter le pays. Beaucoup de capitaines oot vot6
notremort; mais pas un n'a ose s'en faire rex^cu-
teur. et jusqu'a present Dieu nous a pr^serv^ de ^eur^
coups. Ptndant tout Thiver nous nous attendions
chaque jour h apprendre la mon de quelqu'un de
TTos Tnissiounaircs, et chaque jour en disant la saiute
messe^ nous faisions la communioUf comme devant
nous servir de viatique. Tout s'est borne \ quelques
coups de baton > et au qhagrm devoir renverser les
croix que nous avions dressiSes, et r^duire en cendres
une de nos cabanes. Uu seul cles uotres a vu couler
son sang;, sed noii usque ad morietti

Quand nous visitons ces pauvres gens, s'ilsii'ar-
rivent pa.s \\ temps pour nous feriner la porte [304J
au ne^j ils se bouchcnt les oreilles ct se couvreut la
figure de peur d'etre ensorcel^s. Tout cela nous
donne beaucoup d'esperauce qu'un jour la foi fleurira
dans cette malheureuse terre, puisque les per^^^cu-
tions dont Dieu se sert pour I'^tablir et la cultiver ne
nous fout pai! d^faut-

La moissDn promet beaucoup, non pas seuTemeut ^
cause du uombre de nos Sauvages, mais parce qu'il
y a bien d'autres nations riipandues dans ces im-
menses solituiies. Nous connaissons di^ji les noms de
plus de vingt, qui sont dans ia direction de la mer du
Nord, toutefoispeu considerables; on nous fait esp^-
Ter qu'aU'deli^ nous trouverons des contr^es plus
peuplecs. Pour y arriver il faudra souffrir encore
plus que nous ue I'avons fait pour vcnir ici.

Avaut de fmir, je veiix racouter ^ Votre R-^verence
quelques faits extraordinaire s arrivi^s cette ann^e.

1C40J CHAUMONOT TO NAPPI 2(1

leave the country- Many captains have voted our
deatt ; but not one has dared to become the execu-
tioner therein, and hitherto God has preserved us
from their attacks. During the whole winter we
were expecting every day to learn the death of some
one of our missionaries; and each day, while saying
the holy mass, we received the coraraunion, as if it
were to serve as viaticum. Everything ended in a
few blows from a club, and in the vexation of see-
ing the crosses overturned which we had set up, and
one of our cabins reduced to ashes. A single one of
ours has seen his blood f^i^y^^ sed non usque ad mor-
itm. ....

When we visit these poor people^ if they do not
arrive in lime to close the door [204] to our noses,
they stop their ears and cover tteir faces, for fear of
being bewitched. All that gives us much hope that
one day the faith will flourish in this uuliappy land,
since the persecutions which God uses to establish
and cultivate it are not wanting for us.

The han'est promises much, not only on account
of the number of our Savages, but becctuse there are
many other nations spread abroad in these immense
solitudes- We already know the names of more than
twenty, which are ia the direction of the Northern
sea, — not at all considerable, however; we are led to
hope that, beyond, we shall find more populous re-
gions. To arrive there, it will be necessary to suifer
still more than we have done in order to come here.

Before finishing, I wish to relate to Your Rever-
ence some extraordinary incidents which happened
this year. A poor man, baptized in his sickness,
having recovered health, was attackcid with an in-
flammation which deprived him of sight. One of our

2B Lr^S RELA TION-^ DES /^SUITES [Vat- 18

Un pauvye homnie, baptist dans sa maladie, ayant
recouvr^ la sant^, fut attaqu6 d'une fiuxion qui le
priva de la vue. Un de nos Pferes, le f^licitant un
jour d'avoir i^chapp^ ^ la mort, ent poar r^pon^e que
raaintenaut la vie ^tait poiir lui uii fardeau, puisqu'it
i^tait aveugle. Le Ptre lui lava les ycux avec de
I'eau b6nite, en tlisant: '.Quo le Pere, le Fils, et le
Saint'Esprit, en qui tu crois, te gui^rissent", et au
ra^me moment !a fluxion cesiia, [205] et le lendemam
la vne lui fut rendue compl^tement. — Une femme
n'ayant pas voulu se soumettre ^ ceitaines supersti-
lionsj fut frappi^e do ci^citc par le demon, pour la
pnnir. Le m^me Ptre I'enga^ea 'k mettrc sa con-
fiance en Dieu, et h. se laver avec de Teau b^nite, et
elle recot]\Ta parfaitement la vue. — ^Un jeune hom-
me, ayant 6t6 'k la p^die avec son jeune frSre, et
quelques autreSt fut attaqui^ par les ennemis de leur
nation. Cotnme il craignait plus la mort de son jeune
frtre que la sienne, il le couvrit de 3on corps, le pro-
t^geant ainsi contre Ics coups qu'il re^ut lui-meme.
On le ramena demi-mort ^ son village. Un de nos
Ptsres s'y troiivait. Voyant qu'il etait sans mouve-
ment et sans parole, il ne pouvait pas I'aider i bien
mourir. Malgr^ cela, il ne perdit pas courage, et lit
vceu de quelques messes en rhonneur de saint Fran-
foiS'Xavier. pour le soulagement de ce pauvre infi-
dele. Au mcme moment la langue du moribond se
di^lie, ECS yens s'ouvrent et regardant le ciel, il s'6-
crie «Av}idechichiai Tskene^ Toi qui as fait la terre,
aie pitif: de moi. u Aussitot le Pere I'instruit, le bap-
tiscj et il mourut pen aprcs. — Un autre jeuue homme
avait, je ne sais par quel d^pit, niangi^ une racine
v^n^neuse pour se donuer la mortj et il §tait d<Sj^

1640] aiAUMONOT TO NAPPI 37

Fathers, congratulating him one day for h^vving es-
caped deaih, received the answer that now life was a
burden for him, since he was blind. The Father
washed his eyes with holy water, saying: " May the
Father, the Son^ aud the Holy Ghost, in whom thou
believest, heal thee; " and at the same moment the
inflammation ceased, [205] and the next day his sight
was completely restored. A woman having been
unwilling to submit to certain superstitions* w^as
struck with blindness by the demon, to punish her.
The same Father persuaded her to put her confidence
in Godf and to bathe herself with holy water, and
she perfectly recovered sight. A yoimg man, hav-
ing; been fishing with his young brother and certain
others, was attacked by the enemies of their nation.
As he feared more for his young brother's death than
his own, he covered him with his own body, thus pro-
tecting hint against the blows that he himself re-
ceived. He was led back half dead to his villag;e. One
of our Fathers happened to be there. Seeing that he
was without motion and without speech, he could not
aid him to die well. Notwithstanding that, he did
not lose courage, and vowed some masses in honor
of saint Frant^ois Xavier, for the relief of this poor
infidel. At the same moment the dying man's
tongue is loosed, his eyes open, and looking at heav-
en, he e:iclaims: Aondeckickiai Taitenc, " Thou who
bast made the earth, have pity on me." Immediate-
ly the Father instructs and baptizes him ; and he died
soon afterward. Another young man had, from 1
know not what chagrin, eaten a poisonous root^ in
order to commit suicide; and be was already tor-
mented by the violence of the poison when he came

to our cabin. Having there succumbed, he flings
\

^ I.ES J^ELATIONS DES JSSUITES [Vol, 18

tourmente pinr la violence du poison qiiand il vint ^
notre cabane. Rendu U» il se jette h. lerre, en [206]
^cumant, avec tous les signes d'une mort prochaine.
Interrog^ sur la caiise de son mal, pour toule r^-
ponse, il presents Je reste de la racine qu'il avait
mangle, en disant de la montrer ^ ses parents apr^s
sa mort- Nos P^res, avertis par quelques Salvages
que ce poison ^tait mortcl, s'enipresscnt d'instruire
an plus vite c^e malheureus, et le baptisent, apris
avoir pris toutes les precautions n^cessaires, quand il
s'agit du baptSme des adultes. Environ une demi-
heure aprfes, il monrul en cht^min, pendant que ses
parents le reportaient ?i sa cabane- — Un homrae,
attaqui^ par la contagion et voyant linefficaciti^ dcs
remfedes dcs mi^dccins du pays, c'est-^-dire des sor-
ciers (vrais ou faux), se donna plusicurs coups de
couteau dans la poitrine. Un des Notres entre alors
par liasard dans sa cabanc, et anssitot celui-ci I'ap-
pelle et Ini demande le baptSme. Le Pfere le cati!-
chise et Ic baptise sans tarder, Le nouveau chr^tien
lui dit: vNe crois pas que j'aie demands Ic bapteme
dans Tcsp^rance de prolonger ma vie, pnisque je suis
presque diij^mortj regaidc mcs blessuresn et vois s'il
est possible d'^chapper; ce nest que I'esp^rancc du
ciel qui m'a pouss^ h. me faire baptiser,» Le Pfere
I'engagea k fairs un acte de regret de s'Stre donmS la
mort. Pen de temps aprfes, il mounit.

Nos Sauvages prireut, il n'y a pas un mois, un [207]
de leuTS ennemis; mais avant d'etre mis jv mort, il
fut baptist; par un des N6tres, qui venait par hasard
d'arriver dans le village. Pendant que les Sauvages
tourmentaient ce captif, il chantait qu'il devait aller
au ciel. Je voudrais pouvoir d6crire les supplices

leiOj CHAUMONOT TO NAPPI 29

himself to the ground, [206] foaming, with all the
signs of an approaching death. Being questioned
about the cause of his troublcj his only answer was
to present the remainder of the root that he had eat-
en » — bidding to show it to his parents after his death.
Our Fathers, warned by some Savages that this poi-
son was deadly, make haste to instruct this wretch
as quickly as possiblej and baptize bim, after having
taken all the precautions necessary when it is a
question of the baptism of adults. About half an
hour laterj he died by the wayside, while his parents
were carrying him back to his cabin. A man, at-
taeked by the contagion, and seeing the inefficiency
of the remedies of the physicians of the country —
that is to say, wizards (true or false) — stabbed him-
self several times in the breast. One of Ours then
enters by chance into his cabin, and straightway this
man calls him and asks him for baptism. The Fa-
ther catechizes him, and baptizes him without delay.
The new Christian says to him: " Do not believe
that 1 have asked for baptism in the hope of prolong-
ing my life, since I am already almost dead, — look
at my woundSf and see if it is possible to escape it;
it is only the hope of heaven which has impelled me
to become baptized." The Father induced him to
offer an act of regret for having caused his own
death. Soon afterward, he died.

Our Savages captured, less than a month ago, one
[207] of their enemies; but^ before being put to
death, he was baptized by one of Ours^ who by
chance had just arrived in the village. While the
Savages were tormenting this captive, he sang that
he was to go to heaven. I would I could describe
the tortures which they inflict upon those of the ene-

t.

30 LES J^ELATJO.WS I>^:S J^SUITES [Vol. IS

qu'ils font souffrir ^ ceux des enneoiTS qui tombent
entre leurs mains; mats il n'est pas possible de voir
en ce moadt: quelque chose qui repri^sente mieux la
manifere dont les demons tourmentent les damn^s,
Dfes qu'ils ont fait un prisonnier* ils lui coupent les
doxgts des mains, ils lui diJcliirent avec un coiiteau
les epaules et ]e dos, ils le g-arrottent avec des liens
trfeS'fieTT^s, et le conduisent en chantant et en se mo-
quant de luin avec tout le mi^pris imaginable. Arri-
ves a leur village, ils le font adopter par qiielqu'un
de ceux qui out pcvdu leur fils ^ la guerre- Ce
parent simul^ est charge de earesser le prisonnler.
Vous le verrea venir avec un collier en fer chaud, et
]ui dire: <<Tiens, raon fils, tu aimes, je crois, h Stre
bieo orn^, k paraftre beau.n En le raillant ainsi, il
commence i le tourmenter depuis la plante des pieds,
jusqu'au sommet de la tete, avec des tisons ardents,
avec la cendre chaude, en per^ant ses pieds et ses
mains avec des roseaux ou des pointes de fer, Quand
la faiblesse ne permet plus au captif de se tenir de-
bout, on lui donne k manger, et puis [20S] on le fait
marcher sur les charbons de plusleurs brasiers places
en rang. S'il est epuisii, its le prennent par les mains
et les pieds, et le portent sur ees brasiers, Enfin ils
le conduisent hors du village, et le font monter sur
une estrade pour que tons les Sauvages, le voyant
dans ce pitoyable j^tat, puissent satisfaire la rage de
leur Gceur. Au milieu de tous ces supptices, ils Tin-
vitent a chanter, et le patient chante afiu de ne pas
passer pour lache. Trfes-rarement ils se plaignent de
la cniaut^ qu'on exerce aur eux. Pour couronner
toute cette rage infernale, ils enl^veut la peau de la
tete k ces infortuuea- Apres leur mort, ils mettent

1640] CHA UMONOT TO NAl'PI M

mies who fall into their hands; but it is not possible
to see in this world anything that better represents
tlie way in which the demons torment tlie damned.
As soon as they have taken a prisoner, they cut ofi
his fingers; they tear his shoulders and his back
with a knife; they bind him with very tight bonds,
and lead him, — singing, and mocking at him with
all the contempt imaginable. Having arrived at
their village, they have him adopted by some one of
those who have lost their son in the war. This
feigned parent is charged with caressing the prisoner.
You will see him come with a neeklace in the form
of hot iron, and say to him: " See here, my son;
you love, I am sure, to be adorned, to appear beauti-
fuL" While thus deriding him, he begins to tor-
ment him from the sole of the feet even to the crown
of the head, with firebrands, with hot cinders, — pierc-
ing his feet and his hands with reeds or with sharp
irons. When weakness no longer permits the cap-
tive to stand upright, they give him to eat, and then
[208] they make him walk over the coals of several
fires placed in a row. If be is exhausted, they
take him by the hands and the feet, and carry him
over these fires. Finally, they conduct him outside
the village, and make him ascend a platform, so that
all the Savages, seeing him in this lamentable plight,
may satisfy their heart's rage. In the midst of ail
these tortures, they invite him to sing, and the suf-
ferer sings in order not to pass for a coward. Very
rarely do they complain of the cruelty which is prac-
ticed upon them. To crown all this infernal rage,
they remove the scalp from these unfortunates.
After their deathf they cut their bodies to pieces,
and give to the principal captains the heart, the

dB LF.S RJ£LAT/ONS DES J^SUITES [Voi_ IS

leurs corps en pitceSf et ils donnent aux principaus
capitaines, ie cceur, la tete, etc- Ceux-ci en font pre-
sent \ d'autres pour asaaiEoaner leur aoupe, et pour
s'en uourrirj comme si c'^tait la viande de quelque
cerf ou autre animal sauvage.

Nous eourons mainteuant le danger d'etre pris et
traitiis de la meme mani&te que les Ilurous, avec qui
cons vivons; car nous passons cliaque ann^e, soil en
descendant h. Quebec, soit en remontant, par les lieux
m^meSj ofi les ennemis de nos Sauvages Bont sl Taffflt
pour les saisir daus leur voyage; et il n'y a [presque]
pas d'ann^e oh plusienrs Hurous ne soient pns ou
tu^s, comme je viens de dire.

V. R, voit par 1?l que nous avons besoiu de secours
[209] spirituels ponr ctre S, I'abn de tant d'ennemis
domestiques et Strangers, visibles et invisibles que
nous rencontrons an milieu de ces peuples feroces.

Je devrais ^crire ^ beaucoup de P£res qui sont dans
yotre Province; mais Ie papier et Ie temps me man-
quent. C'est pourquoi je cx)njure V. R. de supplier
& ce silence, en montrant la pr6sente ^ ceux qui de-
manderont do me!3 nouvelleji, mais surtont h N. T. R.
P. Gi^n^ral et au P, Assistant de France, i qui j'a-
dresse cette lettre ; mais faites-moi la charity de la
corriger auparavant, et ensnite de la fairc copier
par quelqu'un, car elle est trop mal ^crite pour Stre
presentee ^ sa Paternity.

Y. R. voudra bien me rappeler an souvenir du R.
P, Pensa, Provincial, du P. Oliva, des PP, Zucchi,
Caravitaf Gottefroidf Lanipugnano, Fieramonti, Ara-
?Sa, Oddone, Conti, Ginstino, Ricci et autres, outre
les PP. de Magistris et Finctti.

Mon RiSviirend Pfjre^ demanded pour moi quelques

I6J01 CHAUMONOT TO NAPPI ^

head, etc. The latter make presents of the same to
others, to season their soup, and to feed themselves
there\vith, as if it were the meat of some stag or
other \vild animal.

We now mn the risk of being captured and treated
in the same manner as the Hurons, with whom we
live; for we pass, each year, — either while going
down to Qui^bec, or in coming up, — by the very
places where the enemies of our Savages are on the
watch to seijie them in their jonrney; and there is
hardly a year when several Hurons are not captured
or killed as I have jnst described.

Your Reverence thereby sees that we have need of
spiritual aid. [209] in order to be sheltered from so
many enemies, domestic and foreign, visible and
invisible, whom we encounter in the midst of these
ferocious tribes,

I onght to write to many Fathers who are in your
Province; but the paper and the time fail me.
Wherefore I beseech Your Reverence to make good
this silence, by showing this to those who shall ask
about me; but especially to Our Very Reverend Fa-
ther General, and to the Father Assistant for FrancCj
to whom I address this letter ; but do me the kindness
of correcting it beforehand, and of then having it
copied by some one, — for it is too badly writLen to
be presented to his Paternity.

Your Reverence will be kind enough to remember
me to the Reverend Father Pensa, Provineial ; to
Father Oliva, Fathers 2ucchi, Caravita, Gottefroid,
Lampugnano, Fieramonti, Arafia, Oddone, Conti,
Giuslino, Ricci, and others; besides the Fathers de
Magistris and Finetti,

My Reverend Father, ask for me some masses and

»t LE:£ relations DLSJ^SUIIES [Voi,. 18

messes et quclques commuiiionsi pour I'amour de
Dieu; car, dans cette Mission, nous sommes ejcpo-
g4s ^ en ^tre souvect prlv^s.

Je suis, de Votre RiSv^rence,
Le trSiS'indf^ne serviteur en Ji^sus-Christ.
JORErfT-llARir, CALVONOTT! (Chaumonot).

An Pays des Huroas, dans la Nouvelle- France, le
26 mai 1640.

jMii CNA U^rOKOT TO NAP!'/

some communions, for the love of God; for, in this
Mission, we are liable to be often deprived of them.

I am Your Reverence's
Very unworthy servant in Jesus Christ »
Joseph Marie CALVONOTTP (Ciiaumojjot).

In the Countvy of the tTurons. in TTew France, the
26th of May, 1640.

k

W LUS RELATIONS BES JASUITES [Vol. 18

[210] Lettre clu R Joseph-Marie Chaumonot, au

R. P. Philippe Nappi> Superieur de la

Maison Professe de Rome,

(Traduitc di Piialicn siii- !' original ceimrij^ h Jioms-^

De Sainte-Marie aux Hurons, 3 aodt 1640,

Pax Christi-
J'ai re<^u en meme temp:^, I'ann^c dernifere,
deux lettres de Votre Ri5vi^reiice, I'une de r,ann<ie
1638, Taiitre de VaimiSe 1639. La premiere mappre-
nait trois dioses; d'abord qu'elle se souvenait dc moi
\ I'autel et qu'elle a t:61ebr4 la sainte Messe pour moi
sur le tombeau du B. Louis de Gonzague, oomme je
Ten avais pri^e. En second lieu, que Son Eminence
le cardinal PalloUo continue sans relache k propager
la devotion a la sainte maison de Lorette ou mieux 'k
la sainte Famille qui la sanotifi^e. Eiifin que le P.
Auge de Magifitris est parli pour le Paraguay, aussi-
tot aprts son ordination et sa premiere messe, c^l<^-

br^e daus Ti^glise de Lorette dite ds Ripvtta

[21 j] Pour reeonnaitre eu quelque fa^ou la cTiant^
que voup avez de mc donner des uouvelles de Rome,
je vous -Liendrai au courant des choses capables
d'interesser votre cnriositu, et de plus je presserai le
P, Bressaiii de traduire en italien la Relation entifere
que chat^ue ann^e nous envoyous ^ notre Pire Assis-
tant.

L'ann^e derni^re, j'accompaguai I'uu des Notres

leJO] CHAUMOA'OT TO NAl'l'I

[2ioj Letter of Father Joseph Marie Chaumonot
to the Reverend Father Philippe [^appi, Supe-
rior of the Professed House at Rome.

fTmniluUif from the Italian original preserved a! Rome.)

From Saintc Marie of the Huroiis, August 3, 1640.

My Reverend Father,
Pax Chiisti-
I receiveii at the same time, last year^ two
letters from Your Reverence: one of the j-ear [638;
the other, of the year 1639. The first apprised me of
three things: to btgin with, that you remembered
me at the altar and that you cclebratud holy Mass for
me on the tomb of the Blessed Louis de Gonzague,^
as 1 had begged you to- In the second place, that
His Eminence the cardinal Pallotto continues, with-
out relaxation, to propagate the devotion to the holy
house of Lorefte; or better, to the holy Family
which sanctified it.^ Finally, that Father Ange de
Magistris started for Paraguay directly after his or-
dination and his first mass — -celebrated in the church
of Lorette called de Rif>^t!a. , . . .

[2 I j] To acknowledge in some fashion your char^
hy in giving me news of Rome^ T will keep you in-
formed of the matters likely to interest your curiosi-
ty; and, moreover, 1 will urge Father Bressani to
translate into Italian the whole Relation which we
send each year to our Father Assistant.

Last year, I accompanied one of Ours (Father de

3a LES RELATIONS DESJ^SUITES [Vol. IS

(le P, de Br6beiif) dans un pays ou rEvangile n'avait
pas encore ^t6 annonc^. Partant de notre Residence
au pays des Hurons, nous ffmes sis jours de route,
toujours dans les bois, et sans trouver aucun endvoit
pour nous reposer ou viJfugier- Nous ^tions obliges
de porter S. dos tout ce qui nous ^tait n^cessaire pour
notre nourriturc. Le.i seutiers de ces for^ts sont
txts-difficileSf ttant fort pen MttuH, reniplis de brous-
sailiei et de bra.nchos, coup6s de marais, de ruisseaux,
de riviGrcs sans aiitres ponts que i^uelqnes arbres,
brisks par TSge ou par le vent, L'hiver est la meil-
leure saison pour vovctger, parce que la neige rend
les sentier^ plus uuis. Mais il fant qu'ellc soit dur-
cie, comnie uou;^ Tavons trouviSe h. notre retour, k
I'exception de dens journ^t^s: sans cela, on enfonce
& chaque pas. II y a encore nn avantage h voyager
en hiver: c'est que les conrs d'ean sont glacis, et
qne nous avons pUf pendant soixante milles, trainer
nos bagages. [2 [2] II est vrai qu'on ue trouve ancun
abri contre !es vents qui soxit tr^s-violents et trts-
froids. Mais, grace ^ Celui a qui la incr d ies vents oM-
issenl, nous avons march^ couragcuscnient et joyeuse-
ment, malgr^ !e froid, la fatigue et des chutes sans
norabre sur la glace ; ce dout mes genoux out conser-
ve bon souvenir, Mais qu'est-ce que ceia en compa-
raison dt; ce que Notre- Seigneur a soufFert pour moi?
Je m'estimerais hcuvenx de me briser bras ct jambes
\ son service.

Les pEtits erfants en dajiger dc mort o:?t recuelli
Ies premiers fruits de notre apostolat. Nous en
avons baptist^ un grand nombre ^ I'insu de leurs pa-
rents, qui s'y seraient opposing certainement- Beau-
coup de ces enfants sont d^jk partis pour le ciei.

11110] C//^l/MOA'OT TO NAJTI W

Br^beuf) to a country where tfae Gospel liad not yet
been announced- Starting from onr Residence in
the land of the Hurons, we made six days' route,
continually in the woods, and without finding any
place in which to rest ourselves or to take refiige.
We were obliged to carry on our backs whatever was
necessary lo us in the way of our food. The paths
in these forests are very difficultj being very little
worUj — filled with brushwood and branches; cut up
with swamps, brooksn and rivers, without other bridges
than a few trees, broken off by age or by the wind.
The winter is the best season for travelingj because
the i^now renders the paths more even. But it must
needs be hardened, as we found it on onr return,
with the e>;ception of two days : otherwise, one sinks
in at every step. There is still another advantage in
traveling in winter, — namely, because the water-
courses are frozen, and we ^vere able to drag our bag-
gage for sixty miles. \'2'i2] Tt is true that one finds
no shelter from the winds, which are very violent
and very cold. But thanks to Him ii'hs}ii tlis sea and
thi 'ivinds obey, we proceeded bravely and joyfully,
despite the cold, the fatigue, and countless falls on
the ice* whereof my knees have retained a good re-
minder. But what is that in comparison with what
Our Lord has suffered for me? I should esteem my-
self happy to break my arms and legs in his service.
The little children in danger of death have reaped
the first fruits of our apostolate. We have baptized
a great number of then: without the knowledge of
their parents, who would certainly have opposed it.
Many of these children have already departed for
heaven. As for the adults, not only have they not
been willing to listen to the good news, but they even

« LES RJi:LA TJOXS DES jAsi/ITES

[Vol, is

Quant auK adiiUes, non-seulement ils a'ont pas vou-
lu i^couter ia bonne nouvelle, mais lis nous empe-
chaieiit d'ontrer dans kurs bourgades, dous raena-
^ani de nous luer et de nous manner, comme iis font
& leurs phis croels ennemis. La cause de cette
grande aversion venait des caloninies propagees par
quelqiies mauvais habitants du pays dou nous ve-
nions. Par suite de ccs ealomnies, ils c^taient con-
vaincus que nous (Jtions des soroiers, dt^s imposteurs
vemis pour s'cmparer de leur pays, apr^is les avoir
fait p^rir par nos sortileges, lesqucls <^taieut enfer-
mfis dans nos 6critoires, dans nos li\Tes, etc.; de
[213] sorte que nous n'osions pas. sans nous cacher,
ouvrir un livre ou derive quelque chose. Non-seiile-
ment nos Tivres et nos papiers 6taient suspects de
magie, mais encore nos morndrcs gesies et mouve-
ments. Je voulus une fois me mettre ii genoux dans
■une cahane, ou nous dous ^tions retires pour prier
avtc plus de recueillement. Aussitot le bruit se
r^pandit que Oronhiaguehre, e'est-k-dire, poru-dd
comme ils m'appellcnt, avait passe une partie de la
nuit il faire ses sortileges et qu'en consi^qiience tous
devaient se mettre en garde et se di^iier de lui.
Mais, en depit du diable et de ses suppots, nous
av,.ns pu employer tout notre hiver ^ parcourir les
bourgades des sauvages, les menagant de I'enfer^
s'ils ne se convert issaiept, sans que personne ait os^
toucher un seul de nos cheveux. Chacun d'eux
cependant d^sirait notre mort et eTfcitait les autres ^
nous tuer, mais aucun n'avait le courage de le faire,
quoique cela fut la chose la plus facile du monde:
nous n'^ions que denx hommes faiblss, sans annes,
lorn de tout seeours humain; Dieu seul ^taJt pour

ie40j CHA UMQKOT TO NAPPI fl

prevent^^d us from enttring their villageSf threatening
to kill and eat ns, as they do with their moat cruel
enemies. The reason of this great aversion arose
from the calnmnics disseminated bv some evil inhab-
itaals of the country from which we came. In con-
sequence of these calumniesj they were convinced
that we were sorcerers, impostors eorae to take pos-
session of their country, after having made them per-
ish by our spells, which were jjhut up in our ink-
stands, in our books, etc,, — [313J insomuch that we
dared not, without hiding ourselves, open a book or
write anything;. Not only were our books and our
papers suspected of magic, but even our slightest
gestures and motions, I once attempted to kneel down
in a cabin, where we had withdrawn in order more
collectedly to pray. Straightway the noise spread
that Oronhiaguehre^ — that is to sayj heaven-hearer,
as they call me — had spent a part of the night in
devising^ his spells, and that in consequence all were
bound to put themselves on guard and distrust him.
But, in spite of the devil and of his imps, we have
been able to spend our whole winter in making the
round of the savages' villages, — threatening them
with hell if they would not be converted, — and
nobody has dared to touch a single one of our hairs.
Each one of them, however, was desiring; our death
and exciting the others to kill us; but uone had the
courage to do so, although that w^as the easiest thing
in the world, — we were only two weak men, without
weapons^ far from all human assistance. God alone
was for us, and he paralyzed the ill-will of so many
enemies. May Vour Reverence help Tue to thank the
Lord for having preserved me from so many trials
and dangers.

^ ZES RE7^ATI0i\S DES /PjSC/TES [Vol. IS

nous, et il a paralyse le mauvai^ vouloir de tant
d'eniicmis. Que Voire RiSvfireiace m'^iide ^ remcr-
cier le Seigneur de m'avoir pr^serv^ de tant d'd-
preuves et de dangei-s.

L'automne prochain, j'esp&re passer no second
hiver ati milieu de ces pauvves sauvages; aussi [^14]
je comptc obtcuir le sccours do vos pri&res

Pour finir cette lettre j'ajouteral trois faits assez
reniarquablefi avrivi^s eettc aun^ei vu surtout qu'il s'a-
git de pauvres infideles, sans moralili^. Le premier
fait est celui d'uu jeune homme quij voyageant par
un grand froid avec sa sceur et la voyaut prfes de suc-
coniber, se depouilla d'line jjrande peau qui le coii-
vrait pour I'en rev^tir; puis Teneourageant k hater le
pas afin d'^viter la mart qui la niena^ait, il resta avec
le mauvais vetemeut de sa sceur. La jeune fille le
laissant, se mit h courir jusqu'i son village, ct pen-
dant ee temps-li son pauvre frere uiourait de froidj
victime de son li6rolsrae f ratemel. Soixctnte autres
environ, dnrant cet hiver, parent dans les neiges.

Le second fait est celui d'un petit enfant de liuit ^
neuf ans qui, jouant sur la glace, tomba dans I'eau.
Un de ses freres, ^ peu prts du merae age, se jeta,
dans la rivi&re par le trou oii son fr&re avail disparu,
le saisit, et nageant sons la glace, eut Vadresse de
remonter avee son fardeau par une autre ouverture
assez ^Eoign^e de la premiere et lui sauva ainsL la
vie. Ce fait arriva dans un village ou nous nous
trou V ions.

Le troisitme est un fait de gueire. Kos sauvages,
^tant allc combattrc, furent surpris par Tenncmi
dans une embnscade. Voyant l'impossibilit(^ de se
[215] d^fendre, les anciens dirent aux plu5 jeunes:

]n4(ij CNA i/.yroNOT to nap pi ^

Next autumii I hope to spend a sc<;ond winter in
the midst of thc^e poor savages; accordingly, [214]
1 cotint on obtaining the help of your prayers

To concKide this letter, 1 will add three quite
remarkable occurrences which happened this year, —
especially since they concern poor intidels without
morality. The first is that of a young man who,
traveling during intense cold with his sister, and see-
ing her almost succumb, stripped himself of a great
skin which covered him, in order to clothe her with
it; then, encouraging her to quicken her pace in
order to avoid the death which was threatening her,
be stayed behind, with his sister's thin garment.
The young girl, leaving him, began to run even to
her village, and during that time her poor brother
was dying of ooM, the victim of his fraternal hero-
ism. About si^ty others, during this w^inter, per-
ished in the snows.

The second instance is that of a little child of eight
or nine years who, playing on the ice, fell into the
water. One of his brothers, of almost the same age,
jumped into the river throngh the hole where his
brother had disappeared, seized him, and swimming
beneath the ice, had the skill to come up again with
his burden, through another opening quite distant
from the first, and thus saved his life. This deed
happened in a village where we chanced to be.

The third is an incident of war. Our savages, hav-
ing g'^ne to fight, were surprised by the enemy in an
ambush. Seeing the imposE^ibility of [2 r 5] defend-
ing themselves, the elder'; said to the younger men :
" Since you can render services to our nation, take
flight, while we shall check the enemy." This is
what happened: those old savages were taken, led

« i^5 RELATIOh'S DES jRSUITRS [Voi. iS

flPuisquc vous pouveii rendre des services h noire
nation, prenea la fuite, pendant que nous arreterous
reDcemi.i- C'est ce qni arriva: ces vieux sauvages
furent pris, emmeni^s captifs, crueitement tonmien-
t^S| brlil^Sf rotis L^t d^vor6s^ selon la coulunie de cetle
contiee. h^bit^c par de^i authropopJiages, comme je
I'ons Tai dtji ^crit.

K'ayant rien autre ehose ^ racontei' ti Votre R^v^-
Fence, je finis, en la priant. si elle trouve quelque
chose dans ma lettre qui puisse int6resser notre T.
R. P. General, de vouloir bien le lui communiqiier,
inaip de biiuclie seulement, ma lettre ^tant ecrite trop
mis^rablenient pour la mettre sous les yeux de 3a
Paternit6. Que Voire Ri^vevence vi^uille bien Tassu-
rer que je ne dis jamais la sainte mcsse sans la recom-
mander & Kotrc Seigneur.

Je suisj de Votre R^v^rence,

le tr^H-humble servitenr en Notre- Seigneur.

Joseph-Marie CHAUMONOT.

De la ri^sidenee de Ste-Marie aux Hurons, le 3
ao6t 164O'

1640] cnAUMONOT TO sYAFFT 45

away captivCj cru<^llv tormented, burned, roasted,
and devoured *— according to the custom of this coun-
try, inhabited by cancibalSj as I have already writ-
ten to you.

Having nothing else to relate to Your Reverence,
I close ; requesting you, if you find anything in nty
letter which can interest our Very Reverend Father
General, to be so kind as to mate it known to him:
but orally alone,— my letter being written too
wretchedly to pnt it beneath His Patemily's eyes.
Will Your Reverence kindly assure him that I never
say holy mass without commending him to Our Lord?

1 am Your Reverence's
very humble servant in Our Lord.

Joseph Makie CHAUMONOT.

From the residence of Ste. Marie among the
HuronSj the 3rd of August, 1640.

XLI

Relation of 1640

PaRJS: SEBASTIEN CRA\\OISY, 1641

SOUPCE:" We reprint froni the original eJilion [H. 76), in
Lenox Library.

Tlie doc:iiment consists of two parts : PuTt \.,by Le Jetine,
dated at Quebec, September \o. 1(340; Part II. , by Jerome
Lalemant, dated in tht Huron country, May 27, J640, with
a postscript dated August 3- I" ^^"^^ present volume, we give
chaps, i.-x. of Part L: this part will be concluded in our
Volume XIX., and Part II. commenced ; Volame XX, will see
the conclusion of the entire document.

~#«

\

.;relation

■ DECEQVI S'EST PASSE'
.-:■ -^ - EN LA .

NOVVELLE FRANCE

EN L'ANNEE M. DC. XL.

p^ignie de 1 1 s V £ dc la Pjcuincc
, tie Fiance.

Par U P. Bdrtbdi-my Vtmonr, deU

viefmc Compug)jic, Si4i/ericur ds U

Bsfdfiice'de ^ebec.

A PARIS,

Chez Sebastiek C?,iMOJSY

Impriincur ordinaire Ju Roy, rue

^'^ M. DC. XL!. ' '

^Wfc Friaiti^tdn Ray,

J

RELATION

OF WHAT TOOK PLACE

IN

NEW FRANCE

IN THE YEAR M. DC. XL.

Sent to the Reverend Father Provincial

ot the Society of J esus of the

Province of France.

Bj^ Father Barthekmy l^imont, of the

same Society, Superior of the

Residence of Kebec^

PARIS,

Sebastien Cramdisv, Printer in

ordinary to the King, rue St, Jac-

queSj at the Sign of the Storks.

M. DC. XLL
By Rqy^i Li^efise^

L£S RELATIONS DES jf^SOrTES [Vol. 13

Extraii^t du Priuilege du Roy.

PAR grace & Priuilege du Roy, il eft permk ^
Set^akttes CkAMOiSYj Marchaod Librairt Iur6,
Imprimeiir ordinaire du Roy. Bourgeois de
Paris, d'impriiiier ou faire imprimer vn liure intitule,
Relation tie cc qui s\-JI p^Jf^ t'fi /^ nonndU France en
t'afin^t- 1640, emioy^e mi ReiurcHd Pere I^ouiucial dc la
Compagnie dc Iesvs en la Prouince de France, par Ic p£re
Bnrthclcmy Viinont de la me/me Coi'ipagnie, Supcrienr
deh Refideni-£ h Ki'bec-. & ce pendant le temps & efpace
de quinKe aniiees confecittiucs : Auec defences k tous
Libraires & Imprimeurs d'imprinier on faire impri-
mer ladiLe Relation fous pretexte de d^guifcracnt ou
cliangeTneQl qu'ila y pourroient faire, S, peine de con-
fifeatiout & de J'amande port6e par iedit Priuilege.
Doiin^ h. Paris, ce 20. Septerabre 1640- Par le Roy
en fon Confeil, Sign^.

Ceberet,

IfllOj RELATION OF /640 63

Extract from the Royal License.

BY the grace and License of the King, permis-
sion is granted to Sebasti en Cramoisv, Book-
seller under Oath, Printer in ordinary to the
King^ Ciliaen of Paris, to print or to have printed a
book entitled Relation de cc qui s' est passt' en la nonvellf
France en r aiin^e [640. eiivoy^e au Reverend Pere Pro-
vincial de la Compagnie de Jesus ejt la Province de Franee.
par le Pere Barfhchmy Vanonf de la mesme Compagnie.
Superieiir de la Residcnee h K^b^c; and this during the
time and space of fifteen consecutive years- Pro-
hibiting all Booksellers and Printers from printing
ot Uaving printed the said Relation tinder pretext of
disguise or change that may be made therein, on
penally of confiscation, and of the fine provided by
the said License. Given at Paris, this ^Oth of Sep-
tember, 1640. By the King in Council. Signed,

Ceeer ET-

1

M LJlS relations nSS /ESUJTJ^S [Vox,. 18

Permjffion du P. Proiiincia].

NOVS IaCQVES Dr.VETProuincialdclaConipagime
de Iesvs eii la Prouince de France: Aiions
accords pour Tadiienir au Sieur Sebastien
CramoiSV Marchand Libraire, Imprimeur ordinaire
dn Roy, I'imprefiion des Relations de la Nouuelle
France. Fait ^ Paris, le I2. Decembre 1640.

1C40] RKLA T/OX OF 1640 »

Permission of the Father Provincial.

WE, Jacques Dinet, Pravincial of the Society
of Je^US in the Province of France, have
for the future granted to Sieur SeraktiuM
Ckamuisv, Kookseller, Printer in ordinary to the
King, the printing of the Relations of New France.
Done at Pa^'is, this 12th of December, [640,

jACQtJtlS DlNET,

56 L£S RELA TIQNS D£S /^SUITES [Vou 18

Table des Chapilres contenus en cette Relation.

RELA T/OJV de ce q^i ie^ pafSi en ia nmuelle
France en i'ann^€ 1G40. . P^S- ''

Chapitre L Dit voyage & de I'arriuie de la
jiotte en la nouuelle Francs- . ■ 3-

CAap, li. Dt V €jlat general de la Colonie Fran^oi/e,

& de la conuerfion des Sei!t!//iges. - . 16

C/i^p. ///. Les Saimages fe r' ajfembhnl k 5. Tofepk

apres la- maladie, ejlifent qnelqstss Capitaines ^

& font petroijire Uur Zete pour la Foy. . 22

Chap. IV. Des Sanuages bapti/es, & des bomies

aUions d^ eette noundle Egli/e. -. . 44

Cf/ap. V, Continuation du me Jme difcours. . 58

Chap. VI. Continuation dn me fjiic fujei.^ . . 72

Chap. Vll. Continuation des aitions de jios 7to!iueaux

Chrciiiejis. . . * ' 9^

Chap. V/lf. De la bonne dijpofition de qnelques

SaiiHiiges npf! eneore biipti/i'n. . . 105

Chap. IX. De la pronidene^ de Diet' ati choix de

quelgifes-vns, & an rebut de quelques autres. . WJ
Chap. X. De I' esperanee qu''o}j n de la conuerjion de

j'lufieurs Sauuages. . . , - 128

Chap. XI. De r kospiteiL ,....■ H^
CJieip. XII. Du fontiiiaire \sc. fcndnairc] des Meres

Vr/ifli'ies. . . . . .168

Chap. XII f. Diuer/is thojes qui nont pii esire

rapporUes aux C hopit res precede ns. . . 187

x6

1B40J JiELA TJON OF >t,^o '57

Table of the Chapters contained in this Relation.

RELA TION of what vccurred in neiv France
in the year 1640. . . - p(^g^ i-

Chapter l. Of the voyage of the fleet, and its
arrivai in itcw France. ■ 3-

CkaJ}. II. Of the gi-nera! eondition of thf French

Colony, and the conversion of the Savages-
Omp- III. The Savages rea^se/rible at St. Joseph
after the spidiniic, elect several Captains, and
show their Zeal for the Faith. . 22

Chap. IV. Of the Savages baptized, and the good

deeds ifi this neti^ Clnireh. . . -44

Chap. V. Continuation of the sa7jte suhjHt. . 58

Chap. VI. Continuation of the satne subject- - 7^

Chap. VII. Continnftiion of the actions of onr ne-jv

Christians. - - - ■ -9^

Chap. VIII. Of the goad disposition of some Savages

not yet baptised, . -; . . 105

Cliap. IX. Of the providence of God in Ike ohoks of

some, and the rejection of others. . • ^^7

Chap. X Of the hope we have/or the conversion of

Miany Savages.

\2&

Chap. XI. Of the /cospitnl. . . .146

t68

Chap. XII. Of the setninary of the Vrsnline Mothers.
Chap. XI II. Varions things which could not he re-
ported in the preceding Chapters. . - 187

5S LES RELA TIONS DhS /^SUITES [Vol. \&

Table des Chapitres contenus en la Relation de

ce qui s'eft paffe dans le pays des

Huron en Tannee 164a

CHAPITRE I. DeVeJiat du pays. pag. 4,

Ckapitrc IL Da fer/iciitiom excitdvs contrf
"^>i^- ■ . . . . tt.

C/iOp. HL De I'eJIai general du Oiri^ianifmv en

ces cciiirr^es. . , - 33-

Chap, IV. De la Refidence jixi' dc fahtSic Mane, . 42.
Ckap. V. De li mij^ioii dc fithtHe Marie aux Aia-

romhrinu'i/s. , . . . , .g^.

Ch<rp. 17. De h refideaec & mifsion de S. Jo/eph

anx A!!ingutt'uoiig!Uikac. . , - 79-

C/iiip. Vll. De la inifsion de la Conceptietn etiix Atii-

giifionenfan. , . . "99

Clidp. VIII. Des Chrejlkas de cette mefmc mijsioti

de la Cofjcepfioii. . \ . . i \S.

Chap. IX. De la mijj'iou dc Jaincl letm Baptijfp aitx

Arendeironens. , . . . J45.

Cheip. X, Dt lif mij2ian fur/tomm^e diS Apojlmsatix

Kkio7toRtaterouotts^ . . . . 164.

Lettre efcriUe an P. Virnunt depicts la Relation. . 192

1S40] HELA TION OF 1640 fi3

Table of the Chaptevs contained in the Relation

of \v\\-3X took place In the country of

the Hurons, in the year J64G.

CHAPTER f. Of the cmidhim of the cean-
iry. , ,, , , page 4.

Chapter II. Of (h€ ^crs£€nlidns I'xcirid against

«f^ . . . Ji.

Chirp. III. Of the gt-ncral ci?/idi/ioti of Chris tianitv

■in these coaittr its- , -33'

Chap. IV- Of the ferjuan^nt Residetire of sainte

Mar{,\ - . ,42.

Chap. 1'. Of the mission of sain le Marie to the Ata-

ranch roiions- . . . . . 6S.

Chap. VI. Of the residence ami mission iff St. Joseph

to ths Attiugneenoiigneihac. . ., . jg.

Chap. Vfl. Of (he mission of It Co/iesptien to tlie

Aitignaaiitntuit^ . . . -99

Chap. V III. Of the Christians of this same mission

of la Conception. - . - [iS.

Chap. IX. Of Ihe mission of sain! Jean Baptiste to

the AroidaroncnS. . - . , 145.

Chap. X. Of the rrd^sion sjirnamc^ " of the Apos-

ihSj" fa the Khiaiwntateronons. . . 164.

Letter written to Father Vimont after the Relation

-vas finished. , , . , . 152

LES RELATIONS BES J ^SUITES [Vol. IS

[i] Relation cie ce qvi s'eft paffe en la Nouuelie
France, en I'Annee 1640.

MoN R, Pkre,
le croyois qu'cllant defcharge du fardeau
de la Siiperiorit^, le ferois en fuite deliurfi dea
foins de la Relation que V- R. exj^e de nous, &
(ju'vne ^rande partic de la Frani^e attend auec quel-
qi]e palTion: mai^ nollre R. P. Supericur ma fait
veoir que cefte confequence n'eftoit point necelTaire,
£ bien que nonobltant quil la put drelTer auec auan-
tage ayant defia vne grande i:ognoiffance dii. pavs &
des Sauuages, il s'elt eneor repoffS fur moy pour [2]
cefte anui^e dans lemproJlement de fes affaires du
tribut doni les affections de Y. R. & d'vne inflnit6
de perfonnes de merite & de comjition uous rendeut
redenables, le douie fort fi rtous aurons vn affea
grand fond ponr faire celie rente annuelle, H ce n'elt
qu'on aynie les redites car les fubiets fe trouuani fort
femblabies, los difcouvs ne f^auroient pas auoir v:ie
graude diuerflte quand les fauuages fe feront tous
reduits comme il arriuera quclque lour fi on les
fecourc foriement ie ne fgay plus ce qu'on pourroit
remarquer frnon lenrii bouues aift^os qui pour anoir
beaucoup de refTemblanccs pourroient caufer du
degouft. Pleut l<. Dieu que nous fuJTions dans cefte
peine, & que tous ces pauures Barbares fullent au
point que nous Tes foubaittons, h. peine de ne pro-

1640] RBLA TJON OF 1640 fll

i.1] Relation of what occurred in New France^

in the Year 1640.

Mv Reverend Father,
I thoug-ht that, when I was relieved from
the biirdens of a Superior, I would conse-
quently be freed from the responsibility of the Rela-
tion which Your Reverence exacts from us, and
which a large part of France awaits with some eager-
ness. But our Reverend Father Superior has shown
me that this is not a necessary consequence; and so^
although he could have done it advantageously, as
he has already au extensive knowledge of the coun-
try and of the Savages, there again devolves upon
me [2j this year, in the pressure of his business, the
tribute which Your Reverence's affection and that of
an infinite number of persons of merit and rank make
it incumbent upon us to render, T doubt very much
whether we shall have enough material to make up
this annual rent, unless our readers like repetitions.
For as the subjects are very similar, the narratives
cannot have a great variety when the savages shall
ail be converted, — as will happen some dayn if they
are energetically aided- 1 do not know what one can
record then, unless it be their good actions, which^
from their great similarity, mav cause some feeling
of surfeit. Would to God that we might have this
ditfieulty, and that all these poor Barbarians were at
the point where we wish them to be^ reluctant to make
known their actions except to the sight of Heaven,

e3 L£S RELATIONS DKS /^SUITES {Vol., 18

duire ieurs actions qu'h la veue du Citl* & de ii'en
parler qu'i celuy auquel on ne les peut cacher, mais
entrons en difcourg.

1840] RELA TION OF 1640

and to speak of them except to him from whom they
cannot be concealed. But let us begin our nar-
rative.

H LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES p/oL ifl

[3] CHAPITRE PREMIER,

DU VOVAGE a DE L'ARRIUSe DE LA FLOTTE EN LA

NOUUELLE FRANCE,

LE Pere Rend Menart eftant amuC h. Kebec nous
a racont^ qnelqiies particularitex du Voyage
de 3a Flotte de ceJtc ann^e, lefquelles in'ont
fembl*^ tres-dignes de conipofer cc premier chapitre,
KfibS vaiffeauXj difoil-il. fe mirent en Rade le vmgt-
Jixicfmi? de Mars, Madame la DuclielTc d'Aigtiilion
ayant augments la fondation de ton tiofpital en la
Nouuelle FrancCf &. deliranl en fuite que deux Reli-
gieiifes de la maifou de la Mifericorde eftablie i
Dieppe vinJTeut donner du fecours ^ leurs bonnes
fceurs, Monfeigueur TArcheuefque de Rolien leur
accorda leur congii auec antanC d'amour & d'afFection
qu il defire I'accrciilTcmeiit de la gloire de noftre Sei-
gneur en la conucrfion dea paunrea Sauuages: [4] la
Mere de faincte Marie & la fceur de faindt Nicolas
toutes deux profefles de ce Monaftere fureut choifies
auec vae tres-fenfible L^onfolation de leur bon-heur,
& auiic les regrets de quantity d'autres qui foufpi-
roient apres ccfte croix qu'ils eniiifageoient corame
vn Paradis. Madame de la Pclletrie fondatrice d'vn
Seminaire de petitas Giles fauirages & des Religienfes
Vrfulines qu'elle h fait paffer en ces contr^es, deQ-
rant qu'on leur amenall vne ProfeKe du Conuent de
Paris^ Monfeigueur TArcteuefqne s'interelTaiit dans
la caufe de Dieu, & voulant anoir part i TiuftruAion

IMOl JiELA TION OF 1640 65

[3] CHAPTER FIRST.

