The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 5

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 5

 feet;" if I say _nisiicat chin nissitai_, to say "my feet are

cold," they will indeed understand me; but I shall not understand

them when they say _Nitatagouasisin_, which is the proper word to

say, "my feet are cold." And what [181] ruins the memory is, that

such a word has neither relation, nor alliance, nor any affinity,

in its sound, with the other two; whence it often happens that I

make them laugh in talking, when I try to follow the construction

of the Latin or French language, not knowing these words which mean

several things at once. From this it happens, also, that very often

I do not understand them, although they understand me; for as they

do not use the words which signify one thing in particular, but

rather those that mean a combination of things, I knowing only the

first, and not even the half of those, could not understand them if

they did not have sufficient intelligence to vary and choose more

common words, for then I try to unravel them.

 

C'est assez pour monstrer l'abondance de leur langue, si ie la sçauois

parfaitement i'en parlerois auec plus d'asseurance; ie croy qu'ils ont

d'autres richesses que ie n'ay peu encor découurir iusques icy.

 

This is enough to show the richness of their language; if I were

thoroughly acquainted with it, I would speak with more certainty.

I believe they have other riches which I have not been able to

discover up to the present.

 

I'oubliois à dire que nos Montagnais n'ont pas tant de lettres en leur

Alphabeth, que nous en auons au nostre, ils confondent le B. & le P.

ils confondent [182] aussi le C. le G. & le K. c'est à dire que deux

Sauuages prononçans vn mesme mot, vous croiriez que l'vn prononce vn B.

& que l'autre prononce vn P. que l'vn dit vn C. ou vn K. & l'autre vn

G. ils n'ont point les lettres F, L, V consonante, X. Z. ils prononcent

vn R. au lieu d'vn L. ils diront Monsieur du Pressi pour Monsieur du

Plessi, ils prononcent vn P. au lieu d'vn V. consonante, Monsieur

Olipier pour Monsieur Oliuier; mais comme ils ont la langue assez

bien penduë, ils prendroient bientost nostre prononciation si on les

instruisoit, notamment les enfans.

 

I forgot to say that the Montagnais have not so many letters in

their Alphabet as we have in ours; they confound B and P, and [182]

also C, G, and K; that is, if two Savages were to pronounce the

same word, you would think that one was pronouncing a B, and the

other a P, or that one was using a C or K, and the other a G. They

do not have the letters F, L, consonant V, X, and Z. They use R

instead of L, saying Monsieur du Pressi for Monsieur du Plessi;[2]

they utter the sound of P instead of consonant V, Monsieur Olipier

instead of Monsieur Olivier. But, as their tongues are quite

flexible, they will soon acquire our pronunciation if they are

instructed, especially the children.

 

Le P. Brebeuf m'a dit que les Hurons n'ont point de M. dequoy ie

m'estonne: car ceste lettre me semble quasi naturelle, tant l'vsage en

est grand.

 

Father Brebeuf tells me that the Hurons have no M, at which I

am astonished, for this letter seems to me almost natural, so

extensively is it used.

 

Que si pour conclusion de ce Chapitre V. R. me demande si i'ay beaucoup

auancé dans la cognoissance de ceste langue pendant mon hyuernement

auec ces Barbares, ie luy diray ingenuëment que non: en voicy les

raisons.

 

Now if, as conclusion of this Chapter, Your Reverence asks me if

I made much progress in the knowledge of this language during the

winter I spent with these Barbarians, I answer frankly, "no;" and

here are the reasons.

 

Premierement, le deffaut de ma memoire que ne fut iamais bien

excellente, [183] & qui se va deseichant tous les iours. O l'excellent

homme pour ces pays icy que le Pere Brebeuf, sa memoire tres-heureuse,

sa douceur tres-aymable, feront de grands fruicts dedans les Hurons.

 

First, my defective memory, which was never very good, [183] and

which continues to wither every day. Oh, what an excellent man for

these countries is Father Brebeuf! His most fortunate memory, and

his amiability and gentleness, will be productive of much good

among the Hurons.

 

Secondement, la malice du sorcier qui defendoit par fois qu'on

m'enseignast.

 

Second, the malice of the sorcerer, who sometimes prevented them

from teaching me.

 

Tiercement, la perfidie de l'Apostat, qui contre sa promesse, &

nonobstant