Of TKE VOYAGE OF THE FLEET, AND ITS ARRIVAL

IN NEW FRANCE.

FATHER Reui^ Menart,^ hctving arrived at Kebec,
related to us some details of the Voya.g"e of
the Fleet this year* which seexD to me very
worthy to compose this first chapter. " Our ships/'
said be, " set out from their Anchorage on the twen-
ty-sixth of March. Madame the Duchess d'Algviil-
lon having increased the endowmeot of her Hospital
in New France, and desiring, consequently, that two
Nuns of the house of Mercy established at Dieppe
should como and give some help to their good sis-
ters, Monseignenv the Archbishop of Rouen granted
them their dismissal, with a love and affection pro-
portionate to his desire for the increase of the glory
of oiir Lord in the conversion of the poor Savages,
[4] Mother de sainte Marie and sister de saint Nicho-
las, both professed nuns of this Monastery, were
chosen, with very keen appreciation of their good
fortune, and with regrets for the many others who
were iii^hing for this cross, which they regarded as
a Paradise. As Madame de la Pelletrie^ foundress
of a Seminary for little savage girls and for the Ur-
suline Nuns whom she Jias had cross over into these
countries, desired that there should be brought to
them a Professed Nun of the Convent of Paris," and
as Monseigneur the Archbishop, who interests him-
self in the cause of God, and wishes to participate in

U(i LES RELATlOi^S DHS J ^SUITES [Vol IS

^ an faint des anies que ces bonnes filles cultiueront,
ne iugeant pas & propos qu'vne fcule Tortit de fon
Couuent en eniioya deux, ffaiioir eft la Mere Anne
de faindle Claire, & la Mere Marguerite de faindte
Athanafe qui enleuerent aueo elles tous les cceurs de
cefte graode Maifnn- Voyla done quatre Rehgieufes
embarquees dans le vailTeau nomrn^ lEfperance,
conduit jTar Monfieiir de Courpon fort honelte GentiJ-
homme. lequel k obligfi ces [jj bonnes ;;mes aii der-
nier point: ie ne fgay Q le?^ demons preuoyoient
queSque j^rand bien de ce paffage^ mais il fcnible
qn'il nous ayent voulu abyfmer d^s la rade, ils
fouHeuerent tout TOcean, defchainerenl les vents,
exciterent des tempeftes 11 horribles & fi continues
qu'elles nous penfcrent ptrdre h. la vent- dc Dieppe;
nous fufmes dans ces dangers raconioit le Pere,
depivis le vingt-fixiefme de Mars iufquos an vingt-
huitStiefme d'Auril battus de plnye & de neige anlli
presde lamortque nous i'eftions des coftes de France,
vn vaiileau de faindt Valery qui eftoit en rade auec
nous fe d^tachant de fes ancres s'alla brifer k nos yeux,
tout ee qui cltoit dedans fe perdit, les hommes furent
englontis dans lesi ondes & de vfngl on enuiron qu'ils
eftoicnt dans ce Nauire il nc sen fauua qne iroiSf la
mort (jui moiffonnoit ees corps fenibloit neus attendre k
tous moments pottr nousdeuorer, ientcndoispluficurs
perfonnes detefter Theure & le moment que la penf^e
leur eftoit venu^ en Vefprit [6J de monter fur mer, &
de confier leur vie ^ la mercy d'vn cable, la vertu
anime puKTamraent vn ceeuv, ces bonnes filles qui en
autre temps auroicnt irenablEJ dans vn bal'teau deiTus
la Seine, fe moeqnoient de la mort, & de fes appro-
clies, en effet il imporlc pcu qn'on meurc fur la terre

1840] RELA TIQN OF i&fo m

the instruction and salvation of the souls that these
good sisters will cultivate, did not judge it proper for
one alone to leave her Convent, he sent two, namely,
Mother Anne de sainte Claire and Mother Marguerite
de sainte Athanase, and all the hearts of this great
House went with them. Accordingly, there were
four Nuns who embarked in the vessel called the
" Esperance," under the command of Monsieur de
Courpon, a very honest Gentleman, who favored
these [s] good souls to the utmost. I do not know
whether the demons foresaw some great blessing
from this passage^ but it seems as if they desired to
engulf us from the time we left the roadstead. They
raised up the whole Ocean, unchained the windSt
and excited such horrible and continuous tempests
that they almost made us perish in sight of Dieppe,
We were in the midst of these dangers/' related the
Father, " from the tweiity-sJKth of March until the
twenty-eighth of April, beaten upon by rain and
snow, as near to death as we were to the coapits of
France. A ship of saint Valery, which was in the
roadstead with us, detaching itself from its anchors,
went to pieces before our eyes, everything that was
within being carried away. The men were engulfed
in the waves ; and, of twenty or thereabout who were
In this Ship, only three were saved. The death that
reaped these bodies, seemed at every moment wait-
ing to devour us- I heard many persons cursing the
hour and the moment when the thought entered
their minds [6] to go upon the sea, and to entrtist their
lives to the mercy of a cable. Virtue animates a
heart powerfully- These good sisters, who* at other
times, would have trembled in a boat upon the Seine,
mocked at death and its approaches. In fact, it mat-

«a LES /DELATIONS DES /^SUITES H'ol- 18

OH dans Ie<i eaiis, pourueu qu'oo meure auec Dieu.
Cefte tempefte cJtaut palT6e il s'cn efleua vne autre
aijffi fiiritufe que !a premiere comme on la vit naiftre
dans lair, tios mariniers ietterent le fecond ancre qui
Eous fauua la vie, car le cable du premier qni nous
auoit tenn iiifqnes alors fe rompit eo vn mcnnent, &
noftrc vaiJieau fe full perdu fans refonrce, fi le
fecond ancre ne Venft arreftf^. Si nous euitions vn
peril nous tfibions dans I'autre, le cable manquant ^
nolhe Vice-Admiral vn coup de mer le ietta fur nous
auec vne telle fureur que lea phis coftans penfoict
eftre perdus^ Jamais ie n'ay enuifage la mort de fi
pr^s, i'eu recours an grand fainct lofeph, patron des
contrSes ou nous voulions aller, fl c6 vailTeau fe fuft
auaao6 de vingt pas nous nous fulfions brif^s, & TO-
cean [7] nous auroit eufeuelis dedans fes ondcs, Au
point que ie prefentois mes vtEux i Dieu par I'entre-
mife dc ce grand Sain<ftj on nous vint dire que le
vent auoit efcarli? ce vaiiTeau, Dieu confcrua les trols
de noftre Flotie qui efloient en rade fans autre perte
que d'vn cable & d'vn balleau que la tempefte nous
euleua, quelques vns auoient fait courrele bruit qu' vne
des Religieufes eitoit morte, & que Tautre eftoit k
I'extremit^. le defcendy en terre, difoit le Pere,
pour affeurer dn contraire ; il ell vray qu'elles eurent
de Vescrcice vii grand mois durant pendant ces tern-
peftes, que Dieu efprouua ieur conftance, mais pas
vne ne recula en arriere. Abl qu'il fait bon fe letter
entre les bras de fa douce prouideiiee, & receuoir
au.ee amour les coups que fa main nous donne, les
An^s CO n fern oi cut no lire Ffotle par les mefmes
tempcJtes que les demons excitoient pour Ja perdre,
ie ne fjay fi depuis cent aus on a veu des vaifleauK fi

IfllUl RELA TION OF 1640 6*

tera little whether one die upon the land or upou the
sea, provided one die with God, This tempest hav-
ing passed ovor^ another arose a-s furious as the first.
As they saw it arising in the air, our sailors cast the
second anchor, which saved our lives; for the cable
of the first, which, until then, liad secured us, broke
in a moment, and our ship would have been hope-
lessly lost if the second anchor had not held us fast.
If we avoided one danger, we fell into another. Our
Vice Admiral missing the cable^ a wave dashed it
apon us with such fury that the most steadfast
thougfht they were lost. Never have I confronted
death so near. J had recourse to the great saint
Joseph, patron of the countries where we wished to
go. If this ship had advanced twenty paces, we
would have been dashed to pieces, and the Ocean [y'\
would have swallowed us in its waves. At the
moment when I was offering my vows to God through
the medium of this great Saint, they came to tell me
that the wind had passed by this vessel- God pre-
served the three of our Fleet which were in the road-
stead, without other loss than that of a cable, and of
a boat that the tempest carried away from us. Some
had circulated the report that one of the Nuns was
dead, and that another was dying. I landed," said
the Father, " to assure them of the contrary. It is
true they were in some anxiety during the long
month of these tempests when God was proving
their constancy, but not one of them drew back.
Ah! how good it is to cast oneself Into the arms of
his sweet providence, and to receive with love the
strokes that his hands give us! The Angels pre-
served our Fleet through the same tempests that the
demons excited to destroy it. I do not know that

re LES J^ELAT/OXS DES /itSUlTMS i;Voi_ IS

long temps en rade ny batus de vents C fortement
eontraircs^ cefte furie nous enchaifnat pr&s du port
Tions deffendoit [8] contre des fregates ennemyes
^quipi^es en guerre qui nous attendoient au pafTage,
fi bien que fi nous eulTions leu^ Tancre vn iour deuant
noftre defpart, nous fitfiionH infainiblement lombea
entre les mains de Tenuemy, Madame la Ducbeile
d'Aiguillon ayant en aduis de cet embufeadc fit en
forte que Monfeigneur !e Cardinal de Rklielieu oom-
mauda aux vaiffeauj: du Havre dc nous donner
efcorte, comme nous nous mettions en dcuoir de les
aller ioindre, nous rencontrafmes cinq fregates Dun-
querquoifes, atifli toft on met la main aux armeSj on
iette les canons hors des; fabors, chacun fe difpofe au
combat, Monfieur de Courpon nofire Admiral s'a-
uance, mais ces fregates eftant embaralTi^es de deux
vaifTcaux Hollandois qiii nous auoient quittez la nuidt
pTeeedente, & qui veuoient d'eltrc pris va peu auant
que nous paruffions s'efcarterent de nous voyans i
noftre contenance que nous eftions pour leur difpu-
ter iortenient la vidtoire, nous airiuafmes au Havre
incontinent apres, oh nous trouijafmes cinquante Na-
uires k I'anere [9] qui nous allendoieut, ]e vent nous
fauorifant Monfiour de Beaulieu qui commandoil la
fiotte RoialCf nous fit entourcr de quarante vaiileaiix.
le ne penfois pas e(tre en mer, difoit le Pere, me
voyat enuiroun^ de tant de bois, comme nous vogui-
ons dans celte aHeurance, les vailTeaux du Roy def-
couurlrent linidt fregates enncmics aufquellcs ils don-
nerent la chafTc: mais elles euaderent k la faiieur du
vent, Tefcortc Royale nous voyans hors de la manche
& bors du danger uous quitta- Voila comme les
tempeOies nous voulant perdre au port nous prote-

1D40] RELA TION OF 1640 11

for a hundred years vessels have been seen so long
anchored, or ass^iiled by winds so \-ery contrary.
This fury, chaining us near the port, defended us [S]
against hostile frigates equipped for warj whioh were
awaiLing us at the passage, ^ — so that» if we had
weighed anchor one day before our departure, we
would infallibly have fallen into the hands of the
enemy. Madame tlie Duchess d'Aiguillon, having
been advised of this ambuscade, so arranged that
Monseigncur the Cardinal de Richelieu ordered the
ships of Havre to convoy ns. As we were about
to go and join them, we encountered five Dunkirk
frigates. Immediately the weapons are grasped, the
cannons are thrust out of the portholes. — every one
is ready for the combat. Monsieur de Courpon, our
Admiral advances- But these frigates — being em-
barrassed by two Dutch ships that had left us the
previous night, and which had just been captured a
little while before we appeared — -turned away from.
us, seeing in our faces that we were ready stubbornly
to dispute the victory with them. We reached Havre
directly afterwards^ where we found fifty Ships at
anchor [9] which were awaiting us. The wind fa-
voring us. Monsieur de BeauHeu, who commanded
the Royal fleet, had us surrounded by forty ships. T
did not think that I was upon the sea," said the Fa-
ther, " seeing myself encompassed by so much wood.
As we floated along in this security, the ships of the
King discovered eight hostile frigates^ to which they
gave chase. But they escaped, owing to a favorable
wind. The Royal escort, seeing us out of the chan-
nel and out of danger, left us. Thus the tempests,
ready to destroy us in the port, protected us against
our enemies. As soon as we were upon the high

n L£S RELATIONS BES j£sUITF.S [\'oi- IS

geoient coatre les ennemis, fi-tolt que nous fuCmes
en haute mer les vents nous fauoriferent pour \a.
plufpart du temps, nous eufmes quelques petites bou-
rafques; mais de peu de dur^e. le n'ay point veu
plus de defiotion fur la terre que fur la mer, les priti-
cipaux de noltre flotte. les palTagers & les matelots
afliftoicnt au diuin feruice que nous chaulions fort
fouuent, i]s frequentoient les Sacremens, fe trou-
uoient aux prieres 8c aiEs lectures publiques qu'on
faifoit en fon temps, mais !a deuotion fut tres-fen-
ilble & tres-remarquable [lo] le iour du faiuet Sacre-
met, on prepara vn autel magnifique dans la chambre
de noftrt Admiral^ tout I'equipage drefia vn repofoir
fur I'auani du vaiffeau, noftre Seigneur voulaut eitre
ador^ fur cet element fi mobilef nous donna vn calme
fi doux que nous penJJons voguer fur vn eltang, nous
fifmes vne proceCDon \Tayenient folemnelle, piiis que
tout le monde y aGifta & que la piet6 & la deuotioa
3a faifoient marcher en bel ordre toute S Tentour du
vaiileau, nolirc frcrc Dominique Scot reueftu d'vn
furplis portoit la croix, aux deux coJti^s de laquelle
marchoient deux enfans porlans vn flambeau ardent
en la raaiUf fuiuoieni les Religieufes auec leurs
eierges blancs & vne modcitie Angelique, apres le
Preitre qui portoit le fainct Sacrement marchoit
I'Admiral de la flotte, & en fuitte tout I'cquipage. les
eanous firent reteatir Vair & les ondes de leur ton-
nerre, & les Anges prenoieut plaiCr d'cntendre les
loiianges que uos cceurs & nos bouches donnoiet i
leur Prince & 5 noitre fouuerain Roy, II n'y eut
que fept perfonnes qui n^approchaiTcut [ii] de la
faindte table, & encor s'eltoient ils repus vn peu
auparauant de cette viande faerie; enfin apres auoir

1C40J RELA TION OF 1640 73

sea, the wind favored us during most of tlie time;
we had. some slight squalls, but tbty were of short
duration. I have not seen more devotion upon the
land than there was upon the sea; the chief person-
ages of our Heetj the passeugers, aud the sailors
attended divine servicej which we celebrated very
ofteq. They frequented tlie tSacrameuts, and were
present at prayers and the publie readings that were
given at suitable times. But the devotion was most
profound and most conspicuous [lo] on the day of
the blessed Sacrament. A magnificent altar was pre-
pared in the chamber of our Admiral j the whole
crew erected an altar at the prow of the ship; onr
Lordf desiring to be adored upon this so unstable
element, gave us a calm so peaceful that we could
imagine ourselves floating upon a pond. We formed
a procession truly solemn, since every one took part
in it, and their piety and devotion caused them to
march in fine order all around the ship. Our broth-
er Dominique Scot, wearing a surplicCf bore the
cross, on either side of which marched two children,
each bearing a lighted torch in his hands; the Nnns
followed with their white wa:^ tapers, in Angelic
modesty; after the Priest, who carried the blessed
Sacrament, walked the Admiral of the fleet, and
then the whole crew. The cannons made the air
and the waves resound with their thunder^ and the
Angels took pleasure in hearing the praises that our
hearts and our lips gave to their Prince and to our
sovereign King. There were only seven persons
who did not approach [ei] the holy table, and yet
they had feasted upon this sacved food a little while
before." P'inally, after having enjoyed very fair
weather after this act so imbued with pietyf the Ad-

74 LES RELATIONS DES J^SUITES [Vol. IS

ioijy d'afCez beau-temps depuis cette ndlion, toute
piaitie de pitt^. TAdmiral arriti^ ^ TadoulTac le der-
nier de luin, ott le faixtct Jacques ettoii entr^ deux
iouvs auparauantj le Pere Menard s'embarqiiaut dans
vne chalouppe auec noftre frcve Dominique Scot,
laiffa le Pere lofeph Duperron & noltre frere laques
Ratel auec les Religieufes, pour nous venir donner
prompCement uoiujelles de larriu^e de ia liotte, bref le
DijUEinche au matin le fainct lacques commandi^ par
le CapitEtine Anoclot, vint moliiller I'ancre deuant
Kebec, Moiifieur noltre Gouuerneur dtfctndit fur le
port auec noftre R- P. Superieur, pour receuoir nos
Peres & pour conduire cos fiUes vrayement genereufes
en leurs maifons* au fortir du vaiffeau elles fe iettent
^ genoux, baife la terre tant deQr^e, chantent va
Lamiali Dosnimuii onmis Gentr^s^ & Madame de la Pel-
letrie accompagn^e de fes petite^ Seminariltes genti-
ment vettucs, embraffe ces bonnes Religieufes, [[2]
les conduit premicrement en la Chappelle des Vrfu-
lines, comme eitant la plus proche du Qua)^ notlre
Eglife & noftre maifon ayant efttS bruH^es, on les
mena en cette Chappelle pour adorer noftre Seigneur,
& pour le remercier des faucurs qu'eiles auoient
receu^s de fa bonte, del^ elle vont faluer Monfieur
noilre Gouuerneur en fon fortn puis on les mena cha-
qu'vncs dans leurs maifons, oil la ioye & la charity
Icur donna entr^Sf elles fortirent du vailTeau plus
faines qu'eiles n'y eftoient entries, la pauureti3 & les
incommodJtcK des maifons balUes fur la terre, femble
des palais & des richelTes il ceux qui fortent d'vne
maifon de bois flottante au gr^ des vents & des vagues,
le landemain on les couduifit ^ S, lofeph, pour leur
faire veoir les Sauuages, qui les ont attir^es en ce

lOaOl HELA TION OF 1640 7S'

miral arrived at Tadoussac on the last of Junej where
the '' saint Jacques" had entered two days before.
Father Menard, embarking in a shallop with our
brother, Dominique Scot, left Father Joseph Duper-
ron and our brother Jacques Ratel with the Nuns,
that he might promptly come to give ns news of the
fleet's arrival- In brief, on Sunday morning the
*' saint Jacques," commanded by Captain Ancelot,
came and cast anchor opposite Kebec; Monsieur our
Govevnor went down to the wharf with our Rever-
end Father Superior, to receive our Fathers, and to
escort iheae truly generous sisters to their houses-
Upon leaving the ship they fell upon their knees,
kissed the ground so long desired, and sang the L<tu-
daU Dominitm omrus Gentes; and Madame de la Pelle-
tric, accompanied by her little Seminarists, neatly
dressed, embraced these good Nuns, [12] whom she
conducted first to the Chapel of the UrsulineS, this
being the nearest to the Quay, as our Church and
house had been burned- They were taken to this
Chapel to adore our Lord, and to thank him for the
favors they had received from his goodness. Thence
they went to salute Monsieur our Governor in his
fort; then they were taken to their own houses,
where joy and love welcomed them- They left the
ship in better health than when they had entered it.
Poverty and discomfortj in houses that are built upon
the land seem palaces and riches to those who come
forth from a house of wood floating at the will of the
winds and the waves. The next day, we took them
to St. Joseph, to show them the Savages who have
attracted them to this new world. They were pres-
ent at prayers, and at the instruction that was beiug

'y

« LES RELATIONS DES /is triTES [Vol. IS

Eouueau monde, elles afliftcrent aux prieres & i I'in-
ftmdtion qii'on leiir fit. La ioye deraboit leiirs creurs
& Icurs yens, ce pauiire peuple admiroit la genereufe
conflance de ces ieimes Amaaones, qui ina}gr6 TO-
cean viennent oheroher le [13] falut de ces barbares
en ces deruiers confins du moiidej bref ayam vilit6
les pauures demeures de i:e peuple; elles fe retire-
rent en leur clottnre, pour la gardcr fuiuant leurs
Reigles & leurs hiftittits. Quelques ioura apres leur
arriu^e, la Mt^re de faindte Marie Hofpitaliere eft
tomb^e maiade, c'eft vn petit agneau tout difpof6
pour entrer dans le bercail du vray Bcrger, il femble
neantiiioins que Dieu luy veille rendre la fant^.

Pour conclufton de ce Cbapitre, ie diray ces deux
mots i vue infinity de RehgieufeSf qui brunent d'vn
deQv de fuiurc celles qui font paiT^e*;. Ce n'eft pas
tout d'eitre enuoy^cs dc la France, il faut eftre
appellee de la nouuelle, pour faire icy plus de fruid
que de bruit. Les filles ne fgauroienl penctrer dans
les Nations plus cloign^cs & plus peupl^es; il en ell
venu tres-fuffifamment pour les occupation e qu'elles
peuuent auoir daus vn pais qui ne fait que de naiftre-
Celles ^ qui rhumilit^, I'obeyETance & I'appel leurs
out [34] donn^ des pateutes, out ett^ receues ^ bras
ouuerts des Angesgardiens de ces contr^es, ellcs co-
operent Cairictemeut auec cesbien-heureux efprits au
falut de ces peupleSj en effct & les Hofpitaliercs & les
Vrfulines font darrs la ioye^ elles ont palT^ l'ann§e
dSs vce profonde paijc, cberies des Francois & des
Sauuages, tres^zel£e^ pour les fondtions de leur iufti-
tut. Ce bon-heur n'en doit point attirer dauantage,
puis qu'vn plus grand nombre n'cit pas de faifou, le
pars fe faifant tons les lours ouurira en fon temps la

1640] RELA rrON OF 1&40 77

given. Joy stole away their hearts aad their eyea.
These poor peoples admired the noble constancy of
these young Amazons, who, in spite of the Ocean»
came to seek the [13] salvation of these barbarians in
these farthest confiiies of the earth- In brief, having
visited the poor dwellings of these people, they
retired to their own seclusion, to observe it according
to their Rules and their Institutes. Some days after
their arrival. Mother de sainte Marie, a Hospital
Nun, fell sick. Here was a dear lamb all ready to
enter the fold of the true Shepherd. It seems, how-
ever, that God willed hor to be restored to health.

As a conclusion to this Chapter, T will say these
few words to a vast number of Kuns, who bum with
a desire to follow those who have crossed over. It
is not everything to be sent from France ; one must
be called by new [France], in order to produce more
fruit here than noise. The sisters cannot penetrate
into the more distant and more populous Nations;
those who have come Jire amply sufficient for the
occupations they can have in a country which has
accomplished only its birth. Those to whom humil-
ity, obedience, and vocation have [[4] given diplo-
mas, have been received with Open arms by the
guardian Angels of these countries. They cooperate
piously with those blessed spirits in the salvation of
these peoples- In fact, both the Hospital Nuns and
the Ursulines are full of joy. They have passed the
year in profound peace, cherished by the Freach and
Savages, very zealous in the functions of their order.
This happiness ought not to attract more of them,
since a greater number would be unseasonable; as
the country grows every day, it will, at the proper

7A LES RELATIONS DES JASUITES [Vol. IS

poite aiix aiitres- II faut pour le prefent bander tous
nos nerfs pour arretler les Sauuagcs, au commence-
Tuent que nous vinfmcs eu ces contr^es, comme nous
n'efperions quaC rien des vieux arbres, uous emploi-
ons toutes nos forces S culliuer les ieunes plates,
mais noftre Seigneur nous dormant les adultes nous
couertilTons le^ grades defpeccs, que nous faifiSs
pour les enfas, au fecours de leurs peres & dc leurs
mereSf les aydant ^ cultiuer la terre & i fe loger
dans vne maifon fixe & permanenie, nous retenons
neantmoins encor aucc nous que^ues [15] petits or-
phelins delaiffts, Mais noftre plus grand effort doit
tendre S. rallier ces pauures brebis egarees, Cans cela
il n'y a point d'occupation en ces contrives pour des
Religicufcs, notamment pour les Vrfulines. il n'en
eft pas de mcfme de nous autres; car nous penetrons
es nations Ccdentaires, ou les fillesn'ont aucun acc^s,
tant pour reloiguemout de nos Francois qui les
oonferue^nt, que pour I'horreur des chemins, &
pour les grands trauaux & dangers qui furpaffeut
leur fexe» les filles & les femines ne ffauroient
ni enter plus haut que I'lHe de Montreal oti le
fault faindt Louys: or eft il que dcpuis Terabouchure
du fleuue S, Laurens iufques h cette Ifle, tous les
Sauuages font errans, il les faut done reduire h. vne
vie fedetaire. C on veut auoir leurs enfans, ceux qui
prcnoient plailir de fecourir noflre feminaire feront
confol^s, voyant que les depejjfes qu'on faifoit pour
des enfans, eftant employees S. fairs vne petite mai-
fon, arreltent & gaignent h. lefus-Chrift le pere, !a
mere & les enfans. Nous auons fait quatre petlts
logemens cette ann^e, voila pour quatre [16] families,
ces bonnes gens font ratiis voyant cette charij^, le^

I640J Ji'ELA TIQN OF ,!>4o TS

time, open tte door to the others. At present, we
must strain every nerve to arrest the Savages. When
we first came into these countries^ as we hoped for
scarcely anything from the old trees, we employed
a.li our forces in cultivating the young plants: but,
as our Lord gave us the adults, we are turning the
great outlay we made for the children to the succor
of their fathers and mothers, — helping them to cul-
tivate the land, and to locate in a fixed and perma-
nent home; we still retain with us, however, some
[i5j little abandoned orphans. But our strongest
efforts ought to tend towards rallying these poor lost
sheep. Without this, there is no occupation in these
countries for Nuns, especially for the Ursulines. It is
not the same with us; for wo penetrate into the sed-
entary nations, where the sisters have no access, —
not only on account of tte remoteness of our French
who have charge of them, but of the horroTs of the
roads, and the great hardships and dangers, which
are beyond their sex. The girls anJ women cannot
go up farther than the Island of Montreal, or the
sault saint Louys. Now it happens that from the
mouth of the river St. Lawrence up to this Island,
all the Savages are wanderers; hence they must be
brought to a sedentary life, if we wish to have their
children. Those who tool; pleasure in assisting our
seminary will be consoled by seeing that the outlays
made for the children, being employed in erecting a
little house, arrest and win for Jesus Christ the
father, the motherj and the children. We have built
four little lodgings this year, and in these there are
four [16] families. These good people are delighted
at seeing this charity. The whole may amount to

so LES RELATIONS BES /£SUITES [Vol. 13

tout peut reuenir S. quaEre ou cinq oens efcus, heiasl
ce n'eft quVn coup de dez en Francftf ou vne Qmple
ccllation, & dans oos grands bois c'eft le falut de
quatre pauures families, qui peut eftre ne verroient
iamais Dieu C on ne leur preftoit ce fecours.

1610] liELA TION OF 1640 II

four or five hundred ficus, Alas ! it is only one throw
of the di(3e in France, or one simple collation; and
in our great woods it is the salvation of four poor
familiesH who perhaps would uever see God if this
aid were not lent them.

LSS RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Voi- 18

CHAPITRE II.

DE l'ESTAT general DE LA COLONIE FRAN'COISE, &.
DE LA CONUERSION DES SAUUACES,

LA paixj Tamour & la bonne intelligence regne
parmy noa Fran^^ois. La foy s'eftend & iette
de profondes racines parmy les Sanuages, ces
quatre paroles fuffiroient pour monftrer que nous
viuons icy dans vn (iecle d'or-

Ceux qui uous out parl^ des fiecles dor^s, ne les
embelifCoient pas des mines dii Perou, mais d'vne in-
nocence preferable aux riclielTes de Vvn & de I'autre
heniifpTiere. [17] Si bien que nous pounons quaG
dire que Tvfage de fer, rend les fiecles d'or* & Tv-
fage de Tor fait les Cedes de fer. II eft vray qu'on
vit en ces contrives dans vne grande innocence, la
vertu y regne comme dans ton empire, le vice qiii la
pourCult incelTamment, n'y paroit qn'en cachette & h
la derobee, ne fe prodiiifanl iamais fans confufion,
Les principaiix habitas de ce noiuieau monde, defi-
reux de confcruer cette benediction du Cicl, fc font
ranges fous les drapean?; de la faindle Vierge, k
rhonneiir de laquelle ils entendeiit tous les Samedis
la faincte Meffe, fvequentent fouiiet les Sacremens
de vie, preite I'oreille aux difcours qu'on leur fait
des grandeurs de cettc PrincclTe, & du bon-heur de
la paix & de Tvnion qui les allie 9a bas en terre,
pour les rertdre vne mefme chofe auec Dieu dedans
les Cieux, cette demotion a banny les inimities & les

1340] RELA TIQN OF ^640

CHAPTER ri.

OF THE GENERAL CDNDlTTf)N" OF THE FRENCH COLO-
.\V, AXD THE CONVERSION OF THE SAVAGES.

PEACE, love J and good understanding reign
among our French people. The faitt is
extending, and taking deep root among the
Savages- These few words might suffice to show
that we are living here in a golden age-

Those who have told us about golden ages did not
embellish tiiem with Peruviari mines, but with an
innocence preferable to the riches of either hemi-
sphere ; [i;] so that we can almost say that the use
of iron renders the ages g^olden, and the use of gold
makes the ages iron. Verily, one lives in these
countries in great innocency, — virtue reigny here as
if in its empire; vice, ^vhich pursues it incessantly,
only appears secretly and by stealth, never introduc-
ing itself without humiliation. The principal inhab-
itants of this new world, desiring to preserve this
blessing of Heaven, have ranged themselves under
the banner of the blessed Virgin, in whose honor they
hear the holy Mass every Saturday, often frequent
the Sacraments of life, and lend ear to the discourses
that are given them on the dignities of this Princess,
and on the blessedness of the peace and union that
bind them here below on earth, to render them one
with God in Heaven- This devotion has banished
enmities and coldness; it has introduced pure dis-
course in the place of too licentious language; it has

M LES RELA T/0^■5 DES J&SUITES p'oi, IS

froideurSf elle a introdiiit de bons difcoiirs, au lieu
des paroles trop libertines, die a fail reuiure la cou-
ftume de pricr Dicu piibtiquemet foir & matin dans
les families, elle a donne des affections de la puret^
a quelqnes [iS] perfonnes dans le mariage^ iufques ^
prefenter leurs vceux par mutuel accord, \ I'integritfi
de la faincte Vierge, & les renouueller de temp en
temps, pour receuoir plus faindtement fon fils bien
aym<^ dedans leurs ctEurs. L'aiiu^^e pafT^ les che-
nilles, les fautercllcs & les aiitres vermines, man-
geant tout ce qui fortoit de la tcrre, on fit quelques
proccfTions & quelques prieres publiqnes pour cet
ellet, chofe eltrange, ie lour fuiuant ces bertioles
raourureut & difparurent en telle forte, que telle per-
fonne a recueilly plus de trente poinffons de froment,
Ti'en efperant pas dix. boilTeaus.

Au relic nous viuons icy fort contens & fort fatis-
fails, les Francois font en bonne fant^, Tair du pays
leur eit bon, aufil e(t-il pur & fain, la terre commence
'k leur donner des grains abondamment, les guerres,
les procez, les dcbats & les querelles ne rempettent
point, en vn mot, le chemin du Ciel femble plus court
& plus affeur^ de oos grands bois. que de vos grandes
villes, il eft vray que nous ne penfons point eitre
feuls dans %-n pays eftranger, aufH n'y fommcs nous
[19] pas, puis que nous n'auous tous qu'vu mefme
Prince ik qu'vn mefme Roy, que nous aymons &: que
nous houorons vniquemeut, nous fifmes Ian paff^ des
feux de refiouyffancepour la naiSance de Moufeigneur
le Dauphin, nous priafmes Dieu par vne procefljon
lolemnelle, de rendre cet enfant femblable ^ fon
pere, nottre ioye & noflre affediion, ne s'eft pas con-
tenues dans les limites d'vne annec, Monfieur le Che-

1540] REL/l TION OF 1640 S5

■ ■ ^ — ^ ■ »

revived the custom in families of publiEcly praying to
God, evening and morning; it has given desires for
purity to some [iS] persons in marriage, even to
offering their vows by mutual ai:cord to the chastity
of the blessed Virg^in, and to renewing Cliese, from
time to time, that they may more holily receive her
■well-beloved son in their hearts. Last year, the
caterpillars, grasshoppers, and other insects eating-
all that came out of the earth* some processions and
public prayers were made on this account; strange
to say, the following day these little animals died,
and disappeared so entirely, that a certain person
reaped more than thirty pimcheons of grain, though
not ejcpecting over ten bushels.

Moreover, we live here in great contentxiient and
satisfaction. The French are in good health; the
air of the country agrees with them, as it is pure and
salubrious; the soil is beginning to yield them
grain in abundance; wars, lawsuits, disputes, and
quarrels do not infect them. In a word, the road to
Heaven seems shorter and surer from our great for-
ests than from your large cities. True, we do not
think of ourseh'es as being alone in a strange coun-
try; nor are we so, [[9] since we all have only one
and the same Prince and the same King, whom alone
we love and honor. Last year, we made bonfires for
the birth of JJonseigneur, the Dauphin ; we entreated
God, by a solemn procession to make this child like
his father. Our joy and our alfectioo were not kept
within the bounds of one year; Monsieur the Cheva-
lier de Montmagnyf our Governor, wishing to prolong
it, has had a Tragi-eomedy represented this year, in
honor of this uewborn Prince, I would not have be-
lieved that so handsome apparel and so good actors

S^ ii'5 RELATIONS D£S jtSUITES [Vol. ]8

■ualier de Montmagny noftre Gouuerneur la voulant
prolonger, ^ fait rcprefenteT cette anii^e vne Tragi-
comedie en I'hoiineur de ce Prince iioiiii.eau ti6, ie
n'aurois pas creu qu'on eut pen trouuer vn fl gentil
appareil, & de fi bons acteurs ^ Kebec, le ficur
Martial Pim.iib6 qui cottduifoit cette adtioi\ & qui en
reprefejitoitle premier perfomiagc, reufiit auec escel-
lence; mais afin que nous Sauuages en peufTent reti-
rer quelque vtilit^, llonDeur le Gouuerneur dou^
d'vn zelc & dyne prudence non eommnnej nous in-
uitad'y meHer qnelquechofe qui leur put donner dans
la veuS & frapper leurs oreilleE^ nous fifmes pour-
fuiurc Vame d'vn infidelle par [20] deux demons,
qui enfin la precipiterent dans vn enfer^ qui vomiCIoit
des flames, Ics refiltances^ les cris & les hurlemens
de cette aTue & de ces demons, qui parloient en
langue Algonquine, donnerent s'y auant dans le occur
de quelques vns, qu'vn Sauuage nous dit i deux iours
de Ik, qu'il anoit efliS fort efpouuant^ la nuidl par vn
fonge tres-affreux, ie voyois difoit-il, vn gouffre Hor-
rible, d'otE fortoient dos flames & des demons, il me
fembloit qu'ils me vouloient perdre, ce qui me donna
bien de la terreur, bref ee pauure peuple fe vient
rendre a lefus-Chrilt de iour en iour, le fecours
qu'on leur donnc pour de f richer & pour cultiuer la
terre les encourage li fort, que c'eft vne benediction
do les voir prier & trauailler [en] f on temps.
t Lea bons cxomples des prmcipaus de cette colonie
lea gagneut puiUamment, Monfieur noflre Gouuer-
neuT approehe par fois de la Taindte table aueo eux,
il les honore de fa prefenee, les venant vifiter ^ S,
lofeph, ayant apprls quo ces bons Neophites deiioient
communier le iour de fefte de noftre Pere & Patri-

le^O] RELA TION OF 1640 87

could be found iu Kebec. Sieur Martial Piraub^.^
who had charge of this performance, and who repre-
sented the chief personage, succeeded excellently;
but iu order that our Savages might derive some
benefit from it, Monsieur the Governor, endowed
with uncommon ^cal and prudence, invited us to put
something into it whit:h might strike their eyes and
their ears. We had the soul of an unbeliever pur-
sued by [30] two demons, \vho finally hurled it into
a hell that vomited forth flamesi the struggles, cries,
and shrieks of this soul and of these demons, who
spoke in the Algonquiu tongue, penetrated so deeply
into the hearts of some of them, that a Savage told
us, two days afterw^irdn that he had been greatly
frightened thftt night by a very horrible dream. " I
saw," said he, " a hideous gulf whence issued ll?imes
and demons- It seemed to me that they tried to
destroy me, and this filled me with great terror/' In
brief, these poor peoples are giving themselves up to
Jesus Christ from day to day; the help that is given
them in clearing and cultivating the land encourages
them so greatly, that it is a blessing to see them
praying and ^vorking, each in due time.

The good examples of the chief men of this colony
strongly influence them; Monsieur our Governor
sometimes approaches the holy table with them; he
honors them by his presence, coming to visit them
at St. Joseph- Having learned that these good Neo-
phytes were to receive communion on the day of the
feast of our Father and Patriarch, St. [21] Ignace,
he came to perform his devotions with them in our
Chapel of St. Joseph. Madaine de la Peltrie was
there at the same time, to be godmother to some chil-
dren that were to be baptii^ed. Was it not beautiful

BS I.ES RKI.A TTONS DES j£SUfTES [Voi. IS

archc S, [2 jj Ignace, il vint faire fes deiiotiona aiiec
eux en nottrc Chapelle de S- lofepli, Madame de la
Peltrie s'y trouua en mefme temps, poiir eflre mar-
raine de quelques enfans qu'on detioit baptifer, ne
faifoit'il pas beau voir ccs perfonnes dc inerite S; de
qualitii, meilces parmy des l^auuag'ea ^pprocher tous
enfcmble de lefus-Chrift, cettc innocence nous fait
vn iiecle dor.

11 y a qtielque temps que nous difions aux Saniiages,
que des perfonnes de condition auoieiit defird d'eftre
recomiTLEindj^s k lenrs prieres quand lis coramunie-
roienti que la Royne mefme auoit fouhaitti^ qu'ils
priiifTent Dieu pour fon Dauphin, eomme ie I'ay ap-
priiJ de boune part, cela les eltoime & les confolef &
donne vne apprebenfion de la grandeur de Dieu, &
vne eftime des prieres, voyas que des perfonnes il
releui^es en font tant d'eftat, leur difant que cette
bonne Princeffe auoit fait quelque aumofne pour les
fecounr, que d'autrcs Dames ou femmes deCapitaiues
faifoient le mefme, qu'on prioit Dieu pour enx par
toute la France, lis admiroient ta boni^ [22] & la no-
bleffe du chrillianifme, qui abbailTe les chofes grandes
& releue les plus bailes. Quelques vns d'eus me
dirent que tous les iours ils ne manquoient pas de
pricr pour les perfonnes qui les afiiltoient, me nom-
mant fort bien ecus qui ont eftably quelque fecours
Jolide, pour les tirer de leurs grandes miferes, Les
Chapilres fuyuans donneront de la confolation ^ ceux
qui ont cooper*^ au fang de lefus-Chrilt, dont la vertu
paroit auec eflonnement en ces pauures barbares.

1640] JiEZ-A TIOA' OF

to see these worthy and titled personSn Tningling with
the Savages,' — ^and all together approaching Jesus
Christ? This simplicity creates for us a golden age.
Some time *ago, we told the Savages that persons
of rank had desired to be recommended to their pray-
ers when they received communion, — -that even the
Queen had wished them to pray to God for her Dau-
phin, as I have learned on good authority. This
surprises and consoles them, and gives them an idea
of the greatness of God, and an esteem for prayer,
seeing that personages so eminent value it so high-
1'f. Upon telling them that this good Princess had
given some alms to succor them, that other Ladies
ot wives of Captains had done the same, that pray-
ers for them were offered to God throughout all
France, — they admired the goodness [22] and lofty
character of Christianity, which abases great things
and exalts the most humble. Some of them told me
that they would not fail to pray daily for the persons
who helped them, naming to me very well those who
have given substantial help to draw them out of their
great miseries. The following Chapters will afford
some consolation to those who have co(5perated with
the blood of Jesus Christ, the virtue of which appears
wonderfully in these poor barbarians.

w

i

^

LES RELATIONS DES J As UFTES [Voi- iS

CHAPITRE III.

LES SAUUAGES SE RASSEMBLEKT A SAINCT lOSEPH APRES

LA MALAEUE, ELISENT QUELQUE:^ CAFlTAIKES, S

FOKT FAROISTEE LEUR ZELE POUR LA FOV,

I^AY veu qiielquefois des pigeons effarez baltus
d'vn faucon, ces pauures oyfeaux voloicnt qui
degk qui del^ k [23J lentour de leur coiombier
fang y entrer, pnia leur ennemy ^enaut i difparoiltre
ils venoient fondrc tout h coup daiis leur petite mai-
fon, voila niftenient I'id^e du pito3'ab]e eftat auquel
fe trouuoient Van palT6 noa Sauuages, t:i maladie lea
pourfuiuoit comjne h tired'aifles. ilstournoient^ Ten-
tour de la maifon S, lofeph, paffoient & repaffoient
dans leuxs petites goudoles & oanots, & voyaiit encor
I'ombre du Vautour qui les chaiToit, ils s'enfuyoient
dciecbef, mais eTiJin ce fleau venant k ceffer, JIs fe
font venuE rejctter dans la denieure qn^iU ont choifis,
El Dtus fecit cum tirJihUwrtc prouentniH, Dieu leur a
donn6 jilus dc courage qu'aiiparauaut. Au temps
qu'ils fe ralYembloient le R, P. Vimout noflre Supe-
rieur. niontant aux trots Riuleres en rencontra quel-
ques vns en chemin. defquels il m'cfcriuit en ces
termes, Nous arriuafmes hier fur le midy che^ Mon-
Geur de la Poterie, nous n'tn pourrons partir que ce
lourd'huy prefque h. mefnie heure, pource que noa
mattelots ont lailTi^ efchou^r noitre chalouppe trop
baut, ie n'ay pcu trouuer de canot pour gaigner le
deuantf [24] car il n'y en a icy que dcu:i; dont i'vn

1C40J HELA 7 ION OF 1640 M

CHAPTER III,

THE SAVAGES KEASSEJTRLE AT SAl^T JOSEPH AFTER

THE EPlliEMIC, ELECT SEVERAL CAPTAIN'S, AND

SHOW THEIR ZEAL FOR THE lAlTH.

I HAVE ^sometimes seen frightened pigeoHS at-
tacked by a hawk. The;;t: poor birds would fly
here and there \2i\ around their dovecotCf with-
out entering it; theiij theiT enemy happcning^ to dis-
appear, they would suddenly dart into their little
home. This is precisely the image of the pitiable
condition in which our Savages were last year. The
malady pursued them with flapping wings* as it
were; they hovered around the house of St- Joseph,
passed and repassed in their little gondolas and
canoes, and^ still seeing the shadow of the Vulture
that pursued them, they again took fiisr^t; but final-
ly, as this scourge began to abate, they came and
took refuge in the dwelling they have chosen, Et
Dens fecit cum tCHtaliene provntium^ God has given
them more courage than before- At the time they
were reassembling, the Reverend Father Vimont,
our Superior, going up to the three Rivers, encoun-
tered some of theiu on the way, of whom he wrote
me in these terms; "We reaehcd Monsieur dc la
Potcrie's^ house yesterday about noon; we shall not
be able to leave until to-day at about the same hour,
because our sailors have let our shallop run aground
too far up. I could not find a canoe, to go on ahead
of it, [24] for there are onlj' two here^ — one of which

S2 LES RELA TfQNS DES /£SUITE^ C^gl. :a

a'en va h S. lofeph, Vautre doit femir h. trente Sau-
uages ou enuiron, que ie rencojitray icy hier au foir,
ie les f\s prier Dieu Sc lea enfeignay le mieux que ie
pen, ils me forcerent de chanter Irmitik, (c'efl vn
Cantique compof^ eu leur langue) Dieu f^ait comnie
ie m'en acquit^, ie paffay pourtaal iufques an bout
auec les Litanies, ie leur expofay comme voftre Re-
uerence & moy, leur anions procure la Gribane, pour
Tiiener leur petit bagage ^ S, lofcph, & que Monfieur
le Gouucrncuv leur accordoit tiette faueur pour les
obli^er ^ def ritiher la terre, ils e'y termoignerent fort
porter, apres que i'eu parl^, ils me dirent d'eux
mefmes qu'ils eltoient parens du Capitaine de I'lUci
mais cependant qu'ils ne I'aymoiet pas, pource qu'ils
fgauoient bien quil ne fe montroit alleetionm^ ^ la
culture de la terre & ^ Tinftrudlion qu'eu apparence,
prenant couge d'eux ie les afCeuray que ie prelTerois
mon voyage, pour les venir prendre au retour & me
^re leur Capitaine iufques h. S. lofeph, i'ay veu
quelques vieilles femmes infirmes & [25] quelques en-
fans, qui pourrout augmcriter Voccupatiou des meres
Hofpitalieres & des meres Vrfulines, ie defire auec
paffion de retourner bien vifte, & de contribuer quel-
que chofe ^I'arreft do ces pa mires fiaiiuages, i'oubliois
vn mot qui me confola bien fort, ils adioufterent k
leur haranguej quails n'auoient point dVfprit pour
retenir ce qu'on leur enfeignoit, pource qu'ils n'e-
ftoient point baptifef,, & qu'ifs fjauoient bien que le
baptefme ayde ii bien comprendre & h bien retenir, &
que s'ils eftoient baptifez ils auroient plus de force &
plus d'cfpritf pour apprendre les chofcs de la foy,
& pour faire comme les Franfois, ie vous prie faluer
de ma part V. Ces bonnes j^cns & plufienrs autres de

Itiiii] RELA TIQN OF 1640 fe

goes to St. Joseph, the other must serve about thirty
Savages whom I encountered here last evening. I
had them pray to God, and taught them as well
as I could. They made me sing the Irinitik (a Song
composed in their language). God k:iows how I
acquitted myself of this; howeverj I proceeded to
the end with the Litanies, I explained to them how
your Reverence and 1 had procured for them the
Gribane," to take their little baggage to St. Joseph,
and that Monsieur the Governor was granting them
this favor, in order to induce them to clear the land.
They declared themselves very favorably inclined to
this. After I had spoken, they told me that, as for
themselves, they were relatives of the Captain of the
Island; but that, however, they did not like him,
because they knew very well that he showed himself
interested in the cultivation of the land and in the
instruction, only in appearance. Upon taking leave
of them, 1 assured them that 1 w^ould hasten my
journey, in order to come and take them on my
return, and make myself their Captain as far as St.
Joseph. I saw some infirm old women and [25] some
children, who may give the Hospital mothers and the
Ursuline mothers more occupation. I desire ear-
nestly to return very soon and contribute something
towards the permanent settlement of these poor Sav-
£Lges. I forgot one ihonght which condoled me very
much. They added, in their address, that they had
not the sense to retain what was taught them, be-
cause they were not bapti'-'ned, — that they were well
aware that baptism aids in comprehendiiig clearly and
iu remembering well ; and that, if they were baptized,
they would have more strength and more intelligence
to learn the things pertaining to the faith, and to do

P4 LES RELATIONS DES jtSUiTES [Vor„ 18

diners endroits fe font enfin raffembleii "k S. lofepTi,
ofi ils ooC fait ce que ie vay dire, lous les Clireltiens
qui font les principaux d'entre cux, firent vn com-
plotj fans nous en nen dire, d'aiTerabler Ics Sauuages
pour les inquire forlement i croire que li qnelqu'vn
fe monftroit formclEement cnnemy de la foy, ils pri-
rent refolution de la chalTer de la bourgade qu'ils
[26] coramenccnt. Nous ayaut donn<5 aduis de leur
deffein, nous iugeafmes qti'il les falloit lailTc? fairs,
& que cette atitioii fi extraordinaire aux Sauuages,
qui ne fe coutredifent quafi iamais, s'eftimas tous
aufll grands feigneur^'^ les vna que les autres, pouuoit
proueiiiv de I'efprit dc Dieu- L'affemblee faite trois
Chreftiens haraugnerent, le premier fut Eliienne Pi-
garouik, iadis fameux forcier pavmy eus, il aigril vn
petit les efpris de quelques payens par fa feruenr,
car apies auoir tefmoign^ qu'il ne craiguoiC point la
morC^ qu'il tiendroit 'i\ faueur qn'on ic nialTacratt jjour
la foy, il dit qu'il falloit banuir le diable de leur nou-
uelle refidencc, & que les mcfcreans le retettoient
anec eux, notamment cenx qni vouloiet auoir deux
fetnmes* & par coiifequent qu'il falloit on croire ou
fe feparer, & que cenx qni anoietit du courage de-
uoitnt dive franchemeut Icurs penf6es fnr ce fnjet,

Apres ccluy-cy Noel Ncgabamat parla; mais pins
nioderemeuL L'experience fit il, nous appvcud que
llonfieur le Gouueruenr, que les Peres & tons les [27]
Franfois nous aymcnt, vons voyez qu'ils ne fecourent
pas feuleraent ceux qui font baptife^j ils nous aydent
tous ^ cultiuer la teirc & "k nous loger, ils nous foula-
gent en uos maladies, ils fnbnieunent ^ nos difettes
fans nous rieii demander, ny fans attendre de nons
aucnne recompenfc, vous approuuez tous ccs bonnes

1640] JiELA TION OF 1640 »B

as the French da. I beg you, salute for me Yours."
These good people, and mciny others from various
places, finally gathered at St. Joseph, where they
did what I am about to tell. All the Christians
who are promincut among them mutually agreed,
without telling U5 anything about it, to get the Sav-
ages together and offer them strong inducemi^nts to
believe; if any one showed himself an open enemy
to the faith, they resolved to drive him away from
the village that they [^6] are beginning. Having
informed us of their intentioUf we judged thai it was
best to let them proceed, and that this action, so
extraordinary among the Savages^ who hardly ever
contradict one anotherj each considering himself as
great a lord as the other, might proceed from the
spirit of God, The people being assembled, three
Christians addres^d them. The first was Estienne
Pigarouik, formerly a famous sorcerer among them.
He somewhat irritated the minds of some of the
pagans by his fervor; for — after having testified that
lie did not fear death, that he would consider it a
favor if they should murder him for the faith — he
said that they must banish the devil from their new
residence, and that the nnbelievers retained him
with them, especially those who wished to have two
wives ; and, consequently, that it was necessary either
to believe or to separate, and that those who had
courage ought frankly to express their opinions upon
this subject.

After this one, Noel Negabamat spoke, but more
moderately. " EKperience," he began, " teaches ns
that Monsieur the Governor, that the Fathers, and
all the [27] French love us. You see that they suc-
cor not only those who are baptised, they aid us all

96 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES p/oi.. 18

actions, votis dites tous, cela eft bien, ces gens 1^ nous
aj'meiit; niais f^aobez que C ce qu'ils font elt bocij ce
qu'ils enfeigiienl eft encore meilleur, ils ne difent
pas qu'ils iront tons feuls au Ciel, ils difent que nous
fommes tous freres, que nous n'auons qu'vu mefme
Pere, que les plaifirs de I'autre vie font aulli-bien
pour nouH que pour eux, vous f^auez ce qu'ils eufei-
gnenl, vous les efcoutea tous les iours, il me femble
que nous deurions nous vnir tous d'vne mefme
creance, puis que nous voulons nous rafferabler dans
vue mefme bourgade.

lean Baptiltc Etinechkadat qui eft Capitaine d' ex-
traction, parla le dernier. Vous fgauez (dit-il) que ie
ne fuis pas grand difcoureur, que ma langue tient
[28] mon palais, & qu'^ peine ma bouche e(t elle
perc^e, ie fuis defia age, ie comiuance i pcnfer plus
qu'^ parier: or ie vous alTeurc que i'ay bieu confldere
la Foy deuant que de TeuibrafTer, ie ne nic fuis pas
rendu \ la premiere femoncej mais i'en fuis maiute-
naut 1j fatisfait que plus ie la confidere, & plus ie
I'ayme, & par confequent fi vous auez quclque cre-
ance en moy ne craignea point de lembraHer, ie
croy que I'vnique nioyen de reiTufciter voftre nation
qui fe va perdre c'eft de vous r'ailembier tous, & de
croire en Dleu, non par feintife, mais du fond du
cceur; & comme il eft bon, & qu'il peut tout^ il nous
fera reuiure, & nous conferuera. Voyla ce que direut
nos Chrefliens en oeilc premiere aJTembl^e qui fe fit
la nui<ft en laquetle nous ne nous trouuafme point
non plus qu'aux autre fuiuantes, nos Neopbj'tes ou
pluftolt noltre Seigneur conduifoit tout cet affaire.

Vn Payen feulj homme arrogant, mais qui ia autre-
fois eft^ dauantage^ prit la parole apres ces trois

1640] SELA TION OF i6jo fit

to cultivate tlie land, and to furnish ourselves with
lodgings ; they relieve us in om sicknesses, they pro-
vide for us in our want, witboui asking us for any-
thing", nor expecting any recompense from us. You
all appro%-e of these good actions; yon all say ' That
is good, those people love us,' But know that if
wliat they do is good, what they teach is still better.
They do not say that they all will go alone to Heav-
en; they say that we all are brothers, that we have
only one and the same Father, that the pleasures of
the other life sre for us as well as for them. You
know what they teach,- — you listen to them every
day. It seems to me we all ought to unite in one
and the same belief ^ since we wish to a^jsemble in
one and the same village.^*

Jean Baptiste Etinechkavat, who is a Captain by
descent, spoke last. "You know" (said he) "that
1 am not a great talker, — that my tongue clings
[28] to my palate, and that it is hard to open my
lips, I am already old, T am beginning to think
more than to speak. Now I assure you that I con-
sidered the Faith well before embracing it, I did not
yield to the first invitation ; but I am now so satisfied
that, the more I consider it, the more I love it; and
consequently, if you have any faith in me, do not
fear to embrace it. I believe that the only means of
restoring your nation, which is going to destruction,
is for you all to assemble and to believe in God, —
cot hypocritically, but from the depths of your hearts ;
and as he is good, and as he can do all, he will re-
store and preserve us." That was what our Chris-
tians said in this first assembly, which took place at
night; we were not present there, nor were we at the
following ones. Our Neophytes, or rather our Lord,
conducted this whole affair.

1W, LKS RELA TIONS DES J&SUITES [Vou IS

barang;ues. le voy bien, dit-iV qu'ou nous veut
chaffer, il eft vray qu'on ne sattaqua pas [1 diredte-
ment [29] ^ moy qu'^ vn tel, qui eft man parent,
mais il faiit qu'on fi^ache qu'oii ne le pent heurter
fans me cboquer, on crie qui! ayme deux femmes,
n'auons nous pas ceite liberty depuis vu long temps
d'en prendre tant que nous voudrons? Si on penfe
nous fairs fortir de force, il faut ioiier i qui I'empor-
tera, celuy qui perdra la partie cedera: Nous cfcou-
tons tous les iours lea Pores, nous n'impromi.06 pas
ce qu'ils difent, mais nous ne croyos pas pounoir re-
tenir ce qu'ils enfeigncnt, ny garder ce qu'ils recom-
mandent, il ne fc faut pas halter les forces viennet
auec Vagc: I'ay eu de grands degoufts de ce qu'ils
prefchent, ie me fuis autrefois mocqu^ d'eux, ie les
ay querellez & menace, ie n'auois que la bouche en
ce tcmps-IJi, maintenant ie commence i auoir des
oreilles, fi elles ne font pas encore G bien percces que
les voltres, ce qu'on dit ne laiile pas d'y entrer:
Pour moy C i'eftois parent dcs Francois comme vous
qui aue^ receu leur creance, ie ne voudrois pas pour-
taut offencer mes compatriotes, la concluflon fut
qu'on penferoit \ cet affaire. Nos Chrefliens [30] ne
quitterent pas leur poindte, ils nous vindrent prier
d'agir fecretlement auec Monfieur le Gouuerneur,
afin qu'il le'5 portaft i cr^er quelques Chefs pour les
conduire dans leurs pctites alTaires, iugeas bien que
le petit nombre des Chefs eftaut gagnS tout le refte
fuiuroit aifcmcnt apres. Monfieur le Gouuerneur
qui ne laide efcouler aucune occafion d'amplifier la
Foy & le Royaume de IcfU5-Chrift> St appeller les
principaux, & apres les auoir loiiez, les vns d'auoir
receu le faindt Baptefme, les autres de fc difpofer S.

im\ DELATION OF if>4o m

One pagan alone — an arrogant man, butwtio had
formerly been more so — began to speak after these
three harangues. "I see clearly," said he, " tliat
they wish to drive us away. True, they do not
attack me so directly [?9] as they do such a one, who
is ray relative. But it must be known that one can-
not strike him without hurting me. They cry out
that he loves two women ; have we not had the priv-
ilege for a long time to take as many of them as we
wish? If they think to make us go out by force, we
shall have to play at ' who shall fetch?" and the one
who loses the game shall give up. We listen every
day to the Fathers. — we do not disapprove what they
say ; but we do not think that we can remember what
they teach, or observe what they recommend; Ave
must not be in hastCj strength comes with age, I
did feel great distaste for what they preach, — I used
to make sport of them, I have quarreled with and
threatened them; I had nothing but a mouth at that
time, but now I am beginning to have ears; if they
are not yet so sensitive as yours, nevertheless, what
is said goes into them. As /or me, if I were related
to the French as you are who have received their
belief, I woitld not be willing, however, to offend my
countrymen," The conclusion was that they would
think the matter over. Our Christians [30"! did not
give up their point. They came to beg us to treat
secretly with ilonsieur the Governor, that he might
prompt them to appoint some Captains to lead them
in their little affairs, — judging rightly that, the few
Captains being gained over, all the rest would readily
follow. Monsieur the Governor, who does not let
slip any occasion for extending the Faith and the
Kingdom of Jesus Christ, had the principal ones

100 LE^i Ulil.ATIOA'S DES /^SUITES [Vol. IS

le receuoir, apres les auoir exhortez i teair ferme
dans la refolution qu'ila ont prlfe, & qu'ils out dciia
mis en praotique de cultiuer ia terre & de s'arrellier.
Apres auoir recoTiimandi^ aus Chreftfens la coufiance
.en leurs manages, il leur tit entendre qu'il feroit k
propos qu'ils tflenttent quelques chefs pour les gou-
uernerj 8c que fi les femnies & la ieuneCTe viuoient
dans rindependance, que ce n'elloit pas le moyen de
fe conferucff ils proinircnt tous de s'aiTembler ^ S.
lofeph fur ce fubjet.

A trois iours deli ils uous vindrent [31] trouuer en
noftre Tnaifon, & nous demaderent comme ils proce-
deroient en celte affaire, leur ayant exp]fqu6 comine
ceSa fe pourtoit faire par bul[le]tins fecrets, ils con-
clurent tout fur Theure qu'il falloit qu'ils entraffent
Tvn apres Vaiitre en la chambre de Vvji de nous pour
noDjmer au Pere qui feroit 1^ trois des principaus
qu'ils ingeroieut pins propres pour conimander ; oela
fe fift fur rheure, le Pere efcriuit leur voix fecrete-
ment, puis il leur decLara tout haut combien chacnn
d'eux auoit de fu£frages, fans uommer ceux qui les
auoient donne^, les Chreiliens I'emportereot par
defTus les Payes, lea Baptifte Etiuechkadat n'entra
point dans re(le<5tiou; car eftant Capitaine d'ex-
tratftion chacun luy dona le premier rang, vn feul
Payen approcha du uombre des vols qu'eurent les
Chrefliens.

L'eledion faite ils fe regardoient Vvn I'autre bien
eftonnez, n'ayaus jamais precede en celtc fajon, pas
vn ne prenoit la parole, en fin vn Chreftien eftro-
piat d'vne iambe qui s'eftolt trouu^ auec les autres
a'efcria, A quoy peufons nous? pourquoy pcrfonne
ne parle-]l? voyla voftre [32] ouurage, c'eit nous qui

164Q] JiELA T/ON OP ib^o 101

called together; and^baving praised them, some
for having received holy Baptism, others for prepar-
ing' themselves to receive it; having ejchorted them
to hold fast to the resolution they liave taken, and
■which they have already put into practiee, to culti-
vate the land and to settle down ; and having recom-
mended to the Christians constancy in their mar-
riages — he gave them to understand that it would
be well if they should elect some chiefs to govern
them; and that, if the women and the youth lived
independently^ this was not the way to preserve them-
sehes. They all promised to assemble at Si. Joseph
to consider this matter.

Three days afterward they came [31] to our house
to see us* and asked us how they should proceed in
this affair. Having explained to them how it could
be done through secret votes, they immediately con-
cluded that they mnst enter, one after the other, the
chamber of one of us, to name, to the Father who
should be there, three of the principal men whom
they might consider best qualified to command. This
was done without delay; the Father wrote their
votes secretly, then he declared to them aloud how
many ballots each of them hadj without naming those
who had given them. The Christians prevailed over
the Pagans, Jean Eaptiste Etineehkavat did not
compete in the electioni for. being a Captain by
descent, every one gave him the first rank. One
Pagan alono approached the number of votes that
the Christians had.

The election over, they looked at one another in
great astonishment, never having proceeded in this
manner. No one broke the silence. Finally a Chris-
tianj crippled in one leg, who happened to be present

lOa LBS RELA TIONS PES J^SUITES [Vol. IS

venous de conclure qn'il faut que tels & tels comman-
dent, oh plultolt c'e{t Dieu qui la ainfi ordonn^, il
a conduit nos voix & nos fuffragesj il ne relte p^us
qu'^ obeyTf puis fe tottrnant vers nous, ie voy bien

chacun regavde fon Compaq'"'" ^ ^^^^ commencera de
parler^ mes Peres^ uoiis dit il, permette?, nous de tious
retirer en quelque endroit hors de voftre maifon ; afin
que uous puiflions nous confultcr les vns & ley autres^
fur ce que Jious veuons de faire, & qu'vn chacun dife
librement ce qu'il en penfe, on les congedia fur le
champ, euK s'eftans alTemblea en I'vne de leur
cabanes ^ part, ce boiteus pouiT^ comme ie croy, de
lefprit de Dien, parla d'vue fi grande fenieur des
grandeurs de !a F03', & fur tout des biens de I'obe-
!ffaiice, qu'il les eftouna toijs, ils parlementerent
entr'eux & coudurent. Premierement que ce
pauure boiteux, qui parloit fi bien de Dleu, fcroit
Capitaine des prieres, qu'il ferott efcout^, qii'il
apprendroit de nous tout ce qu'il pourroit des veri-
tez de noitre creance pour leur expHquer, [33] & que
chacun fe difpoferoit ^ la receuoir,

Secoiidement ils en dcftinerent deux, qui tien-
droient la ieuueiTe dans leijr deuoir, I'vn eiloit Chre'
ftien 8c I'autre encore Payeu.

En troifiefme lieu ils conclurent, que les trois qui
auoient eu plus de vais determincroieut de leurs
affaires, auec lean BaptiEte def-ja Capitaine, & que
ces nouucaux Magiftrats ne feroient qu'vn an en
charge, lour tenne expir6 qu'on procederoit k vne
nouuelle eflediion.

En quatriefme lieu, lis confinnerent la refolution
qu'ils auoient prife de cultiuer la terre, cela faid; ils
allerent trouuer Monfieur le Gouuerneur pour luy reu-

1840] RELA TSON OF 164^ 1(^

with tte others, exclaimed, " What are we thinking
about? Why does no one speak? This is your own
[32] work. It is \ve who have just concluded that
such and such persons should command, or rather it
is God who has so ordered it,— he has guided our
opinions and our ballotH; nothing more remains but
to obey." Then, turning toward us, " I see plainly
that each one is looking at his companion to see who
will begin to speak- My Fathers," he said to us,
" permit us to withdraw to some place outside of your
house, that we may consult among ourselves upon
what we have just done, and that each one may say
freely what he thinks of it." They were immedi-
ately dismissecl, and, having assembled apart in one of
their cabins, this lame man, urged onj as I believe, by
the spirit of God, spoke with so great fervor of the
grandeurs of the Faith, and above all of the blessings
of obedience, that he astonished them all. They
parleyed among themselves, and concluded: First,
that this poor cripple, who spohe so well of God,
should be Captain of prayers; that he should be lis*
tened to; that he should learn from us what he could
of the truths of our belief, to explain these to them;
[53] and that each one should dispose himself to
receive it-

Secondly, they appointed two of them, who should
keep the young men to their diity; 0110 was a Chris-
tian, and the other still a Pagan.

In the third place, they concluded that the three
who had received the most votes should decide their
ai^airs, with Jean Baptiste, already a Captain, and
that these new Magistrates should be in charge only
one year ; that, when their terra c:;pired. they should
proceed to a new election.

104 /_£-i- KELAT/ONS DlCS jE:SUIT£5 [Vol. 18

dre raifon de leur precede, & pour le fupplier d'au-
thorifer ccux qu'ils aiioient efleus, il IcTir prorait de les
mainieiiirf & comme il fait rendre oLeyffattce k chaque
pere de famille dans fa maifoc, qu'if tiendra la main
s'ils Ten reqiiierent. que leurs compatriottes abeylTent
?i ce qu'ils ont conciud par entr'eux. Quand tout fut
arreft^, la ieunelTe paHant Tarquebufe [34] fur I'ef-
paule i I'enttmr de la oabane, oil les Capitaines auoient
eftiS eileuSn fit vnc gentite falne pour les honnorer.

Le lendemain Tvn de nous intevrogeant vu Paycn
afle^ efloig:"!} de la foy s*il ue penfoit point i fe faire
infimire, N'auea vous pas, dit-il, ouy ces coups
d'aiquebufes qu'oii tira hicr an foir, ce bruit vous
afleuvoit de la vo]ont6 que i'ay de croire en Dieu;
car nous conclumes tous qu'il falloit vous efcouter,
& enibrafTer vos'i famous de faire,

Comme tout cecy s'eftoit pail^ feulement entre
leH liommes, ils refolnrent d'afTembler les femmes
pour les preffer de fe faire iuftruire, & de receuoir
le faiudt Baptefme, on les fit done venir, & les ieunes
gens aufli, le bon fut qu'on les prefcha fi bien, que
le iour fuiuant vne partie de ces pauures femmes ren-
contrant le Pere de Quen luy dirent, oh. efl vn tel
Pere. nous le venons prier de nous baptifer, hicr les
hommes nous appellcreiit eu Confeil, c'eft la pre-
miere fois que iamais les femuies y font entr6es ; raais
ils nous traitStcrent fi rudement, [35] que nous en
eftions toutes eftonnees, c'eft vous autres nous di-
foient-iU» qui efles caufes de tous nos malbeurs, c'efl
vous qui retenea les deraos parmy nous, vous ne
preffez point pour eflre baptifces, il ne fe faut pas
contenter de demauder vne feule fois cette faueur
aux Peres, il les faut importunerj vous elles paref-

ie40j Ri^/-^ TfO^V OF 1640 IW

In the fourth place, they confirined the resolution
they had made to cultivate the land, Thi^ done,
they weat to see Monsieur the Governor to give him
an account of their proceedings, and to entreat him
to authorize those whom they had elected. He prom^
ised them thai he would support these; and, as he
has obedience reuderi^d to every head of a family in
his own house, that he would lend a helping hand if
they required it of him. to the end that their coun-
trymen should obey what they have mutually con-
cluded. When all was resolved upon, the young
men. passing, with arquebuses [34.] upon their shoul-
ders, around the cabin where the Captains had been
elected, iired a neat salute in their honor-

The next day, w^hen one of us asked a Pagan, w^ho
was somewhat averse to the faith, if he were not
thinking of being instructed, " Did you not hear the
arquebus shots last evening?" said he. "That
noise assured you of my willingness to believe in
God; for we all concluded that we must listen to
you, and embrace your customs.*'

As all this took place only among the men, they
resolved to call together the women, to urge them
to be instructed and to receive holy Baptism. Ac-
cordingly, they were brought together, and the young
people also. The best of it was that they preached
to them so well that the following day some of these
poor women, encountering Father de Qnen, said to
him, " Where is such a Father? we have come to beg
him to baptize us. Yesterday the men summoned
us to a Council, the first time that women have ever
entered one; but they treated us so rudely [35] that
we were greatly astonished. ' It is you women/
they said to us, ' who are the cause of ail our misfor-

JM LES DELATIONS DES J&SUITF.S [Vol IS

feufes d'aller aux prieres, quant vous paffez deuant
la croix, vous ne la faints pointy vous voulea eflre
indcpeTfdantes, or fjachez que vous obeirez jl vos
maris, & vous ieuneJTe vous obeirez si \os parens &
^ nos Capitaines, & fi quelqu'vn y manque nous auons
conclitd qu'on ne luy doneroit point i manger. Voila
vue partie du fermon de ces noiuieaiix Predioateurs,
lefqueis h mon aduis font d'autant plus eftoanans
qu'ila font nouueaux, & tres-edoignez des fa^ons d'a-
gir des Sauuages. le croy bien qu'ila n'entreront pas
tout d'vn coup dans cettc grande foufmilTEon qu'ils fe
prometicnt; mais il en fera de cet article comme des
autres, its I'embraffcront petit il petit, Vne ieune
femme vn peu apres ces eIle(5tions, s'en eltant fuye
dans [36] le bois ne voulaut pas obeyr i foji mary,
les Capitaines la Eirent chercher, & nous vindrent
demauder fi Tayaut trouu^e il ne feroit pas bon de
rencli^Liner par vn picd, & Il ce feroit affeK dc la faire
ieufner quatre iours & quatre nuiols faus manger,
pour penitence de fa faute.

Jl arriua au mefme temps vn traici d'edification,
deux femraes aueugles, ayaus ouy dire qu'il falloit
houorer la croix qui eltoit entre leurs cabanes & la
Chappelle» la cherchoient auec leurs baftons quant
elles veuoient il la Meffe, & comme elle eft plant6e
dans vne pallillade de pieux, ils pafToient leurs bas-
tons fur ces picux, fe doutat bien que cette eroix eftaut
plus haute, elles la reneoutreroientf que!lques vns de
nos Francois les voyans fi attentiues k chercher. s'ar-
refterent pour veoir ce qu'elles vouloient faire, apres
auoir bien fuyui la palliflade, enlin elles rencontre rent
la croix, & toutes deviK luy fi rent vne grande reue-
rence, cela fit rire nos Francois, qui ne lailTerent

1640] J^EI.A TJON OF 164a 107

tunes, — it Is you who keep the demons among us.
You do not urge to be baptized ; you m^ist :;ot be sat-
isfied to ask this favor only once from the Fathers,
you must importune them- Yon are lazy about go-
ing to prayers J when you pass before the cross, you
never salute it; you wish to be independent. Now
know that you will obey your husbands; and you
young; people, you will obey your parents and our
Captains ; and, if any fail to do so, we have coneludcd
to give them nothing to eat,' " This is a part of the
sermon of these new Preachers, who, in my opinion,
are so much the more wonderful as they are new and
very far removed from the Savage methods of action.
I believe, indeed, that they will not all at once enter
into this great submissiveness that they promise
themselves; but it will be in this point as iu others,
they will embrace it little by little. A young woman
having [led, shortly after these elections, into [36]
the woods, not wishing to obey her husband, the
Captains had her searched for, and came to ask us,
if, having found her, it would not be well to chain
her hy one foot ; and if it would be enough to make
her pass four days and four nights without eating,
as penance for her fault.

There occurred at the same time an edifying inci-
dent. Two blind women having heard that they
must honor the cross which was between their cabins
and the Chapel, felt for it with their staffs when thoy
cametoMass; and, as it is planted within a palisade
of stakes, they passed their staffs over these stakes,
wondering if, this cross being higher, they could
touch it. Some of our Frenchmen, seeing them so
earnestly searching, stopped to see what they in-
tended to do. After having carefully followed the

SB LES JilCLAT/ONS DES jtSUiTES [Vou, 18

pas d'eftre bien ediffiez de la flmpHcit^ de oes bonnes
gens.

En fiiite de toutes ces cxmclufions, ils [3;] fe mi-
rent ?t trauailler \ leiirs deferts, de verity ie croy que
leuis Anges fe Tefioiiyffoient bicn fort, les voyant fl
feriiens dans vne occupation fi innocente & fi vlile^
pour ic bien de leiirs corps & dc leurs ames, nortre
Retieread Pere Superieur qui auoit paS^ THyiier ^
Kebec, voulut iouyr de cette confolation^ il s'en vint
demcnrer k S. lofeph, & fit merueille pour Ics fecou-
rir- Nous somes extremement obligez i V, R- de
nous auoir enuoy^ ^-n hommc fi prudent, fi charitable
& fi zeI6 pour le falut des pauures Saiiuagtis. Non-
obltant les diuertifTemens de fa charge, il a tellement
aduanc^ en la cognoiffance de la lan^e qu'il fe faict
deOa entendroj expliquant le catechifme auec fruidt,
il s'en alloit luy-mefme auec nos hommes fecourir
ces bons Neophitcs, leur donnant par fois k manger
^ la fin de leur Irauail, leur procuraut du hied d'Inde
pour femer, ie vous lailTc h penfer fi ces pauures
Sauuages efloieut confolta, voyans ces grands aiites
de charity.

Quelques Francois voulans participer i ce bon
ceuure, donnerent auili [38] quelques iournSes de
leurs homes pour aduancer cet ouurage, & ayder ees
pauures gens i femer lenrs bledsj la graine de chari-
ty, prodiiit des fruidts de gloire.

A mcfme temps qn'on trauailloit ya baa auec fer-
neur, quelques Algonquins de rifle faifoicnt Ie
mefme aux trois riuieres, Ie defert qu'ils oat fait, efl
I'vue des plus fortes cliaif ues qui les puiffent arre-
fler, lis auoient donnd parole ^ N. R. P, Superieur
qui les alia vifiterj de fe faire inrtruire, & de cultiner

1640] RELA TFON OF 1640 10&

palisade, they finally encountered the cross, and both
made a deep reverence to it. This made our Fiench-
mcTi laiigh, yet they were greatly edified at the sim-
plicity of these good people.

In coasequence of all these conclusion s^ they [37]
set to work at their meadows. In tn.ith, I believe that
their Angels rejoiced greatly, seeing them so fervent
in an occupation so innocent, and so useful to the wel-
fare of their bodies and their souls- Our Reverend
Father Superior, who had passed the Winter at Kebec,
' -wishing to enjoy this consolation^ came to live at St,
Joseph, where he did wonders in aiding them. AVe
are extremely obliged to Your Reverence for having
sent us a man so prudent, so charitable, and so zeal-
ous for the salvation of the poor Savages. Notwith-
standing the distractions of his office, he has so
advanced in the knowledge of the language that he
already makes himself understood, explaining the
catechism profitably. He went himself with our
men tc succor these good Neophytes, sometimes giv-
ing them food at the end of their work, and procur-
ing Indian corn for them to plant. I leave you to
imagine whether these poor Savages were comforted,
at seeing these great acts of charity.

Some Frenchmen, wishing to participate in this
good work, also gave [jS] a few days' labor of their
njen to advance it, and to help these poor people
plant their com. The seed of charity produces fruits
of glory.

At the same time that they were working down
here with feivor, some Algonquins of the Island
were doing the same thing at the three rivers. The
clearing they have made is one of the strongest chains
that can hold them there. They had given their

ITO

LES RELATIONS DES jfi:SUITES [Vox- 18

la teirsj ie croy qu'ils la garderont, C la crainte de
leurs ennemis ne les faidt quitter prife. Le Pere
lacques Buteux & Ie Pere Cliarles Raimbault qui
trauaillcnt eii cette refidenoej les gaigneut fortement
S noftre Seigneur.

Quaiid nos Sauiiages eureut cnfemenc^ leur champs,
ils nous diret qu'ils auoient deffein de defcendre ^
Tadouffac, en pariie pour aller en marchaudife aux
peupies du Saguene; raais principalemeut pour iiiui-
ter le Capitaine de TadoufTac & fes gens, d'em-
brafTcr la foy & tie venir dcmeurer aupres d'cux, Sc
pource [39] qu'en telles occaCons les prefens parlent
plus que la bouche^ ils amatTcrent quantity de porce-
laine, pour prefeuter i ce Capitaine, nous y cotribu-
afraes quelque chofe de noilre pari, ils nous dirent
encore que fi ceux de TadouiTac fe rangeoieut auec
eux, qu'ils iroient inuiter les aiitres nations plus
elloign^es k faire le mefme; afiu atlioufloient ils que
nous n'ayons tous qu'vn Dieu, & qu'vne fa^o dc faire,
Ties paroles difoieut les ClireElieuSf ne feront point
nouuelles; car le bruit de noftre creance fe refpend
defia par tout, ha! qu'il eft vrayque, Dens nojter ignis
confumensejl, que Dieu efl; vn feu confommant, & que
Nemo eji qui fe abfcondat h calore eins, qu'il u'y a mar-
bre qu'il n'eebauffe, Euflay-ie iamais creu, que des
Earbares n<Ss dans la oruaut^, nourris de chair hu-
mainCf fulTent deuenuj; Predicateurs de lefus-Chriit,
ie puis alTeurev que ie ne fgache pcrfonne qui leur ayt
doun^ ces penfiSes, d' aller inuiter les autres nations
de croire en Dieu, c'eft vn pur ouurage du fainct
Efprit, & aiin qu'on voye que c'eit I'eiprit. Qui
contiiiet omnia & repkt orhsin terrarnm Jcientiam [40]
hiibens vosis. Voycj ce qu'i! a fait dire aux Sauuages

1640] HELA T/O^y QF 1640 HI

word to Our Reverend Father Superior* who went to
visit Ibem, Ihat they would reeeive instruetion, and
would cultivate the land; I believe that they will
keep k, if the fear of their enemies does not cause
them to let g-o the prize. Father Jacques Buteus
and Father Charles Raimbault, who labor in this resi-
dence, exert a strong influence upon them for our
Lord.

When our Savages had planted their fields, they
told us that they intended to go down to Tadoussac,
partly to trade w^ith the peoples of the Saguene, but
principally to invite the Captain of Tadoussac and
his people to embrace the faith and to come to live
near them; and since [39] on such occasions presents
speak louder than words, they collected a quantity
of porcelain to present to this Captain- We con-
tributed something; thereto, on our part. They told
us, besides, that if the people of Tadoussac ranged
themselves on their side, they would go and invite
the other more distant nations to do the same, " In
order," they added. " that we may all have only one
God, and one way of doing things." *' Our words/'
said the Christians, " will not be new* for the report
of our belief is already spread everywhere." Ah,
how true it is that Dsns noster ignis consuvietis est, that
God is a consuming fire; and that Nnno ai qui Jf
abscondat h calore ejus, that there is no marble that it
does not heat. Would I ever have believed that
Barbarians born in cruelty, and fed upon human
fiesh, would become Preachers of jesus Christ? I
can assure you that I do not know any one ^vho has
given them these ideas of going to invite other
nations to believe in God,— it is purely the work of
the holy Spirit; and, in order that it may be seen

Iia LES RELATIONS DES /f^SO/TilS fVoi_ IB

des trois Rmieres. Quelques canots d'Attikamegues
(ce font peuples qui habitent ordinaire men t an defCus
du fleuue dcs trois Rinieres) eflas defcendus vers nos
Fran^oiSj les Algonqiiina les iniiitereixt de venir de-
nieurer auec eux pour auoir la cognoilTanoe de Dieu,
leur difant mille biens du fecours que nous leur ren-
doTts felon noftre petit pouuoir, ces nouueaus holtes
ne repartirent rien i cela; mais sen allans trouuerle
Pere Buleuxj ils liiy tefmoignerent qu'ils auoient vn
grand defir d'eftre inftrnias, & de cultiuer la tcrre,
tion pa^ auec les Aljfonquius, ^ raifon qu'ils efloient
dilTerens d'Lumeur & de languCf le Pere leur deman-
da s'ils ne voudroient pas bien choifir vne place, vne
iourn^e de ohemiu ou enuiron, dans le Jleuue Meta-
berytin, que nous appellos les trois Riuieres, & que
1^ deux Peres de no^tre Copagnie les iroient mdruire,
helas! iireat ils^ c'eJt bien ec que nous fouhaitte-
rions- Voicy les propres tennes de la lettre du Pere
Euteux, qui nous refcriuit ces bonnes nouuelles,
alTeure toy^ me [41J dit le Capitaine de cette nation,
que ie feray ce que ie pourray enuers mes gens; afin
que cela fe faffe, tu en fgauras dcs nouuelles deuant
I'Automne, afin qu'on fe puiETe difpofer pour defer-
ter au Printcmps, prends courage, moy & mon onele
que voila parlerons fortemcnt de eel affaire, cct oncle
dont i\ parloit & qui eftoit 1^ prefent, eft vn bon
vieillard que ie baptifay I'an paH^, & que le freur
Marfolet nomma Nicolas, ie luy auois dit qu'il taf-
cbaft de fe venir confelTer au Printenips, il n'y a pas
manqu^i il a rompu exprcs le deffein qu'il auoit d'al-
ler plus haut, cet homme efl fort af^ectionn^ ^ la
fainde Foy, ce qui luy donne vne grande confiance
en Dieu, dont en voicy vn cffet^ qu'il me lacunta lors

1640J RJlLA TION of it>4^ llS

that it is the spirit, Qui continet omniit et replH orbem
ierrarum scieniiam [40] hahens vccis, behold what it
ha^ caii«ied the Savages of the three Rivers to say.
Some canoes of Attikamegues (these are tribes that
live ordinarily above the river of the three Riv-
ers) having come down towards our French, the
Afgoaqiiins invited them to come and live with them,
in order to obtain a knowledge of Godf — telling them
a thousand good things about the help that we ren-
der them according to ouv limited power. These
new guests answered nothing to Ihisj hut, going to
see Father Buteus, they testified to him that they
had a great desire to he instructed and to i:ultivate
the landf — bui not with the Algonquins, because
they were of different natures and language. The
Father asked them if they would not like to choose
a place, distant one day's journey or thereabout, on
the river Mctabcroutin, which we call the three
Rivers, and that there two Fathers of our Society
would go to instruct them. " Ah/' they replied,
*'that is Just what we would like- " Here are the
exa<:t words of the letter of Father ButcuXj who
wrote us this good news; " ' Rest thee assured,' [41]
the Captain of this nation said to me» ' that I shall
do what I can with my people, in order that this may
be accomplished; thou shall hear news of it before
Autiimn, so that arrangements maybe made to clear
the land in the Spring. Take courage! I and my
uncle, whom yon see. will speak iirgently of this
matter.' This uncle of whom he spoke and who was
present thevCf is a good old man whom I baptized
last year, and whom sieur Marsolet named Nicholas.
1 had told him that he should try to come and con-
fess in the Spring. He did not fail la do so, purposely

IE.

114 LES JiELAT/OA'S J:>£S /^SUITES [Vol, 13

que ie le voulois congedicr, apres s'eftre confeffd,
attend eiicor vn petit me dit-il, te te veu.x dire ce
que m'a fait noftre Pere, c'eft ainfi qu^il appelloit
Dieu, les neigcs n'ont pas clt6 bonnea cette aon^ej ce
qui a eft§ canfe qu'k la fin de THyuer ie me fuia
trouu^ vne fois bien eii peine, ie n'anois rien k man-
ger, & ie n'efperoifi pas d'en trouner auec mes iambes
defia vieillcs, [4^] veu que de meillenrs cliaHeurs que
rooy perdoient courage, ie m'addreffay pour lors,
comme ie fav en toutes mes nccefiit^s k noEtre Pere,
& luy dis i'efpere en toy, tu ^s ]e mailtre de tout,
aydc nous, fais ce qu'il te plairaj quelque teps apres
ma priere, ie rencontray inopiuemeTit deux Orignaux,
dont i'en tuay vn fur Ie champ, & donnay charge it
de ieunes gens d'aller titer Tautre, ce qu'ils firent,
ainfi i'efpere que celuy qui eft bon me logcra an ciel
auec lay. Ie puis dire en verity que Ie P. R[ajim-
bault & nioy voyans comme ce bou homme s'eitoit Q
bien confcvui3 dans ks forefts & parmy des Barbares,
n'ayant eu que fort pen d'inflrutitioa, n'admirafmes
Ja bot^ de Dieu ; Ie fainiit Efprit eft vn grand maiftre.
Nos Algonquins font allez en traidte vers vnc na-
tion qui fe nomme les Vtakd'amivek [sc. Ktak!<'ami-
aek], ceux'Cy baictent auec d'autres qui vicunent du
Nord, & qui ^'appellent Papiraga^'ek, ils out vn ren-
deK-vous, oti ils s'atTeinblet au mois d'Aouit, il fait
s'y froid au pays de ceux-cy que les arbrcs ne vien-
Eent pas h iu(te grandeur, pour donner de I'efcorce
fnfiifante pour [43] leur faire des canota, qu'ils achep-
tent des autres peuples, i'efpere que ia Foy fera por--
t(^e dans ces nations, qn'on pourra attirer & arrefter
ja-bas auec Ie temps. Ce font les paroles du Pere,
Dieu Ie veille exauccr.

1640] RELA TJON OF 1640 IIB

breaking oJT his plan of going farther up. This man
takes a deep interest in the holy Faith, and this
gives him great confidence in God. of which here is
one result that he related to me when I would have
dismissed him. After having confessed, he said to
me, ' Wait a little longer: T wish to tell thee what
our Father has done forme" — it is thus he called God—
'The snows have not been favorable this year, which
caused me once at the end of the Winter to be in
great distress; I had nothing to eat, and I did not
expect to find any game with my legs already old,
[42] seeing that better hunters than I had lost cour-
age. I addressed myself then, as I do in all my ne-
cessities, to our Father, and said to him, "My hope
is in thee, thou art the master of all; help us; do
what shall please thee." Some time after my pray-
er, I encountered imexpectedly two Moose, — one of
which I killed immediately, and charged some young
men to go and kill the other one, which they did.
So I hope that he who is good will lodge me in
heaven with him.' I can say truly that Father
R[a]imbault and I, seeing how this good man had
been preserved in the forests and among Barbarians,
though he had had but very little instruction, admired
the goodness of God. The holy Ghost is a great
master.

"Our Algonquins have gone to trade in the vicin-
ity of a nation called the Outakw'amiwek."^ The
latter trade with others who come from the North,
and who are called Papiragaw'ek." They have a
rendezvous vi'here they assemble in the month of
August. Tt is so cold in the ooimtry of the latter
that the trees do not attain the proper size to furnish
them bark enough for [43J making their canoes,

lift LES RELATIONS DES JJ/iSUITES [Vol. IS

I'ay defia dit, quVne piece de cent efcu5 efl capable
d'arrefter & de conuertir toute vne famille, par vne
petite maironnette qu'on luy dreffe, partie eL la Fran-
9oife, partie S. la fa^on des Saiiuagc!;, pleuft i Dieti
que la fuperfiuit6 des baftimens de France, fut
contiertie eo ces petits edifices, & que la deuotion
d'arrelter & fixer ces pauures peuplcSs entralt dans
le cceur dts puilTans du moude. Qui reduit vne
famille coiiuertiL tous fcs defcendans, & fait vn petit
peuple Chretlieii,

3640] RELA TIQN OF 1640 W

tffhicli they buy from other tribes. I hope the Faith
will be carried into these nations, that we may be
able to attract and locate them down here in the
course of time/' These are the words of the Father;
may God hearken to then:i.

I have already said that the snm of a hundred ^cus
is sufficient to hold and convert an entire family, by
means of a little house that is built for it, partly
in the French way, partly in the fashion of the
Savages, Would to Go^ that the superfluity of
buildings in France were converted into these little
edifices; and that zeal to render these poor peoples
permanently settled would enter the hearts of the
mighty ones of the earth. He who civilizes one family
converts all its descendants, and makes a miniature
Christian people.

lis LES KELATIONS DES J ^SUITES [Vol IS

[44] CHAPITRE JV.

DES r^AUUAGES BArTT!iT5s, & DES BONNES ACTIONS DS
CETTE NOUfjKLLE EGLJSE.

NOUS auons baptif<5 cettc ann^e environ doui^e
i^ens SatEuages, tant aus Hurons qii'icy bas.
ceux qui ont receu ce Sacrement ts reCdences
de Kebec, de S. lofeph, & des trois Riuieres, font la
plufpart perfonnes adultes, qui ont embraff^ la Foy
de lefus-Chrifl, dans vne bonne fant^, apres vne fuffi-
fante iniVuc^ioa qu'ori leur a donn^e, ils vJueot
maintenant dans vne ioye & dans vne innocence tres-
aymable. le ne m'arrefteray pas \\ d'efcrire les par-
ticularites de Icura baptefmeSf ie me conCenteray de
coucher qiielques vnes de leiirs bonnes aetions, &
des boTiE fentimens qiie Dieii leiirdonne. C'efl main-
tenant qu*on peut dire que, Samarin reHpit Verbum
[4S] Dei, qu'il n'y a point de barbarie ^ Tef preuue
des bontds de Dieii, les ames fainAes qui ont arrouf^
cea nouuelles plantes de leurs larmes, & qui lej; ont
fait gcrmer & poufler par leurs fainctes priereSf &
par lenrs fecoiirs cbaritables; goullerot aucc plaifir
ces fruicts* du fang de lefus-Chrilt., que ie leur pre-
fente de tout mon ctEur-

Nous auous done en la refidence de fain<^ lofeph,
vne nouuelle Eglife de Rauuages, qui fe ralTemblent
petit k petit en ce lieu 1^, lant pour eftre inflruiifts,
que pour cultiuer la terre. Nous en aiios vn autre
auK trois Riuiere.s, qui pour eltre plus ieune n'a pas

1640J RELA TION OF 1640 118

[44] CHAPTER IV.

OF THE SAVAGES BAPTIZED, A^'D THE GOOD DEEDS

I\' THIS NEW CHURCH.

WE have tjaptizcd this yoar about twelve hun-
dred Savages, including those among the
Hurons as well as those down here. Those
who have received this Sacrament at the residences
of Kebec, St. Joseph^ and the three Rivers, are for
the most part adiUts, who have embraced the Faith
of Jesus Christ in good health, after they have been
given sufficient instruction. They are living now in
most delightful happiness and innocence. I will not
stop to describe the particulars of their baptisms,
but will content myself with mentioning some of
their good actions and some of the good sentiments
that God gives them. Jt is now that we can say^
S'iiiKiria tfcipit Vcrbum [45] Dei^ there is no barbarian
condition that is proof against God's goodness. The
pious souls who have watered these new plants with
their tears, and who have made them germinate and
grow by their holy prayers and by their kindly assist-
ance* will taste with pleasure these fruits of the
blood of JesuH Christ, which I present to them with
all my heart.

We have, then, at the residence of saint Joseph, a
new Church of Savages, who are gradually collecting
in that place, both to be instructed and to cultivate
the land. We have another at the three Rivers,
which, being younger, is not as yet so strong. The

LES RELATIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. IS

encor tant de force. Les principaixx Sautiages d'icy-
bas font defia Chreftiens, les autres afpirent ^ eette
faueutj c'eit vnc confolation bien douce de veoir la
candeur de ces nouueaux enfans de Dieu,

Premierement il n'y a uvXit difficult^ de porter ces
bons Ncophites, i frequeter les SacremensS les iours
qu'on delire qu'ils s'en approchent, va [des] Peres s'ea
va la veille par les cabanes, on bien leur dit auK pri-
ereSf & S. VinftrUiftion qu'on leiir [46] fait tous les
foirs en la Chappellef oil ils s'aJTemblenl, demain ne
manq^i^s pas de vous venir confeffer, & ceiix i qui
on aceordera la faiaifte Comniimi on la rcceuront aueo
reuerence, h/f ! refpondeui-ils, eela fait tencz vous
prefts fi vous vowleT^ des quatre heurea du matm ; car
voua ne manquerez pas de voir des Sauuages k voftre
porte, tous prellade fe confelTer, cette obeyffance eft
elle pas bien aymable?

Comme on leur recommande dc ne laiffer croupir
dans leur eceur aucune offence qu'ils iugent taut foit
pen griefue; I'en ay veu s^en venir d6s le point du
iour en noftre maifon, & dire h, Tvn de nous, uion
Pere, mon occur eil: mecbant, i'ay facbe Dieu, i'ay
fait telle offencej difant tout haut leur pecln?, par
exemple, i'ay fait vn feflin k tout manger^ le Diable
ma tromp^, ie me viens confelTer, ie n'auray point
de repos que ie n'aye vomy la malice de mon ame;
s'eftans confetTez ils s'en vont foulage?., fe croyans
purifiez dans le fang de lefua-Chrift qui leur etl
appliqu6 par ce Sacrcment, dont ils cou^oinent fort
bien la vertu,

[47] n y en a qui ne manquent point de fe con-
fejTer tous les huidt iours, 8c de fe conimunicr autant
de fois qu'on leur permet, car ils ne Je font point
fans cong^.

1640J RELA T/OJV OF 1640 ISQ

principal Savages down here are already Cttistians,
and the others aspire to thin grace. It is a very
sweet consolation to see the cafldor of these new chil-
dreTi of God.

First, there is no difficulty in Inducing- these good
Neophytes to frequent the Sacraments on the days
when they are desired to approach them. One of
the Fathers goes through the cabins, the evening
"before, or says to them at prayers, and at the in-
struction, that is [46] given them every evening, in
the Chapel where they assemble, " Do not fail to
come to-morrow to confess; and those to whom the
holy Communion shall be granted, shall receive it
with reverence." //<?/ they respond. This done,
hold yourselves in readiness, if you please, at four
o'clock in the morning, for you will be sure to see
Savages at your door, all ready to confess. Is not
this obedience very pleasing?

When they were urged to allow no offense, how-
ever insignificant they might consider it, to stagnate
in their hearts, I have seen them come to our house
at the break of day, and say to one of us, " My Father,
my heart is wicked; I have offended God; I have
committed such an offense," naming their sin aloud, —
for examplef "1 have made an eat-all feast; the
Devil has deluded me, I am going to confess; I
shall have no rest until I have vomited forth the
malice of my soul." Having confessed, they go
away relieved, believing themselves purified iu the
blood of Jesus Christ, which is applied to them
through this Sacrament, the virtue of which they
very well comprehend.

[47] There are some who do not fail to confess
every week, and to receive communion as many

LES RELATIONS DES f^SUIT^S [V^l, IB

I*ay defia reinarqii6 aux Relations precedentes,
que pluJieurs quittent leur leu, ou lear difucr, ou leur
fouper, c'elt i dire leur manger^ qiiand on les appelle
aux priEres oii ^ rinftructioii qui fe fait tons les iaurs
vne fois ou deux k TEglife, quand ils ne font point
^ la chaff e:.

Vn de nos Francois eftant veni] certain iour de
grand matin h. Silltry, & ay^lt iettt lesS yeux par les
cabaneH, vit cncor les Sanuages tons endormij;, li
delTus on fonne la prt:niiere MeffSf laquclle afCez
fomient ft dit dcuant que le Soleil fe letie. En vn
moment il vit Ta plufpart des Chrefties debouts, & en
vn tonr de main s'eitaus eniieloppea de leurs con-
uertes qui lenr feniet de robbcs & de li<5t*i, ils s'e via-
dret droit i la Chappclle en cet equipage fans mot
dirCf cc bon Homme qui les regardoit rcfbi tout efton-
n^ left ayant pluftoflveu en la Maifon de Dieu quVn
Fi-an<^ois nc fe feroit Labium, la plnfpart [4S] des
Chrefliens font ialoux d'cntendre tous les iours la
Meffe, cet auatage qu'ils onl par deffns les Payens de
pouuoir affifter i ees myltercs facre^ les confole
fort.

Nons auons eft6 long-temps en doute li nous bap-
tizerions les ieunes gens prefts de fe marier deuant
qu'ils ayent pris party. L'expcrience nous fait veoir
qtie la grace du Baptefme opere puiifamment dans
vn cceur, la loy qui deffend au Chreftien de s'alliec
d'vne infidelle e(t 11 bien receui^ parmy ces bonnes
gens, que fi vn ieune honime Payen recherche vne
fille Clircttienne, pour Tordinaire il s'addrefTcra k
nous pour eftre inftruit, & ponr receuoir le Baptefme
deuant que parler i la fille, car il f^ait bien qu'elle
le mefprifera comme vn infidele, ofi G elle a quelque

lewj RiuLA riON OF '^ 193

limes as they are permitted^ for they do not do so.,
without leave.

I have already remarked in the preceding Rela-
tions that many quit their garaes. or their dinner or
supper^ — that is to say, their food^— when they are
called to prayers, or to the inHtruetion that is given
once or twice every day in the Churchr when they
are not away hunting.

One of our Frenchmen having come to Sillery one
day, early in the morning, and having glanced
through the cabins, ^aw all the Savages still sleep-
ing. At that moment the bell was rung for the first
Ma^s, which is often said before the Sun rises, la
a moment, he :;aw the greater part of the Christians
upon their feet; and in the turn of one's hand they
had wrapped themselves in their blankets, u-hich
serve as garments and as beds; they came straight to
the Chapel, in this costume, in complete silence.
The good man who was looking at them was greatly
astonished at seeing them in the House of God
before a Frenchman wonld have been dressed. The
majority [48I of the Christians are anxious to hear
Mass every day. The advantage they have over the
Pagans, of being able to attend these sacred mys-
teries, consoles them greatly.

We have been long in doubt whether we should
baptii^e young people of marriageable age before
they have made their choice. Experience has shown
us that the grace of Baptism operates powerfully in
a heart. The law which forbids the Christian to
ally himself with an unbeliever is so well received
among these simple people that, if a young Pagan is
seeking a Christian girl, he will usually apply to us
to be instructed and to receive Baptism before speak-

LES nELA T70NS DS5 JJtSUITES {Vou 13

bonne inclination pour luy elle ne manqucra pas de
luy dire quelle ne fe pent pas marier fans !e confen-
tement du Pert: qui I'aurEt baptif^e on inftruidte.

Nous viuoni; niaintcnant daus vne profonde paix,
la Foy eft refpeci^e des Payens meCme, les nouueaux
Chreftiens font dans la ferueur, il eft vray que Dieu
[49J a efprouu^ ces pauures peuples par do grandes
calamitea, mais comme la nuifft retounie apres le
iour, & I'Hyuer apres TEft^, ie m'attend bien qn'il
s'edeuera qnelquc tenipeUe apres cefte bonace. le
nie perfuade quafi quo ces bourrafquey prouiendront
des raariages faits i la fa^on des Chreftiens, les Sau-
uages Tout depuis plufieurs fiecles dans la poffeflion
d'vne pleine liberty brutale changeans de femnies
quand il leur plaift, n'en preuant qu'vne ou pluGeurs,
felon leur palllon, maintenant qu'ils fc font Chvelbens^
il fant qu'il^ baiffent le col fous le ioug d'vn manage,
qui peut eflre leiir feblera vn lour bien rude, il eft
vray qu'i! ne s'eit iamais trouue au mondc d'alliances
plus faindtes & pins parfaictes, & plus propre pour
conferuer Tamiti^, que eelles des Chreitiensi xuais
cela n'empefchepasquc les mari^s tribvlationfvt camis
habimit, ne foieni alTez fouuent troubles dans leurs
mefnagcs, & que ce ne foit vne efpece de martyr,
d'eftre li6 infeparablement auec vn homme ou vne
femTritj qui aura pins d'aprete qu'vn [50J chardon,
& moins de douceur qu'vne iipine.

Or ce n'etl: pas que infques 'k prefent nous ayons
grand sublet de nons plaindre de nos Neophites en
ce pointf au contraire, ie dirois volotiers que I'amour
que fe portent ceux que nous auons maries en face
de I'Eglife, apres la publication des bancs [j£, bans],
& le defjr qu'ils ont de perfeuerer infqnes i leur

1840] RELA TION OF ibfo 135

iog to the girl; for he knows very well that she will
scorn him as an unbelieverj or, if she be well inclined
toward him, she will not hesitate to tell him that she
cantiot marry him without the consent of the Father
who may have baptized or instructed her.

We are living now in profound peace; the Faith
is respected even by the Pagans, and the new Chris-
tians are fervent. True, God [49] has tried these
poor people by great calamities ; and, as night returns
after dayn and Winter after Summer, I am expecting
with certainty that he will raise up some storm
after this calm. 1 am almost persuaded that these
tempests will arise from the marriages made in the
Christian way. The Savages have been for many
ages in possession of a complete brutal liberty, chang-
ing wives w^hen they pleased* — taking only one or
several, according to their inclinations. Now that
they have become Christians, they must bend their
beads under the yoke of single marriage, which per-
haps willf some day, seem to them very hard. It is
true that Tio alliances have ever been found in the
world more holy and more perfect, and better adapted
for preserving affection, than those of Christians.
But that does not prev^enl that those who are married
tr ibidaiionc J7i camis haheant, and be often annoyed in
their householdsj and that it should be a sort of
martyrdom, to be inseparably bound to a man ot a
woman who may have more sharpness than a [50]
thistle, and less softness than a thorn bush.

Now it is not that, hitherto* we have great reason
to complain of our Neophytes in this matter. On
the contrary, T can readily say that the love which
inspires those who have married with the rites of
the Church, after the publication of the banns, and

126 LES RELATIONS DES jf.Sl/ITES [\'ol. IS

mort dans cette amiti^, eit vq miracle de la Religion
Chrcftienne, il eft bieii vray que deuaut que de les
baptifer, & par apres deuant que de les marier, nous
leur faifouE fortemeut appreheiider les loix du ma-
nage, leur faifaut voir Timportauce qu'il y a d'obeir
aux ordonnances de Dieu & de fon Eglife, & la dif-
graee qu'ils encourreroient de choqner rautliont^ de
MonCeur le Cheualier dc Montmagny noftre Gouiter-
neuFj lequel ne manqueroit pas de faire pimir feucre-
nieut ceux qui reijnteroient leurs femuies pour en
prendre d'autres.

Veritablement Dieu nous a fauorifc dVn homme
felon fon cceur, tres ael^ [51] pour fa gloire & pour
fou feruice, comme il voit I'importanee qu'il y a.
d'authorifer ce Sacrcjnent, & de le redre venerable
parmy ces peuples, il detira que la ceremouie de trois
mariages que nous auons publics ^ Sillery, fe palTat
^ Kebec, 8z voulut luy mefme faire vn magnifique
feftio i loufj les couuii^s aux uopceSj Madame dc la
Pelletrie& quelques autres Dames Frani;:oifes prirent
eliarge d'aecomnioder les dpouf^esi & pour les hom-
ines on les fit richement veftjr, portans les dons pre-
cieux, que fa Malefic fit I'an paffi^ i queiques vtih de
nos Sauuages, les principauN de nos Frangois les con-
duirent aiiec honneur iufques a I'Eglife, ayant receu
le Sacrement dc mariage, ils les menereut en vue
faiej oh lis furent tres-bien traict^s. Les Sauuages
voyant oet appareil efloient rauis, nos Francois bien
edifi^Sj & les cieux prenoient plaiGr h. vne adtion qui
fe faifoit pour la gloire de oeluy qui les a bailis.
Quelques Montague ts & Algonquius^ uou couui^s
aux nopces, regardoient ces ceremonies auec eft^nnue-
luent, & leurs femme^ voyant les ieunes fillcs & [52]

16*11 RELA TION OF il>^ iSt

their desire to persevere until desttb in this affection*
ate relation, is a miracle of the Christian Religion.
It is indeed true that before baptizing theiUj and
afterwards before marrying them, we clearly ex-
plain to them the laws of marriagen showing them
the importance of obeying the ordinances of God
and of the Chnrch, and the disgrace they incur by
clashing with the authority of Monsieur the Cheva-
lier de Montniagny, our Governor, who would not
hesitate to have those severely punished who should
discard their wives in order to take others.

Truly, God has favored us with a man after his
own heart, very zealous [51J for his glory and for
his service. As he saw the importance of authoriz-
ing this Sacrament, and of making it reverenced
among these peoples, he desired that the ceremony
for three marriages that we had pvibiished at Sillery
should take place at Kebec. and wished himself to
make a magnificent feast for all those invited to the
nuptials- Madame de la Pelletrie and some other
French Ladies took charge of dressing the brides;
and as for the men, we had them richly clothed,
Avearing the precious gifts which his Majesty made
last year to some of our Savages. Our leading
French Tiien conducted them with honor to the Church,
and, after they had received the Sacrament of mar-
riage, took them into a hall, where they were hand-
somely entertained. The Savages, when they saw
this eeremoniousness, were enraptured, and our
French people greatly edified; and the heavens took
delight in an act which was done for the glory of
him who built them. Some Moutagnais and Algon-
quins, not invited to the wedding, regarded these
ceremonies w^ith astonishment; and their wives, see-

12S LES JiELATIONS DES /^SUITES p/oL. 18

fenimes qii'on alloit marier reueftuSs des petites
richefles du pays, dont lis font grande elUmej fe di-
Joient I'vne ii I'aiitre, on cognoift bien qiEe ces <^pou-
f^es ne font point orphelincs, que leurs peres ne font
pas morts, elles ne feroient pay (i braues fi clle
n'auoicnt de bons parenSf loiiant par cette admiration
le foin qu'on a de ces nouuelles plantes du iardin de
TEglife. I'entendy de mes oreillesces paroles fortir
de la bouchc de quelqiies vns de nos Pranijois, nous
n'attendions pas cette benediction de nos iours, en
veritiS celt vne coufolation bicn fenfible, de voir vn
Barbare eCleu^ dans la liberty qnont les auics {sc. anes]
fauuages, fe captiuer doucement Cons le ioug de
lefus-Chrift noftre Sauueur.

L'vu de ces raari6s eftoit Vincent Xauierj fils de
detf unct Francois Xauier Nenaskvmato, ienne bomme
^g^ d'enuiron vingt deux ans, fe voyant priu6 de fon
pere & dc fa belle mere, cmport^s de Tepideraie com-
mune, nous vint dire qu'il auoit befoin du feconrs
d'vne femmej qui luy fes raquettes ^ fes robes, bref
qui prit garde k fon mefnage, i'ay de [53] Vaffe<5tion,
difovt-iln pour vne ieune tille, ie vous prie d'alTembler
mes parens, & de considerer fi elle m'eft proprsj fi
vous ing^s que ce foit mon bien ie I'efpouferay.
Gnon ie fuiuray voltre confeil : fes parens & fes amis
conclurent que ce party luy eftoit fortable. Or
comme I'Aduent approcboit, nous luy difines qu'^ la
verity il fe pouuoit bien marier en ce fain(5t temps,
mais que les plus fages Chreftiens ne le faifoit pas,
ouy, mais difoit-il, Ie temps me preffe d'aller ^ la
cbafle, vous me remettez ^ quarante iours d'lcy. qui
me fera mes raquettes, priea en voftre promife, luy
difmes nous, il fe mit h. rire. ie me feray refpondit-

IMO] RELyl TfON OF 1640

uf% the young girls and [52] women who were about
to be married arrayed in the small treasures of the
country, which they greatly value, said to one an-
other, " Ont could easily tell that these brides are
not orphans, that their fathers are not dead; that
ttey would not be so fine if they did not have good
parents," praising by this admiration the care that
is taken of these new plants in the garden of the
Church, I heard with my own ears these words
come from the lips of iiomc of our French people, —
"We did not expect this blessing in our lime; in
truth, it is a very toiiching consolation to see a Bar-
barian, reared in the freedom of the wild asses, bring
himself meekly under the yoke of Jesus Christ, our
Savior/' .

One of these bridegrooms was Vincent Xavier, son
of the deceased Fran9ois Xavier Nenaskumato, a
yonng man about twenty-two years old. Finding
himself deprived of his father and stepmother, who
were carried off in the general epidemic, he came to
tell us that he needed the help of a woman to make
his snowshoes and clothes, — in brief, to take care of
his honsehold. "I am [53] in love with a young
girl^" said he; '' I beg you to call my relatives to-
gether, and to consider whether she is suitable for
me. If you decide that it is for my good, I will
marry her; if not, I will follow your advice/' His
relatives and friends decided that tbi.s choice would
be a suitable one for him. Now as Advent was draw-
ing near, we told Mm that, in truth, he could very
properly marry at this holy season, but that the most
prudent Christians did not do it. " Yes," said he,
" but I am in a hurry to go hunting. If you put me
off until forty days hence, who will make my snow-

ISO ^^S RELATJONS Dh:S JASUITES fVoi. IB

il, gauffer de moy: car ce n'eft pas la coufluine de
noflrc nation d'emploier les fiUes deuant leuv ma-
riage, mais il n'importe fit il, qiioy que le terme que
vous me donnez foit bien long, il %-aut mieux attendre
& fe mcttre en danger d'ellire moqii^ que de ne pas
vous obeTt, ce bon ieune homme attendit, & fe com-
porta auec vnc innocence vrayement Chreltienne pen-
dant tout ce teps-li, fe confeffant fort fouuent, pour
fe [54] fortifier contre les embufches de fathan. qui
ne dort pas en telles occafions-

le ne fgay ft ce que ie vay dire, ne fera point trou-
u6 ridicule en voitre France; mais il elt icy & dans
rinnoeence & daus la bien-feance. Les Samiagas
qui vont S, Tentour de nos habitations, s'addreffent a
nous pour toiis leurs petits negoces, comme feroient
des enfans i leurs peres, ils viennent par fois deman-
der s'ils irout chaffer en tcl endroit, s'lls prendront
medeciue^ s'ils feront fuerie. s'ils danceront, s'lls fe
marieront, les ieuues gens nous viennent trouuer en
particulior & nous prieut de leurs trouuer femmCf ou
de parler pour eux \ cellesqu'ils dellrent epoufer,
quelques feuimes veufues, & mefme encor quelquea
filles noiti^ prient en fecret de leurs troimer mary, fe
confians plus en nona qn'^ ceux de leur nation, & nous
difent fort bien que nouii agifQons comme de noftre
pavtf fans faire femblant qti'ils nous out parl6, le tout
g^ft i fe comporCcr en forte dans oes offices de cha-
rite, qu'eux mefmes fe lient & qu'ils concluent leurs
affaires fans nous engager, iinon i les [55] conduire
dans les voyes des enfans de Dieu. Les Payens
mefme qui onl quelque iuelinatioii a la Foy, fe eom-
portent ainli enuers nous.

II y a quelque temps qu'vn leune Sauuage non

leW] RELA TION OP 1640 \%l

slioes? " " Ask your promised bride to do it," we
said to him. He began to laugh, and replied, " I
shall make my^iclf a laughingstock, for it is not the
custom in our countr;- to employ girls before their
marriage; but it does not matter/' he conlimied;
" althoirgh Che tern^ you set mc is a very long one,
it is better to wait, iind to risk being made sport of,
than not to obey you," This good young man \vait-
ed, and behaved with a truly Christian innocence
during all that time,— confessing very often^ in order
[S4] to fortify himself against the snares of satan,
who does not sleep at such times.

I do not know if what I am going to say will not
be considered absurd in your France, but it is looked
upon here as both innocent and proper. The Sav^
ages \vho come about our settlements apply to us in
all their little affairs, as children would to their fa-
thers. They come sometimes to ask if they shall go
hunting in such a place, if they shall take medicine,
if they shall have a sweat, if they shall dance, if they
shall marry. The young men come to see us in
private and ask us to find them wives, or to speak for
them to those whom they desire to marry: some
widows, and even some young girlj;, ask us secretly
to find them husbandSf confiding in us more than in
those of their ov^-n nation, and tell us emphatically
that wc are to act as if on our o-\vn account, without
making it appear that they had spoken to us. The
whole point lies iu so behaving in these offices of
charity that they themselves become intimate and
conclude the affair without involving us, except in
[$5] leading them in the paths of the children of
God. Even the Pagans who are well disposed towards
the Faith behave thus toward us.

132 LES RELA TIQNS DES //^SUITES ^^ol. IS

encor baptif^f n<^iis fit demander pa.r quelquea vns de
fes parens Chrelliens, fi nous troimerions bon qu'U
fe mariSt i vne fille qu'il nommoit. Or comme ny
Vvn ny r autre u'citoient pas Chreftiens, nous ref-
pondifmes que nous n'entrions point dans ces co-
gnoiffances, & que nous ne nous meilious point des
manages, finon pour prendre g^irde qu'ils fe traidtent
\ la facon des Chreftiens quand on eft baptifi^, ce
ieune homme ne pafTa pas outre. L'ayant renconti^

5 quelques ionrs de del^^ ie luy demanday s'il n'e-
ftoit point mari^t ie n'ay garde fit-il, de me marier
fans voftre confentement, vous eftes moxi pere, c'efl
^ vous noil feulemetit de me dire fi vous trouu^s bons
que ie me marie, mais encor de m'alligner le iour
que ie le dois faire, ouy, mais luy dy-ie, vous n'eftes
pas Chreftien ? ie ne le fuis pas encor repartit-il, mais
i'ay grande enuie de Teftre, & [56J celle que ie
recherche ^ la mefme volenti, c'eft pourquoy ie vous
fupplie de nous baptifer tons dens deuant noftre ma-
riage* nous attendrons tant qu'il vous plaira, fi nous
ne fommos pas cueor affcj^ inftruii^ts. Les ames
fainoteSf qui prieut pi>ur la eonuerlion de ces peuples

6 qui fe voieut e.-iauc^es^ pourrout elles ou^r parler
de cette candeur fans que leurs cosurs s'amolliffenl
ou fe foude das le cceur de Dieu. Comrae nous voy-
ons que uoilre Seigneur va benilTant les raariages de
ces bons Neophites, nous baptifafmes ces deux ieunes
gens, bien inftruidts, & puis les mariafmes en face
de i'Eglife, nous auoas fait plufleurs autres mariages,
ils font tons par la grace de noitre Seigneur dans vne
bonne refolutioo de ne fe point quitter iufquea k la
mort, e>:cept<S vn ou deux, qui commcnccnt b. tous
doniier de la peine.

IWO] RELA T/ON OF 1&40 1S3

Some time ago a young Savage, not yet baptized,
had us asked by some of his Christian relatives if we
would approve of Ms marrying a girl whom he named.
Now as neither the one nor the other was a Chris-
tian, ve replied that we woiild not take part in such
connections, and that we did not meddle with mar-
riages, except to see that they live in a Christian
manner when they have been baptized. This young
man did not press the matter farther. Having met
him some days later, I asked him if he were not mar-
ried. '^ I have no inclination/' he replied, " to mar-
ry without your consent. You are my father; it is
for you not only to tell me whether you approve
my marr^-ing, but also to appoint the day when I
shall do so." '' Yes," I said to him, ^'but you are
not a Christian." ''I am not one yet," he replied,
" but I am very desirous of becoming one, and [56]
the girl whom I am seeking has the same desire ;
this is why I beg you to baptize us both before our
marriage. We will wait as long as you please, if
we are not yet sufficiently instructed." Can the
holy souls ^vho pray for tJie conversion of these peo-
pies, and who feel that they are heard, hear of this
candor without their hearts softening or melting in
the heart of God? As we see that our Lord keeps
blessing the marriages of these good N^eophytes, we
baptized these two young people, well instructed,
and then married them with the rites of the Church.
We have arrauged several other marriages. AH
these pairs are, by the grace of our Lord, firmly re-
solved not to forsake each other until death, — except
one or twoj who are beginning to cause us some
trouble.

134 LE5 RELATIOI^'S IfES j£.SUITES [Vol. ]8

Quand il arrtue quelque different entr^euK, il nous
viennent trouner, ou nous en font donner aduis, vne
femme Clireftienrie apprenant qu'on faifoit ie ne f^ay
quels ieux ou recreations publiques dans vne cabane,
s'y vonlnt trouiierj foil [57] inary tefmoigna qu'il ne
I'aggreoit pas^ elle ne laiffa pas d'y aller centre fa
volenti, eftant de retour fon mary Iny dit. H ie n'e-
ftois pas Clireftien* ie vous dirois que 11 vous n'auea
point d'affcdtion pour moy, qtie vons cherchafiiez vn
autre mary 5, qui vous rendiffiez pins d'obeiffaoce;
mais ayant promis k Dieu de ne vous point quitter
iufques ^ la mort, ie ne fganrois vons tenir ce langage
quoy que vous m'offencii^Sj cette pauure femme luy
demanda pardon tout fur Theure, & des Ie matin du
lour fuiuant^ elle s'en vint trouuer Ie Pere qui la bap-
tif^e, & luy dit ^non Pere, i'ay facM Dien, ie n'ay
pas obey k mon mary, i'en ay Ie cceur tout trifl^f ie
voudrois bien m'en confeEfer, cette candeur eft rauif-
fante. C'eit affca pour ce Cbapitre, paETons i quel-
ques autTGS anions de ces bons Neophites-

lUO] RELA TION OF 1640 188

Wheo some difference occura among them, they
come to see us, or have ns give them some advice-
A Christian woman, learning that 1 know not what
games or public recreations were in progress in a
cabin, wished to be present there; her [sj] husband
declared that he did not approve this: she went,
however, against hiy wish. Having returned, her
hi.Tsband said to her, " If 1 were not a Christian, I
■wonld tell you that, if you did not care for me, yon
should seek another husband to whom yon would
render more obedieuee; butj having promised God
not to leave you until death, I cannot speak to you
thus, although you have offended me," This poor
woman asked his forgiveness, without delay, and on
the following morning came to see the Father who
had baptized her, and said to him* " My Father, I
have offended God, I have not obeyed my husband;
my heart is very sad; I greatly desire to make ray
confession of this." Sueh frankness is delightful-
Enough for this Chapter; let us pass on to some
Other acts of these good Neophytes.

13B LES RELA TIONS DES jASU/TES [Vol, 18

[^S] CHAPITRE V.
CO^'TI^"UATI0N du me^me discours.

VN ieune Sauuage malade, ayant eft^ abandonn^
de fes gens enuiron dix lieues a.u derTns de la
refidence S. lofephj le Pere de Quen* qui a
grandcjiit^nt trauaill^ toute cette annee en cette refi-
dence, prit vn Francois auec foy & s'en alia chercher
ce paiiure malade, I'ayaat trouu^ aiiec bien de la
peinCf le fit amener & VHofpital, ou ce pauure gar^on
fut H bien afiiJt^, quHl en guerit. la charitiS fait des
miracles, elle change les fiauuages en enfans de Dieu,
ce ieune Sauuagc voyant vn fi grand amouv en fon
endroit^ fe fait inftruive, preffe qu'on le baptife, on
en fait quelque diflicult!^, pource qu'eftant preit h. fe
marier. on craignoit qu'il ne s'alHart de quelque infi-
dels, s'il ne pcmuoit trouner de fille ClireHienne ; il
promet de garder toutes les loix de Dieu & de £on
Eglife, [59] tant qu'il luy fera pofiible, mais il le pro-
met de fi bonne grace, & dVn fi bon eceur, qu'on le
baptife, la grace It de puiffans eEFedts, depuis ce
temps-li ce ieune homrac ne s'eil iamais dementi de
fa parole, il n'a pas la feule penf<!e d'epoufer vne
infidele, 11 ell Q ennemy des diffolutions de la ieu-
neffe, qu'vn certain ionr qnelques Sauixage^: eftans
arriui^j; du pays des Algonquins. il nous vint dire en
fecret, & fur le foir, ie vous fupplie de me donner le
couuert cette nuit & les autres fmuantcs, tant que ces
ieunes gens ferot parmy nous, pource que ie ferois

lUO] J^ELA T/ON OF lA^o 1XJ

[JS] CHAPTER V.
CONTINUATTOK OF THE SAT^IE SUBJECT-

AS a sick young- Savage had been abandoned by
his people about ten leagues above the resi-
dence of St. Joseph, Father de Quen, who has
labored dilig^ently all this year tn this resideiicCf took
a Frenchman with him and went in search of this
poor sufferer. They found him after a great deal of
trouble, and had him brought to the Hospital, where
the poor boy was so well cared for that he recovered.
Charity works miracles ; it changes Savages into chil-
dren of God, This yotxug Savage, seeing so great
love toward him. received instnietion, and urged us
to baptise him. There were some objections to this,
because, being of a marriageable agCj it was feared
that he might ally himself with some unbeliever if
he could not find a Christian girl. He promised to
obey all the laws of God and of his Church, [5g] in
so far as it should be possible to him; and he prom-
ised it with Kueh good grace and so good a heart,
that he was baptized- Grace has powerful effects.
Since that time this young man has never belied his
promise, ^he ha? no thought of marrying an unbe-
liever, and is sueh an enemy oi the dissoluteness of
the young men that one day, when some Savages
arrived from the Algonqnin country, he came toward
evening, and said to us. secretly, " I entreat you to
give me shelter this night and the follo^^ing ones,
as long as these young men shall be among us; for

Z£S nELA TJONS DBS j£SU/T£S [Vot. IS

obltg^ par bien-feance de les accompa^erj & comme
ils ne font pas baptifcz, iU pourront faive quelque
chofe que Dieii bjiyt, & moy ie ne t^auroit plus
I'offenccr, car c'cit tout de bon que ie croy, & que ie
luy -Ay dit que ie luy obeyrois.

Vn autre ieuue bomnie nous difoit que fou bap-
lefme luy auoit bouch^ les oreilles, ie n'entends plus
faifoit-il, les paroles dilToluEs que quelques eftourdis
profereut par fois en iiollre cabanSf uiou cceur eft fi
content de fe voir libre de fes offences, qu'il ne fe
peut comprcndre, [6oJ ie f^ay dc bonne part ce que
ie vay dire, vn ieune homme ^g6 d'enuiron vingt-
cinq k trente ans, paffant chemiii coucha dans vne
cabane de Sauuages; la nuit vne femme I'aborda,
luy voyant £on deflein, courut au deuaut de la tenta-
tio, retirj^s vous luy dit-il, car le fnis Chretien, ceux
qui prient Dieu ne commettent point ces pechez-l^.

I'ay defia dit aitleiirs, que les ieuncs Sauuagcs qui
cbercbeut femme, ^'ont voir la uuit leur maiftrelTeE,
nous crions fortement centre cette couftume tres-
petTiit^ieufe, car encor que pour I'ordinaire tout fe
paire dans vne grande honeitet^, neantmoins Ie dan-
ger d'ofFeneer Dieu y efl trop grand.

Or tout aufli-toR qu'il avriue quclques leunes Sau-
uages de dehors, nos Chreftiens nous en donnent
aduis, afin que nous tenioiis la main que tous fe con-
tiennent dans leur deuoir, eux mefmes crient contre
la ieuneffe qui s'emancipe, leurs reprochans qu'ils
appellent les demons dans leurs cabanes, & quails
attireni la malediction de Dieu delTus leurs teftes.
II ell: amu£ vne chofe bien [6i] remarquable en cet
endroit, vn ieune homme non encor baptif^ recher-
chant vne fiile Chreitienne I'alla voir la nuit; cette

JflJO] RELA rrON OF i6^ BP

I shall be obliged by courtesy to accompany tliem,
and, as they are not baptized, they will be likely to
do something that God hates; and, for roy part, I
can no more offend him, for it is in earnest that I
believe, and that I told liim I would obey him."

Another young man told ns that his baptism had
Stopped his ears. " I no longer hear," said he, " the
licentiotis words that heedless youths sometimes utter
in our cabin. It is impossible to understand how
glad my heart Is to see itself free froni its sins." [60]
I learned from good authority what I am about to
relate. A young man between twenty-five and thir-
ty years old, while pursuing his way^ lay down to
sleep in a cabin of Savages. In the night, a woman
approached him. HCf perceiving her purpose, antici-
pated temptation by saying to her, " Go away, for
I am a Christian; those who pray to God do not
commit such sins/'

I have said elsewhere that the young Savages who
are seeking a wife go to visit their mistresses at
night. We forcibly denounce this most pernicious
custom; for although, in general, all is done with
great decency, yet the risk of offending God is too
great.

Now, when any young Savages arrive from out-
side, our ChrisStians immediately inform us of it, that
we may watch and see that all keep within the
bounds of duty. They themselves rebuke the young
men who take too much liberty, reproaching them
with calling the demons into their cabins, and with
drawing down the curse of God upon their heads.
There happened a very [61] remarkable thing in re-
gard to this. A young man not yet baptized, who
was wooing a Christian girl, went to see her at night.

I4t" I-SS RELATIOA'S DES jtSUITES [Vol. 13

fille ne le rebuta point de prime abord, elle Tefcoula
difcourir, ce qui fcandahfa telltment les ChreftietiE,
que notis en fufmes incoatinens aduertis, aous la
fifnies venir & la t^n^afmes vertemcnt, luy repro-
chanl qu'elle fe comportoit comme viie pcifonne aban-
don n^e, qui ne croyoit point en Dleu. & que les
feules carcJTes de ce ieune homme en tcl temps,
eftoiect coulpables. Cette pauure fille bien eftormfie
reparlit au Pere qui la tancoit; mon Pere il eEt vraj-
que lay elcouti^ ce ieune boniTne, mais il ne m'a
point carefree, ie ne fiiis point Frangoife, lay veu des
Francois badiner auec des filleSf & les carelTer & bai-
foter: ce n'eit point noftrt couflume, ceus qui nous
recherche nt, nous parlent feulement & puis s'en
vont, croy^a moy difoit elle, quand ce ieune homme
me parloit ie me founenoia fort bien que i'eflois
Chroftienne, & que ie ne voulois pas offeiicer Dieu,
ie luy ay dlt ftiilement quit s*addre(iit ^ vous pour
cet affaire, le [62J bruit eft ccpendaut luy dit Ic Pere,
que vous ne voua eftes p^is bien comport^e, ceux qui
prient Dieu refpoudit elle» ne diront pas cela; car ie
vous affeure que ie n'ay fait autre mal que de refcou-
ter, me comportant felon noitre aucienne fa^S de
faire. L^ deffus, vn certain qui voulut rire, & tout
enfemble s'aiTeurcr de I'innocence de la fille en fa
riraplieit6, ie f^auray bien luy dit-il, fi ce ieune
homme vous a IroinpiSe, car ie vous feray preudre
vn breuage qui vous fera voniir tout fur le champ
s'il vous a touch^e, ne vomiray-ie point, dit-eile, au
cas qu*il ne mail point toucMe? point du tout: 5a
done donne^ le moy tout raaintenant, & vous verrea
mon innocence, le compagnon luy donuc vue ceuil-
ler^e de lirop fort noir, elle le prend d'vu viCage tout

1G403 HELA TION OF tL4o 141

At first this girl did not rebuff him, but Iist<?]ied to
his conversation, \vhich so scandalized the Christians
that we were immediately infovmed of it. We sum-
moned her and reprimanded her sharply, reproach-
ing her with behaving like a profligate who did not
believe in God^ arid telling her that even the caresses
of this young man at such a time were sinful. This
poor girl, greatly surprisedf replied to the Father
who chidcd her, " My Father, it is trwe that I have
listened to this young man, but he did not caress me,
1 am not French; I have seen Frenchmen trifling
with girls> caressing and kissing them, but this is not
onr custom, — those wlio seek us only talk to us, and
then go away. Believe me," said she. " when this
young man was speaking to me I remembered very
well that I wa.s a Christian, and that I was unwilling
to offend God. I merely told him that he should
address himself to you in this matter." " The [62]
report is, however," said the Father, " that you did
not behave properly/' " Those who pray to God,"
ste replied, "will not say that. For I assure you
that I have done nothing wrong, beyond listening
to him, conducting myself according to our ancient
customs." Thereiipon, a certain person, for the
sake of a joke and also to assure himself of the gen-
uineness of the girl's simplicity, ^aid to her, ^' I shall
know truly whether this young man has deceived
you, for I will have you take a potion that will niake
you vomit immediately if he has touched you,"
" Shall I not vomit, ' said she, " unless he has touched
tne?" " Not at all." '^ Well, then, give it to me
now and you will sec my innocence/' Itis compan-
ion gave her a spoonful of very black syrupf which
she took with a very cheerful face, and swallowed

142 LKS J^ELAT/ONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 18

guay, I'auale aiiec affeurance, li ie ne dois point vo-
tnir s'efcne elle, qu'au ca^ que I'aye commis quelqiie
mal ie ne crains rien. Elle fut loii^e de fa conftancSi
marque de fa puret*^; mais ou luy fit fi bien entendre
le mal que c^eftoit de fcandalifer fon prochain, & de
fe mettre eii danger d'eflre tromp^e [63] du diable,
qu'elle & fes compagnes ea profiterent. Et k quel-
ques fepniaines del&, d'autres ieunes gens les eftans
venus rechercher la uuit, elles leur dirent auffi-to^l
qu'ils fe retiraffe:it, & qu'elles eftoient Chreftiennes,
qu'ils s'addreilaffent aux Peres qui les auoient bap-
tiC^es, pour parler de mariage s'ils en vouloiet 6pou-
fer quelques vnes, ces ieunes gens ne s'en aUaas
point, elles prirent destifons de feu& les menace rent
de leur porter k la face s'ils ne fe retiroietit, eftre n^
dans la barbaric & fairs t:es actions, c'eft prefclier
hautement lefus-Chrill.

Vne femmii Chrellienne croyant qu'vn Franfol'i luy
donnoit vn coufteau affc^ genCil, qu'il luy preftoit
feulcment, le letint, le Francois s'en oublia pour lors,
fi bien qu'il creut Tauoir perdu, mais I'ayant reco-
gnu entre les mains de cette femme, il luy voulu
ofter, elle rerifte, proteftant qu'il luy a donn§, la
diuerfite de langage fait affea fouuent de fauffes
ententes, enfiu cette femme entre fi bien en colere,
quelle fit conieclurcr an Perc de Quen, qui eitoit \k
prefent, que la Foy n'eitoit pas profondement enra-
cin6e [64] dans fon ame^ c'eft pourquoy il luy demanda
fi elle auoit votdn tromper Dieu en fon baptefme, ^
ces paroles elle entrt en foy mefme & luy dit, mon
Pere c'eJt la colere qui ma tranfportfie, i'ay facTie
Dieu, ie m'iray confelTern ce n'cfl pas I'amour que ie
porte au couiteau, mais la peur que i'ay eu que vous

1S40J RELA TION OF J640 143

confideTitly. '^ If I do not vomit/' she exclaimed,
" except in case I have done wrong* I fear nothing/'
She was praised for her firmness, a sign of her puri-
Ey_ But she was made to understand so clearly the
harm there was in scandalizing' her neighbor, and
placing herself in danger of being deluded [63] by
the devils that she and her comp:inions profited by
it. And a few weeks afterwards, when other young
men came to visit them at night, they straightway
told them that they should go away, — that they were
Christians, and that, if the men wished to marry any
of them, they should address themselves on that sub-
ject to the Fathers who had baptised the girls. But,
as these young men did not go away, the girls took
firebrands and threatened to thrust them in their
faces if they did not leave. To be born in barbar-
ism and act in this manner, is to preach Jcj^us Christ
boldly.

A Christian woman, believing that a Frenchman
gave her a very pretty knife, that he had only loaned
her» kept it. The Frenchman forgot it for the time,
so that he thought he had lost it. But having recog-
nized it in the hands of this woman, he tried to take
it away. She resisted, protesting that he had given
it to her. A difference in language often results in
misunderstandings. P'inally, this woman became so
angry that she made Father de Quen, who was pres-
ent, imagine that the Faith was not deeply rooted
[64] in her soul- Hence he asked her if she had
wished to deceive God in her baptism. At these
words, she recovered herself and said to him, " My
Father, I have been carried away by my auger. I
have displeased God, I will go and confess. It was
not my love for the knife, but the fear I had that

lU ZES Jil-ILA TfOA'S DBS /^SUITES [Vol. iS

ne me tinflos pour vne larroaaeffc, le vous affure que
i'ay precede de cceur rlcuant Dieu en mon baptcfme,
& c'eft (^e qui in'afl^ige, qu'on croie que ie commctte
les pech^s que ceu.x qui font baptifes ne commettent
point, li-dcirus elle fe mit ^ prefcher les ieunes filles
qui eftoicut Vk, leurs declarant cc qu'ellcs deuoicnt
quitter, au caa queues vouluffent eilre Chreaiennes.

Quelques Sauuages uous ont propof^ ces cas de
confcience bien aif^s ^ refoudre, par esemple, fi c'e-
ftoit VTL grand peeh^ dc fonger ia Tiuit quelque tnal,
qiioy qu'en dormant mefme on y refiilaft. Quand le
diable nous porte ^ croire nos fongos. C nous les re-
jettons, difoient-ils. la penfee que nous auons eu^ de
lea croire, eft-elle vn grand mal? I'ay eu peine [65]
quelque fois de demander certains pech^s \ quelques
SauuageSj de peur de leur faire entendre que des
perfonnes baptifdcs'; les pouuoient commettre-

Ou baptifa certain lour cinq ^-ieilles femmes en-
femblc, dont IcL plus ieune auoit plus de foixante ans,
apres le baptefme I'vne de ces bonnes Neophites prit
le Pere qui les auoit baptif^es par la main, & luy dit
mon fils tu nous as fait reuiure, noilre cceur efl: tout
reliouy, il nous dit que tes paroles font veiitables, &
que nous irons au ciel, I'autres s'efcrioit 6 qtie ie prie-
ray Dieu maintenant do bon cceurl en effel fi-toft
qu'on parloit de Dieu dans leurs cabanes, elles fe
mettoient ^ genoux & ioignoient les mains, la plus
Ig-^e difoit il fes gens, il me femble que uos An-
celtreH LToyoient quelque cliofe de ce qu'enfeignent
les Peres, car il me fouutent, qu'eftant bien ieune,
mou perc forC ag6 nous racomptoit que celuy qui a
tout fait, & qui donne k manger, fe fafchoit quand

lew: fffi^/.-^ T!ON OF 1640 145

you might look upon me as a thief. T assure you
that I acted sincevely before God in my baptism ; and
■what aSlicts me is that it should be thought that T
commit sins that those who are baptized do not com-
mit, " Thereupon, she began to preach to the yo^vng
girls who were present^ declaring to them what they
would liave to give up if they wished to be Chris-

tians.

Some of the Savages have proposed to us these
cases of conscience, which are very easy to solve, —
for example, if it be a great sin to dream some-
thing wrong at night, although even in dreaming
one should resist it^ "If the devil incline us to be-
lieve our dreams, if wc reject them," they ask, " is
the thought we had, of believing them, a great sin?"
1 have been troubled [65] sometimes in asking Sav-
ages about certain sins, iest I might cause them to
infer that bapliaed persons could commit these.

One day five old women were baptized together,
the youngest of whom was more than sixty years old.
After baptism, one of these good Neophytes took the
Father who had baptized them by the handj and said
to him, " My son, thou hast made us live again; our
hearts arc full of joy,- — they tell us that thy words
are true, and that we shall go to teaven." The
others cried out, " Oh, how fervently I will now pray
to God! " In fact, as soon as one spoke of God in
their cabins, they fell upon their knees, and clasped
their hands. The most aged one said to her people^
** It seems to me that our Ancestors believed some-
thing of what the Fathers teach ^ for I remember
that when 1 was quite young, my father, who was
very old, related to us that he who has made all, and
who provides our food, was displeased when any

lie L£S RELATIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol- 18

0^1 faifoit qiiel<^tie mal, & qu'il haiTToit les mefchana,
& qui] les punilToit aprcs leur mort.

Apres le baptefme de ces bonnes [66] vieilles,
comme nou? renuoions vn grad bomme bien fait,
rejettEinji fon baptefme en autre temps pour ne nous
fembler affcz inJlruidt, il parut fort trilte, ie fuis
affiig^ nous difoit-il, vous me dites que ie ne fuis pas
encor adea iuitiriititj n'en f^ay ie pas aiitant que ces
bonnes vieilles que vous aiiez baptifees? permettes
Tiioy que le reuieune demain matin. & voiis m'exa-
mineri^s encor vnc f oi?;, nous luy permifmes 8c ce bon
homme, iJidis fort orgueiUeuK, mais maintenaut fort
bo3i Chrefliea, fe faifoit inftruire par vn enfant, des
principauK articles du Catechifme, entin il nous preffa
ii bien, alleguat qu'il s'en alloit faire vn voiagen &
qu*il Ti'ofoit parlir fans cflre defcharg6 dc fes pecluSs,
que nous Ie baptifafmes auec quelqties autres qu'on
fit Chreftiens k mefme temps^ vn pen de cognoiffance
ChrelHenne auec vne bonne volont6, vaut plus que
toute la Philofophie d'Ariftote.

Le feiziefme de lanuier, ayant appris quVne pau-
ure vieille femme eftant partie de la refidenoe de S.
lofepli, pour allcr aux trois Riuieres, eCloit demcur^e
malade [67] en chemin auec deujs enfans, incapables
de la fecourir, nous enuoiafmes deus Sauuages pour
I'amener i I'Hofpital, comme ils n'auoient point de
traifneii ils amenerent les deux enfans, & laifTerent
la malade toute feule au milieu des bois, nous tan^af-
mes fort ces deux meffagers, & leur difmes qu'il falloit
retoumer querircctte pauure creature, I'vn d'eux qui
n'ettoit pas eucor ChreftieUj entendant parler de re-
toumei-, efqULue au pluftoft, celuy qui eftoit baplif^,
rebrouHe chcmin auec vn de nos Peres & noftre frere

lS4(f] RELA TION OF j<V M7

one did wrong, and that he hated the wicked and
punished them after their death."

After the baptism of these good [66] old women,
as we were sending away a tali, well-formed man, —
postponing his baptism until another time, because
he did not seem well enough iiistructedi — he ap-
peared very sad- " J am grieved," he said to us.
" You tell me that I am not yet snSicieatly instructed;
do I not know as much as these simple old women
whom you have baptized? Permit me to return to-
morrow momingj and examine me once more." We
allowed hira to do so, and this good man* once very
proud, but now a very good Christian* reconciled
himself to be instructed by a child in the principal
articles of the Catechism, Finally, he urged us so
Strongly — alleging Chat he was going away on a
journey, and that he dared not depart without being
freed from his sins — ^that we baptised him, with a
few others who were made Christians at the same
time. A little Christian knowledge, together with
good will, avails more than all the Philosophy of
Aristotle-

On the sixteenth of January, having learned that a
poor old woman, who had left the residence of St.
Joseph to go to the three Rivers, was lying ill [67]
by the wayside, with two children who were incapable
of helping her. we sent two Savages to bring her to
the Hospital, As they had no sleds, they brought
the two childreuj and left the sick woman all alone
in the depths of the woods. We chided these two
messengers severely, and told them that they must
return and get this poor creature. One of them who
was not yet a Christian, hearing us say " return,"
stole away as quickly as possible. The one who was

life LES RELATIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 18

Ie?tn Ligeois, arriuiSes qu'ils furent oil cftoit la malade,
ifela trouuerent en vn troii fait dans la. neige, couch^e
fur quclque branche de pin, fa:js autre abry que le
Cieln elle n'auoit point d'ecorces pour fe deffandre de
I'iniure de Vair^ il fallut (^oucter en cette mefme
hoftellerie, oti on ne trouue vien a fotipper que ce
qu'ou y porte, Dieu donna vu nouuel abry \ ccs non-
ueaijx hoites, il nerga tant toiite la nuit. qu'iL'^ eltoient
conuerts & enfeuclis dans la neige de tous cofl^s, Ces
tranaux qtii paroilXent grands en France, [63] paffent
icy pour legers, en efFet on les fouffre fans peine, le
iour venu !a malade fe confeiTcj on la lie fur vne petite
traifnt. noilre frere LigeoiJ^ & ce bon leune Saunage
latirent&la poulTenttantqu'ils peuuent, maiscomme
le temps eiloit fafohenx & qn'elle auoit beaucoup
endur^, elle mourut deuant que d'arriuer?i I'Hofpital,
fi ces adtions touclient les Sauuages, elles touchent
auffi le Ciel, qui d^i mHem Jicui lancim^ qui fait trouuer
vn manteau de neige auiH chaud quVn manteau de
laine ,

C eft vne cliofe affe?: ordinaire aux Chreftiens de
fe mettre a genoux fi-toft qu'ils ont tu6 qiielque ani-
mal, & d'en remercier Dieu fur le champ, vne bonne
vieille femme fgachant cette couftume la prattiqua \
fa mode sen allant chercher dcs racines pour man-
ger, en ayant trouue elle fe mitS genoux furlaneige,
tenant ce difcours ^ noftre Seigneur, grand Capitaine
c'eft vous qui atiea fait le ciel & la terre, & ces
racines, vous les auez faioles pour noftre nourritiire,
vous me les aues cnfeignes afin que i'en mangeafle,
ie vous en remercisj ft vous m'cn [69] vouMs encor
donner ie les prendray^ Cnon ie ne laiHeray pas de
croire en vous, voila fa priere.

IMOJ liELA TION OF 1640 MS

baptized retraced his steps, with one of our Fathers
and our brother Jean Ligeois, When they reached
the place where the sick ■woman was, they found her
in a hole made in the snow, lying upon a few branches
of pine, with no shelter but Heaven, and with no
bark to protect herself from the wind- They had to
sleep in this same hostelry, where nothing was to be
found for supper except what they brought with
them. God gave a new shelter to these new guests;
it snowed so hard, all ntght. that they were covered
and shrouded in snow on all sides. These hardjships.
which seem great in France, [6S]are considered here
as light, — in fact, they are easily borne. When
morning came, the sick woman confessed; they
bound her to a little sled, and our brother Ligeois,
and this good youag Savage hauled and pushed her
as well as they could, Butf as the weather was very
scvercj and as she had suffered a great deal, she died
before reaching the Hospital. If these actions touch
the SavageSf they also touch Heaven, qui dat ?tivein
sicKt lanam, who causes a mantle of snow to be found
as warm as a mantle of wool.

It is a very common practice with the Christians
to fall upon their knees as soon as they have killed
some animal, and to thank God for it upon the spot.
A good old woman, knowing this custom, practiced it
in her own way. Going in search of some roots to eatj
and finding some, she knelt upon the snow and ad-
dressed these words to our Lord: " Great Captain, it
is you who have made heaven and earth, and these
roots. You have made them for our nourishment,
you have shown them to me that I might eat them.
I thank you for them; if you [69] are willing- to give
me more, I will take them; if not, I will not give up
believing in you." This was her prayer-

..

150 LES RELATIONS llES j£S(/fTES [Voi. IS

Vn Sanuage patTant fur le bord tlu grand fleuue,
comme les vents fouftJoiet anec violence vne aflea
belle toriut poult^e par la tempeUe, fortit du fond
de E'eau & fut iett^e k fes pieds comme vne pierre,
luy la voyant fe met k genoux, & leuant les yen?: au
Ciel dit ces paroles ; Mon Pcre ie vous remercie, c'eft
vous qui ni'aivei donn<^ eel animal, vous I'auez fait
pour me nourrir, & maintenant vous m.e le prefentfis,
ie vous en remercie.

De verit6 ces bonnes gens out vne eandeur bien
aymable. ee feroit vxje eliofe bien nouuelle en France,
Oquelqu'vn des auditeurs airembMB pour entendre
la predication^ arrcfloit le predicateur an milieu de
fon difcours, on pour iuy parlor, on pour luy deman-
dev I'cxplication de quelque point de fa dodtrine,
cela fe fait tons les iours icy fans mefeance, Quel-
qu'vn de nous prefchant de la eonfeffion, & declarant
I'importance qu'il y a de purifier fon ccenr dans ce
Sacremet, [^^o] & de ne rien cacher k Dieu, vn. Capi-
taine s'efcria tout haut, mon Pere on ne fait que iou6r
dans nos eabanes, efcout^s ieuneffe, entendez-vous
bi^ju cc que nous dit le Perc, vous ne failles paK bien,
amandez-vous, vous ioiiej^ tropf venes-vous eonfelTer,
& garde z- vous bien de celer aueun de vos pecbez,
cette parenthefe fermee, le Predicateur continue fon
difcours.

Vne autrefois le Pere parlant de la Commuuton, &
difant que le Fils de Dieu fe cachoit fous la blan-
cheur du pain pour efprouuer noftre foy, vne bonne
vieille leuant fa voix, dit aux autres femmes qui
eftoient Ik, nous auons beau nous deguiferj il vient
expres en noltre ctEur pour voir tout ee qui s'y pafle,
il cognoilt bien li nous croyons par feintifc ou non,

]eJO] RELATION OF 1640 ISI

As a Savage was paHi^ing along tte bank of the
great river whUe the wind was blowing violently, a
very tine turtle, stirred up by tbe tempest* came forth
from the depths of Che water, and was thrown at his
feet like a stone. When he saw it, he fell upon hia
knees and, raising his eyes to Heaven, uttered these
words, *' My Father, I thank you- It is you who
have given me this animal. You have made it to
nourish me> and now you present it to me. I thank
you for it."

Verily, these good people possess a truly engaging
candor- It would be a verj- novel thing in France if
one oi the audience assembled to hear a sermon were
to stop the preacher in the middle of the diseourse, —
either to talk with him, or to ask him for the ex-
planation of some point of his doctrine. This hap-
pens here every day without any impropriety. One
of u^ preaching on confession, and declaring the im-
portance of purifying one's heart in this Sacrament,
[70] and of concealing nothing from God, a Captain
exclaimed aloud, " My Father, they do nothing bnt
gamble in our cabins. Listen, young men, do you
understand clearly what the Father is telling us?
You are not doing right; mend your ways! You
gamble too much : come and confess, and be careful
not to hide any of your sins/' This parenthetical
speech finished, the Preacher continued his sermon.

At another lime, — when the Father was speaking
of the Communion, and saying that the Son of God
concealed himself under the whiteness of the bread
to try our faith, — a good old woman, raising her
voice, said to the Other women who were there, *' It
is in vain for us to hide anything; he comes into our
hearts purposely to see all that is going on there.

IBS LES J^ELATIONS VES J£SU2T£S [Vol. 18

c'eft pour cela qii'il fe cache, afin de defcouurir fi nous
auons de 3a malice en Tame.

Quand on dit quelque cliofe qu'ils approuueat fort,
lis le tefmoignent par fois tout au milieu de la predi-
cation /m-lie. difcnt-ils, ou bien, mi hi, voila qui va
[71] bieu: ou bien encor, tni ke tiang, nous ferons cela.

Vous en verrea qui diront au Predicateiir, mon
Pere n'allez pas fi vifte, parlez plus doucement, fi le
Pere ne fe feit pas bien & propos dt: quolque mot en
leur lan^ien ils luy fuggerent le vray mot qu'il faut
dire, & perfonne ne trouue cela eitrange. I'ay autre-
fois reniarqu^, qtie les Sauuages pour fe faire beans,
fe rougiHent ou fe noirciffent la face, ou fe la pei-
gnenl d'vne autre couleur. or comrae quelqu'vn de
nous cryoit certain iour contre cette mauuaife cou-
flume. L'vn de fes auditcurs indign^ contre ceuK qui
la retenoient^ s'eforia, mon Pere il n'y a que les
difformes & les malotrus qui fe peiguent, nous autres
qui fommes beaux naturellement, nous auouH quitt6
cette vieille mode, voila leur frauchife. Maij* remar-
qucz s'il vous plaift, qu'il n'y a que les priucipaux de
I'auditoire qui fe donnent Tautorit^ de parler. c'eft
affes pour ce Chapitre.

1640J J^ELA TION OF 1640 153

He knows very well whether we are only pretending
to believej^it is for this purpose that he conceals
himself, to discover whether we have any malice in
our souls."

When one says something- which they greatly ap-
prove, they show iL sometimes in the very midst of
the preaching- Ho-ha. they say, ov mi hi, '* that is
[71] good \" or, again, mil^ctiang, " we will do that."

There are some who will say to the Preacher, " My
Father, do not go so fastj speak more slowly," If
the Father does not correctly use some word of their
language, they will suggest to him the tight word
that he should use, and no one finds this strange, I
have previously remarked that the Savages, to adorn
themselves, redden or blacken their faces, or paint
them in some other color. Now aa one of us rebuked
this mischievous custom on a certain day, one of his
auditors, indignant at those who retained it, ex-
claimed, " My Father, it is only the deformed and
the uncouth who paint themselves. The rest of us,
who are naturally handsome, have given up this old
custom." See how frank they are- But observe, if
you please, that it is only the chief persons of the
audience who assume authority in speaking. This
is enough for this Chapter.

15i LES RELATIOXS DES JP.SUrXES [Vor„ 18

[72] CHAPITRE VI.
CO^TINUATIOiN DU MESME SUJET.

VN ieune homrae Chretien s'eftant mis en colere
battit fa femme, qui I'auoit iiifolcmmeni pro-
uoqii6, il n'cltoit pas cncor hors de foiigue, que
ie repentant de fon peoh^, il fe gliJle en noftre chap-
pelio pour en crier mercy k Dieu, il y rencontra le
Pert de Qnen auquel il dit, ie fuis triilen ie viens de
fafcher Dieu, pritz-le pour nioy, or comme cela s'e-
ftoit fait deuaut pluilcurs perfounes, il s'etleuu ^'ne
grande rmneur dans les ca banes, plufienrs Chreftiens
& pluCeurs Pay ens tous enfemble, s'en viennent
cheK nous fe plaindre de ce fcandale, ces gens IS ne
refpedteni pas Jeur baptefme, difoient les Chretiens,
lis viuent comme s'ils ne croyoient pas en Dieu. Les
infideles nous reprochoient que nous ne les baptifions
pas, & qu'ils faifoiont mieux que pluQeitrs qui I'eitoiet,
[73] on leur enfeigne du bien, difoicnt-ils, & ils ne
le font pas: ils prient Dieu & cependant ils fe met-
tent en colere. ils font baptif^H & neantmoins ils ne
laiffent pas de fe battre, conimc nous leurs eufmes dit
que nons les aduertirions de leur deuoir, ils les allerent
qtierir tout fur I'heure, fans attend re dauantag^e, its
furcnt vefperiz^K comme il faut, notamment la fcm-
me, qui efloit plus coulpable que fon mary, oette con-
fnfion leur feniit, & ne St point de mal anx antres;
les inlideles ue f^auvoient fupporter les dciTauts des
Chrefliens. ils croyenl qu'ayaat einbraff6 vne Loy (1

1&40J RELA TION OF i5/fo 156

[73J CHAPTER VI.
CONTINUATION OF THE SAME SUBJECT.

A YOUNG Christian, getting into a passion, beat
his wife, who had insolently provoked him.
He had not yet recovered from his rage, when,
reptnting of his sin, he slipped into our chapel to
cry to God for mercy ; encoLinterlng Father de Quen
there, he said to him. " \ am sad, I have just offended
God, pray to him for me." Now as that had hap-
pened in the presence of several persons, a great
clamor arose in the cabins, — many Christians and
Pagans coming together to us, to complain of this
scandal. "Those people do not respect their bap-
tism," said the Christiatis; " they live as if they did
Dot believe in God." The unbelievers reproached
us with not having baptized them, when they be-
haved better than many who were baptised. [73]
'* They are taught what is right/' said these, " and
they do not do it. They pray to God, and yet they
get angry. They are baptir-ed, and yet they do not
hesitate to beat one another/' When we had told
them that we would admonish those persons con-
cerning their duty, they went and brought them
without delay^ waiting for nothing more. They
were properly reprimanded, especially the woman,
who was more guilty than her husband. This humii-
lation was useful to them, and did no harm to the
others. The unbelievers cannot tolerate the faults
of the Christians ; they believe that, having embraced

I

156 LES JiELATIO,W.S n/iS J^SO/TES [Voi. la

faindte, ils dohient eftre exempts de toute fragility,
il eft vray que la g^mce du baptefme fait d'eitranges
mttamorphofCsS, quand on y corrcfpond,

Vii Sainiag;e Chrettien, vouiant entrer en quelque
maifon, vn Fran^ofs le repouffa auec violence, lis fe
parloient tons dens fans s'entendrej le Sauuage fe
voyant mal traiLl6, difoit, fi ie n'eftois baptif6 ie t'ac-
commoderois bien, ie fuis plus grand & plus fort que
toy, ie faurois bien-toft rcnuerf^ par terre, mais le
[74J Pere qui m'a baptifi^ ma dit que la colere ne
valoit rien, & qn'il ue failoit point faire de mal,
mefme i ceuK qui nous en faifoient, c'ell pourquoy
ie me rctireray.

Vn ieune Neophite ayant fait rencontre d'vn cari-
bou, le tua d'vn coup d'arquebnfe, aulTi-toft \\ fe mit
^ genouK pour en remcrcier Dieu, couftume qu'il
gardoit mefme deiiant que d'eftrt baptif^. mais oe
qu'il fit en fuitte efl fort remarquable: premicrement
il ennoya ans pauures malades de THofpital, vne
partle dc fa c^haffe, ofTrant ces prcmices ^ noftre Sei-
gneur, fectjndemeiit comme il auoit tu6 cet animal le
leudy au foirn & qu'il en deuoit faire feilin Ie iour
fuiuant felon la couftume du pays, il voulut attendre
iufques au Dimanchc, de peur que les Chrefliens ne
mangeaffent de la chair les iours deffendus, il voyoit
bien que la necelTit^ en laquelle ils eltoient les difpen-
foient affca, on luy difoit aufli que ks hommes de-
uoienl partir le Samcdy pour aller k la chalTc, &
qu'ils ne goufteroient point de fon feflin s'il ne fe
hafloit de le faire, nonobltant tout cela, [75J il tint
ferme, aymant mieux plaire ^ Dieu qu'aux hommes.
La veille de NoSl quelques Sauuages non encor bap-
tifez, eftans arriu^s i S. lofcph iirent feltin de greffe

leMj JiELA T/ON OF i^o 167

a Law so holy, the latter ought to be exempt from all
frailties. It is true that the grace of baptism causes
strange transformations, when one acts in accord
with it.

A Christian Savage, who wishei^ to enter a certain
house, was violently repulsed by a Frenchman. They
both talked, but neither understood the other. The
Savage, finding himself badly treated, said, " If I
were not baptized, I would thrash thee well, I am
larger and stronger than thou art, — -I would soon
have thrown thee to the ground ; but the [74] Father
who baptized me told me that anger avails nothing,
and that one must not do evil even to those who have
done it to us; hence I will go away."

A young Neophyte, having encountered a caribou,
killed it with a shot from his arquebus. He imme-
diately fell upon his knees and thanked God for itf —
a custom which he observed even before his bap-
tism ; but what he did afterward is very remarkable.
First, he sent to the poor sick persons at the Hospi-
tal a portion of his game, offering these first fruits to
OUT Lord. Secondlyf as he had killed this animal
Tuesday evening, and as he ought to make a feast of
it the following day, according to the custom of the
country, he wished to wait until Sunday, lest the
Christians would not eat meat on the forbidden days.
He saw, indeed, that the necessity in which they
found themselves sufficiently dispensSed them; and
he was also told that the men were to leave on Sat-
urday, to go himtingj and that they would not taste
his feast if he did not hasten to give it. Notwith-
standing all this, [;5j he held firm, preferring to
please God rather than man. On Christmas eve,
some Savages, not yet baptized, having arrived at St,

i5S LJ^S PEl.A T/OA'.^ DES /ASIZ/TES [Vol. la

d'ours, ce font leurs granges delices, comme on y
inuitoit quelqiies vns de nos Chreltiensj Tvn deux
rerpondit, encor que veritablement rxons foyons dans
la necclTite, neantmoius nous ne mangerons point de
chair aiiiourd 'buy, noiis ieiifnons tous, c'eft poiirquoy
nous n'irons poiut an feflin, nous apriftnea cette
refponce quelques lours apres par cas fortuit, cela
nous edifSa & coufola dautaut plus que ces pauures
gens foufrotent de la difette.

Madame de la Pelicnc fendatrice de^^ Vrfulines,
tres-ael^e ponr les Sauuages, ^'^oulut venir i fainci
lofeph b. la felle de Noel, pour fc trouucr i la Meffe
de minuiA anec eus, elie a vue ioye & vue coufola-
tion nompareille quaud elle pent communier auec
ces bons Neophites, ellc fe trouua certain ioiir eutou-
r^e de p[\\^ de qiiaraute Sauuages, qui approchoieut
tons de la fainet^ table auec eJle, cela ne fe paila pas
fans larmes de [76] ioye, aufii faut-il auoiier que le
changemeat fi fubit de ces panures barbarcs, donne
bien du contentcmcnt au occur qui ayme lefus-Cbrift.

Quaud les Sauuages Chreftlens euret aduis qn'elle
leur vouloit faire cet houneur de les venir vifiter h
cette bonne fefte, ils I'allerent querir boinmes, fem-
mes & filleji, auec vnc telle ardeur que nous en ellions
eltonues, c^efloit k qui ia carefferoit dauautage, fi par
fois elle les vient vifiter par eau, ces bonnes gens luy
font vne petite falue darquebuzades lors quelle fe
defembarque, Taccompagnant iufques i leurs mai-
fons ou cabanes, auec beaucoup d'affedtion, ellc amene
toufiours auec foy quelques pelites ftiles Sauuages
feiuinarille.s bien j^entiment couuertes, ce qui agr^e
fort anx Sauuages, or comme ces enfans entcndent
lous les iours la faincte MelTe auec fes Reli^ieufes, &

1640] RELA TION OF ib4£> 1»

Joseph, made a feast of bear's fat, which is their
great delicacy- When some of our Christians were
inviled to this, one of thtm replied, " Although we
are truly in need, nevertheless we will not eat meat
to-day. We are all fasting, antl for that reason we
shall not go to the feast." We learned of this an-
swer a few days later by mere chance, and it edified
and consoled us all the more, because these poor
people were suffering from want.

Madame de la Pelterie, foiindress of the Ursulines.
very zealous in behalf of the Savages, wished to
come to saint Joseph at the CJiristmas feast, in
order to be present with them at the midnight Mass.
She experiences a matchless joy and couHolatiou
when she can receive communion with these good
Neophytes. She found herself one day surrounded
by more than forty Savages, who all approached the
holy table with her, and this did not take place with-
out tears of [76] joy. Indeed, it must be confessed
that the so sudden change in these poor barbarians
gives great satisfaction to the heart that loves Jesus
Christ.

When the Christian l:^avages learned that she
wished to do them the honor of visiting them at this
blessed feast, they went to bring her, — men^ women,
and girlsj — with an ardor that greatly surprised us.
They vied with each other in caressing her. When
sometimes she eomes by water to visit them, these
good people fire a little arquebus salute for her when
she disembark.s, — accompanying her as far as their
houses or cabins, and showing her great affection.
She always brings with her some little Savage semi-
nary giriSj very prettily dressed, which greatly
pleases the Savages. Now a£ these children hear the

D

160 LES RELATIONS DES J&SVITES [Vol. IS

qu'elles ley entendent chanter pendant I'eleiiation du.
faindl Sacreinent, elles ont fi bien releiiu vn de lenrs
motetSf qu'elle le clianterent brauement S S, lofeph
deuat tous leurs parens Chreftiens, lors qu'on \yy\
leuoit la faindte Hoftie i la MeJle de minuidl, elles
ctanttrent auCi deuant la faincte MelTe vn Cantique
fpirituel coiiipof<? en leur langue. fur la Naiffance du
Fils de Dieu, tous les Sauuages reprenoient genti-
ment le fLrophes, chantaiis les vns apres les autres
auec vn bon accordj Dieu fgait G ces bocs Neophites
eiloient conlecs aufii-bien que leurs enfans, & fi Ma-
dame de la Pelterie qui en eft plus ialoufc que leurs
pauures merea, eftoit confolf^e. Deux chofes aug-
mentercnt fa ioye, La premiere ful, qu'cntraut fur le
foir en la maifou de Noel Negabaniat, oti elle fe reti-
roit, elle letrouuaS genoux auee touts fa famille, fai-
fant leurs prieres, elle fut bien eftonn^e & les Peres
auffi qui Taccompagnoient, d'enteodre les longues
oraifons qu'ils faifoientj nouobltant qu'ils euffent
alllttiS aux prieres communes, qu'on fait faire ordt-
nairement aux Sauua^es en la Chappelle.

En fecond lieu, voulant faire feltin aux Sauuages
qui Tauoient tant ediffi^e, elle fit prefenter i^ Noel
Negabamat ee qu'elle leur donnoit, mais No6l dtt au
[7S] Pere qui luy parioit, men Pere il y a icy quel-
ques Sauuages qui s'en vot aux trois Riuieres, i'ap-
prends que ceux qui font li font efbranli^s & qu'ils
ont enuie de croire^ il feroit bon que Madame de la
Peltrie fit ce prefent ^ ces Sauuages qui font fur leur
depart, pour les gagner, alin qu'ils parlent bien de
la Foy, & qu'ils portent leurs corapatriotes ^ I'em-
braller. le n'aurois pasattendncette refponce ny ce

1640] RELA TION OF 164a 101

holy Mass every day with the Nuns, and as they hear
them sing every day during the elevation of the
blessed Sacrament, they have remembered one of
their motets so well that they sang it finely at St.
Joseph, in the presentie of their Christian relatives,
when [77] the sacred Host was elevated at the mid-
night Mass. They sang also before the holy Mass
a spiritnal Song, composed in their own language,
upon the Birth of the Son of God. AH the Savages
took up the strophes finely, and sang them one after
another in good time- God knows how happy these
good Neophytes were, and their children too, and
what consolation Madame de la Pelterie experienced,
who is more solicitous about them than are their
poor mothers. Two circumstances added to her joy.
The lirst was thatf entering toward evening the
house of Noel Negaban^iat, where she was staying, she
found him upon his knees with all his family, say-
ing their prayers. She was greatly astonished, and
the Fathers also who accompanied her, to hear the
long prayers they were oiYering, notwithstanding the
fact that they had assisted at the g^eneral prayers
that we usually have the Savages offer in the Chapel.
In the second place, wishing to make a feast for
the Savages who had so greatly edified her, she had
what she was going to give them offered to Noel
Negabamat; but No^l said to the [7S] Father who
spoke to him, " My Father, there are some Savages
here who are going to the three Rivers. I learn that
those who are there are moved^ and are inclined to
believe. It would be well for Madame de la Peltrie
to make this present to these Savages who are about
to leave, in order to win them to speak well of the
Faith, and to influence their compatriots to embrace

362 LES RELAT70NS DES jtSUlTES [Vol, IS

aele d'vn homme, qui ne fail que de naiftre en lefus-
Chrfft.

II n'eft pas lufqucs au:; enfans, qui n^ayeol quel-
que affection pour lent creance, H vn d'entr'eus voit
fairc quelque mal \ fon compagnon. il luy dit qu'il
faut qu'il fc confeffe. Sl qu'ii a. mal fait, il y a quel-
ques iours que deux ieunes gargons, I'vn Cbrcftien &
Tautre Payen, fe penferenl gourmer S bon efcient
pour leur creance. le Chreftien parlant k celuy-oy
nouuellemcnt arriu^, i'inmtoit de prier Dicu, illuydit
comment veux tu que ie le prie ne fe voyant pas,
Tautre le menace fl'aller en enfer s'il ne le prioit^
penfe-lndit Tinfidele, queceque difent les Peres foil
vray > nous irou.'^ [79] nous auires aprea noftrc mort 011
le Soleil fe couche, nous n'irons point dans la terre,
les Peres font des mcnteurs. non, fit le Chreftieuj ils
ue mentent paSn ceux qui croyent & qui obeyiTent i
Dieu irot au Oiel, les auires iront au feu, cela n'eft
pas vray repart fon compagnon, le Chreflicn refjfle,
I'autre luy tient telle, bref ils s'animent il bien, que
ft on ne fut veuu pour les feparetn ils s'alloient battre
bien ferr^, ie trouue ce zele d'autant ph\s admirable
que lea Sauuages font froids comme glace, & ennemis
des difputes & des querellea, ce n'eft p^is qu'ils n'ay-
ent de la oolere, niais ils la cachcnt raicux que nous,
aulli leur fait clle plus de mal, en voicy vn excmple.

Vne ieune femme, fe voyant prefTi^e d'efpoufer vn
homme qn'elle n'aymoit point, entre en telle fureur
fans le fairs paroiitre au dehors, qn'elle fe voulut
^trangier, on court incontinent, on la trouue demie
morte, on coupe le lieol, on la reporte toute pafm^e
en fa cabane, aufTi-toft vn Chrelticn nous en vieiit
domier aduis, nous y courufmeSn i'vn de nous la voy-

ii

1640] RELA TION OF 1640

it.'' I would not liax'e expected this ana^ver or this
zeal from a man ^vho had only just been born in
Jesus Christ.

There are none, even among the children, who
have not some affection for their belief; if one of them
sees any fault in a companion, he tells him that he
must confess, for he has done wrong. A few days
ago, two boys, one a Cliristian and the other a Pagan,
were about to fi^ht in earnest, on account of their
beliefs. The Christian, speaking to the other, who
had just arrived, mvited him to pray to God, Th.o
latter said to him, " Why dost thou ask me to pray
to God, when I do not see him?" The other threat-
eningly replied that he would g"0 to hell, if he did
not pray, " Dost thou think," said the unbeliever,
" that what the Fathers say is true? We shall go
[79] after our death to the place where the Sun sets, — -
we shall not go into the ground; the Fathers are
liars." '' No, "returned the Christian, " they do not
lie; those who believe and obey God will go to
Heaven, the others will go into the fire." ^' That
is not true," retorted his companion- The Christian
insisted, the other was obstinate: in short, they be-
came so excited that if some one had not come and
separated them, they would have fought vcvy fierce-
ly. I found this ^ea] all the more admirable, because
the Savages are as cold as ice, and oppo&ed to dis-
putes and quarrels. Kol that they do not experience
anger, but they conceal it better than we do, and it
also does them more harm. Here is an example of
this,

A young woman, finding herself urged to marry a
man whom she did not love, became so enraged,
■without showing any outward indications of it, that

LH LES REL.A TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. IS

ant en cet eftat deplorable, [So] fit fecrettenient vn
vceu ?L la plus faindte & plus adorable famille qui fut
iatiiais, de Tefus, de Marie & de S. lofeph^ priant le
chef de cette augufte maifon, d'empcfcher que cette
ame ne fe perdit, elle reuint \ foy. & nous donna
tout le contentement que nous eufTions peu efperer
d'vne ame qui fortoit dcs portes dc Venfer, nous luy
demandafmes fi elle ne craignoiC point d'eflre d'aai-
nee, ie ne penfoiS point i cela, difoit-ellef mais feulc-
3nent k me dellurer de I'ennuy de cet honimfc.

Vn ieuue Chreftien ayant ioii^, & perdu quclque
clioCe notable de fon petit meublej ie douta bien que
nous en ferius me f con tens, il s'en vint trouuer I'vn
de nous & luy dil, mon Pere, ie vous piie ne foy^s
point mefconteut de ce que i'ay fait, ie ne le feray
plus, i'ny pcrdir bcaucoup an ieu, i'ay mal fait, ie ne
fuis pas triEte de ma perte, mais de voua auoir mef-
contente; ear ie f gay bien que cela vous deplaift, &
que Dieu ne I'aggrSe pas, ie ne ioiieray plus que
chofe de petite valeur, cette fimplicit^ en aimable.

[Si] Vue femme Chreitienne ayant iong6 qu'elle
voyoit le diable, nous vint trouuer dcs le matin, i'ay
penfj; venir d65 cette nuit, difoit-elle, le mefchant
manitou m'efl venu voir, il ma voulu donner h man-
ger, ie I'ay refufe, i'eitois ti epouuant^e ine fouue-
nant de ce que vows nous auca enfeigne, que ce mef-
chant nous vonloit perdre, que :n'e1tant eueill<;e en
furfault, ie voulois courir en voftre raaifon de peur
qu'il ne me trompalt: on TalTeiira que fi elle eltoit
forte en la Foy, qu'il ne luy pourroit faire aucun
mal, nolamment fi elle ne eroyoit plus en fe;^ fonges,
ie les liais mefme en dormant, difoit cette pauure
creature, Voicy vn point d'edilioation, les neiges

Ifl40] JtF^LA TION OF 1640 IW

she tried to hang herself. People ran to her at once ;
they found her half dead ; they cut the noose, and
carried herj entirely unconscious, to her cabin.
A Christian came straigjhtway and informed ns of
this; wc 7311 thither, and one of uk, seeing her in
this deplorable state, [80J secretly made a vow to the
most holj' and adorable family that ever existed, —
that of Jesus, Mary, and St. Joseph, — praying; the
head of that august house to prevent this soul from
being lost- She came to herself, and ga^e ns all the
satisfaction that could have been expected from a
soul which was coming forth froTn the gates of hell.
We asked her if she was not afraid of being damned.
" T was not thinking of that," said she, ^' but only of
freeing myself from the annoyance of that man."
■■ A young Christian gambled, and lost something
valuable from his little property. Wondering, right-
ly, if we would not be displeased with him, he came
to see one of us and said, " My Father, I pray you
not to be displeased with what I have done; I will
not do so any more, 1 have lost much in play; T
have done wrong. I am not sad about my loss, but
because I have displeased you; for I know very well
that you are dissatisfied, and that God is not pleased.
1 will stake nothing hereafter, except something of
small value." This simplicity is charming.

[Si] a Christian, woman having dreamed that she
saw the devil, canic to see us the next morning. " f
almost came in the night," said she; " the wicked
manitou came to see me, and wished to give me some-
thing to eat, but I refused him- 1 was so frightened
■when I recalled what yon have taught me, — that this
evil one desired to ruin us,— that, waking with a
start, I wished to run to your house, lest he should

tK LES RELATIONS DILS /^SUITES [Voi- IS

eftant vn pen hflutes, nos Samiages sen allerent dans
lea bois pour faire lenrs pronJCons de chairs d'Elan;
conime lis denoient eftre long-temps nous donafnies
aux Chreftiens vn calandrier pour recognoiflre les
Diniaches, afin de fairc Iciivs prieres vn petit plus
longues ces iours-l^ ; or comme ils ne f^auent ny lire,
ny efcrire, 0:1 anoit diftingu^ les lours & ks Luncs, &
lea Feftes par diuerfes marques, [S3] leur donnans
ce papier comme ?i Vauenture, pour voir s'ils s'en
pourroient feruir, ie vous affeurc que nous fufmes
blen eftonnes h. leur retour, car nous eiYans venus
voir, apres auoir remerci^ Dieu en la Chappelle, ils
nous appurterent leur papier, & nous dirent, voyez fi
nous ne nous fommes point mefcont^a, voiTa le iour
oi nous penfons eitre, firent ils, ils ue s'eftoiexit paa
mefpris d'\'n feul iour, voila adiouftoient-ils les iours
de Dimanches, nous les auons gardes tous, except6
celuy-lk, quails monftroient, nous ranons marqu6 es.-
pres pour vous le monltrer, nous difmes qu'il falloit
■pons en aduertir, le degel nous contraignit de trauail-
ler ce iour-li, nous en eftions bien niarris, mais nous
eftionH en danger de perdre nos prouifions; les iours
de Feftes nous nous affemblions & prions Dieu dans
vne cabanc, & nous chantions ce que noiis fjauons,
les autrea lours diacun prioil Dieu che^ foy.

Le quinziefme de laniiier, quelques Sauuages nous
vindrent trouuer de plus d'vne lieuS loin pour fe con-
feffer, deuant [S5] que de s' engager plus auant dans
les terreijj entre anlres vne fcmmc nous loiicha. is
n'ay point encor communis, difoit-elle, ie ne f^ay G
ie vous renerray iamais, accorde:^ nioy la Commiinion
deuant mon defpart, on I'interrogea & Tayant trouuiSe

IfllO] RSLA TION OF 1640 lfl7

beguile me." She was assured that, if she were
strong in the Faith, he could do her no harm, espe-
cially if she no longer believed in her dreams. " I
bate them even in ray sleep," said this poor creature.
In the followiiigf there is matter for edification. The
snow being rather deep, our Savages went into the
woods to provide themselves with Elk meat; as they
were to be gone a long timSf we gave the Christians
a calendar, that they might know the Sundays, so
that they could make their prayers somewhat longer
on those days. Now as they can neither read nor
write, we had distinguished the days and the Months
and the Feasts by different marks. [Kaj Giving them
this paper at random, as it were, to see if they could
use itj 1 assure you that Ave were greatly astonished
upon their return; for when they came to see us,
after having thanked God in the Chapel, they brought
■us their paper, and said, " See if we have counted
wrongly; there is the day where we think we are,"
they continued- They were not mistaken by a single
day. " There/' they added, " are the Sundays; we
have kept them all except that one/' which they
indicated; " we have marked it purposely to show it
to you, for we said that we must tell you about it.
The thaw obliged us to work that day; we were
sorry about it, but we were iti danger of losing our
provisions. On the Feast days, we assembled and
praj'cd to God in one cabin, and sang wliat we knew.
On the other days, each prayed to God by himself."
On the fifteenth of January, some Savages came
to us from more tlian a league away, to mate con-
fession, before [S3] getting still farther into the inte-
rior. Among others, a woman touched our hearts.
" I have not yet received communion, " said she; " I

IflS LK5 RELA TI0N5 J)ES /^SU/T^S {Vol. 18

affea inftruidte, on luy donna raccoTnplifTemeat de
fon defir,

VoLCy quelques paroUes tir^s des lettres que la
Mere Sirperieure de I'Hofpital m'efcriuoit, renuoy-
ant les malades i S. lofeph- Cettc fille qui retourne
a S, loreph, & que nous auons peof^e en noftre Hof-
pital, eft Tvne des plus modefles que i'aye veuj uon
feulement parmy les Sauuages, mais auEi parmy les
Fran^oifes, eJle s'eft comport^e auec ^-ne tres-Erande
retenug parmy tant de perfonnes qui font en I'Hofpi-
tal^ dans viic aiitre lettre. Plufieurs Sauuajjes vin-
drenl hier en noilrc maifon, comme il efLoit tard, ils
ont couch6 ^ THofpital, ils m'ont extremement edi-
fice, au premier mot des prieres qu'ou fait le foir, ils
fe mitent k genoux, & les lirent auec vne deiiotion
qui me touchoit, ie crains que mes offence?; [84] ne
me rendent indigne d'ayder ce paiuire peuple,

Vne autrefois elle eforiuoit en ces tennes, les ma-
lades que vous nous enuoye^ font extrememciit pa-
tiens, ils m'cftonnent, ils prient Dieu fort volontiers,
nous les faifons entrer en noftre Chappelk pour prier,
ils le font auec grande affection.

I'ay dit cy-deilus, que les Sauuages auoient creS
vn certain ieune Chrefticn fort feruent, Capitaine des
prieres, c'ett i dire qu'il auroit foing de faire faire les
prieres eu noftre abfencEf & de fe faire in llruire foy-
tnefme, pour rapportcr ^ fes gens ce qu'on luy auroit
enfeigui^i or il arrjua que les Sauuages s'en eflant
allez k quelques lieues de faiudt lofeph, pour faire
des eanots, ce Capitaine les fuiuit, & quelques iours
apres il nous vint reirouuer, & nous tint ce difcours,
nos Capitaines m'ont euuoy^ vers vous, pour e[>re
inltrui(?t, felon que nous auios conuenu par eofenible.

1640J J^EL^ TION OF 16,0 16^

do not know whether I shall ever see you again;
grant me the Communion before my departure.*'
She was questioned, and> being found sufficiently
instructed, s^he was panted the fulfillment of her
desire.

Here are some sentences taken from the letters
that the Mother Superior of the Hospital -wrote me
when she sent the patients back Co St- Joseph:
" This girl who is returning to St. Joseph, and whom
we have cared for in our Hospital, is one of the most
modest girls I have ever seen, not only among the
Savages, but also among the French. She has con-
ducted herself with very great reserve among the
many persons who are in the Hospital." In another
letter^ " Several Savages came to our house yester-
day; as it \\-A5 late, they slept in the Hospital, They
edified me greatly. At the first word of the prayers
that were offered in the evening, they knelt down
and said them with a devotion that touched my heart.
I fear that my own transgressions [84] render me
unworthy of aiding these poor people."

At another time, she wrote in these terms: " The
sick whom you have sent are extremely patient ; they
astonish me. They pray to God with great willing-
ness; we had them enter our Chapel to pray, which
they did very gladly."

1 have said above, that the Savages had created a
certain young and very fervent Christian, " Captain
of prayerSi" — that is to say, he was to see that the
prriyers were said in our absence, and was to be him-
self instructed, that he might report to his people
what had been taught him. Now it happened that,
the Savages having gone some leagues away from
saint Joseph to make canoes, this Captain followed

170 J-ES RELATIONS DES jtSUITES [Vol. IS

ie leur ay enfeign^ tout ce que ie C^auois, ie in'en
viens \ I'eCcole pour apprendre qiielque autre ctofe
de noitre creance, afin de leur eufeigner, [85] ils
font tons extremcment tiontens de la Foy qu'ils ont
embralT^e^ c' eft tout de boa qu'ils eroyenieu Dieu, on
ne fait mainteiiant nou plus d'eftat de nos vieilles
couftumes, & de nos vieilles fuperftitions antiieuues,
dans les cabanes de ceux qui font baptif^Sn que de
cette pierre. Quelques Samiages de Tadouftac notis
font veuus voir pour eftre iuftruidts, & pour deraeu-
rer aiiet: noiYS, & pour cultiiaer la terre, ils nous ont
eftonn^s, tant ils tefmoignent de defir d'eilre Chre-
fUens, ils nous out dit iufques i ces paroles, Q vous
nous voyea ohanceler dans la refolution que nous
auons prife de nous faire baptifer^ nous vous perinet-
tons de nous frapper, & de nous chalTer d'auec vous.
Voicy vc mot de lettre du P, de Qucu, toucbant
ces bons Ncopbitcs, lean Baptifte Etinechkavat &
Eftienne PigarvLCb, me vindrent voir bier tout exprea
pour ffauoir quand il feroit Dimanche ils me dircnt
qu'ils eiloient triftes de n'auoir pas ouy la MefTe
depuis qu'ils eftoiert partis de S, lofepb, ie leur ay
donn6 vn papier, ou i'ay marqu^ les [86] iours, afin
qu'ils peuilent f^anoir quand il fera Dimancbe, ils
m'ont promts qu'ils ne manqueroient pas de venir ^
la MefTe ee iour-l^, quoy qu'ils foient elolgnes d'icy
enuiron trois lieu^s, en effctft, ils n'y ont pas man-
qu£, lis ni'ont af[eur6 qu'on prioit Dieu dans vne
cabane, ofi tons les Sauuages Chreftiens s^afTem-
bloientt & qu'ils allumoieut vue i^corce deuant I'i-
mage de noftre Seigneur, mais pource que I'^corce
fe confomme trop toitt ils m'ont prie de leur donner
vn cierge, ils font tous dans vn conteutemeut iucioy-

1640] RELA TION OF 1&40 I'l

them; and some days afterward, coining to see us,
he discoursed in this manner: " Our Captains have
sent nie to you to be insCrticted, according to what
we have agreed upon together, I have taught them
all 1 knew. T am coming to school to learn some-
thing else about our beHef, in order to teach them.
[85] They are all entirely satisfied with the Faith that
they have embraced. It is in earnest that they be-
lieve ic God. Our old customs and ancient supersti-
tions are now no more valued, in the cabins of those
who are baptized, than this stone. Some Savages of
Tadoussac have come to us to be instructed, and to
remain with us and cultivate the land. They have
astonished ns, so great a desire do they show to be
Christians. They have even said these words to us,
' If you see us waver in the resolution we have made,
to be baptized, wc will let you beat us, and drive us
away from you.' "

Here is part of a letter from Father de Quen,
touching these gOOd Neophytes. "Jean Baptists
Etinechkavat and Estienue Pigaruich came to rae
yesterday, expressly to know when it would be Sun-
day. They told me they were sad at not having
heard Mass since they had left St. Joseph. I gave
them a paper whereon I marked the [S6] days, that
they might know when Sunday came. They prom-
ised me that the5' would be sure to come to Mass that
day, although they are about three leagues distant
from here; and, in fact, they did not fail to come.
They assured me that prayers were offered to God
in a cabin where all the Christian Savages gathered,
and that they lighted a piece of bark before the im-
age of our Lord ; but, as the bark burned out so soon,
they begged mo to give them a taper. They are all

172 LES RELA T/ONS DES JltSUITMS p/^OL. 13

able d'auoir embralT6 la Foy, nous ctaftions difoient-
lis, les defobeiflans : vne ieune fillc ti'ayant pas vuulu
aller k la rets, oh fon pcre Tcriuoyoit, fiit deuj; iours
fans manger en punitiou cle fa defobeiifance : deiix
ieunes gar^ons eftans venus trop tard avix prieres du
matin, fiirent punis pai' vne poignte de cendres
chaude^ qu'on lenr ielta fur la tefte, aucc menat^e de
plus grand cbaftiment en cas de recidiue, le Sauuage
qui me racomploit oette biftoire me lit rire, eftant
difoit il, aux prieres auec les autres, la face tourn^e
vers r image de noftre [S/] Seigneur, iauois grand e
enuie de voir fi ces denx ieuncs gens que ie venois
d'eneiller eftoient venus aux prieres; mais me fou-
uenant que vona recomandiez la modeftie, Sc Vatten-
tion qnaud on parle k Dieu, ie n'ofois me mouuoir,
enfin voulant recognoiftre fi tout Ie monde efloit en
fon deuoir, ie me laifTay ailer, ic Lournay la t^lte;
mais lant foit peu & bien fagementn ie croy. faifoil-
il, qu'il n'y a point de mal en cela, cette candenr me
fit rire-

Voicy vne a^^ion qui m'a grandement touch^: vn
ieune bomme Cbreflien, ag(^ d'enuiron vingt-deux
anSf n'ayant peu trouuer femme ^ S. lofeph, s'en
alia en marcbandife vers vne autre nation, dans les
tcrres d'oti il ramena \'ue ieune iillc, auec le fcan-
dale des nouneaiix ChreflienSj qui ne veuleni pas
qu'vn ieune homme baptif^ tpotife vne Payenae, il
demeuroit auec: elle eomme eitant mari6 h la fa^on
des Sauuages, fi-toll qu'il parut aux trois Riuieres, on
la luy fit quitter, I'ayant quilts il s'en reuint i S.
lofepTi tout plain de confufion. Nous aflemblafmes
les principaux Cbreftiens [S8] pour fganoir comme
on fe comporteroit en cet affaire, ils concluoieni

16WJ Ji/CLA TIOA- OF i6jo 173

in an incredible state of satisfEiction at having em-
braced the Faith. ' We punish the disobedient, ' said
they, A young girl who would not go to the nets,
where her father sent her, was two days without food
as a punishment for her disobedience. Two boys,
who came late to prayers in the morninjj^ were pun-
ished by having a handful of hot cinders thrown
upon their heads, with threats of greater chastise-
ment in case the offense were repeated. The Sav-
age who related this next story to me made me
laugh. ' Being at prayers with the others,' said he,
' having my face turned towards the image of our [87]
Lord, I had a great desire to sec if these two young
men whom I had just awakened had come to pray-
ers; but remembering that you reconimended mod-
esty and attention when one is speaking to God, I
did not dare move. Finally, wishing to find out if
every one was doing his duty, I yielded, I turned
my bead, but ever so little, and very discreetly; I
believe," he added, ' that there was no harm in that."
This candor made me laugh."

Here is an act which has greatly touched me. A
young Christian, aboitt twenty-two years old, not
having been able to find a wife at St. Joseph, went
to trade with another nation in the interior, whence
he brought back a young girl, to the scandal of the
new ChrisStians, who do not allow a baptized man to
marry a Pagan. He lived with her as if married, in
the fashion of the Savages. As soon as he appeared
at the three Rivers, they made him leave her; and,
after having given her up, he returned to St, Jo-
seph, greatly humiliated. We assembled the prin-
cipal Christians, [SS] to ascertain what action would
be taken in this matter. They summarily decided

174 LES RELA TIONS DES jitSUITRS [Vol, IS

Jjettemenl qu'il le falloit chaJTer & luy deffendre de
iamais plus denieiirer anec les Chrelliens pour auoir
fait vne fi mauuaife action, nous repartifmes que
cette rtgueur feroit bonne en cas qu'ii voulut peife-
uerer dans fa malice, mais que Dieu eftant plein de
mifericorde, il le falloit receuoix k pardon s'il reco-
gnoiiToit fon offenfe, auEli-to(t fut ordonn^ qu'il crie-
TOit mercy k Dieu publiquement de fon pech<^, voicy
comme la chofe fe paiTa, vn Dinianchc matin la pluf-
part des Chieiliens eftans aJTembles en I'Eglife pour
ouyr la I'aindte Meile, cc pauure leune homme fe lint
^ I'entr^e de la porte, & parlant tout haut dit au
Pere qui fe difpofoit pour celebrer; mou Pere me
voulea vou^ permettre Tentrfe de VEglife, le Pere
luy reprocha qu'il auoit commis vn grand f can dale,
& que s'il en vouloit demander pardon ^ Dieu qu'il
enlraft, il cntre done, fe met i genoux deuaut TAu-
tel, & de foy-mefme pavlant tout haut il s'efcric, mon
Dieu faidtes moy mifericorde, le vous ay offenci^,
ie voua en demande [B9] pardon, a,y6s piti6 de moy,
i'ay commis vu grand pcch^, mais vous eftes bon,
faites moy mifericorde, ie ne commettray plus iamais
cette offentie, ie me confefleray, ayes piti^ de moy,
& vous autres qui eftes icy affembl^s, pri^s pour
mov, aftn que Dieu me faiTc mifericorde, ie fuis
bien marry de Vauoir facing, cela dit, il fe proiierna
baifant la terre> & vn Capitaine Chreflien s'^cria,
prions pour luy afiii que Dieu luy face mifericorde,
tout le monde fe mit aufQ-toft & genoux priant tout
haut noftrc Seigneur d'auoir piti<^ dc cc pauure peni-
tent, ie confefte ingenuement qiie cette adtion me
per^a le ceeur, t:e n'eft pas tout, ee ieune homme
m'eftant venu voir fur Ics trois heures apres midy,

1840] RELA TION OF t&4'> HS

tbat he should be driven away and forbidden ever to
live again with the Christians, for having been guilty
of so bad an action. We replied that this severity
wonid be proper in case he intended to persevere
in his evil course; but thatf as God was full of mer-
cy^ he should be received and pardoned if he ac-
knowledged his offense. It wa^ immediately decreed
that he should pnblicly entreat God for mercy upon
his sin. The affair occurred thus: One Sunday
mornings the greater part of the Christians having
assembled in the Church to hear the holy Mass, this
poor voung man, remaining near the open door, and
speaking loudly, said to the Father who was prepar-
ing to officiate, " My Father, will you permit me
to enter the Church? " The Father reproached him,
saying- that he had caused a great scandal, and that,
if he would ask God's pardon for it* he might enter.
He came in, then, knelt down before the Altar, and
of his own accord, speaking in a loud voice, cried*
" My God, have mercy upon me; I have offended
you, 1 ask you [Sg] for pardon: have pity upon me;
I have committed a great sin, but you are good, —
have mercy upon me, I will never be guilty of this
offense again; I will confess; have pity upon me.
And you who are here assembled, pray for me, that
God may show me mercy; 1 am very sorry Lo have
offended him," This said, he prostrated himself,
and kissed the ground; and a Christian Captain
exclaimed, ' ' Let us pray for him, that God inay show
him mercy- " All immediately fell upon their knees,
praying aloud to our Lord to have compassion on this
poor penitent. I confess frankly that this act pierced
me to the heart. This is not all. This young man
coming to see me, about three o'clock in the after-

176 LF.S RF.LATiOyS DES J^^SUITKS {Vi^L. 18

me touchcL plus qu'il n'auoit fait le matin, mon
Pere, rae difoit-il, i'ay eu vn fi grand regret de ma
faute que ie n'ay oi6 aborder aucun Chreftien depuis
mon retour, ie n'oferois feulement les regarderf on
in'auoit bicn dit que vous me tancerie^ fi ie rcuenois
k faia(5l lofepli, ie n'ay pas laiff^ de vous venir trou-
uer, ie vous affeuie qiie depuis que i'ay quitt^ cette
femme, i'ay ienfn^ tous [90] les iourj^, ne mangeant
qu'viie fois le iour & encore pas, tant i'ay de douleur
d'auoir fafoh^ Dien, ie n'ay ofe nic retirer aux ca-
banes des Chreftiens, ie palTe deuant eus la tcfte
baiff^e fans mot dire, ie lea iray voir quand ie feray
confefT^, voyia comme la chofe palTa, mais voiey ce
qui me ieiLa dans vn profond eftonnement, quand ce
bon Keophite cut fatisfait pour ee fcandale, ie luy
deniaTiday comme il eftoit laill^ aller h vn fi grad
pech^, ie ne luy auoiy point voulu parler deuant fa
penitencej i'examinay diligemment fon proced^, ie
le trouuay tl peu ooulpable deuat Dieu, que ie fremis
quelque temps en moy-meCmc d'vue faindte horreur,
il eft v:ay qu'ii auoiE amen6 cette ieuoe fillcn ayant
defia donn^ parole 5. vne autre, il eft vray qu'il de-
meuroit auec elle comme s'il eull eft^ marie, & voyla
le fcandale, mais £1 eft vray aufii que la erainte qu'il
auoit d'olfencer Dieu & le refpedt qu'il portoit i ion
baptefme, I'auoient empefch^ de la toucher, quoy
qu'il eu fut fortement foUicit^, deflrant quelle fut
Chreftienne deuant que de luy tefmaigner i"on [91]
amitii^, voyla ^ mon aduis ce qui pafle Veftonnement,
eftre dans le feu & ne pas brufler, faire vne aAion
pTefque iunocente deuant Dieu, & en porter la peni-
tence auec atnour deuant les hommes.

16101 RELA TION OF i6^ 177

noon, affected me more than he had doae in the
morning- ^' M5' Father," said he, " I have scj deeply
regretted my fault that I liave not dared to approach
any Christian since my return ; I woiiM not dare even
to look at them. I was told, indeed, that you would
chide me if I returned to saint Joseph; hut I have
come, ne\'ertheleESj to sec you. I assure you that,
since I left this woman, I have fasted every [90]
dayf — eating only once a day and not more, — so
much have I grieved for having offended God, I
have not dared to take shelter in the cabins of the
Christians ; I pass before them En silence, with bowed
head; I shall go and see them when I have con-
fessed." Thus the incident passed over, hut now
see what caused me profound astonishment; when
this good Neophyte had atoned for this offense, I
asked how he had come to yield 10 so great a sin; I
had been unwilling to speak to him before his pen-
ance. I carefully examined his behavior; I found
him so little guilty before God that I shuddered with-
in myself for some time with a holy horror. Tt is
tme that he had taken this young girl, having al-
ready given his word to another; it is true that he
lived with her as if they were married, and that was
the offense. But it is true also that his fear of offend-
ing God and his respect for his baptism Jiad pre-
vented him from touching her, although he -was
urgently solicited to do so, — ^ desiring that she should
hecome a Christian before showing her the evidences
of his [91] affection. This, in my opinion, is what
passes wonder, — to be in the fire, and not be burned:
to do an zxd almost innocent before God, and patient-
ly to bear the penance for it before men.

17S I^S RELA T70NS DES /^SUITES tVoL- IS

CHAPITRE VIT,

CONTINUATION PES ACTIONS DE NOS NOUUEAUX

CHREfiTIENS.

CONCEPTUM /ermonem Umrf qnis poterit. Puis
que ie fnis en train de parler dcs adtions de
nos Chreftiens, il faut que ie cxmche eo ce
Chapitre le refte des petites remarques que i'en ay
faidtes, ou qu'on m'en a donni^es.

Vn Sauuage de TIHe eftant defcetidu S. S. lofeph
pour troTiUer femme i fon fils^ & recherchant la fille
de deSunct Francois Xauier Nenaskvmat, NoSl Ne-
gabamat ^ qui cette iille a e£t^ fort recommand^e,
parla en ces termes au pere du ieiine hommc: noiiS
ne foIIlr[le!^ [92] plujs ce que nous auons eft^, nous
auons quitt^ nos anciennes fagona de faire pour en
prendre de meillemes, oeltes que uoiis auoUsS prifes
nous aggreent, noiis les aymons & nous les voulons
garder iufquesi la mort, c'eft pourquoynons ne pou-
uons donner cette iille, qui croit en Dieu, & qui eft:
baptiCSe, qu'?E vne perfonne de mefme creance, autre-
nient Dieu fe fafclieroit, & nous ne voulons pas
Toffenccr, le barbarc ne repartit rien ^ ce difcoiirSf il
diuertit le propos, & s'entretint pour lors de tonte
autre chofe; mais le laudemain matin '\\ retourna
auec vn grand colier de pourcelaine, qu'il prcfeuta ^
Noel Negabamat, & luy dit, voyla qui parle potir
moy, & qui vons afleure qtie ie veux croire en Dieu,
& que ie veu:^ embraiTer les fajons de faire que vous

1640] RELA TION OF td^o m

CHAPTER VII.

CONTINUATION' OF THE ACTIONS OF OUR N"EW CHRIS-

TUNS.

COA''C^'PT0\U Sir Jiio /tern tsn^re quis potcrit? Since
I am speaking of the action;, of our new Chris-
tians, I must set down in this Chapter the
remainder of the iittle observations that I have made
of them* or that have been communicated to me.

A Savage of the Island, who went down to St.
Joseph 10 find a wife for his son, asked for the daughter
of the deceased Frans^ois Xavier Neaasknmat- No^l
Neg-abamat, to whom this girl had been carefully
entrusted, spoke in these terms to the father of the
young man : '* Wo are no [92J longer what we once
were,— we have given np our old cuatomSj to accept
better ones. Those that we have adopted please us;
we love them, and wish to observe them until death.
Hence we cannot give this girl, who believes in God
and is baptiacdf cscept to a person of the same belief.
Otherwise, God would he angryn and we do not wish
to offend him." The barbarian answered nothing to
this speech : he changed the subject, and conversed
for the time about some other matter. But, the
next morningj he returned with a lai^e porcelain
coliarn which he presented to NoSl Negabamat. say-
ing to him, " This will speak for mcj and will assure
you that I wish to believe in God, and that I wish
to embrace the customs that you so cherish- There-
fore, do not raise any difficulties about granting this

left LE$ RELA T/ONS DES J^SUFTES [Vol. 13

clieriflez tautt & par confcquent ne faites niille diffi-
cult^ d'accorder cette dlle k mon fils; car il fe fera
baplifer, & moy aniri, Noel Negabamal bien eitonnS
de oette actioo rcpartit, ooiis ne voulons rieu t;on-
clure tofichanl ce mariage fans Taduis de noftre
Pere, il eft all^ faire vn tour t Kebec [93] nous I'at-
tendons ce soir. fi-toft qii'il fera de retour ie luy por-
tcray ce colier, qui luy fera entendre vos intentions,
il n'y manqua pas, ^ peine le Pcre citoit il i:ntr6 dans
fa chambre. qiit Noiil luy prefente cette poiircelaine
& luy expofe toute TafEaire, ie f?ay de bonne part
que ce ieune Sanuage preffa fori la lillc pour f^auoir
fi elle Taggreoit, mais encor qn'elle cut de i' affection
pour luy, neantmoins elle ne refpondit autre cbofe
finon, qu'il ne falloit pas s'addreETer ?l elle pour cet
affaire, mais au Pere qui I'a initruidT^e & h. fes parens.
Or ce Sauuage fe voyant ^conduit de cc cq116-1^,
pour des iuftes raifons, recht^rclia vne ieune femme
Payeiine qui vt^noit de quitter fon niary, & comme
celle-cy eitoit parente de lean Baptifte Etinechl^avat
il s'addreiTei luy, le tireM'^cart, luy fait fes prefens
& f a dcmandCf lean EaptiRe luy rfipondit en oette"
[orte, ie tiens cette ieune femme comme ma fille, mais
ie ne te celeray point que les eaux du baptefme
n'ayant pasencor pa]T6 furfatefte, elle a pen d'efprit,
i'ay pri^ fouuent vn tel Pere de la baptilerH [94]
comme il recognoiiToitqu'elle u'aymoit pas f on mary,
& qu elle le pourroit quitter, comme elle a fait, il ne
I'a pas vonlu faire^ Q elle eltoit baptif^e ie ne la don-
nerois iamais qu"^ vn Chreftienf puis qu'elle ne I'ell
pas. ie te Taccorde. fi elle en eft contente. Au rede
encor que le Pere qui fyait la valeur des eaux qu'il
verfe fur nous, ne Tait point voulu baptifer, il ne la

1640] R£:LATfON OF r64t> 181

giri to my son; for he will be baptised, and I also."
NoSl Negabamatf gjeatly surprised at this act* re-
plied, " We; will conclude nothing about this mar-
riage without the advice of our Father. He has gone
on a journey to Kcbec ; [93] we expect him this
evening. As soon as he returns I will carry him
this collar, which will make him understand your
intentions," He did not fail to do so; and the
Father had scarcely entered his chamber before NoSl
presented him this porcelain, and explained the
wb,ole matter to him. I know upon good authority
that this young Savage importuned the girl exceed-
ingly, to find out if she would accept him; but,
although she felt some affection for him, she would
nevertheless give him no other answer than that he
must not apply to her in this matter, but to the
Father who had instructed hefn and to her relatives.
Now this Savage, seeing himself put oft in this
quarter for good reasonsj sought a young Fagaa
woman who had just left her husband; and as she
was a relative of Jean Baptiste Ethiechkavalj he
addressed the latter; taking him aside, he proffered
him his presents and his request. Jean Baptiste an-
swered him thus: " I look upon this young woman
as my daughter; but I will not conceal from thee
that, a!J the waters of baptism have not passed ovet
her head, she has little sense. I have often begged
such a Father to baptize her; [94] as ho saw that she
did not love her husband, and that she probably
would leave himn as she has done, he was not will-
ing to do so. If she were baptized, I would never
give her to any one but a Christian; as she is not,
I will give her to thee, if she is willing. Moreover,
although the Father, who knows the value of the

1R2 /./:i" RELA TIONS DKS J&SUITKS [Vol. IS

pas entierement ^conduite. mais il nous *^ dit fenle-
nicnt. qu'il falloit attendre qu^elle fut miens difpo-
f^e, c'ert poiirqiioy ie te fuppUe de la fairs inflruirc
lis haut par les Peres qui font aiix trois Riuieres^ &
de luy procurer le baptefnie, & S ton fils aufli, ce font
les paroles de ce bon Neophite.

I'ay parli^ cy-deffns d'vn Chreftien eftropiat d'vne
ianibe, ie puis dire que la grace fait un miracle en
ce ieune liomuie ; ie penfe aiioir defcrit fon baptefme
aax relations precedentes* niais cola n'empcfcbcra
pas que ic nc tnncbe icy vne on deiix de fes actions
en pailani, il elt d'vn nature! prompt & altier, mais
fi le fang amolit les diamants, la grace dompte les
cfeurs, il noiss racomptoit [95] vn iour. qu'ell:aat a!16
a la guerre, il fe vit pourfniny par trois grands Hiro-
quois, comme lors t| auoit de bonnes iambes il les
deuan9oit anec adiiantage, enfin s'eftant apperceu
qu'ils n'eftoient pas tons trois enfemble, il lourne
vifage, attaque le premier & I'arreite d'vn coup de
flechc ; cela fait, il fait femblant de fuTr, les autres
le pourfninans, il fe retourne vne autrefois, tranf-
peree le plus proolie, puis ayant iett^ fon arc & fon
carquois, il coun aprcs le troifiefme I'efp^e ^ la main,
mais comme il craignoit d'en rencontrer quelques
autres, il fe retira bien ioyeus, d'auoir euit^ vn tel
danger.

11 auoit pour lors vn corps de fer, pour ainli parler,
& vne ame de feu, mais les grandes maladies qui
Vattaqtierent parapres luy firent bien voir qu'il eftoit
baity de fange & de boue, comme le refte des hom-
mes; il attribu^ toutes fcs difgraces i fon orgucil. il
dit haulcmeut deuani fes compatriotes qu'i mefme
temps quil s'eft veu plonge dans quclque eftime de

Iti-IOj KELA TIO.V OF i6jo IBS

waters that he pours upon us, was not willing to bap-
tize her, he did not entirely refuse ber, but merely
tokl us that it was necessary to wait until she were bet-
ter disposed. Hence, Ibegtbee to have her instructed
up there by the Fathers who are at the three Rivers,
and to procure baptism for her and for thy son also. ' '
Such were the words of this good Neophyte.

1 have spoken above of a Christian who was lame in
one leg. I can say that grace effected a miracle in
this young man. I think i have described bis bap-
tism in preceding relations, but that will not prevent
me from incidentally mentioning here one or two of
his actions. He is of a hasty and proud disposition;
"but, if blood jjoftens diamonds, grace subdues hearts.
Ho related to us I95] one day that, having gone to
war. he saw himself pursued by three stout Hiro-
quois. As he then had good legs, he considerably
outran tbem- At last, perceiving that they were
not all three together, he turned around, attacked the
first one and stopped htm by an arrow shot. This
done, he pretended to flee, and the others pursued
him; he turned again, and pierced the nearest one
through; then^ having thrown down his bow and
quiver, he ran after the third, javelin in band; but
as he was afraid of encountering others, he withdrew,
greatly rejoiced at having escaped such danger.

He had then a body oi iron, so to speak, and a
soul of fire. But the severe illnesses that afterward
attacked bini made him see plainly that he was built
of clay and mud, like the rest of humanity. He
attributes all his misfortunes to his own pride. He
says boldly before his countrymen that whenever he
has found himself plunged in se I f-admt ration, at that
verv time some misfortune has overtaken him. We

JU LES EELA TIONS DES /^suites [Vol- 13

foy-mefme. h mefmc teps quelque mallieur la ac-
oueilly, nous Tauons [96] fecoum qtielques anodes
dans fes mifereSf enfin la niaifon de charity & de mi-
fericorde eftant eftablJe on Vy fit porter, comme il eft
vrayeinent touch6 de Dieu, il profitoit grandement
aux autres malades. Ayant appris cet Hyuer que
les Peres dc la rcfidcnce de S. lofeph fe retiroieut^
ou comTTie padent mamtenaiit les Sauuages qui nous
cognoiJTent, fe cachoient pour parler h. Dieu dans
leurs excroioes fpirituels, il pria inltammcnt qu'ou I'y
fit porter * n'ayant plus d'autre iucouiniodit^ que fa
iambe, dont il ne fe peut feruirf la mere Superieure
de THofpital ni'en efcriuit cea mots, Pierre Trigatin
(c'eft aicfi qii'il fe nomme) xne voyant donnsr ma
lettre k vu Sauuage, ma obli^^i^e de mander ^ V- R.
qu'il defire auec pafiiou d'aller i S, lofcph, pour
eflre cuie\^n€ h prier Dieu, & faire qiielquc retrait-te,
il fut hier vne heure & demie en noftre diappeUe
en oraifon. & toutes les fois qu'il tu fort, on voit
bien qu'il eft tout remply de Dieu, nous tefmoignant
vn mefpris de tout, mcfme du boire & du manger,
il eft foufmis h. tout, on diroit [97] d'vn predicateur
le voyant enfdgncT ks autre*;, I'affeetlon luy faifaot
faire tons les geftes qui! faut pour leur imprimer ce
qu'il ditj ie croy que les ames qui ayment Dieu fer-
uemment ont des confolatiorts nompareilles voyans
ces bons Neophites, ce font les paroles de la Mere.

Enfin noltre R, P. Superieur le fit apporter ou
pluftoit traifner h. la fa^on du pais, il conceuoit fort
bien les chofes de Dren. gardoit le filence^ fe retiroit
en vn petit coing pour faire fes oraifons &. fes medi-
tations, il s'cJtonnoit de I'lgnorance dcs liommes, &
deploroit la mifere de fes compatriotes, nous ne

1640} Ji:£LA TION OF 1640 ISB

liave [q6] aided him for several years in his ?iuffer-
ing^; the house of charity and mercy being fically
esUhlishedj we had him carried there, aiid> as he is
really touched by God, the other patients profited
greatly by his presence. Having: learned this Win-
ter that the Fathers of the residence of St. Joseph
went into retreat^ — or, as the Savages who know iis
now say, hid themselves to speak to God in their
spiritvi.'it exercises, — he begged earnestly that he
should be carried there, his only impediment being
his leg, which he could not use. The mother
Superior of the Hospital wrote me thns about him:
" Pierre Trigatin " (this is his name), " seeing me
give my letter to a Savage, has constrained me to
send this message to Yoiir Reverence, that he pas-
sionately desires to go to St. Joseph to be taught to
pray to Godf and to go into retreat. Yesterday he
was an hour and a half in prayer, in our Chapel ; and,
every time he issues therefrom, it is very evident
that he is filled with God, testifying to us a con-
tempt for all things, even for food and for drink ; he
is submissive to all: one would call him [97] a
preacher, seeing him teadi the others, — his enthu-
siasm causing Jiini to make all the gestures necessary
to impress upon them what he is saying- T believe
that the souls who fervently love God experience
incomparable eonsolation in seeing these good Neo-
phytes." These are the Mother's words-

Finally, our Reverend Father Superior had him
brought, or rather dragged, in the fashion of tbe
country. He very well understood the things of Godj
kept silent, and withdrew to a little corner to offer
his prayers and meditations. He expressed astonish-
ment at the ignorance of men, and deplored the

}M LES IfF.I.ATTOr^S DES JJtSUJTES [Vol. 18

foxnmes difoit-ilt que des chiens^ nous nc penfons
qu'i cette vie, quand gji me parlc dc Dieu mon ame
eft repeuef \\ me femble qu'elle eft comme vn
homme qui a grand appctit, auquel on donne bien i
difner.

JjS Pere qui le conduifoit le voyant petuncr, luy
demanda pourquoy il petimoit, il dcmeura court fans
refpondru, fi Dieu vous difoit pourfuit le Pere. ren-
dea cotnpte de vos actions, pourquoy [9SJ auez vous
prus du tabac? que dirieK-vous? ie ferois bien en
peini: ; car ie n'cn ay iainais pri!> que pour !c plaiQr
que i'y fentois. mais pourquoy adioutoit-il, ne m'a-
uea vous pas auerty pluttoJt de cette at:lion deregl^e ?
ie n'en prendray iamais plus; en effet il s'en palTa
fort long-teps, iufques ^ ce qu'vne perfone luy dit
qu'il feroit ^ propos qu'il en pnt vn peu pour fa fan-
t^, coux qui fgauent de quelle manie les Satiuages &
quelques Frau9ois font portds h prendre la fumi^e du
tabac, admireiont cette abllinence en vn Canadois,
les grands ynrongues u'ayment pas taut le vin que
le^ Sauuages ayment le petun.

Ayant fail vn tour ce Printemps aux IrOJs Riuieres,
le Perc Buteux refcnuit de luy ces paroles au Pere
Claude Pijart, Pierre Trigatiu eit ^a haut de fort
bonne edilioatio, il ne laiile pas d'auoir enuie de cou-
rir tout boiteux qu'il eit, il y a quelque iours qu'vn
Francois nous vint donner i'alarme des Hiroquois,
Pierre aufli-tolt ie prefente pour aller decouurir Ten-
nemy, & quoy que ie luy peulTe alleguer, il deQra
s'enibarquer dans vn oanot [99] de quatre pcrfonnes,
qu'il g:ouuernoit au commancement auet: I'vne des
poteuces dont il fe fert pour marchern & puis auec vn
auiron, ils s'en allcrent douc dans le lac S, Paul, oil

U4ffl R^LA TiON OF 1640 ISV

*"-^ — ^ " " ^

misery of his countrymen. "We are only dogs."
said he; " we think of nothing but this life- When
one speaks of God, my soul is fed ; it seems to me it
is like a man who has a great appetite, to whom is
given a good dinner,"

The Father who had charge of him, seeing him
smoking, asked him why he smoked. He stopped
short; and did not answer. ' If God said to you,"
pursued the Father, " ' Render an account of your
actions; why [98] did you take tobacco^' what would
you say?" " Indeed I would be at a loss; for I have
iwver taken it except for the pieasutt: 1 felt from it.
But whyn" he added, '' have you not informed me
sooner of this disorderh' action? I will never again
lake it. ' ' In fact he dispensed with it for a long time,
until some one told him that it would be proper for
him to take a little of it for his health- Those who
know what a mania the Savages and some Frenchmen
have for smoking tobaccOn will admire this abstinence
in a Canadian. Intemperate drinkers are not so fond
of wine as the Savages are of tobacco.

As he made a trip to the three Rivers this Spring,
Father Buteux \^■rote these words about him to
Father Claude Pijart: " Pierre Trigatiu affords very
great edification up here; he even vishes to run,
lame as he is, A few days agOj a Frenchman came
to give us the alarm about the Hiroquois. Pierre
immediately presented himself to go and discover the
enemy; and, however much 1 might argue with
him, he desired to embark in a canoe [99] with four
personsn which he guided at first with one of the
staffs which served him in walking, and then with
a paddle. They went, then, to lake St. Paul, where
a noise had been heard. As night drew on^ they per-

M LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Voi, 18

on auoit entendii dii bruitf comme la nuit approchoit
ils appercetirent comme vn caoot, atitTi-toft croyans
que c'eftoit rennemy. Pierre fit defembarquer les
Saiiuages Sc vn Frangois qui eftoicut aucc eux les fait
mettre h. genoux, pour prier Dieu, & leur priere
eftant faite Us fe rembarqnent. s'en vont doxjner ixtx
ce canot poiir le oombattre, mais en I'approchaiit ils
tromierent que c'eitoit vn arbrc qui floUoit fur I'eau,
s'il ne combattit point co ne ful pas faute de courage,
mais d'occafioQ, il s'eft icy coufeiTe & coramunifi &
Louis Nichvtenfis aufli, les deuK Dimanches qu'ils y
out eft6, II a bonue euuie de reuenir encor enfeigner
fes gens, en verity ie n'euffe pas creu qu'il euft eu
la hardieffe qu'il a monrW h. Tendroit de ceux qu*il
enfeignoit, principal erne nl en ce qu'il leur difoit,
qu'il eherilloit tous lea hommes; & raefme les Hiro-
quois en Dieu, & que s'il auoit vn prifonnier il [loo]
auroit pltis de foin de luy brufler le cccur de Vamour
de Dieu, que de tourmenter fon corpa, k uiou aduis il
n*y a que la grace qui puiSe faire dire ceiSf notam-
meat i vn homme de fon humeux, voila ce que porte
la lettre du Pcre.

I'ay pari^ bien amplement aux ann^es prcccdentes
d'vn certain forcier tres-fameiix parniy les Sauuages,
maiuteuaut bon Chrcftien, il fut baptif^ des I'aun^e
pafT^e, i'cn diray deux mots pour le prefentf il fe
nomme Eftienne Prgarovich, il arrina ^ S. lofeph le
vingt-troifiefme d'Auril retouruant de fa chafle de
I'Efla. voicy ee qu'il uous raconta a diuerfes ren-
contres. Voyant que la petite verole attaquoil ceux
auec lefquels il s^eftoit ioiut premierement, il reprit
les incredules de n'auoir pas preJt^ I'oreille aiix dif-
cours de la foy que nous leur auions faidts, en apres

ia«l RRLA TION OF 1640

ceived something like a can6e, — and, at once sup-
posing that it was the enemy, Pierre had the Savages
and a Frenchman who vras with them disembark,
and made them kneel and pray to God. Their pray-
er finished, they re^mbarked and proceeded to attack
this canoe; but* upon approaching it^ they perceived
that it was a tree floating upon the water. If he
did not fight it was not for lack of courage, but of
opportunity. He confessed and received communion
here, and Louis Nichutensis also, the two Sundays
they were here. He has a great desire to return
again, to teach his people. In truth, I would not
have beheved that he possessed the fearlessness he
has shown toward those whom he was teachingf — -
principally in saying to them that he cherished all
men, even the Hiroquois, in God; and thatn if he
had a prisonerj he [looj would care more to burn his
heart with love for God, than to torture his body.
In my opinion, nothing but grace can inspire sueh
words, especially in a man of his nature." Such are
the contents of the Father's letter.

I have spoken very fully in former years of a cer-
tain sorcerer very famous among the Savages, now
a good Christian, Ho was baptised during the past
year. I will say a few words concerning him at this
time. His name is Estienne Pigarouich. He ar-
rived at St. Joseph on the twenty-third of April, on
his return from Elk -hunting. Here is what he related
to us at various times: Seeing that the smallpox w^as
attacking those whom he had first joined, he re-
proved the imbeKeving for not having lent ear to the
discourses that we had given them on the faith ; then
he exclaimed, ' ' If any one wishes to pray to God, let
him join me; I hope that he will help us! " Some

180 LE2i HELA TIONS D£S JjLSC/TES [VnL. ES

il s'efcria jl quelqu'vn veut pTier Dieu qu'il fe ioigne
^ moy. i'efpere qu'il nous fecourera, quelques in^-
detes fe ietterent de fon party, taus Iks foira & tous
les matins lis faifoient leurs prieres ^ genouXn ils
les prononfoit tout haut & les autres le fuiuoient
[loi] mot apres mot, chofe eftrange pas vn deux ue
fut attaqu6 de cette maladie peftilente, qui empona
tons oeux que Tiufidelitd ou le refpcdt humain em-
pefcherent d'aiinir recours k Ditu.

II nous racomptok que le Capitaino dc TadouITaCf
□orame Etovait, auec leqiiel il s'ettoit retire, difoit
par fois deuant fe,s g"ens, ie hay la foy & les prieres,
ny moy ny me,'' enfant ne croirons iamriis ce que di-
fent les Francois dc Tautre vie, ic in'eUoiinois faifoit
ce bon Neophite, de [:ette malice, Dieu no la pas
laiiTi Inug-temps impunie, car luy, fa ferame & tous
fes enfans &. ceux qui eltoient auec hiy furent pris
du mal commu^ & enleu^s en vn iniflant, o que i'C'
ftois trlite difoit-il, de voir mourir ces pauures mife-
rabies fans baptefroe. Apres que nous fufmes deli-
ur6s de oe fteau commun ie tombay malade bien
auant dans I'Hyuer, & dans les bois, en forte que ie
n'cn pouuois plus, tous ceux qui eftoient auec moy
me tenoieni: pour mort, dans cette alUictioTi le me fou-
uins que i'eltois baptife & que Dieu cltoit mo Pere,
ie luy dis pour lors en moncteur, lu peux tout [los] tu
f^ais bien que ie n'en puis plus, & que i'ay la tefte
fi foible que ie vay perdre I'efprit, fi tu veux tu me
peux guerir, determine neantmoints Sc faidls oe que
tu voiidras, mais ie croy que tu es tout puiffaut^ & que
a tu voutois tout maintenant tu me guerirois, comme
ie priois en raon cceur, faifoit-il, ie me fenty guery
en vn inltaut kafafikat, kaiafilkat, tout h coup, tout ^

164<I] RELA TION OF 1640 iM

unbelievers went over to his side, and every evening
and moming they said their pra)'er5 on their knees, ^—
some prononneing tl^em aloud, and the others fol-
lowing them, 1 101] word for word. Ktrange to say,
not one of tliem w;is altaeketl by this pestileutiaT
maljvdy, which carried off all those whom infidelity
or fear of publie opinion prevented from having
recourse to t^od.

He related to ns that the Captain of TadousScic,
nanied Etouait, with whom he had taken shelter,
said sometimes before his people, " I hate the faith
and prayers; neither I nor my children will ever
believe what the French say of the other life.'* " I
was sijrprised at this malice," said this good Neo-
phyte. God did not leave him long- unpunished; for
he. his wiftf and all his childrenn and those who
were with him, were seized by the common malady
and carried ofE in a moment- "Oh! how sorry I
was," said he, " to see these poor wretches die with-
out baptism. After we were delivered from this
common scourge, I fell sick late in the Winter, and
far in the woods, — so tliat I was utterly helpless, and
all those who were with me regarded me as a dead
man. In this affliction I remembered that I was
baptised and that God was my F'ather. \ said to
him then in niy heart, ' Thou canst do alT, [102] thou
knowest well that I can do no more, and that my
head is so weak that T am about to lose my mind: if
thou wilt, thou canst heal me. Decide, however,
and do what thou wilt; but T believe that thou art
all-powerful, and that, if thou wilt, thou canst at this
moment heal me." While I was praying in my
heart/' he continued, " I felt myself cured in an
instant, kaiasikat, kaiasikat, suddenly, suddenly; I

LES RELA TIONS DBS /^SUITES [Vou 13

coup, ie me leuay tout fur I'heure & mangeay auec:
I'eftonnemeiit de ces ^ens que tu voiSj monftrant ceiix
qui I'accompagTioient pour lors, fton ejl per/onarum
acceptatio apud Deuih, Dieu ne regarde point fi on e(t
Grec ou Barb^ire, qui a plus de confiance & plus
d'amour eft le mieux venu aupres de fa Majefi:6.

Voicy vii aulrc tvaitlt de fa prouidence, ayant fait
ina prouifion de chair d'EIan^ difoit ce bon Neophite,
ie me troiiuay bieu en peine conime ie U porterois i
faini^ lofeph, car nous n'auious pas affea de canots
pour Tious & pour noftre bagage; ie penfois dans
mon efprit fi ie ne pourrois pas bien faire vn caieux
de bois, f ur lequel ie mettrois [103] mon equipage,
mais les marees font il fortes, les vents fi dangeren?:,
& les caieus fi pefans, que tonte ma prtmifion s'en
iut all^e i vaux Teau, ne fgacliant quel confeil prea-
dre, ie dy 'k ma femme, prion?; Dieu, nons fommes
baptif^K, 51 nous infpirera ce qu'il faut fairCf apres
noftre priere, ie me fenty port<5 ?L faire vii canot, ie
n'en aitois Jamais fait, & ie defefperois deuant ma
priere d'en pouuoir faire, mais ayant dit A Dieu que
tout ce qu'il nous auoit doan6 'k manger feroit perdu
s'il oe nous aydoitn ie creu que i'en viendrois \ bout,
en efFet nous eu flfmes aufD bien que les plus experts.

Ce bon homme elt fi ze]6, que quand il fi^ait quel-
que defordre parmy fes gens^ il nous en vient don-
ner aduis pour y rcmcdier; luy raefme va voir ceus
qu'il croit faire mal & leur donne boa confeil, il
prend vn tres-grand plaifir d'oiiir parler de Dieu, &
de grandes recompenfes & des grands cbaftimens de
Tautre vie, il a fi peu de refpect humain qu'il ne
craint ny petit ny grand, & par fois il nous tefmoi-

1640} JiMLA TION OF 164^ IflS

arose without delay, and ate something, to the aston-
ishment of these people that thou seest " — pointing
to those ^vho then accompanied hini, Non est psrso-
narjnn accepfalin apiid Devm, God cares not whether
one is a Greek or a l^arbarian; he who has the most
confidence and love is the most welcome to his
Majesty.

Behold another esample of his providence, " Hav-
ing obtained my supply of Elk meat. " said this good
Neophyte, '* I was quite at a loss how I should carry
it to saint Joseph, for we did not have enough canoes
for ourselves and our baggage. I wondered if I could
not easily make a woodeu raft, upon which I could
put [103] niy goods; but the tides are so strong, the
winds so dangerous, and the rafts SO he^ivy, that aU
my supplies might go to the bottom of the river.
Not knowing what course to take, I said to my wife,
' Let us pray to God; we are baptijied, — he will in-
spire in tis what must be done.' After our prayer,
I felt myself prompted to make a canoe : T had never
made one, and I despaired, before my prayer, of
being able to do so; but having toM God tha.t all he
had given us to eat would be lost, if he did not help
us, 1 believed thai I oould accomplish it. In fact,
■we made one as well as the most expert persons could
have done."

This good man is so zealous that, when he knows
of some irregularity among his people, he comes to
inform us of it that it may be remedied. He himself
goes to see those whom he believes to have done
■wrong, and gives them good advice. He takes a
very great pleasure in hearing conversation about
God, and about the great rewards and severe punish-
ments of the other life. He has so little regard for

3W LES NliLA T/O.VS DHS J^SLUTES [Vol. JS

gne [104] qii'i] voudroit bien ftjiiffrir la mon pour fa
creance.

C'eft vne confolation blen fenfible fl'entendre aiiec
quelle innocence ccs bomies gens rcndent compte de
leurs confc:ieiiccs qtiand ils rettmment des bois apres
cinq on fix mois d'abfencc, ils fe confernent pour la
plnfparl aiiec vne puret^ rauiHante, encor qu'ils
foient auec des barbares^ & qn'ils n ayent autre fe-
cours que dn Ciel. comme ils ne font pas polis k Tex-
terieurt \\ n'y a que ccux qui entendent leur langue
&: qui les conuerEent qui ayenl cognoiiTance de ces
vrais biens incognus aUK yeux des hommes; mais
bien cognus de Dieu.

levr] HELA TJON OF 1640 IM

worldly considerations that he fears neither sinal]
nor great: and he sometimes declare.'; to xjs [104] that
he would willingly suffer death for his belief.

It is a very touching consolation to hear with what
innocence these good people render an account of
their consciences when they return from the woods,
after five or six months of absence. They maintain
themselves, in most cases^ in a delightful pnrity> al-
thoug]] they are with barbarians^ and have no other
aid than that of Heaven. As they are not outwardly
polished, it is only those who understand their lan-
guage and converse with them who have a knowl-
edge of these truly good persons, — unknown to the
eyes of men, but well known to God.

m LES RELATIONS DES /^SUITES fVoL, IB

[105] CHAPITRE Vill.

DE LA BONNE DISPOSITEON DE QUELQUES SAUUAGES

NO?J ENCOR BAPTlilfiS.

DANS les graiides refiftences que les Sauuages
Tious faifoient an commencement que nous
leur parlions de la foy, le fuppliois fouuent
noftrc Si?igneur de mc fitire cefte grace qTi'auat ma
movt ie peiiffe voir deux families lau^es tledai; fon
fang, profeffer publiquemenl ^ cottamment la Reli-
gion Chrefticnne, fa. bont^ ayant donin^ ceite confo-
lation i mes yeuK, ie foubaittois quafi de cbanter le
Caatique de S- Simeon, tant ceite faiieur me fem-
bloit grande, maia Dieu qui ne mefure pas fes dons
h. la petitelTe de noftre coiur* a voulu que ie vilTe en-
trer en fon EglifOj nou feulement ces deux premieres
familleSf mais phifieurs autres, & que i'eulte ce con-
tentement bien doux de les voir profeffer comageufe-
ment la foy de lefus-Chrill: ; ce n'eft pas [106] tout,
ce Dieu des mifericordes a tellement difpof^ les Sau-
uages nou encor baptifez, qu'il femble que fa Ma-
jefhe vcut changer ce pauure peuple, & faire reluire
fes lumieres dans les tenebres. Difons deux mots
des fentiments qu'il donne k quelques vns de ces
Infidelcs.

Plufieurs fe viennent recommander i nos prieres
quand ils eutreprenent quelque voyage; cet hyuer
dernier, voulans trauerfer la grande riuiere toute
herilT^e de glaces> ils nous venoient trouuer, & I'vn

IWO] RELA TION OF 1640 107

[losj CHAPTER Vin.

OF THE GOQIi Di:il'0SITrO.V OF SOME SAVAGES NOT

VET BAPTIZED,

IN the great resistance the Savages made to us,
when we first spoke to them of the faittf 1 often
supplicated our Lord to grant me tJiis favor,—
that before my death I might Kee two families washed
in his blood, publicly and steadfastly profess the
Christian Religion. His goodness having granted
this consolation to my eyes, I almost desired to sing
the Canticle of St- Simeon, so great did this favor seem
to me. But God, who does not measure his grace by
the littleness of our hearts, has willed that 1 should
see enter his Church not only these first two fami-
lies, but several others; and that I should have the
satisfaction, truly sweet, of seeing them boldly pro-
fess the faith of Jesus Christ. This is not [to6] all ;
this God of mercy has so disposed the Savages not
yet baptized, that it would seem that his Majesty
wishes to transform this poor people, and to make
his light shine in the darkness. Let us say a few
words about the sentiments he has given to some of
tiiese Unbelievers,

Many come to commend themselves to our pray-
ers, when they are undertaking a journey. This last
winter, wishing to cross the great river all blocked
with ice, they came to see us; and one of them, ad-
dressing the Father that he knew, said to him, " My
Father, when you see us erabark, look at us: raise

I9S LES Rlr:LAT!ONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. iS

deux s'addrelTant au Pere qui! cognoilToit, luy difoit,
Mon Pere, quand vous oous verrez embarque^ regar-
ded nous, Icuc^ !cs yenx au CieU dites ^ Dieu ces
paroles, g:ardez-les, ouurez lent paffage, efcartes les
glaces, deliurea les du peril ou plufieurs perdent la
vie, ne nous perdez point de veufe' tandis que nous
fetons fur la riuiere, difoient ces bonnes gens, &
quand Doua ferions eiloign^s dc vous dedans les boisj
penfea ^ nous quand vous prierez Dieu.

Vn autre Sauuage donl la mere & la fille eftoient
baptifi^es, & fe uonimoient Magdelaiue & Dorothee,
faifoit cefte [jo?] pricrc ^ Dieu quand il alloit k la
GhaiTe, vous qui auez tout fait regardez Magdelaine
& DoiothiSe vos enfansi cilea veulent manger, don-
nea lenr dequoy, i'eu vay chercher pour elles, voiis
les ayme^, car clles font baptif^es. Ce bon horame
empruutoit les noms de fa mere & dc fa fille pour
induire noftre Seigneur h luy donner bonne chaEIe,
faifant voir par cefte action Teltime qu'il faifoit du
baptefme, qu'tl receura bien-tolt s'il plaift h. Dieu.

Vn Sauuage nous difoit que d^s faicuneffeil regar-
doit le Ciel & la lerre auec eftonnement, mais qui
pourroitbien auoir fait tout cela^ difoit-il^ cela n'a
pas eft^ fait eu vain & fans deffein.

Vn autre nous racontoit qu'eftaut malade cet Au-
toniue, il auoit veu dans le Ciel vn ieune FraE9ois
de fa cognoxiTance trefpa(T6 depuis peu, ie la vy, di-
foit-il, dans vne beautiS & dans vn lieu le plus rauif-
fant du monde^ ie voulu m'auancer pour aller en ce
lieu de delices, mais il me demanda fi i'citois baptif^,
ayant refpondu que uou, il me dit, retire toy, tu ne
ffaurois voir Ic grand Capitaine du Ciel, [loSJ ny
venir auec moy, Q tu n'es lau^ dans les eaux du bap-

1641)1 EELA TION OF 1&40 IBS

your eye3 to Heaven, and say to God these words:
'Preserve them; open the way for them, and part
the ice; deliver them from a danger wiierein many
lose their lives.' Do not lose us from sight while
we shaU be upon the river," said these good people;
" and, when w^e shall be far away from yon in the
■woods, think of ns when you pray to God,"

Another Savage, whose mother and daughter were
baptized and were named Magdelaine and Dorothi^e,
offered this [xo;"] prayer to God when he went hunt-
ing: " Vou who have made all, look down upon
Magdelaine and Doroth^c, your children. They
wish to eat, give them food. I am going away to
seek something for them; you love them, for they
are baptized." This good man borrowed the names
of his mother and daughter, to induce our Lord to
give him successful hunting. — showing by this act
the esteem in which he held baptism^ which he will
receive soon, if it please God.

A Savage told us that, ever since his youth, he
had looked upon the Sky and the earth with wonder.
" Now, who can have made all that?" said he, *' it
has not been made in vain, and without a piirpose."

Another related to us that, being sick this Au-
tumn, he had seen in Heaven a young Frenchman of
his acquaintance who had died a little while before.
*' I saw him," said he. " in most ravishing beauty
and in the most delightful place imaginable, I
wished to go forward and enter this place of delight,
but he asked me if 1 were baptized. When I told
him 1 was not, he said to nie, ' Retire, thou canst
not see the great Captain of Heaven, [lOS] or come
with me, if thou art not washed in the waters of bap-
tism.' This amazed me greatly, and, at the same
time, what I saw disappeaied,"

LES RELA TIONS DES jAsUITES [Vol IS

tefme, cela m'eftonna. fort, & k mefiue temps ce que
ie voyois difparut.

Quoy qu'il en foit de celte virion, ce Sauuage a
fouftenu piibliquement deuant oeux de £a nation que
les ames pouuoient alter au Ciel. & qu'ii y feroit def-
ja s'il eufl eit^ baptif<i. Vn certain Algonq-uin racon-
toit cet h;'uer qu'vn Sauuage de ces pays plus haut
efloit refufoit^ ; on Vatioit enfexicly, difoit-il, on eltoit
tout preft de Ie mettre en terre quand il commenga X
fe remuer, on fe met k decoudre viftement les robes
dans lefqueiles on I'auoit enueloppt^, ce bou homme
fe leue k fon feant, racontent qu'il vient dii pays dcs
amcSj lequel eft fitu^^ ou Ie tioleil fe couclie, afTeure
qu'il TIB. veu 1^ aucuu Francois, ce lieu eltant defl:in6
feulement pour les Sauuages, il cit en ma puilTance,
difoit-il, de viure encore en terre, mais i^ayme raieux
m'en aller au pays des ames que rcfter par my les
liommes, cela ditj il fe couclie, meurt deiechef, on
Ie renueloppe & Ie met-on en terre. Le Sauuage qui
a eu la vifion dont [log] ie viens de parler, enten-
daiit cefte fable, dit tout liault qu'il n'en croyoit rien»
& que ce qu'il auoit veu elloit fi admirable qu'il ne le
pouuoit ofter de fon efprit, affeurant touHours que
les ames pouuoient aller au Ciel.

Mais remarquez s'il vous plaiit que le Diablc de^oit
cc pauure homme, donnant vne fauJie Interpretation
aux parolles qu'il a entenduJis, car comme ce Fra^oia
qu'il alfeure anoir veu dans vne graiide gloire, luy
dit qu'il n'entreroit point au Ciel qu'il ne fut bap-
tif6, il a ooclud del,\ qu'auiTi loft qu'il fera baptif^ il
mourra pour y aller, fi bien quil retarde de iour en
iour no pouuant fe refoudre h quitter (1 tolt la terre,
i'efpere qu'on Juy oftcra bicn toft cet erreur. 11a
fait defia baptifer fa femme & fes eufaus.

3640} RELA TION 01- t6^ 201

Whatever there may be in this vision, this Savag^e
has publicly maintained before those of his nation that
souls can go to Heaven* and that he would already
be there if he had been baptized. A certain Algfon-
quin related this winter that a Savage of those coun-
tries farther np had been resuscitated. " They had
shrouded him," said he, " and were all ready to put
him in the grouud when he began to move. They
quickly set to work to undo the robes in which they
had botind Mm. This good manj sitting up, related
that he had come from the country of souls, which
is situated where the Sun sets, and that he had not
seen any Frenchman there, — this place being des-
tined only for Savages. "It is in my power," said
he, " to live again upon earth; but I prefer to go
away to the country of souls, rather than to remain
among men ; " so saying, he lay down and died again.
He was a second time enveloped, and placed in the
ground. The Savage who had the vision of which
[log] I have just spoken, hearing this talc, said boldly
that he did not believe it at ail, and that what he had
seen was so wonderful that he could not get it out of
his mind, — continuing to as.sert that souls could go
to Heaven.

But observe, if yon please, that the Devil deludes
this poor man, giving a false interpretation to the
words that he heard. For, since this Frenchman
whom he declares to have seen in great glory said to
him that he could not enter Heaven if he were not
baptized, he has concluded therefrom that, as soon as
he shall be baptized, he will die in order to go there ;
so that he delays from day to day, not being able to
resolve upon leaving the earth so soon, I hope he
will speedily be freed from this error. He has
already had his wife and children baptized.

LES RKLATIONS BESJ^SUITES [Vol. 18

II y a des Sauuag:es non encor baptife^ qui nous
viennent donner aduis des fuperflitions qui fe com-
metteiit eu fccret dans les cabanes, difans que ceux
qui croyent encor k ces refi.ieries, retienueut les de-
mous panuy euXf il eft vray que les Infideles u'ofe-
roient quafi plus diuiilguer ces vieilles fottifes qui fe
vout tous [uo] les iours aboliffant h, S- lofeph.

Vn Sauuage, encor payeu, auoit procure le bap-
lefme i vne iiennc petite fille, cet enfant venant i
mourir nous I'enterrafnie honorablcuient en noftre
Cimetierre, ce qui le toucha fort, mais come uous
luy eufmea parlii tie la gloire dont iouyffoit fon
enfant, ii en fut C aife qu'il s'efcria, men cteur eftoit
eftouff6, & vouE luy auea donn^ de I'air, puis que ma
fille eft fi heureufe, ie veux aller auec elle, & puis
quevousaue?- log^ f on corps aupres de voftre maifon,
lo3;ez moy aufll aupres dc vous, car d'orefoauaut ie
tiendray ce lieu-cy pour mon pays, & ie m'arrefteray
auec les autre s qui veu lent conipofer vne bourgade,
iurtruifez moy tous les lours & ma fcmme aufll, elle
a volontiS d'eftre baptif^e aufll bien que moy, comme
on les iuftruifoit s'il arriuoit que le pere qui en auoit
pris charge s'abfentaft quelquefois, ils luy difoient
au retour, voUre abfeace nous attrifle & noJtrc cteur
eft refiouy quand vous eiies de retour, car vous eftes
nollre pere,

Vae fenime Sauuage ayant racommod^ quelque
cbole pour noftre maifon; [in] quelque canot ou
choCe femblable, nous luy demadafmes ce qu'elles vou-
loit pour fa peine, belas! dit-cUe, ic ne dcmade rien
(inon que vous vous founcnie^ que ie ne fuis pas bap-
tif^e* ie craigooia cct hyuer de mourir dans les bois
fans baptefme, au moindre mal mon cosur trembloit,

IMOl RELA TJOM OF ib^o

There are Savag-cs not yet baptized who come to
mform us of superstitious rites wbioh are performed
secretly iu the cabins, — saying that those who still
believe m these delusions retain the demons among
then]. In truth, the Unbelievers would hardly dare
divulge ihese anoient follies any more, which are
[i lo] daily being abolished at St. Joseph-

A Savage, still pagan, had procured baptism for
ore of his little girls. This child happening to die,
we buried her with honor in our Cemetery, which
deeply touched him. But, when we spoke to him of
the glory his child was enjoying, he was 50 pleased
that he exclaimed, " My heart was suffocating, and
you have given it air. Since my child is so happy,
I wish to go with her ; and since you have placed her
body near your house, lodge me also near you, — for
henceforward I shall look upon this place as my
country, and shall settle with the others who wish
to form a village- Instruct me every day, and my
wife also- She wishes to be baptized, as well as I."
While they were being instructed, if it happened
that the father who had taken charge of them occa-
sionally absented himself, they would say to him on
his return, "Your absence saddens us, and our
hearts are rejoiced when you have returned, for you
are our father."

A Savage v-oman, having mended some article for
our house, — [iti] a canoe, or something of tte
kind, — wc asked her what she desired for her trouble.
"Ah," said she, "I ask nothing, except that you
remember that I am not baptized. I was afraid of
dying in the woods this winter without baptism ; my
heart trembled at the least sickness. Do not let me
go away from you any more burdened with my sins- "

SM LES f^F.lA TIOXS DF-S /^SUITES [Vol. 18

ne me LiifTeK plus eiloig^ner de vous chargi3e de mes
offenfes.

DeuN autres femmcs s'ellant efgar^cs du chemin
fur la nuit, eEloient en danger de mourir de froid fur
les neiges, car elles n'auoient point de raquettes ny
de hache ny de fufil, & ne fe portoient pas trop biea,
fe voyans dans ccfte aagoiffe elles ont recottrs i
DieUt I'vne eftoit Chreftieane & I'autre non ; ayant
fait leur priere elles crient ^ I'auenture pour voir G
elles ne fcroient point entendues de quelqu'vn; h.
mefme temps vn canot conduit par deux Chreltiena
palToit fur le grand tieuue ^ Tendroit on eitoient oes
femmes, ils refpondent ^ lenrs cris, les appellent, les
font defcendre an bord de I'eau, & les embarquent,
ces bonnes femmes admiroient ce rencontre, & di-
foient auec eftonnement, Dien nous a [i is] prompte-
ment fecoumes.

Vn forcier de TadoutTac fort eftoiirdy eftant venu
& S. lofeph nous le traii^tafmeR rudemcnt de paroles,
il nous difoit nettement que fon art Iny auoit fanu^
^a vie, & que s'il croyoit en Dieii qu'il ne pafferoit
pas TEltiS, nous recommandafmes i No^l Negabamat
de luy parler en fecret, il ny manqua pas^ il paHoit
quafi les nniols ^ luy parler de noftre creance. En
fin cet homnie quoy que mechant fut touch6 des dif-
cours de ce bon Keophyte, & des bons esemples dea
nouueaux Chreftiens, en forte qu'il nous vint prier
de baptifer Eon fils, & nous alTeura qii'il fe feroit in-
ftruire, ie voy bien, dit-il, que ie ne fay pas bien, ie
veux quitter ]e Diable, & cvoire en Dieu, ie m'en vais
faire vn tour h. TadoufTac, bien toft vous me verrea
de retour. Ie ne f^ay pas ce qui en fera tons ceux
que Dieu appelTe ne refpondent pas ^ fa voix, cet
]iomme K bien des liens ^ rompre.

1640] RELA TIOX OF J640 SOfi

Two Other women, ^vho lost their way towards
nightfall, were in danger of dying from cold upon
the snow^ for they had no sjiowshoes, hatchetSj or
tinder box, and besides, were not very well. See-
ing themselves in this e>:tremity, they had recourse
to God- One was a Christian, and the other not.
When they had offered their prayers they shouted,
to see if, pcrehance, they would not be heard by
some one; and at the same time a canoe, paddled by
two Christians, ntade its way over the great river
towards the place where these women were. They
answered their cries, called to them, had them come
down to the edge of the water, and took thein on
board. These good women wondered at this encoun-
ter, and said with astonishment, "God has [112]
promptly aided us."

A sorcerer of Tadoussac, a VQvy reckless fellow,
having come to St. Joseph, wo took him sharply to
task. He told us bluntly that his art had preserved
bis life, and that if he should believe in God he
would not survive the Summer. We requested Noel
Negabamat to speak to him privately. He did not
fail to do so- he almost spent nights in talking to
him of our belief. Finally this man, although
wicked, was touched by the discourse of this good
Neophyte, and by the good example of the new
Christians^ so that he came and pleaded with us to
baptize his son, and assured us that he would be in-
structed. " I see clearly," .^aid he, " that I am not
doing right; I will quit the Devil, and believe in
God, I am about to mate a trip to Tadoussac, but
you will soon see me back again," I do not know
how it will turn out; not all those whom God calls,
respond to his voice. This man has many ties to
sunder.

200 LF.S RELATIONS DES /f^SUJT^S [Vol, IS

I'ay deCa remarqu6 qu'ii y a des Sauuages nou
CDCor baptifez qui ne fe veulent pas marier fans
noftre aduis, d'autres ne manquent point de fe met-
tre i genous [113] fi-toft [ils] ont tu^ qiielque animal
& d'en Temercier DieUf cela Te vamettrc en coudurae
panny eux, d'oti raiflra vn grand bien, car s'lls ont
recDurs i Dieu fa bonC<^ ne les abandonnera pas-

Vn Payeti allant voir la Quit vne femme veufue
pour Vi^poufer, celle-cy luy dit nc ffai!> tu pas que
les Peres orient contre cette coultume, de plus tu as
def-ja vne ferame, en voudrois tu aiioir deux toy qui
fais eftat d'approuucr leii prieres? fi vn te! Fere (di-
foit-elle) te trouuoit icy que dimis-tu? cet intportun
contirmant do la moleltcr les autres nuits^ elle luy dit
tu mc contraiudras dc m'en aller aillenrSn & de de-
couurir ta. malice aux Peres, ne craina tu point I'en-
fer? f^ache que ie venx eft.re Chreftienne, &que ie ne
veux ^ponCer qu'vn Chreftien. ne me parle plust tu
perds tes peines, ie veux obeir ^ Dieu.

II n'y a cceur fi dnr que la parole de Dicu n'aiiEO-
iilTe ^ la longue, vn efprit rude & fuperbe, ine difoit
il y a quelque teraps, ie me fuis moqu^ cent fois des
difcours du Pere de Quen, i'ay reQft^ au Pere Bu-
teux Ie voulant empefchcr de [ri4] nous initruire,
pour toy ie ne te pouuois fupporter, ie prenois plaifir
de te quereller, & quaud ie Tauois fait ie Vallois ra-
compter par les cabanes comme vne grande prolielTe,
tnais maiiitenant vos paroles me fembleut bonnes,
elles defccndent petit a petit dans mon cosur, ie croy
que mes oreilles Ce feront k les ^couter.

Voicy quelques remarques du Pere Buteus en-
noyees des trois Riuieres, ces pauures gens font dans

IfilOJ RELA TION OF it^ 20T

I have already remarked that there are Savages not
yet baptized ^vho will not marry without our advice.
Others ahvays fall upon Iheir knees [113] as soon as
they h^ve killed some animal, and thank God for it.
This is getting to be a custom among them, whence
will arise great g^ood, — for, if they have recourse to
God, his goodness will not abandon them.

A Pagan went to see i\ widow one night, to marry
her, when she said to him, " Dost thou not know
that the Fathers rebuke this custom? and besides,
thou hast already a wife; wouldst thou have two, —
thou, who pretendest to approve prayers? If such a
Father" (said she) " found ihee here, what wouldst
thou say?" This troublesome fellow continuing to
annoy her on other nights, she said to him, '^ Thou
wilt compel me to go somewhere else, and to expose
thy malice to the Fathers. Dost thou not fear hell?
Know that I intend to be a Christian, and that I will
not marry any one but a Christian. Do not speak
to me any more; thou hast thy trouble for nothing;
T wish to obey God."

There is no heart so hard that the word of God
does not soften it in time, A rude and haughty fel-
low said to me some time ag'o, " I have a hundred
limes made sport of the speeches of Fciiher de Quen \
I have opposed Father Buteiix, trying to prevent
him from \i\a\ instructing us; as for thee, I could
not endure thee, — I look pleasure in quarreling with
thee, and, when I had done so, ! w^ent through the
cabins and spoke of it as a great feat. But now your
words seem good to me; they are going down little
by little into my heart; I believe my ears will get
accustomed to hear them,"

Here are some observations of Father Buteux, sent

BOg L£S R£LA TJONS DES JltSU/TES [Vr>L. IS

4 ^ ■

la crcancc que ia maladie les doit accueillir cet Eit^,
lis ne laiHent pas de fe difpofer poitr le baptcfme,
ils font fort porl^H ^ prier Dieu, quad nous enlrons
dans leurs cabaucsn ils deiTiaudent fi c'efl pour faire
les prieres, fe mettans h genous C-Wft qu'on les
commance-

L*vn de Qous allant faire prier Dieu dans les
cabanes, vn pen efloi^ni^es dc noftre habitation, ren-
contra vn vieillard qui s'en aUoit faire dea traifnes il
demanda au Pere oii il alloit, ie vay faire prier tes
gens, luy dit le Pere, ie n'y ponrray alTiller. dit ce
bon Sauuage, mais prions icy, li deli'us il fe met h.
genoux fur la neige, [115] par vn temps tres-rigou-
reux, le Pere le fit prier Dieu, cela fait ce bon homme
s'en alia tout content S fon traitail.

Vne ferame me difoit qu'eftant dans la necefTit^ au
tililien des bois, Ton mary fit mettrc ceu:: dc fa cabane
^ genoux, & leitr dit, or fus addrelTons nous li. celuy
qui nou3 pent nourrir, il eft bon, affenrenjent il nous
feconrcra 11 nous le prions de bon ccenr, ce qu'ils
firent & incontinent apres ils firent fort bonne cbafle
d^ours.

Voicy ce qni eft arriu^ depuis peii* dit le Pere, vn
Sanuagc de confideration parmy les fienSf me vint
dire qu'il auoit veu le maiiitou, & qu'il me prioit dal-
ler ctez luy faire les prieres inftitn^es pour le chaf-
feij il y fallut aller quoy qu'il fut nuit, ie portay
auec moy vn crucifix, que chacun. adora, apres les
auoir affure^ ie laiflay le crucifix dans leur cabane,
quelqne temps apres ce Sauuage qui m'eltoit venu
querir fe trouua oppretT^ d'vn mal de coll^, cauf^' du
trop grand trauail qu'il auoit pris i fon champ, ce
pauure liomme ne f^acliant ^ qui auoir recours, s'ad-

1640] RELA TION OF 1&40

from the three Rivers: " These pool people still be-
lieve that the malady is to attack them this Summer.
They do not cease to prepare themselves for bap-
tism; they are strongly inclined to pray to God;
when we enter their cabms they ask if it is to offer
prayers, falling upon thtir knees as soon as these
are begun.

" One of us, going into the cabins at a little dis-
tance from our settlement to offer prayers, met an
old man who was going away to mate sleds. He
asked the Father where he was going. ' I am going
to get thy people to pray,^ replied the Father. "I
cannot be present,' said this good Savage, ' but let us
pray here.* Thereupon he knelt down upon the
snow, [115] in the severe cold: the Father had him
pray to God, and. this done, the good man went off
to his work, very happy,

'^ A woman told me that, being in want while in
the depths of the woods, her husband had those of
his cabin knee! down, and said to them, ' Comej let
us address ourselves to him who can feed us; he is
good, — he will certainly help us, if we pray to hira
sincerely.' This they did, and directly afterwards
■were successful in bear-hunting.

*' Here is something that happened a little while
agOf" says the Father- " A Savage, of high stand-
ing among his own people, came and told me that
he had seen the manitou, and pleaded with me to go
home with him to offer the prayers appointed to dri^'^e
him away. I was obliged to go, although it was
night, taking with me a crucifix, which every one
adored. After having reassured them, I left the
crucifix in their cabin. Some time afterward, this
Savage who had come to get me, finding himself

510 LES RELA TJO^'S DES JASUJTES [Vol. IS

dreiTa 'k celuy q^i'il cioyoit auffi pmfTant [m6] pour
chaffer la in;ila.die qut: les diables, il luy dcmanda la
guerifoiij qu'il reccut plaioemeiit & foudainement.

Vn ieune tomme nous a fort edifii? demandant
le baptefme, ie confcffe, difoit-ii, que ie fuis vn
coureur, que ie n'ay point d'arreft, mais depnis que
vous m'auez pari*? de I'autre vie, le povtc toufjours
vos paroles dans mon cceur, i'ay beat] alter 9a & \k,
ce que vous m'aue?. ditine fuit par to^it^ il me femble
qu'on la cfcnt dans mon coiur. ie difois Vaiitre iour
au fieur Oliuier, qiie ie croyois tout de bon, & que
i'auois pris refolulioa de m'arrefter, ce n'elt pas luy
difoy-ie, que i'efpere qu'on me fera meilleur marcTi^
au magazin fi ie fuis baptif^, non ie ne penfe point i
vos marchandifes, ie penfe ii quelqut; ohofe de meil-
leur, voila, luy mon[t[r]ant le Ciel> ce que ie penfe^
c'eit cela qui eft efcrii dedans mon coiurf & qui me
fait craindre de mouiir auparauant que mes pecTiea
foieut emport^s par les eaujc du baptefme, Dieu luy
donne la perfeueratice,

II y a trois iours quvne femme non encor baptif6e
demcuroit h. la porte de [117] TEglife pendant la
MelTe, mais comrae fon petit fils eftoit Chreftien, &
qu'il n'eEt permis qu'aux Chreftiens d'enteudre la
Meffe, elle plantoit ce petit enfant tout debout atta-
c!n^ ^ fon berceau k I'eutr^e de la Chappelle, atten-
dant deJiors que la Meffe fut ditte pour le prendre
faifaut voir par cette atJtion I'eftime qu'elle faifoit du
bon-heur de fon fils, qu'on luy accorderoit S elle
mefme n'eitoit la crainte qu'o3i a quelle <^poufe vn
Payen, fon mary I'ayant laiili^e fort ieune.

1840] RELA TION OF 1640 fll

Oppressed by a pain in his side, caused by too hard
^vork he had done in his field, — the poor man, not
}:Dowing to whom he should apply, addressed himself
to him whom he believed to be as powerful [t 16] to
drive awav sickness as devils. He asked him for his
recovery, which he received completely and suddenly.

"A young man greatly ediiied us in his request
for baptism, ' 1 confess, ' said he. ' that I am a rover,
that 1 have no ab i ding- place ; but, since you have
spoken to me of the other life, I always bear your
^vordfi in my heart; it is vain for me to go here and
there, — what you have said to me follows me every-
\vhere ; it seems as if it had been written in my heart,
1 said the other day to sienr Olivier that I believed
sincerely, and that I had resolved to settle down, —
" not," 1 said to him, '* because 1 hope they u-ill give
me things cheaper at the store if I am baptized; T
am not thinking of your merchandise, I am thinking
of something better; that ' — indicating the Sky—' is
what 1 think of, it is that which is written in my heart,
and \^-hich makes me afraid to die before my sins are
carried away by the waters of baptism/ '* May God
give him perseverance.

" Three days ago a woman, not yet baptized, re-
mained at the door of [117J the Church during Mass.
As her little son was a Christian, and as none but
Christians are allowed to hear Mass, she set this little
child, — standing iipright, bound to his cradle, — at
the entrance to the Chapeln waiting outside until
Mass was over, to take him ; showing by this act the
value she attached to her son's good forti;ne, which
would be granted to her also were it not for the fear
that she will marry a Pagan, her husband having
lell her verj' young/'

312 LES RELA TIONS DES j£S(/ITE:i [Vou 18

CHAPITRE IX.

DE [-A rROUIDENCE DE DTEU AU CHOIX D£ QUELQUES
VNS, & AU REBUT DE QUELQUES AUTRES.

QVELQUES Sauuages fe conuertirfent quelque-
fois n foudaincment, & par des oci:afioiis fr
peu premedit^es, qii'il lemble qii'vn hazard
les menc au [i i8] Ciel, & cependant ils n'y entreat
que par vne fage conduite, & par vne alTur^e proui-
dence du grand Dieu.

Vn Capitaine Saiiuage s'eftoit cabaiie au defTtis de
S- lofcph en pleinc iiu]X€. Ic voila tout i coup d'vne
grande maladiCf arriuc qu'vne femme paiTant denant
noftrc maifon daas ion canot, nous dit deux mots fans
fe defembarquerj coiiim<; elle pourfuiuoit fon che-
miu, Vvn de nous luy crie, n'y a-il point de malades
en voftre cabane, hclas! fit elle, ie m'oubliois de
voua dive qit'vn tel Capitaine eit tomb<5 ce matin
dans de grander^ conuulfions, auiri-tolt le Pere de
Quen entendant cela courtf prend fa couucrture &
vn morcean de pain pour tous ^'inre & s'embarque,
il arriue fur la nuit, trouue cet liomine en vn pitoy-
able eftat, Tinflruit^ le confole, il demands ie bap-
tefme, crie mercy ^ Dieu de fe.s peche^, le Pere ne
le croyant pas fi malj fe retire en la cabane volfme
pour faire Tes prieres & prendre vn peu de repos,
mais Dicii qui vouloit aiioir cette ame I'empefcha fi
bien de dormir, qu'il fut come colraint de fe leuer &
d'alier voir sS malade, [119] chofe eft rage, il Ie trouue

IMO] RELA TION OF 1640 SIS

CHAPTER IX.

OF THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD IN THE CHOICE OF
SOME, AN1> THE REJECTION OF OTHERS.

CERTAIN Savages are sometjines converted so
suddenly, and by means so little premedi-
tattd. that it seems as if chance takes them
to [iiS] Heaven; and yet they do not enter it with-
out a wise leading and a definite providence of the
great God,

A Savage Captain had encamped above St, Joseph,
in good health, when all at once he was attacked by
a serious illness. It happened that a woman passing
before our house in her canoe said a few words to
us without disembarkings as she continued on her
way, one of us called to herj ^' Are there not some
siek people in your cabin?'' "Ob," said she, "I
forgot to tell you that such a Captain fell sick this
morning, with violent convulsions." Upon hearing
this. Father de Quen immediately ran, seized his
blanket, and a piece of bread for his only food, and
embarked- He arrived toward nightfall, and found
this man in a pitiable condition; he instructed and
consoled him; the latter asked for baptism, and cried
to God for mercy for his sins. The Father, not sup-
posing him so ill, withdrew to a neighboring cabin,
to offer his prayers and lake a little rest. But God,
who intended to have this soul, so kept him from
sleeping that he was constrained, as it were, to arise
and go to see his patient, [iig] Strange to say, he

tU I^ES RKLA TJONS I>ES J^lSUITE-'^ [V,.l. Ifi

atjx ftboiSf n'ayant plus de vie qu^autant qu'i! ca
falloit pour deniander & poiir reccuoir le faindt Bap-
tefme, le Pere bien eitonn^ luy donne, & Tenuoie
tout £ur I'heure en Paiadis: vous diriez que cet
hom:ne s'eft faune par hazard, & que d'autrea fe
damnent par accident, mais il ny a ny hazard ny acci-
dent deuant Dieu, fa bont^ & fa iuftice s'accordent
bien auec fa prouidence.

Ce u'elt pas tout, quelques enfans eiloicut malades
dans ces mefmes cabanes, le Pere les veut baptifer,
les parens s'y oppofeut, vne femme plus infiruile
que les autres fe Irouuant li plaide pour le baptefme
de ces pauures enfans, & Dieu gagna fa caufc, car
ils furent faidts fes enfans, qu'il foit beny \ Jamais,
laudanl enm ca-H & terra & omnia qtits in eis funl, L'vn
de nous, eltant alliS dire la faincle MelTc ^ I'Hofpi-
tal, trouue vne femme nouuellemeiil: apporti^e bien
malade, il luy vint vne forte penfee de la difpofer
tout fur I'heure au baptefme, mais comme il efloit
preff6 & qu'il auoit quelque indifpofition pour lors,
il voulut differer, [120] fe promettant bien de la
reuenir voir da? peu de temps, comme il la quittoit, il
fentit ce reproche en fon cteur, ii cette femme meurt
fans baptefme i qui en fera la faute? il rcEourne vers
la malade, luy touehe le poux, & le trouuant afCez
bon h fon aduis, la quitte encor vne fois, il n'eltoit
pas forty quVn remords luy fait prendre refolution
de ne point quitter cette pauure creature, qu'il ne la
vit en ekat de receuoir cc Sacremcnt de falut, W
s'arreite, Vinftruit, lalaifle dans vn grand defir d'eitre
Chreflienne, & dans des regrets d'auoir offcnf6 fon
Dieu & fon Pere, il ne fut pas loing qu'on luy vint
crier que cette pauure femme e-xpiroit, il retoume,

I[i40] RELA TION OF ib^ 21fi

foirnd him in a desperate condition, having no more
life than was necesssary for him to ask and receive
holy Baptism, The Fatheff greatly surprised, gave
it to him, and sent him straightway to Paradise.
You might sa)^ that this man had escaped by chance,
and that others damn themselves by accident. But
there is neither chance nor accident with God; his
goodness and justice harmonise with his providence.
This is not alh Some children were sick in these
same cabins. The Father wished to baptize them,
the parents opposed him i a woman, better instructed
than the othersn being present, pleaded for the
baptism of these poor children, and God gained his
cause, for they were uiadc his children. May he be
forever bleKj^ed^ laudent enm ctsH et terra et oinjiiit qitm
in fii S3it!t. One of us having gone to say holy Mass
at the Hospital, found a woman who had been just
brought there very sick. A strong impulse prompted
him to dispose her immediately to baptism, but as he
was in haste^ and felt some indisposition at the time,
he wished to defer it. [i2o] promising himself that
lie would certainly returo and see her in a little
while. As he left her, he was conscious of this
reproach in his heart, " If this woman dies withont
baptism, whose fault will it be?" He returned to
the sick woman, felt her pulse, and finding her well
enough, in his opinion, left her again. He had not
gone out before remorse made hiin resolve not to
leave this poor creatuTCj until he saw her in a condi-
tion to receive this Sacram^ent of salvation. He
Slopped, instructed her, and left her with a great
desire to be a Christian, and with regret at ha^'ing
offended her God and Father. It was not long
before they came to him. exclaiming that this poor

aift LES RELA TIONS DE5 /^SUITES [Vol. IS

la baptife, elle meurt donnant des indices tres-grands
de fa predefti nation, le Pere fe fomienant de ce qui
s'ei^oit paffi; en fon cceur, refta tout ^pouuanti^; voy-
ant qu'il ne s'en eitoit quafi rien fallu qu'elle ne fut
mortt fans baptefrae, il eft vray qii i fon regard le
faint de cette ame paroifEoit □'auoireltC attach^ qu'au
petit filet fort aif^ k rompre. mais Dieu le tenok
aueo vrie chaifne bien forLe.

[[2i] Voicy quelquefi remavques tiriJes des me-
moires du P. Buleus, vne troupe d'Algonquins traif-
nans qiiaut & eux beaucoup de pavinres vcufiies &
orphelins, fe font venus letter entre les bras de noflre
cbarite, qui n'ertoie^tque trop ouuerts pour les rece-
uoir, il faut que ie coufeffe que voyant Vextreme
difelle de ces pauures barbares. foit pour leurs viures,
foit pour leurs habits, iamais ie u'eus plus d'enuie
d'eftre ricLe, la premiere cabane ou i'entray, fut de
deu:; pauures ve\]fues bien agees lefquelles auoient
recueilly euuiron dix ou dou^^e enfans, & pour toute
prouifion n'auoiet pas la valeur d'vn fac de bled
d'lade, c'efl pour lors que ie regrettay les viures
qu'on nous enuoyoitj lefquels out efte perdus dans la
barque qui nous venoit voir, i'entrois dans qnelque
deffiance voyant tant de pauures creatures fur nos
bras auec ft peu de viures qui fe rencontroient en
nodre maifon, mais celuy qui nourrit les oyfeaux du
del, n'abandonne pas ceux pour lefqueJs il a cree
les oyfeau, & les poifTons & tous les auimaux. Ie
ne f^ay par quel miracle de fa prouidence [122] cela
s'efl fait, mais ie f^ay bieu que ces pauures gens out
tons paiT6 I'Hyuer fains Si gaillards, & fa bout<^ nous
a fait Lrouuer dequoy les fecourir^ nous en auona bap-
tif^ quelques vus qui nous coufoleut, eutre autres vne

IMO] RELA TION OF 1^40 BIT

woman was oMpirin^; he returneiin and baptizt^d her;
and she died, giving very marked indications of her
predestiiiatioq. The Father, recalling what had
passed in hi,s own heart, was filled with consternation,
considering how near she was to dying without bap-
tism. True, in his eyes, the salvation of this soul
seemed only attached by a fine thread, very easy to
break; but God held it with a very strong chain.

[i3i] Here are some observations taken from the
memoirs o£ Father Butenx : ^ ' A band of Algonquius,
dragging with them many poor widows and orphans.
came to throw themselves into the arms of our char-
ity, which were only too wide open to receive them.
1 miist confess that, when I saw the CKtrcmc poverty
of these poor barbarians, both as to their food aud
their clothes, I never had a greater desire to he rich.
The first cabin 1 entered was that of two poor wid-
ows, well advanced in age, who had gathered togeth-
er about ten or twelve children, and for their sole
provision had not the value of a bag of Indian corn.
It was then I regretted the supplies that were sent
us, which had been lost in the bark that wa^^ coming
to see us. i had some misgivings when 1 saw so
many poor creatures upon our hands, with so little
food to be found in our house; but he who feeds the
birds of the Air, does not abandon those for whom
he has created the birds, the fish, aud all the animals.
I do not know by what miracle of his providence
[t2:>] this was done; but I do know well that these
poor people all passed the Winter well and happy,
aud his goodness enabled us to find something with
■which to assist them. We have baptized some of
them who are a comfort to us, — among others, a
good widow^ who seems to have been reserved for

218 LES RELAT/OJ\'5 DES /^SUITES [Vol.. IS

boTiTfe veufuGj qui femble atioir eft^ referu^e pour le
Ciel p:ir vne particiiliere prouidence de noftre Sei-
gneur; Ics Hiroquois veuat faire la guerre en fon
pays I'enleuerent en fa pefite ieuneiTe anec qnelques
antres prifonuicrs, elle fut eileii^c parmy eux & repu-
t6e par apres comme vne femme de leur nation:
eitant defia. grande les Algonquius allans en guerre
auec deffunt Monfieur de Champlain, & fe iettans fur
vne bourgade d'Hiroqutjis oil eftoit cette femme,
laialTacroJent tons ceux qu'ils awoient & la rencontre^
cette pauurc creature fe trtniuaut dans la Tu^lee, vou-
lut faive entendre aux Algonqtiins qu'elle eitoit de
leur nation, mais cllc auoit oublii^ fa langue, excep-
ts ce mot feu!, qn'elle reiteroit de toutes fes forces,
7tir, nir, nir. moy, moy, moy> te mot luy fauua la vie,
vn Algonquin I'ayant tirSe i part, elle Juy fit enten-
dre comrae [123] elle pfit, qu^elle auoit eil£ prife en
fa ieuneffc par I'eiiucmy, on la remene en fon pays,
oti s'eltant marine elle a veu mourir fon mary, fes
tnfans, grand nonibre de fes parens & Dien I'a con-
ferule dans la grande mortaliU^ qui a fort afflig^ fa
nation, la referuant pour luy donncr entrde en fon.
EgKfe, & pour exciter fes compatriotes h deferter la
terre, car elle feule, auee einq pelits enfans qn'elle
a conferueK dans la calamitiS publique, n'ayant de
viure que ce que noltre paunret6 luy fournit, a defia
fait vn beau grand champ dc bled d'Inde, elle me fit
grande piti^ I'autre lour, entrant fur le foir en fa
cabane, ie la trouuay toute abbatue & toute ^plor^e,
luy en demandat la raifon elle me dit, ie ne puis
tenJr mes lannes, iettant les yeux fur oes pauures
orphelins. pour moy il y a long-temps que ie fuis
aceouJtum^e i pafTer les ioum^es entieres fans man-

1640] RJlLA TlOr/ OF J640 213

Heaven by a special providence of nur Lord. The
Hiroquois, coming to make war against her country,
carried her off in her childhood with some other
prisoners. She was reared among them, and after-
ward reputed a!3 a woman of their nation. Once,
after .she had grown up, the Algonquins went to war
in company with the deceased Monsieur de Cham-
plain.''^ and throwing themselves upon a Hiroquois
village where this woman was, massacred all those
whom they encountered. This poor creature, find-
ing herself in the conflict, tried to make the Algon-
quins understand that she was of their nation; btlt
she had forgotten her own language, except this one
■^'ord, \\'hiGh she reiterated with all her might, itir.
nir. nir. ' me^ me, me,' This word saved her life.
An Algonquin drawing her aside, she made him un-
derstand, as well as [123] she coiild, that she had been
captured in her youth by the enemy. She was sent
back to her own country, where, having married, she
saw her husband, her childreun and a great many of
her relatives die. But God preserved her in the
midst of the great mortality which has heavily
afflicted her nation, — reserving her, in order to give
her admission to his Church, and to stimulate her
compatriots to clear the land; for she alone, with five
little children that she has saved in the public calam-
ityn and having nothing to live upon except what
out poverty furnishes her, has already prepared a
fine, large field of Indian com. She aroused my deep
compassioHf the other day- Entering her cabin to-
wards evening, J found her quite despondent and in
tears. Upon asking the reason of this, she said to
me, ' I cannot restrain my tears when I cast my eyes
upon these poor orphans. As for me, I have for a

220 LES RELATIONS DE5 /£St//T£S [Vol, IS

gerj conimc i'ay fait tout aiiiourd'huy trauaillant ^
inon champ fans rien prendre, mais ie ae puis enten-
dre ces enfana crier i la faim fans ettre touches,
voila difoit-elle, le fnbiecJt de mes larmes, de vous
iraportnnei- ie [[34] n^oferois, car depuis TAutomne
iufqiics h maintenant vous nous anez touHours fecou-
riies confommant les viures qui vons font grand
befoin. Si eft-ce luy dif-je que i'ay donn^ ce matin
deqtioy vovs fairs vne fois h manger anioiird'liny, ie
n'en ay rien veu^ repart ellej enfin le Pere tronua
que le Sanuage k qui El auoit donnc cette commifiion
ayaiit de quoy difner ce lonr-lil, auoit referu§ cctte
aumofne ponr le lendemain; la bont6 & la iuitice
font les deux bras de la grande prouidcnce de Dieu,
nons auons veu des effects de fa mifericorde, voyons
vn coup de fa iuftice,

Vn Sauuage ayant efti^ baptif^ en danger de mort
auec de grands fcntimcns de Vautrc vie, rcuiat en
fant^. II eftoit d'vn ailez bon nature], mais I'aniour
d'viie femme Ic perdit, il I'aymoit pallionnement. &
n'ayant pas le loifir qti'elle fut inftmile 8l baptifee,
il r^poufa k la fa^o dcs Sauuages, fans attendre la
benediction de TEglife, nous le menajafmes dcs
chaftimens de Dieu, qui le fuiuircnt de bieu pr^s. ce
miferable s'c:i eftant all^ h. la chalTe du caftor auec
fa famine [125] affe^ nombreufe, vit mourir fa femme,
& les enfans qu'elle auoit d'vn autre lit fans bap-
tefmej fes parens faifis du mefme mal fureut bien
tofl emportez, en fin il tombe malade auec vn Gen
fils ltg€ d'enuiron vingt ans, & vne fjenne fiUe Chre-
flienne kg6e de douze, fa fceur qui efloit veufue
dcpuis quclques ann^es & qui auoit pour fils vn grSd
ieime homme excellent chaCleur^ foignoit tous ces

i

1040] RELA TIQN OF s6^

}oiig tiine been accustomed to pass whole days with-
out eating, — as J havt done during this day, working
in my field and taking nothing,— but J cannot hear
these children cry with hunger, without being
tonched. This,' said she, ' is the cause of my tears-
To importune you I O34] would not dare; for, since
Autumn until now, you have always helped us. Using
up your supplies, and thus leaving yourselves in
great want,' ' Yet I gave you food/ said I, ' in order
that you might eat once to-day.' ' 1 have seen none
of it," she replied." Finally, the Father found that
the Savage to whom he had given this commission,
having something to dine upon to-day, had reserved
this gift for the morrow. Goodness and justice are
the two arms of the gloriotts providence of God, We
have seen some effects of his mercy; let us see a
stroke of his justice.

A Savage ^vho bad been baptised while in danger
of death, with admirable sentiments regarding the
other life, was restored to health. He had a good
enough disposition, but love for a woman ruined
him. He loved her passionately; and, not having
the time to wait until she was instructed and bap-
tized, he married her in the Savage fashion, without
waiting for the benediction of the Church. We
threatcuet^ him with the punishments of God, which
followed very closely upon him. This unhappy man,
having gone to hunt the beaver with his numerous
family, [[^5] saw his wife, and her children by a
previous marriage, die without baptism. Her par-
ents, seized by the same malady, were soon carried
away. Finally, he fell sick, together with one of his
sons, about twenty years of age, and one of his daugh-
ters, a Christian, twelve years old. His sister — who

222 LE^ JiKLAT/ONS DF.S /^.SUITES {Vol. 13

malades A^us les bois, mais comme eile vit fon fils
tain de cefle conlagion, elle prit vn eftrang'e confeil
pour luy famier la vie, le voulant ctmener vers les
dcmeures de uos Francois pour troiiuer qiielque re-
mede & fon mal, & ne pouuant embarqu[ejr fon frere*
qui eftoit ce mifcrable apoftat que Dieu pourfuiuoit
vhiement, elle rafTomme k grauds coups de baftons
ea la prefence de fes deux enfaus de fon uepueu, &
de fa niepce, qui n'ofoieul branler de peur que cefte
megere ne leur en fit autaut, cela fait eile embarque
fon ills malade & laiffe i labandon fon nepueu & fa
niepce qui fortCFient de maladie leur erians qu'ils
priilent \"q. canot qu'elle leur monttroit [i^Sj s'ils fe
vouloient fauuer, ces pauures enfans ae pouuaos pas
mettre h Veau ce cauot uy le gouuerner dans leur foi-
bleffe, quittanc leur pere qu'on venoit d'allommerj
fuiuent vu iour entier leur tante fur Te bord de I'eau
fans manger, cefte proferpine les regardoit fans com-
paiTion, en fin eltant laiT^ de ramer elle defcendit en
terre poiir fe repoferj fon nepueu la prie d'auoir piti^
de luy & de fa pauure ftEur, cefte cruelle repart, fi
tu veu>: que ie te fauitc la vie titiJ ta fceur, car ie ne
VOUK f^auroit pas embarquer tous deux: de plus pro-
mets moy que tu ne parleras iamais de ce que i'ay
fait ^ ton pere, ah! Dieu que fera ce pauure ieune
hommCf de tuer fa fceur c'eit cmaut^, de refter auec
elle, c'eft clioilir la mort fans luy pouuoir donner la
vie, c'efl: deiis pauures enfans fe regardoiet I'vn Tau-
tre parlans des yeu^, car leurs ctieurs n'auoient pas
affez de forces pour donner du mouuemcnt i leurs
langues: en fin cefte tigrede preffa ce pauure ieune
bomme d'eftre Ic bourreau de fa propre icear. Ma
plume ne pent fans horreur trentiher Ie motf il prend

1640] RELATION OF 1640 BBB

had been a widow for some years, and who had a son
who was a tall young man and an eKcellent hunter —
took cate of all these patients in the woods. But
when she saw her son assailed by this contagioji. s!ie
took a strange course in order to save his lifi?. De-
siring to bring him to the dwellings of our French to
find some remedy for his disease, and not being able
to take on board her brother^ — the miserable apostate
whom God was sharply pursuing, — she beat the
latter to death with heavy blows from a clubf in the
presence of his two children, her nephew and her
niece, who did not dare stir lest this Megera would
do as much to them. This done^ she embarked her
sick son, and deserted her nephew and niece who were
recovering from the illness, — calling to them to take
a canoe that she showed them, [126] if they wished
to save themselves. These poor children, — not be-
ing able to launch this canoe, or to guide it in their
weaknesst — leaving their father who had just been
beaten to death, followed their aunt a 'whole day
along the edge of the water, without eating. This
Proserpina looked at them pitilessly. At last, being
weary of paddling, she came ashore eo rest- Her
nephew begged her to have pity upon him and his
poor sister. This cruel woman replied, " If thou
wishest rae to save thy life, kill thy sister, for I can-
not embark yon both- Promise me, besides, that
thou wilt never speak of what I have dchne to thy
father." O God, what will this poor young man
do? To kill his sister is cruel ; to remain with her is
to choose death, without being able to give her life-
These two poor children look at each other, speaking
with their eyes, for their hearts have not enough
strength to give motion to their tongues. Finally,

aa* ZES RELATIONS DES jtSUITES [Vol. 18

vne corde, la paffe au col [127] de fa fceur, iette cefte
pauure innoccnte par terre, met vn pied fur le bout
de ce licol & tire Tautre bout tant qu'il pent des deux
mains immolant i la cruautS de ceite louue cefte
pauiire vidtime imiocfite. Quand ce mifeiable frere
fut de retour le luy demandois H fa fceur ne Tauoit
point fuppli(^ de Uiy lailfer la vie, no fit-il^ elle ne
m'en parla point, ny ne s'enfuit de moy, elle me
regards d^n ceil pitoyable, & me laiffa exercer vne
cruaut^ qui me deuoit fauuGT la ^-ie* ce mci.irtTe com-
mis, ce ieune liomme s'embarque auec cefte megere,
mais Dieu ii la veue dnqnel fe loidoit toute cefte
funefte tragedie, voulut que cefte proferpine en fit
vn adte, il la frappa de la cotagion qu'elle fuyoitj &
auant que d'arriuer oti elle vouloit mener fon fils, elle
uxDurut comme vne befte. En fin fon fila fut appor-
t^ a rhofpital ou il eft mort dans vne puanteur into-
lerablOj mais auec de grands indices de foix falut,
nous en parlcrons en fon lieu.

X840] RJ::LA TJON OF 16^0

this tigress uvgerl the poor young man to be the ex-
ecutioner of his own sister. My pen cannot set down
the word without horror. He takes a cord, passes it
around [is^J his sister's neck* throws this poor inno-
cent to the ground, puts one foot upon the end of
this noose, and draws the other as tightly as he can
with both hands, — sSacrifi.cing to the cruelty of this
she-wolf this poor innocent victim. When this
wretched brother had returned I asked him if his sis-
ter had not entreated him to spare her life. " No/'
he replied, " she did not speak to me, nor flee from
me ; she looked at me pitifully, and left me to exer-
cise a cruelty which was to save my life." This
murder committed, the young man embarked with
this Megera, but God, iu whose sight all this fatal
tragedy was played, willed that this Proserpina shoiild
play one act of it. He struck her with the contagion
from which she was fleeing; and. before reaching
the place where she wished to bring her son^ she
died like a beast. Finally, her son was brought to
the hospital, where he died in an intolerable stench,
but with strong indications of salvation. We shall
speak of him in the proper place.

226 LES RELATIONS DES J^SUITES (Vol. IS

[13SJ CHAP. X

DE L'ESPERANCE Qlf'ON A DE LA CONUERSION ^E

PLUSIEURS SAUUAGES,

ITATJRAY de la peine ^ declarer mes penf^es dans
ce Ch.apitre, mou efprit croit plus qu'il n'en
fcauroil: dire, faifoiis le deiiombrement de quel-
qiies nations en parCie voiUnes des Hues du grand
fleuue, & puis ie tafcheray de m'enoncer,

A Tentriie dit grand golfe de S. Laurent du coft^
du Nord on trouue les Efqniraaux peuples bien bar-
bares & grads ennemis des Exirojieans ^ ce qu'on dit
fuiuant la mefme cott^ du Nord en inotant on reu-
conlre les peuplcs de Chifedech & les Berfiamites, ce
font petites nations dont on a peu dc cognoifTance,
lefquelles ont commerce auec d'aiitre,'; qui font de-
dans les tenea. En fnite on troune les Sauuages de
Tadoullac, qui ont cognoiffance auec la nation du
Pore Epic, & par Tentremife de ^ceux-cy Queo [129]
d'autres Sauuages encore plus retirea dedans les
terres. Montant touQouts on arrine i Kebee, & puis
aux trois Riuieres. Les Sauuages qui frequentent
ces deux habitations uont en raarchandife aux At-
tikamcgucs, & ccux-cy h trois on quatrc petites
nations qui font au Nord de leur pays,

Quand on arriue an premier faut qui fe rencontre
dans le grand fleuue S. Laurent, que nous appellons
le fault faindt Louis, on trouue vn autre fieuue nom-
ra6 la Riuiere des Prairies. Ce deuue fe uomme

164f3] RELA TION OF it^c m

[12S] CHAP- X.

OF THE HOPE WE HAVE FOR THE CONVERSION OF

MAS'V SAVAGES.

IS?IALL be at a loss to make known my thoughts
in this Chapter, for my mind thinks more than
it can express. Let us enumerate some of the
nations partly adjacent to the banks of the gjeat river,
and then I will try to express my thoughtSs

At the entrance to the great gulf of St. Lawrence^
on the Northern shore, we find the Esqiiimaux
tribes, — very barbaraus, and hostile to the Europeans,
it is saidi following the same Northern shore np-
wards we find the Chisedech and Bersiamite peo-
ples; these are insignificant nations, of whom we
know little, who have dealings with other inland
tribes. Then we find the Savages of Tadonssac, who
have intercourse with the Porcupine nation, and
through them with [129] other Savages farther in-
land. Continuing up the river we reach KebeCn and
then the three Rivers, The Savages who frequent
these two settlements go to trade with the Attika-
megues, and these with three or four other small
nations which are North of their country,^*

When we reach the first rapid found in the great
river St. Lawrence, which we call ^'sault saint
Louis," we come to another stream called the '' River
des Prairies." This river is thus named because when
a certain Frenchman named deii Prairies, charged with
piloting a bark to the sault St. LouiSfCame to this June-

228 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. IS

ainn, pource qii'vn certain Francois nommij des Prai-
ries ayant charge de coduire vne barque au fauk S.
LouiSf quad il vint ^ eel affour ou rencontre de ces
deux fieuues au lieu de tirer du coft6 du Sud^ ou eit
le fault faindt Louis il tira au Nord vers cet autre
fleuue qui n'auoit point encore de nom Francois, &
qui depuis ce temps 1^ fut appell6 la Riuiere des
Prairies. Montat done fur cete riuiere on rencontre
les Ouaouechka'frini. que nous appellous la petite
nation des A]gt)nquins- Montant toufiours plus haut
on trouue Ics Kichetipirini, les Sauuages [130] de
riQe qui ont i coft^ dans its terres au Nord les Kota-
fcoutouemi. Au Sud de I'lHe font les Kinounchepi-
rini, les Mataouehkarini. les Ountcbatarounounga,
les Sagahtganirini, les Sagmtaoiiigama, & puis les
Hurons qui font 'k I'entri^e de la mer douee. Ces Qx
nations dcrniere font cntre Ic fleuue dc fainct Lau-
rens & la Riuiere des Prairies. Quittant la Riuiere
des Praifici) quand die tire droit au Nord pour aller
au Surouefe on va trouuer le Lac Nipifm ou font les
Nipiflriniens: Ceusi-ey ont au Nord les Timifcimi,
les Ontimagami, les Ouachegami* les Mitchitamou,
les Outurbi, les Kirifiinon qui habitent fur les riues
de la mer du Nord ou les Nipifiriniens vont en mar-
chandife. Reuenons maintenant k la mer douce.
Cefte mer n'eft autre chofe qii'vn grand Lae lequel
fe venant i eftrefDr il I'Oueft, ou rOdeit Nord-oijeft
fait vn autre plus petit Lac, qui puis apres fe va elar-
gilTant en vn autre grand Lac ou feconde mer douee.
Voicy les nations qui bordent ces grands Lacs ou ces
raers du coll:^ du Nord,

I'ay dit qu'i rentr6e du premier de [131] ces Lacs
fe rencontrent les HuronsT les quittans pour voguer

1340] Jf£LA TION OF i6^ £2^

tioD or meoting of these two rivers, instead of coast-
iniT alon^'' the Southern shore, where the sautt saint
Louis is, he turned to the North, towards the other
river which as yet had no French naiiie, and which,
since that time, has been called the''Riv'cr des
Praivies," Going up this river, then, we find the
OuaoueohkLLtrini, which we oall the " petite nation "
of the Algonquins. Going still farther up the river
we find the Kichesipirini, the Savages [130] of the
Island, who have adjacent to them, in the territory
to the North, the Kotakoutouerai- To the South of
the Island are the Kinounchepirini, the Mataouchka-
riiii, the Ountchatarounounga, the Sagahigamnni,
the Sagnitaouigama, and then the Hurons, who are
at the entrance to the fresh-water sea.'* These last
six nations are between the river saint Lawrence and
the River des Prairies. Leaving the River des Prai-
ries when it turns directly to the North, that ^ve may
go to the Southwest, we eome to Lake Nipisin, where
the Nipisiriniens are found. These have upon their
North the Timiscimit the Outimagami, the Ouache-
gami, the Mitchitamou, the Outurbi, the KiristinoiiT
who live on the shores of the North sea whither
the Nipisiriniens go to trade. ^* Let ns return now
to the freshwater sea. This sea is nothing but a
large Lake whichn becoming narrower in the West,
or the West Northwest, forms another smaller Lake,
whieli then begins to enlarge into another great Lake
or second fresh- water sea. Such are the nations that
border these great Lakes or seas of the North.

r have said that at the entrance to the first of [131]
these Lakes w^c find the Hurons. Leaving them, to
sail farther up in the lake, we find on the North the
Ouasouariui ; farther up are the Outehougai, and still

230 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vot, 1&

plus hant dans le lac, on trouue au Nord les Onafoua-
rinif plvis h.iut font les Outchougai, plus haut encore
^ Tembouchtire dti fieuue qui vient du Lac Nipifin
font les Atchiliigoiiaii- Au del^ fur lea mefmes riues
de cefte mer douce font les Amikouai, ou la nation
du Caftor. Au Sud defquels elt vne Ide dans ceAe
mer douce longiie d'enuiron trente lieues habitue des
Outaouan, ce font peuples venus de la nation des
cheueitx releiiea. Apres les Amikouai Eur les mefnies
rmes du grand lac font les Onmifagai, qu'on pafTe
pour venir ^ Baonichtigouian, c'cft i dire, & la nation
des gens du Sault, pource qu'en effedl il y a vn Sault
qui fe iette en cet endroit dans la mer douce. Au
deli de ee fault on trouue le petit lac, fur les bords
duquel du coft6 du Nord font les Roquai. Au Nord
de ceux-cy font les Mantoue, ces peuplcs ne ziauigent
guiere, viuans des frui(5ts de la terre, paffant ce plus
petit lac on eutre dans la feconde mer douce, fur les
riues do iaquelle font les Maroumine, plus auant en-
core fur les [i 32] mefmes riues habitent les Ouinipigou
peuples fedentaives qui font en grand nombre, quel-
ques Francois les appellet la Nation des Puans, k
caufe que le mot Algonquin ouinipeg Qgnifie eau
piiante. Or ils nomment ainfi lean de la mer fal^e,
G bien que ces peuples fenommet Ouinipigou, pource
qu'ils viennent des bords d'vne mer dot nous n'auons
point de cognoiilance, & par confequent il ne faut
pas les appeller la nation tdes Puans, raais la nation
de la mer, ^s enuirons de cette nation font les Na-
dveGv, les AfTinipour, les Eriniouaj, les Rafaouakoue-
ton, & les Pouutouatami. Voila les noms d'vne
partie des nations qui font au delh des riues du grand
aeuue faindt Laurent, & des grands lacs des Hurons

1640] JtELA TfON OF 164a 331

farther up, at the mouth of the river which comes
from Lake Nipisinn are the Atchiligouan. Beyond,
■upon the same shores of this fresh-water sea, are the
Amibouai, or the nation of the Beaver. To the
South of these is an Island in this fresli-water sea
about thirty leagues long, inhabited by the Outaouan ;
these are people who have come from the nation of
the raised hair- After the Amikouai, upon the same
shores of the jjreat lake, are the Oumisagai, whom
we pass while proceeding to Baouichtig-ouian, — that
is to sayj to the nation of the people of the Sault,
for, in fact, there is a Rapids which rushes at this
point into the fresh-water sea. Beyond this rapid
we find the little lake, upon the shores of which, to
the North, are the Roquai. To the North of these
are the Mantoue, people who navigate very little,
living upon the fruits of the earth, "^ Parsing this
smaller lake, wc enter the second fresh-water sea,
upon the shores of which are the Maroumine; and
Still farther, upon the [132] same banks^ d\vell the
Ouinipigou, a sedentary people, who are very numer-
ous; some of the French call them the " Nation of
Stinkards," because the Algonquin word "ouinipeg "
signifies " bad-smelling water," and they apply this
name to the water of the salt .^ca. — so that these peo-
ples are called Ouinipigou beeause they come from
the shores of a sea about which we have no knowl-
edge; and honce they ought not to be called the
nation of Stinkards, but the nation of the sea. In the
neighborhood of this nation are the Naducsiu, the
Assiuipour, the Eriuiouai> the Rasaouakoueton, and
the Pouutouatami." These are the names of a part
of the nations which are beyond the iihores of the
great river saint Lawrence and of the great takes of

232 L£S liELATlONS DE}^ jf.SUJTES [Vol. 18

du Gort6 du Nord. le vifitcray toiit maintenant le
coile du Sud, le diray en pafCant que Ic fieur Nicolet
interprete en langue Algonquine & Huronoe. pour
MelFieurs de la nouuelle Frace, m'a donn^ les noms
de ces nations qu'Il a vilit6 luy merme pour la
plufpart dan!? leur pays, tous ces peuples entcndent
I'Algonqtiin, excepts les Hurens, qui ont [133] vne
langue i part, comme aulTi les Oiiinipigoii ou genj; de
mer. On nous a dit ceLte annce qii'vn Algonqinn
voyagcat au delh de ces penples^ a reiicontrf: des
Tialiona extreme ment peuplees, ie les voyois difoit-il
affenibles comme dans vne foire, aehepter & vendre^
en Ti grand nombre qu'on ne les pouuoiC compter, il
donnoit v]ie idi^e des villes dEurope, ie ne fyay pas
ce que sen ett. Vifitons maintenant le cofM du Sud
du grand (ieiiue S, Laurent,

DepuLs fon embouchure infques au fault S. Louis,
on trouue les Sauuag^es du Cap Breton, les Souricois
font phis auat dans les terres, on rencontre les Sau-
iiages de Mifcon & de Gafpe, entre les riues de la
mer de TAcadie, & Ic grand l3enue font les Etecbe-
mius, lea Pentagouetcb, les Abuaquiois, les Nahiga-
niouetcli, ^ quelqiies aiitres nations, mais elles font
toutes bitn petites.

Dcpuis ie fault S. Louis montant toiifionrs {x\r ce
grand fleiiue, on trouiie de belles nations au Sitd, &
toutes fedentaires, & fort nombreufes, comme les
Agneebrono^ les Oneiochronon, le [134] Onoutaeb-
ronon, les Konkbandeeuhronon, les Onioiienhronon,
les Andafloehronon, les Sonontoiiebvonon. les And 0-
ouanchronon, les Routareahronon, les Oueudat, les
Khionontatehronon, les Oherokouaehronon, les Aon-
dironon, les Qngmarabrouon, les Akhrakvaeronon,

ie40J RELA noN OF /^ 2a3

the Hurons on tlic North. I will now visit the
Southern shores, I will say^ by the way, that
sieur Nicolet, interpreter of the Algonqtiia and
Huron languages for the Gentlemen of new France,
has fjiven me the namej; of these nations, which
he himself has visited, for the most part in their
own country. A.31 these peoples understand Algon-
quin, except the Hurons, who have [133) a lan-
guage of their own, as also have the Oninipigou, or
people of the sea. We have been told this year that
an Algonquin, journeying beyond these peoples, en-
countered nations extremely populous. " I saw them
assembled, " said he, " as if at a fair, buying and sell-
ing, in numbers so great that they could not be
counted;'* it conveyed an idea of the cities of Eu-
rope. I do not know what there is in this. Let us
now visit the Southern coast of the great river St.
Lawrence.

From its mouth up to the sault St. Louis are to be
foiind the Savages of Cape Breton. The Sonrioois
are farther inland ', we also meet the Savages of Mis-
cou and Gaspe; between the shores of the Acadian
sea and the great river are the Etechemins, the Pen-
tagoueteh, the Abnaquiois, the Nahiganiouetch, and
a few other nations, but they are all very smalL^^

Continuing to ascend this great river from the
sault St. Louis, we find to the South very flourishing
nations, all sedentary and very numerous, — such as the
Agneehrono, tht Oneiochrouon, the [134J Onontaeh-
ronon, the Konthandeenhronon, the Oniouenhronon,
the And as fcoeh ronon, the Sonon touch ronon, the An-
doouanchronoui the Kontarealironon, the Ouendal^
the Khionontatchronon, the Oherokon^ehronon, the
Aondironon, the Ongmarah ronon, the Akhrakuacro-

2M LES RELATIONS DES JASUITES [Vol. IS

les OneroQon, les Ehretlaronon, les Attiouendaronk,
les EriehronoUf ies Totontaratonhronoiij les Ahriot-
taebronon, les OfcouarahrouOD, ks Hvattoelironon,
les SkenchiohronoTif les Attiitaehronoir, les Ontarah-
ronon, les Aoueatfionaeuhrooon, les Attochingoch-
ronon, les Attioueudarankhronon. Toutcs ces na-
tions font fedentaires* comme i'ay dcHa dit, elles
cultiuent la terre. & par confequent font remplies
de peuples, Tay tir^ leurs noms d'vne carte Huronne,
que le Pere Paul Ragueoeau m'a communique, il n'y
a point de doute que ces peuples ne foient au Nord
de la VirginiGn de la Floiide, & pcut eltre encore de
la uouueile Mexiqne, voila vn beau chauip pouv les
ouuriers Euangeliques & bleu parfemS de Croix, la
plus [155] part de ces peuplcs cntendent la lau^ue
Huroune.

Lo vingt-quatriefme iour de luiu eft arriuiS icy vn
Auglois auec vn Hen feruiteur, conduits dans des ca-
nots par viugt Sauuages Abnaqniois, il eft party du
lac on fleuue Quinibequi en Lacadie, oti les Anglois
ont vne habitation, pour vcnir chercher quelque paf-
fage par cos contr^es vers la raer du Nord, Monfieur
le Gonuemcur en ayant ouy nouuelle, ne luy permit
pas de vernr^ Kebec, 11 I'enuoya garder par quelques
foldats, Iny enioiguaut de preffer fon retour, il s'ea
mit en deuoir, mais quelques vns des principaux Sau-
uages qui Tauoient ainenea eitans tombez malades*
& les riuieres ou ruilTeaux par ou il auoit pafT^ eftit
afleich^es, il fe vint letter entre les mains des Fran-
goisj pour euiter la mort qu'il ne pouuoit quafi pas
euiter au retour, tant ces chemins font horribles &
j^pouuantables, Monfieur de Montmagny le fit con-
duire h TadoulTac, pour allcr rechercher I'Angleterre
par la France,

IMO] RELA TION OF 1640 ESS

noil, the OneroufjDj the Ehressaronon, the Attiouen-
daronk, the Eriebronon, the Totontaratonhronon. the
Ahrioitaehronon, the Oscouarahronon, the Huattoeh-
ronon. the Skenchiohronon, ths; AttistachrononH the
Ontarahronon, the Aoueatsiouaenhronon, the Atto-
chingochronoij, the Attiouendarankhronon. All
theie nations are sedentary, as I have already said."
They cultivate the laixdn and consequently are very
populous. I have taken their names from a Huron
map that Father Paul Ragueneau sent me. There
is no doubt that these peoples are at the North of Vir-
ginia, Florida, and perhaps even new Mexico. Here
is a glorious field for Gospel laborers, and well strewn
with Crosses. The greater [xzSl P^i't of these tribes
understand the Huron language.

On the twenty-fourth day of June, an Englishman
arrived here with one of his servantSf brought in
canoes by twenty Abnaquiois Savages, He departed
from the lake or river Quinibequi in Lacadie, where
the English have a settlement, to search for some
route through these countries to the sea of the North.
MonsSieur the Governor, having learned of this, did
uot permit him to come to Kebec; he sent him away,
guarded by some soldiers, enjoining him to hasten
his return. He set about doing so, but some of the
principal Savages who had brought him having fallen
sick, and the stream.s or brooks by which he had
journeyed having dried up, he came and threw him-
self into the hands of the French to avoid the death
that he could scarcely escape on his return, so
horrible and frightful are the roads. Monsieur de
Montmagny had him taken to Tadoussac, that he
might return to England by way of France.

This good man related some wonderful things tQ

ase L!-S RELA TIONS DES JASUITES [Vol, 13

Ce boTt honime nous racoiitoit ties merueilles de la
nounelle MexiquK, i'siy [136] aptis difoit-il qu'on
peut nauiger eii ce pays Ih par les mers qui luy foat
an Nord, il y a detis ans que I'ay rod^ toute la colte
du Slid, depuis la Virginie iufqiies il Quiiiebiqui,
pour chercher Ti ie ne trouiierois poiait quelqiie grande
riuierCf ou quelqiie grand lac qui mc coiidiiirit b. des
peiiples qui eiilTeut cognoilTance de cette mer qui eit
au Nord du Jlexiquen n'en ayant point trouu^ ie fuis
venu eu ces pays cy, pour entrer dans !e Saguen^, &
pour penetrer fi ie pouuois auec les Sauuages du
pays iufques k la mer du Nord; ce pamire homme
euft perdu ciuquaute vies s'il en euil; eU autctnt,
deuant que d'arriuer eo. cette iner du Nord, par le
tiheniin qu'il fe figuroit, & quand il auroit Irouu^
cette mer, il u'auroit rien decouucrt de nouueau, ny
reucoutr6 a.ucune ouuerture au nouueau Mesique, il
ne faut pas eftrc grand Qeographe pour recognoiflrs
cette verity.

Mais ie diray en pafTaut que nous auofls de grandes
probabilit^s. qu'on peut deEceudre par le fecood
grand lac des Hurons, & par les peuples que uous
[137] auous nSm^s dans cetle mer qu'il cherchoit, le
fieur Nicolet qui a le plus auant peuetr^ dedans ces
pays C eHoign^s, m'a affeur6 que s'il euft vogu^ trois
iours plus auant fur vn grand fieuue qui fort de ce
lac, qu'ii auroit troiiu6 la mer, or i'ay de fortes con-
iedlures que c'eft la mer qui refpond au Nord de la
Eouuelle Mcxique, & que de cette mer, on auroit en-
tree versle lapon &veii; laChine* neautnioius comme
on ne fgait pas ou tire ce grand lac, ou cette lueT
douce, ce feroit vne entreprife genereufe d'aller def-
couurir ces coutr^es. Nos Peres qu: font aux

IWO] RELA T/O^' OF 1640 aS7

ug about new Mexico. '' I have [136] learned," said
he, " tbat one can sail to tbat country ihrougli seas
that are North of it. For two years I have ranged
the whole Southi^rn coast, from Virgim^i to Quinebi-
qid, seeking to find some gicat river or great lake
that might lead me to peoples who had yome knowl-
edge of tliis sea which is to the North of Meriico.
Not having found any, I came to this country to en-
ter the Sanfuen^, and penetrate, if I could, with the
Savages of the country, to the North sea," This
poor man would have lost fifty lives, if he had had so
many, before reaching this North sea by the way he
described: and, if he had found thiy sea, he would
have discovered nothing new, nor found any passage
to new Mexico. One need not be a great Geographer
to recognize this fact.

But 1 will say, in passing, that it is highly prob-
able one can descend through the second great lake
of the Hurons^ and through the tribes that we [137J
have named, into this sea that he was seeking. Sieur
Nicolet, who has advanced farthest into these so dis-
tant countries, has assured me tliat, if he had sailed
three days' journey farther upon a great river
which issues from this lake, he would have found the
sea. Now I have strong suspicions that this is the
sea which answers to that North of new Mexico, and
that from this sea there would be an outlet towards
Japan and China. Nevertheless, as we do not know-
whither this great lake tends, or this fresh-water sea,
it would be a bold undertaking to go and explore
those countries. Our Fathers who are among the
HUTons, invited by some Aig<:inquins, are about to
extend their labors to the people of the other sea, of
which I have spoken above. -"^ Perhaps this voyage

^

LES RELA T/ONS DES J^SUITES [Vol. 18

Hurons inuiles par quelques Algonquins, font fur le
point de doniier iufques i ces gens de Tautie merj
dont i'ay parl^ cy-deilus, pent eftre qiie ce voyage fe
referuera pour Tvn de nous qui auons quelque petite
cognoilTance de la laugue Algouqiiine.

On voit pav ce que ic vtens de dire, la grande eflea-
duS de pays, & Ic grand nombre de peuples qui n'ont
point oily parler de lefus-Chrifl,

Et me femble qiie le temps viendra & qu'il elt
deCa venu, anquel Dieu fe vent [13S] faire cognoiflre
S. vne partie de ces nations, on ne pent reuoquer en
doute que le Pere Eternel ne veille mettre fon Fils
en polTelTion de I'hentage qu'il luy a promis, daho iibi
gcntes hs^editatsm {najii, dominahiiur ti vitiri eo/gue \sc.
v/qn£\ ad t}mrt?, il commandera dcpuis la mer du
Nordn iufques kla mer du Sud, & h fiuuiine eofque [jf.
ufqii€\ ad terminos srbU turrarum, & depuis le grand
fleuue de S. Laurens, qui ef^ le premier de tons les
fleuues, iufques aux demiers confins de la terre, iuf-
ques au dernieres limites de I'Amerique, & iiifques
auN liles du lapon. & -ultra, & au del^, omnes gnitis
feruient a\ toutes les nations luy rendront hommagej
Bnimas pauperum faluas faciei . il fauuera les ames des
pauutes Sau^agcS^ ofiincs genfes magnificabunt eufn^
tous les peuples le magnilieront, & replebitur Maisjiau
etjis omnis terra, fa llajeft6 remplira toute la terre,
Jtat, fiat, Et il y a de I'apparence, que nous en
fommes li, veu le changemcnt des cceurs, que Dieu
fait en ces qua[r]tiers, en ellant folliclt^ par vne infi-
nite de faind;es amcs, qui iour & nuiot employent
leurs vceux & leurs prleres, aupres de fa diuine Ma-
jeit^ pour [139] ce fubiet. Le aele aultl & la ferueur
de ceux qui y contribuentj & s'olfrent k y contribuer

1640] RELATION OF /640

will be reserved for one of us who has some little
knowledge of the Algonqoiin tongue.

One sees, from what 1 have just said, tlie great
extent of the country and the great □umber of peo-
ples who have never heard of Jesus Christ,

And it seems to me that the time will come, and
that it has already come, when God will [rjS] make
hiroself know^n to a pan of these nations. We cannot
call in question the truth that the Eternal Father
wishes to put his Son into possession of the heritage
that be has provided him; dahtr tibi ^^nt£s hsredi-
iatevi tiiaiit, dommnhitnr h mari usque ad mar£, he shall
rule from the Noith sea to the South sea, €t a fiamifie
usque fid Urmiiws orbis ternirum, and from the great
river St. Lawrence, which is the chief of all rivers,
to the remotest confines of the earth, even to the
farthest boundaries of America and to the Islands of
Japan, et ultra, and beyond; oinnes gimtss sir^'i£iit ei,
all the nations shall render him homage; rtwiwaj
pauptrnm sahas faciei, he shall save the souls of the
poor Savages; omnes gentes m^gnijicahnnt eum, all
peoples shall magnify him, ^i repkbiinr Mnji'slalc ejus
omnis terra, his Majesty shall fill all the earth; fiat,
fiat. And it seems that we are attaining this, con-
sidering the change of hearts that God is effecting in
these quarters, being solicited thereto by an infinite
number of saintly souls, who day and night employ
their vows and their prayers before his divine Majes-
ty, for [T39] this purpose. Moreover, the zeal and
the fervor of those who contribute to this, and offer
to contribute more and more, also give us strong
assurance of this. It is not without design that God
inspires so many good souls to assist with their means
this infant Church, which cannot ascend towards

240 LES RELATIONS DES jf^SUITEB [Voi. IS

de plus en plus, nous en done aufll de grandes adeu-
rances. Ce n'elt pas fiins deffeiu, que Dieu ini'pire
tant de bonnes ames, 'k alTiller de ieurs moyes cette
Eglife naiilante, qui ne pent s'efletier vers le oiel, li
elie n'elt fmiftenue fur terre, ie veux dire, fl les biens
temporels n'y font employes, & ne feruet d'attrait aux
SauTiages* poiir les retirer du xniUeu des bois, & leut
donner quelqne efperance di; mieuK en des demeures
arrelt^es, on Us puiffeni edre in1triii<its. Ie n'ofe
icyfpecifier ce que plufieurs y foutj parce qu'ils m'ont
fait entendre, qu'ils ne venlent auoir que Dieu pour
tefmoin. Ceux qui auront deuotion de les imiterj
ont par deli le P. Charles Lalemant Procureur de
toutes nos milTios, qui f^aura bien leur dire ee qui
fera le plus expedient, lors qu'il feraaduerty de Ieurs
bonnes iuteutions. Mais 11 nous nous promettous le
fecours des Princes & liberalitez des viuants, nous
n'auons pas raoins de Cujet d'efperer que ceux qui
□ous ont honorez de Ieurs aifedtfons [740] & offerts
Ieurs vcEux i Dieu pour nous, durant le cours de
cette vie, continuerot cet exercice dans le eiel; & ce
d'antant plus volontiers, qu'ils en cognoitront mieux
la ncceflitiS- C'eit-icy que ie fens mon cceur atten-
dry, Sc fe renouuellent tous Jes fentimens dont iI fut
faify i la nouuelle du deces de Monfjcur Foucquet
d'heureufe menioiref duquel il n'y a que Dieu, qui
comprit les tedrelTes pour nos pauures Sauuages,
Teftime qu'il faifoit de oefte enlreprife, le lele & les
liber;dite£ auec lefquelles il en procuroit rexecution,
ie ne doute point que la perte d'vn homme, fi vtile i
I'Eftat, & dont les adtions ont merits vnc approba-
tion fi vniuerfelle, n'ayt eft;^ extraordinaire in en t fen-
lible 'k I'ancienne France, mats elle me perniettra de

ie40] RELATION OF >^ m

heaven if it is not sustained upon earth,- — I mean, if
temporal benefits are not employed to serve as an
attraction to the S^ivagcs^ to draw them out of the
woods, and give them sotne hope of better things in
established dwelling places, where they can be in-
structed. 1 daie not specify what several are doing
in this matter, because they have given me to under-
stand that they wish God to be their oniy witness.
Those who have the devout wish to imitate these
have over yonder Father Charles Lalemant, Procurer
of all our missions, who can very well tell them what
■will be most advisable, when he is informed of their
good intentions. But if we promise ourselves the
aid of Princes and the liberality of the living, we
have no less reason to hope that those who have
honored us with their kind interest [140] and offered
their vows to God for us. during this life, will con-
tinue this exercise in heaven, and all the more will-
ingly as they will then better know the need for it.
Here I feel ray heart softened, and all those tender
feelings are renewed with which it was filled at the
tidings of the death of Monsieur Foucquet/' of happy
memory, whose tenderness for our poor Savages, the
value he placed upon this enterprise, the zeal and
l^rality with which he procured its execution, are
comprehended by no one but God. T do not doiibt
that the loss of a man so useful to the State, and
whose actions have merited so universal approbation,
has been deeply felt by old France, but she will per-
mit me to say that it has not been less felt by the new.
The consolation of both is that uno av7ils/>. non deficit
alter; he has left a heritage not only of his reputation
and ofiices, but also of his virtues, and especially of
his zeal for the service of God in these countries.

3« LES RELATIONS DES /^SUITES [Voi. 18

dire qu'elle ne Ta pas moins elte i la noimelle, la
coTifolation de Vvnt & de I'autre eft que, rv^fl aiiul/o.
non deficit alter, il a lailT^ vn heritier non feulement
de fa reputation & de fes chargesj mais auffi de fes
vertus, & particulierement de fon zele pour le feruice
de Dieu, dans oes contT^es. La crainte que i'ay de
faire fouffrit lamodeftie des [141] viuans, & de violer
le fecret dtrnt lobligation dure mefmc apres ia mort,
ne me permettra dans d'en dire dauantage.

Quant ^ Meffieurs de la Nouuelle France, qui font
de grand frais tous les aiis, pour faire paJler en ces
cojjtrees fi enoign6es de TEurope^ les chofes uecef-
faires pour y fubfjfter; ils nous obhgent toufiours
infinin^ent en cela; comme auJH en ce qu'ils ont ac-
cord^ mefme faueurs aus Sauuages Chreftiens, qui
fe rendront fedenlaires qu'aux Francois, ie les en re-
mercie de tout mon cceur^ & les eoniure dc perfcuerer
das leurs fauettrs. Et fur ce propos, ils me permet-
tront s'il leur plaifl, de leur dire icy quatre petites
paroles, la plus faine partie de leurs corps s'ei^ iett^e
dans leur alTociation, non tant pour retirer les biens
periffables de ce nouueau moiidcT que pour cooperer
puiffamment au faltit de ces peuples, or puifque
Dieu fauorife leur premier deiTein, appellant ces
paiiurcs barbarea ^ foy par leur enttemife, il me fern-
ble qu'ils ont fubiet de fe reCouir, & de benir celuy
qui leur accorde la fin plus noble qu'ils pretend oient,
les choiElfTant pour [142] procurer vn fi grand ou-
urage. Que fi les fruitfts de ces grandes tcrri?s que
le Roy leur a donni^e ne corrofpondent pas h, ]eurs
defpenfes exceffiues, ie ne croy pas que le Dieu du
cieln duquel ils ont procure & procureront encor la
gloire, s'oublie d'eux.

-J

lfi4CjJ R£LA TION OF 1640 2^3

My fear of offending the modesty of the [141] living,
and of violating the secret which continues binding
even after deatli^ will not permit me to say more.

As for the Gentlemen of New France, who every
year are at great eK:pense in bringing over to these
countries so remote from Europe, the supplies neces-
sary for jmbsistciice here, they always infinitely
oblige us in this matter, as also in their having ac-
corded the same favors to the Christian Savages who
shall niafce themselves sedentary, as to the French.
1 thank them for this with all my heart, and adjure
them to persevere in their favors. And in regard to
this they will perniit me, if they please, to say here
a few modest words. Their best energies are lav-
ished upon their association, — not so much for the
sake of deriving perishable goods from this new
world, as to cooperate efficiently in the salvation of
these peoples. Now since God favors their chief
purpose, calling these poor barbarians to himself
through their agency, it seems to me that they have
reason to rejoice and to bless him who grants them
the most noble object for which they are striving,
choosing them to [142] accomplish so great a work.
And if the fruits of these broad lands that the King
has given them do not correspond to their excessive
outlay^ I do not think that the God of heaven, whose
glory they have procured and will procure, witl for^
get them.

Hqw the spirit of God is working! I was wishing
that some one would do at the three Rivers what we
were doing at St, Joseph near Kebec- Several Algon-
quins presented thenisclves to form a settlement, and
we lacked the means for this. The God of heaven,
who saw our weakness, inclined toward us the arms

244 LES HHLATIONS DES J&SUITJiS [Voi, 18

Que Vcfprit de Dieii eft ajjifCant, ie fouhaittois que
quelqu'vn fit aiix trois Riuieres, ce que nous faifons
i S. lofeph proohe de Kebec, phifieurs Algonqiiins
fe prefeutoient pour s'arrefter, & nous manquicius de
forces, te J^icu du cict qui voyoit nos foibleCEes, nous
difpofoit des bras d amour & de cliaiiti^, vnc pciTonne
de merite & de coTiditiou, a faidt palTer cetle annt^e
quatre tommcs, h, ce delTein, pour di^fricher & pour

baftir.

Reftoit cncor ^ pouruoir ^ la Riuicrc des prairies
on cioit icy que Q on drclTc 1^ quelqiie habitation,
plufieurs Sauuages 3' aborderont dc diuers eudroits-

Nous appreuon.'i par la flotte de cette auni^ii, que
des perfonnes de vertu & de courage^ font en refolu-
tion d'y cnuoier nombre d'hommes Tan proctaio, ils
out defia fait palTer des viurcs pour ce delTeiu, [H3]
n'eft-il pas done vray que DJeu fraie le ohemin aux
paumes Sauua^es, pour les attirer dans Ics filets de
I'Euangile. Ouy, mais dira ql^elq^J^■rL cette eutre-
prife eft plaine de depences & de diflxeultt;z, ccs
Meffieurs trouueront des montagiics ol\ lis pefent
trouuer des valines, I'ay deDa dit cent fois, que tous
ceux qui trauaillent fous I'efteudart de lefus-Cbrift,
pour luy amener des ames, feuthian! hi lacrums^ ie
ne diray pas ^ ces MelHeurs quails trouueront des
cbemins parfem-^s de rofes^ la croix, les peincs & les
grands frais^ font tey pierrcs fondamentales de la mai-
fon de Dieu. Au reite ft iamais les Francois s'eita-
bliffeut en cet endroit, i'efpere que les Sauuag-es qui
out autrefois habits cette contr^e, & qui font months
plus baut pour la crainte de leurs ennemis^ retourne-
ront dan^i leur ancien pays, O^i ils trouueront la vie
de lame, n'y clierclians que la vie du corps.

16401 R^LA T/OA' OF i6^ 245

of love and cliarity; a personage of merit and rank
has caused four men to be biuught over this year for
the piirpose of clearing and building.

It r+imains now lo provide for the River dcs prai-
ries. It is thought here that if a habitation is erected
there, many Savag^es will come to it from diil'erent
places.

We learn, through this year s fleet, that some brave
and virtuous persons have resolved to send hither a
□umber of mcu nest year* having already sent over
suppUes for this purpose. [143] Is it not true that
God opens the way to the poor Savages, to attract
them into the Gospel nets? " Yes." some one will
say, " but this enterprise is full of expenses and diffi-
culties : these Gentlemen \vill find mouu tains where
the;' expect to find valleys," I have already said a
hundred times that all those who work under the
standard of Jesus Christ, to lead souls to him, semi-
nafil i?i Iiicrimis, I will not te]l these Gentlemen thjit
they will find the way strewn with roses; the cross,
hardships, and great expenses are the foundation
stones of the house of God. Moreover, if ever the
French establish themselves in this place. 1 hope that
the Savages who formerly inhabited this region, and
who have gone farther up the river, for fear of their
enemies, will retiirn to their old country, where they
will find the life of the soul, while seeking only the
life of the body.

This is not all. If ever we are at peace with the
tribes of the South, — which will be very easily
effected if some Hollanders cede what they have
usurped [r44] in Acadia upon the territory of his
Majesty, for this coast belongs to new France, — the
settlement which will be found at the River des prai-

246

L£S /DELATIONS DES J ^SUITES [Vol. 18

Ce n'eft pas tout, fi iamais nous fommes en paix
auec les peupks du Midy, ce qui fe fcra bien ayfe-
ment, fi quelques HoUandois cedent ce qu'ils out
v£urp6 [144] en I'Acadic fur les terres de fa MajefU,
car cette cofte eft de la nouuelle France, Thabitation
qui fe £era en la Riuiere des prairies, donnera vn
facile accez a tous ees peuple^ qui font en nombre &
fedentaires- :^ladaine la Ducheffe d'Aigiullon m^en
efcnt de fa grace^ & me promet de s'y emploier,
conime elle a defia commanci;; d'on reiilTiia vn bien
aomparcil poiir ce^ pauures contr^es: £: il ny aura
que Dieu feul qui foit capable de recompenfer cette
faind;e & forte entrepiife.

Cert ce qui faitSt que nous uous porlons k de nou-
uelles decouuertures, nos Peres qui font au pays des
Hurons. combattans tons les iours contre la mort, &
contrc les demons, ne fcanroient s'aiTefter, Us par-
lenl d'aller ^ la nation du petnn, k la nation neutre.
\ la cation des gens de mer. ceux qui trauaillent
pour le3 Algonquins veulent eftre de la partie, Dieu
leur prefente des Sauua^es qtti fauorifent leurs def-
feins, il reinue leuvs cceurs, & anime leur courage.

11 me femble que quand ie mis le pied en ces con-
trees, i] y auoit moins d'apparence [hs] Q^"^ ^^^ ^^^"
uages qui ont veceu Jefus-Chrill, fe deuflent arrcfter
& fe foufmettre h fes loix que ic u'cn voy^ pour vne
partie des nations dont i' ay fait mention cy-deffus.
Pourquoy done les defefperons-nous? ouy, mais tout
le mondc n'eft pas dans ces fentimcns \k, ie refpond
e>:cepte ceus qui ne voyent les Sauuages qu'en
paffant. & au lieu oil ils ne font pas encor inltruidts,
except^ quelques efprits mefcontens, & malfaits qui
blafpki^mant, qmecuinquc ignorant, qui coudamnent ce

1640] RELA TIQN OF 1640 347

ries will give an easy access to all these tribes, which
are numerous and sedentary. Madame the Diichess
d'Ai^ilion Jias graciously written to me, and prom-
ised to interest herself therein, as she has already be-
gun to do,^ — whence will arise a matchless good for
these poor countries. There is no one save God
alone who is capabit of rewarding this holy and brave
enterprise.

It is this that impels us to new discoveries. Our
Fathers who are in the Huron country, combating
daily against death, and against the demons, cannot
rest. They talk of going to the tobacco nation, to
the neutral nation, to the nation of the people of the
sea. Those who work among the Algonqnins wish
to participate in this work. God presents them Sav-
ages who favor their designs; he stirs their hearts,
and animates their courage-
It seems to me that when I set foot in these coun-
tries there was less probability [145] that the Sav-
ages who have received Jesus Christ would settle
down and submit to his taws, than I see in regard to
a pan of the nations I ha\'e mentioned above. Why,
then, shall we despair of them? Yes. but not e\'ery
one entertains such sentiments, I answer that, — e>:-
cept those who see the Savages only for a short time,
and in places where they are not yet instructed, and
e:fcept some discontented and perverse minds, who
blaspheme q/iiucmnqicc ignorant, who condemn what
they do not see, and what they think they see, —
there is no one here who does not admire and bless
God in the conversion of the Savages. Do you w^ish
me to speak plainly? When I regard, with my own
eyes of flesh, the innumerable expenses that must be
incurred in order to succeed in this enterprise, the

2-iS LFS RELATIONS BES J^SUITES [Vol, 13

qii'ilK ne voyent pas, & qit'ils pcmfent voir, il n'y a
perfonne icy qui n'adinive & ne benide Dieii dans la
conuerfion des Sauuages. Voule-^-vous que ie vous
parle nelCemcnt, quand ie reg:arde auec mes yeUN de
chair, li?s frais innombrables qu'il fant faire pour ve-
nir ^ bout dc celte entreprife, los peineSj les traitaux,
\g% fouffrances, les croix, les dangers, Id^s morts, les
calomnies qui fe vencontrent, & qui fe rencontreront
de phis en plus. & de toutes parts, en ce chcuiin oii
nous nous iettons, quand ie contemple auee ces mef-
mes yeux !a legeiete, I'lncoiiitaace, & la barbaric
[146] des Sauiiages, ie tremble, ie fuia foible comme
vn rofeau. ie nay plus de co^ur. tout mc femble bafty
fur Ie fable mouuant, mais quand ie releue ma pen-
f6e £: que ie la iettc tn lefus-Chrilt, & que ie Tenui-
fage auL-c les yeux de ia foyn & de la confiance, quand
ie coufjdcrc ce qu'il a fait, & ce qu'il fait tous les iours
pour fauuer ces pauures araes, ie fuis tout puillaut,
ces difficultez m'animent, & tout cet ouurage me
femble fond6 fur la picrre viue, pctra. mttc-m crat Ckri-
Jtus, ie parle dans les fentiniens de tous cei.!x que
Dieu a appe!l6 ^ tette vigne, dout ie fuis Ie moindre.

1640] RELA TION OF 1640 348

pain, the laborH, the stifferiugs, the crosses, the dan-
gers, the deaths, the slanders that imjst be encoun-
tered, - — and that will have to he cjicountcred more
and more, and from all sides, in this road where we
have east ourselves, — when I contemplate with these
same eyes the frivolity, the inconstanoy, and the
barbarity [14^] of the Savages, T tremble, — I am as
■weak as a reed, I have no more heart; all seems to
me to be built upon the shifting sand. But when T
lift up my thoughts, and cast them upon Jesus Christ,
and when 1 look at him with the eyes of faith and
confidence, when I consider what he has done, and
what he is doing every day to save these poor souls, —
I am all-powerful, — these difficulties animate me;
and all this work seems to me to he founded upon
the living rock, /iVr/c autcm ersi Christus. I express
the sentiments of all those whom God has called to
this vineyard, of whom I am the least.

^

t

i

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL DATA: VOL. XVIII

XXXVIII-XL

Ttiese three documents are letters in Italian, sent
to Rome, from the Huron country, by Father Joseph
Marie Chaumonot, — the first (May 24, 1640) to the
Father General, the other two (May 26 and August
3. 1640) to Father Philippe Nappi, superior of the
professed house at Rome. In 1S5S, Father Felix
Martm found them in the Society archives, then pre-
served in RomCn and made copies of them ; but these
apographs cannot now be found with the other Martin
papers in the archives of St. Mary's College. Mont-
real. We follow the French translation, made by
Martin» and published in Carayon's FTemO-r^ Misshn
i/i-s /I'siii/rs an Cotiada, where they are numbered siv.^
XV,, and xvi. respectively; our English translation is
from the French.

r

SLI

The Kclaiiott of 1640 <,Paris> 1^41), although having
only Vimoyit's name on the title-page, is in reality
a composite. His share in the publication seems to
have been solely that of editor. He succeeded Le
Jeune as superior in 1639, and became responsible
for the Relii(ious\^n'C-i\. 1645, ^vhen he was in turn suc-
ceeded by Jertime Lalemant. Part 1. was prepared
by Le JeuuCf and is signed ^' A Kebee, en la nou-
uelle France, ce 10 de Septembre 1640." Part. II.
is the report on the Huron mission by Jerome Lale-

L£S RELA T/O.VS DliS /^SUITES

mant, which is dated " Des Hurons^ ce 27 de May
1640," and contains Et postscript that is dated " Dcs
Hurons, ce 3. d'Aoult ^640."

For the te.xt of this annual, \ve have had recourse
to a copy of the original Cramoisy editinn in the
Lenox Library. The Relation is usually designated
as "H, ;6," because described in Harrisse's AW^'j,
no. 76.

Colhifion^ Title with verso blank, 1 leaf; " Priui-
lege " (signed :^Oth September, Le Jeune's letter of
joth September having, of course, not yet arrived in
Paris), with " PermifTion " on the ver^o, t leaf;
'' Table" to Part I., pp. (:?); ^' Table" to Part 11,,
pp. (2); Le Jenne's i^r/rt^icWf pp. 1-197, with the verso
of p. 197 blank, — followed by Lalemaafs Huron
Relation, -which consists of: half-title* with verso
blank, J leaf; text, pp, 1-196, as numbered; one
blank leaf. The signatures are: a in four» A-M in
eights, N in fouT, aa-mm in eights, nn in four, the
last leaf being a blank. There is no mispaging in
Le Jeune's section ; but in Lalemant's, pp. 9, 80, and
^93- ^9^ ^""^ n^is^i^'^Tiibered lo, 74, and 191-196. We
have examined several copies which agree even with
regard to turned letters, f.^., Part I., p. 113, 1. 17 —
" I'enfej," But we have discovered the following
peculiarity in Le Jeune's Rdation — p. 154, 1. 26,
reads in ont copy ; " Itavichpjch nousa grandement,'*
and in the other; " Itaovichpich nous a gradement,'*

Copies of this Relation may be found in the follow-
ing libraries ; Lenox (both variationsj, Harvard, Brown
(private), Laval University (Quebec), and British Mu-
seum. Copies have been sold or priced as follows:
Harrassowilz (iSSs), no- 37, priced at 123 marksj
O'Callaghan (1882), no. 1319, sold for 815 — it had

BrnUOGRAPHICAL DATA: VOL, XVlII 253

cost Mm S26; Quaritch. G^iera! Catahguc.wiSi^ v,,uo.
30005, priced at j£i5; Dufoasi^ ('S90f pTioed at 150
francs; Chadenat, of Paris, priced (1S93 and 1897^ at
ifio and J 50 francSf respectively.

^

ll

NOTES TO VOL. XVIII

T (p- 13)- — Pierre Joseph Marie Chaumonot vrns bom Matr y, 161 1,
in a vilUtge oi Burgundy, France. While a ladn he \TandeTed into
Ita]y> and finally, at lbs age o£ twenty-^ne, resolved to enter the
Jesuit order, in ^hich he became a novjte ^tay iS, 1&32, at Rome-
In that city his priestly studies wftte pkirsued, interrupted by two
yurs {^635-37) spent as an instructor at Femio. In i&j^^n he vrM
assigned to the C^iaadian ini^ion, aj^d iinmediateiy went to the Hu-
ron country. In >^oveniber. 1640, he underfooE:, with Brfheuf, a
mission to the NeutrAl NMion, whece chey reniaineri live momhs,
uniil — suffering the utmost hardships, and threatened on every side
with dealh — they ^vere obltged to return to Ste. Marte. Chaumo-
not then labored at the niis-^ions, successively, of Sty Jean Haptiate,
St. Micheln and La CotieeptJon: of the lait-named. lie had charge
when the Hurons were dispersed by the IroquoEs ii64i(jp whereupon
he foUe^i'ed hi? disciples in their flight to Isle Si. Joseph [now
Chanty Island), in Lake Huron. PinOing this retreat no longer
safe from their euemits^ the Hurons, in the Siinimerof iftjo^ took
refuge at ^nebec; andn in March following, they were established
on the isle of Orleans by the Jesuits, on an estate purchased by
them from El^onore de Grandmaij^on fvol. xi.. fwf^ 12). This
colony was under Ohautnonot's care; it numbered at ftrst aboitt 400^
but wiis soon increased^ by other rcTugees. to aiiout 600 soals. In
September, 1655^ Chaumonot ^Tent with Dablon to the Onond;^ga
mis,sie«, and labored among the Iroqtiois tribes during the next
thre^i years. Relurning to Quebec, he a^ain took charge of his
Huron colony— remaining in this post thirty-five yean? lOQger, ex-
cept one year in Quebec J 1663 "("4), and two years <[6Q4-661 at E-orl
Richelieu as chaplain of its garrison. In the autumn of i6i)i^ he
li^as totnpellcd to give up his charj;e and retire to Quebec, by a
lingering illness whith finally ended his life, Feb, si. 1693H

By the co[nm[:ind of his superiorn Chaunionot wrote hii autobiog-
raphy (HJBS), which will be given in this series. He is be&t J^nown
bv his works on the Huron language, In which he was unusually
proficient. An KngUsh translation (by WllVzcf of his Htiron gram-

LE^ Jf£LA TIOJVS D£S /ASUITS5

mflr (written in Latin) was publiqhi^d in Qu^f^^^ Lf/r Ant/ Hint. S£?e.
Trans., vol. ii. (TS3L)^ pp, 94-1^$^

2 (pH 35)^— This name— Calmodottip as mi^prinEed by Carayon —
tras sirtiply an It^tManii&ed form of Chnunionot's namei [In* root of
^vliiqh mtE^ns "ImUl " (Lat. ^<j^7^i£s}.— A, E. Jo^■Es^ SJ-

3 (p- 37^^ — Lxugi du Oonza};a was bom at Castigliouc, Itiily, in
1563, and became a Jesuit at tJie age of eightceflr He did Bot live,
hmveveiv to complete his training for the priesthood; for in iggi^ an
epideniic appearing in Rome, ht^ so devoted himself to the care of
the 5J.ok and dyicg that he fell a ^^ictim to the pestilence- He was
canonized in t6h5, under the name of Sc AloysiUS*

4 (p. ^-^-^TV^i- A&^y /wi/J^ i>/ Lor<'/t£ r the Santa Ca^han— accord-
ing to tradition, the hou.se of the Virgin Maiy at Nazareth, which
was discovered by Empress Helena, about 30S A. Dh ; upon the ruin
and subjugation of Palestitio by the Tll^ks^ ttiij> houst; was miracu-
lously Iransporttd (Id^y, 12911 to Tereate, in Dalmatia, and again
(rsfhj) in like manner lt> LoretOn its present location. This is a ciEy
of about n^oDo population, in the Marches of haly> 13 miles K. E^ of
Macerate, and Uircfl milos from tbo Adriatic. The Santa Casa
sland:^ within a magnificent churchn and its original rough bricks
art entirely enoasejil in white marble^ esr|uisitely sculptured, Kich
and costly gifts have been lavished upon it, and " H& treasury of
otferings is oneo£ the richest In the Western wtirid." Among these
are certain gifts presented in 16S4 by the Christian Hurons of Cana-
da Id this house is a statue of the Virgin, in cedar wood, said to
have becEi made in the time of Uit Apostles, About 40,000 pilgrims
visit it aniiu;dlyr This shrine and its devotions ivere espeoiatly
favored by the Jesuits.— See McCtintock & Strong's /Si&/. Cyd^p.^
art. "Loretto;" aad " Maisou dt; Lorettep" in L'A6ct7/t:, voL viii.
(tS6o), nos. 27-^9-

5 (p- 65). — Rene Menard was born at Paris, Sept. 7^ (605, and
became a Jesuit novice Nov. 7, [Gsfl- He was a student at PariSk
La Fltehc. Bourgos, and Rouen, successively: and an instructor at
Orli*ans(i&s^-3&) EindMoulins (1636-39). In 1640, became to Cana-
da; andj after spending a year in the study of Algontin, accom-
panied Ragueueau to the Huron country. Upon Raymbault's
returu from Sault Sten Marie (voh xi., ?iaf^ i6(, M^ard started with
him to the country of the Nipissings, but they were driven back by
storms. In April, if^i^v howe\'er, M^ard aud Pijart succeeded m
reaching that tribc^ with whom they remained till Sept-^ 1643- Me-
nard ^vas connected with the Huron mission until tts destruction in
1649^ after which he was stationed at Three Rivers, becoming Supe-
rior of that residence in Junef ifiji. From May, 1656, to March, 1658,
he was a laborer in the Iroquois mission,— at the latter date, being

jvotj:s to vol^ xvi/i sst

i;om peHedn with lh<jo[hermifig;ionarieSj to fl« for theirlives to Quebec
In Augitat. T(j6o, MenaM was setil mlh a i^arty of OttiWii Inriiat]^
whr> were retisroing from Montreal to their hortlt on Laki^ Superit^r.
He apent llm ^vjtitcjr ^vith them, probably in (he neighborhood of the
present L'Anse, ^ich^n ^ufTcring ^reat hardships and privations, —
h^r^hlv ti-eated by iiiOit of the ]n<liHns. tliOia^h con^'erl]n£ a few of
Ihen^ atifl baptising some at (he point f»t death* Heanag, in the
following Fijjrin^, That some Hurons who had fled from Iheir Troqnois
foes had encjimpc^d ^botit tht headwaters of the Black River in
WiJ^consin, Menard set out 10 visit thcin^ Near tlie end of tht jonr-
ney, h*; became separated from his French coiupftniott, aiitt was
seen no morfti — doubtless perishing of hunger in the unknown fOTest
(Augitsj, Tfifii)-— See CampbfU's excellent nionogi-aph on Menard.
I^^rAy/n^fi C/ul^ /*w^i, (Milw. ), no. it,

6 (p- O5),— Conc&rnin^ the relations between the Ut!^uliti^s> of
Pati^ and of Toi^irsn ef- ^^ol. xvi., pp. 15-17; also Chapofs Afti/"/^ rt^tr

//wt.3r^ff//t?j^ t. i.. pph 3iS-3£e. 354- 35=-

7 (p- &71.— Pivai-ihe was roj^al notary at Quohcc, duringcJ^c years
163^^43 L other information about him is not av.ailable.

3 (Ph (jiJ.^For sketch of De la Pote^ie^ a^ee vo^ viii.n j;j/tf 5S.

9 1p- 93)- — Cr//fiznt*' "a bark with jnasl and saili:^, of 50 or Go
tonsi En use alon^ the coastfi o£ Normandy and Picardy, aod in xh^
n^vigatEon of thi: lower Seine, from Rouen u? IJa^u " (Litlr^).

lu {pH 1 13). — (^v/^ji'Ti/'frwf^^^jt lOutagoumoisli a tribe living in
the vieinily of Lake Outakijuan^i, N, K of L. Mislassini, as indicated
on various n^ap,-^ of that time. Some of Ibe^e cnate it the source of
the Per ibout;^. Rivera In which cascn it would be the modern Lake
Ouieiitsaan! (Bouchetle's map^ 1846)-

II ip. ^^ih—Fil^/rt7g^a7i^'rir: the Papinachois, a Montagnais
tribe located far to the N. E. of Lake St, Jfthti, mainly about the
headwaters of the Betsiamites River. They were at various limes
visited by Jesuit lui^tooaries from the Tadoussac mission^ and
Nouvel tLpent several years among them {1^^64-67)-

17 (p. 2iy)H— CoticorningChamplain'5 attackj^ on the Iroquois, ?ee
vol v^, ffitft: 50.

t3 fpH 3^7)-— Concerninj: Eskimos^ see vol u.. ko/c' 10; Brinton's
^m^r:c^n i?mv (Nh Y.^ iS^iJp pp. S^-ftj: and ^/^r, ^ A/Anai,

Bi'r^^^fti/^/i's ' a irontagnai? tribe, dwelling on the Qorthern lab-
tiUries ot the SL Lawrence, below Tadoiissac Le Jetine mentions
some of them (vol. vlii., p. 41) rs having l^een perfidiously slain
(1O35) hy the savages of Tadonssacr A missioi^ury f probably Jacques
do la nace) wrote in the Jf^ia/it^^i of 164G that " a mortal hatred
4xLated between Che B^rsiamites and the savages of Acadia and

L£S ff£LA TIO^'S D£S /^S l/ITES

G^spi^L '^ t& Tvas preseatT in that year^ at a coBierence held betwecEt
tbtse tribes, at which a treaty of peace U'as concluded. The tDis-
sion^rics found the Bi;r?iamltcs gentle and docile; BitUoqnet visited
tJiem in 1G61 "62> and probiib3yj in subsequent years, other priests
from the Tadoiissac mission. The tribe was also kno^^'n as Ouma'
miweb.

P^upA'S di:CVii^i'if(^*^A: clvfoHiag n^ar ch^ QersiamlEe^^ and allied
to them.

Regarding the Porc-fipics^ see voL xiv,, Jjt^/i- 13.

14 fp* 329). — Coaceming Ihe Petite Kalion, the Island tribe, and
the Iroquels {here named Oiintchatarounounga), see vol. v., ?Si?i^S

52p 5^- 3"-

" Otf^£^t^rcMairi^i\' these v^ere the Algodkins proper, and prob-
ably were called ' Petite Nati^jn * on account of [heir lo^^ j^tature-
The Petite Nation River in Ottawa countv^ t^ue., and the Little
Nation litver m Fi^&cott ceunty. Ont,.— trtbLitariesof tlie Ottawa
from oppo&ite sides, — preserve the nacne ol this [rlbe. and show
their originaMocation.'^ — A. F. Humer.

JC£yf<i/rc?/i/i^u^^tfft.- Laverdicre conjectures this to be the Outaou-
boiwemiwtk menCumcd in /^t'/afii?h' of 16=0, chap, v,, "\^'hose lan-
guage is a medlej'of Algonqiiin and Monlagnai?/' Ajjropos of this
linguistic feature, Perland says (^Cours iI'///s/^/rL\ voL i.n p. gi):
'■ There existed, amony the Algonqums and Montagnais^ a sort of
patois^ by means of which they held communication atnong them-
selves without the Europeaus being able to underE^Cand them."

J/^ifiiouc^^^rfMr'-' the J^i:Ift/i£}n ol li*;^ men tlom? this tnbeas tlten
li^^ing neat Hudson Bay, ap]5arently having ded thither for refuge
from their enemies. Their earlier habitaln as indicated by their
name, ^vm the Jfadawastra River of Onlario.

'' 5rt£-rT^w;^^(i7iJ> j>/i": their leeallon may have been nettr the Rideau
range of lakes, where numerous remains exist. Dv. T, W. Heeman
of Penh, Ont.fc who has examined these remains, says: ^ Kvcty
small laiie shows one or more village sites,' Ont of considerable
size ST^istcd ac Rxdeau Lake itself, sphere the Tay River empties
into it. Here have been found evidences oi an extended occupa-
tion, lasting down to the arrival of white cradrt"'?. as a few traces
of iCuropean intercourse arc found there- See Beeman's accounts
in O/i/. Ar<:/i, J//fj. ^7:/;. AV;;^. iFttth. Seventh, and Eighth).

^' ^i/!oufnrAi.'/^iriMj\- the situation of these ^vas probably in Ren-
fre^v county, Ontario, where Che valleys of tfihularles of the Ottawa
River contain remains of former Indian lewn^ A number of relics
from that district are in the Ontario Arehffiological JIuseum at
Toronto."— A- F. Hl-xter.

15 (p. 3C9)h — These Algonfcin tribes extended from Lake Temis-

AVTJ^S TO yOL, XV/// 359

caraing^vesu^-ard lo Hudsou Bay. Tlie largest and most important
was the Kiri^iiDDD or CrislttiauXn a name afterward shortetied to
that EDw ^iven them. Cri or Cree. Dniillettes and Dahlon est^b-
lisEr^d a mi^^siorL among theiii in itfei^ aod AUouta was there :n 1O&7.
Briutnti says (Awirr. /^aci^ p. 74 j thitt thji tribe "retained the lan-
gua^ of the Rtotk id it:j purest form/'

" 7yw/jf/;iv/: anAnietlerivijdfroni thatof LaktTtmlscamingr/t^^^ft
^f?wj/. ' deeu l:ike'i, RomEiius of early IncEjat] o^^upafion are found
Dear tht: Old Fort, at the northern tnd oF this lake: but the above
name ha-^ noi bteti continuously retained hy any dislmct tribe/'—
A. F. HrM'KR,

16 ([>H i3i).— The Atchhigouan, at the moutb of French River^
■ff-ere v[sUed by Garreaii atid Claxidt Ptjart in if^ft.

The Otiniisfl>!a1 irtow MijiSis:^agiias| were in i6;o-73 a pan of the
Saulf Stt. ^lane mission ; and Nouvel and Andre were then labDrin§:
among them. A. F. Hunter says: "This is the earliest reference
to the Misslfisagua-Sn They art no^v stttled in Eastern Ontario, at
New Crei^li, Atnwict, and otiier points^ and number Ln ali abont
Soo. "^ Sue Chamberlain ^s account of this tribe, in ytJ/rrw. ^tmt^r^
Ju^^^-I.o?'£, vol. i.H pPh ijD-ihOn

5^i4^j//l A^//t/wAijt -■ called by the Frencb Qvjj ^/w S<t^/, or Sau-
UJirs, because of their residence about the SauU de Ste, Marie;
no^^^ known as Ojibwas, or Chippe^^^as. The J^^/^fia^ri of 1670 says
that, becoming reduced to the number of 150. Ihey formed a union
with thres ofb^r neighboring irihes, the Nouqnet, OufchJbotiSH and
MaratnoKr A. F. Hunter saya: "A b^mfl of Algonkins, now at
Sauk Sie. Marie. Ont., is kpoun as the Eiatchewaun^ tribe.— this
being stcll the na^i^^*; tiam<j of thai town (wiitten also Pow-c-huj^).
It ift not probabivn ho^rever, that these Indians are the dtacondants
oE those mentioned in the text^— few iribeSn ow-litg to wars, migra-
tionSn and other OnauFitp, rctaaniug Iheir original locationsn Jt is
thought by some ^vnterij that the Sautetix oE l^ke Suptnorn and
westward, are the descendants of the origiual Nation dn Sault; see,
for instance, Maclean's O^fifn^ia^ 5(i;/ij^^c^ /^o/A iToronto^ iS^J^

P-I7I-"

Concerning the Amikouai (Bearers), see vol. J4., Tz^i^r 6; the Otta-
i^as, vol. XTV. , /lot/" g.

17 (p- a3i)*-'0dnlpiE0ij=unnnebagoe3(voLsv., 7;fJ/^y): Xadue-

siu^SiouKi Assinipour=A5siniboiaes. AH thei>e arc t>ranches of
the Dakota stock.

Maroumine=MenomDnecj^; Eriniouai^lUinoisi Pouutouatamiis
Pottawaiomtes,— atl Algonkin tribes. Ra^ouabouetou improbably

eqni^'alent to Alascoutins. j? being a niisprim for Af*

iS (J3- 535).— Concerning the tnbtft ot Oaspj;\ Acadia, and Maine.

set volSh j,-titH of this series. Souricoia^ilicmaca, PenCagoueicfi =
PenDb&cots; E[echemiii£= Tar rail nes^ On tiie Alx^nakis. sttvoL

A'^A/g'<wfi>u^fi'A - tie Mabicana or Mohicans, occupying the ter-
ritory between the Conntctscitt and Hudson Rivers, and aliitd tvith
the Pequot^; of Algonkin stock,

tg (p- 235). — Fcr sketches of the H^r an- Iroquois tribtSn see voL
viit., wt?/i' 34j

fCi^tUar^iz/iriTNOjT : apparently tht inhibUanls of the IT^Ton village
of Contarta [vol. k-i ^/^^t" S). t??/tvjrfir^ (Wyandot): tho gefueral
appeltation of the Huron clans (vol. ii., ^^/i" 58 and vol. v., Ji^fc' 17}.
" ^&tsd/ro/i07i.- that part of the Neutrals who Lived nearest to the
Hurons- destroyed by thfi Senecas in 164S {J^t'ia/zon of 164S),
OHJ^w:flri^/l?'<3H^^tf^l [apparently A misprint for Ongniarahronon]: the
Niagara portion of the Neutrals. O^ii'rejioj^ : probably the Wen-
rohrojions, part of wh&m took refi^ge -^vith the Huron,-^ in 1639,"^
A. F. Hi ■^■T^^.E^,

A^f/^si4'f/titTrt??d-': the Neutrals (vol. viii.^ Jio/t' 41}. Sansdn'a
map (ffi-.6) gives two locationri tor this irihe,— one, we^t of the Nia-
gara; Ihe otlicr. far south of Lake Erien and west of the Alleghany
Mountains. This, and the similar duplication of names in the pres-
ent text, ^uggesl the possibility that a part of this nation had fted
tionlhwardp to escape the Iroqnois^

Jo^o/ifa/-i^^o?iAr^*^t??i: Laverdi^re conjectures that this may be
the AtontralaronnonSi an Algonkin tribe vi-ho^ a little later, fled
from the St. Lawrence to the Huron country. Among them, Me-
nard established the mission of Ste. Eh^abcth [Huron AV^Ai/Zt^w of
i644r chap, viii.)-

In any attempt to idenlify the names of TnrtJan tribes, as recorded
at so remote a time, there are many clifhcullies, which musf not be
forgotten by the nKidern n.-ader of nn enumeration iike that h^^re
given by Le Jeunti. No Indian tongue was ^iTitten. at the time of
the missionaries^ arrival ; And thej-, in their atlempis to learn and
write a language utterly different froin any they had hitherto
knovni, were met by almost insuperable ob&laoles, — as ^ve are told
by Biard (vol. ii^, ppn 9-13; iii.- pp- I93-t97>h and by Le Jcune in
earlier ff^iaf/o/is (vol. v,h ppr iii-iij; ^'ii., pp- 21-33)^ Many of
the tribes enumerated m the teat were kno^vn to the French only
through the reports of wandering Indians^ fur traders^ or c^^r^'urs
rff ^^/ji — most of Cheni ignorant men; and these nami:^ could be
only phonetically noled^ — wilh great liability to miEunder.'^tand-
ingn on the part of both Frenchman and Indian^ At the same time,
fls msiy be seen in the text^ Ihese names svere often transmitted
through other tribes, especially ihe Huron ; and when \v%^ -^dd to all

jvoT£:s TO yoL- xyi// sei

these compifijcities the frcEjticiit ^hifUng of re&idcDce, en the part of
the inbesmenH it will he ^en that great cautton is accessary in
attempting tc fdcDEtfy <iither tribes or loc^clon^ through their names
Rlcne.

20 (p, 33V }.— This refers to the floyagre of Jogues and RaymbauU
to Sa^lt Ste. ^^a^ie (vo], xi., ;wfi 16),

21 ip. 24i(.— This xva.^ Francois FouqlleE^ viscount de V*aux, who
Tvas bora in 1.557, and died Apr. ea, 1640. He was a member of the
royal council, and also of parliament; and, for his integrity and
abllily, was held in high esteem by Louis XUl, and Richelieu, w-ho
employed him in many State alTaits of importanceH Ht; xvas father
of Nicolas Fouquelfc the noted minister ol finance undfsr Louis XIV^

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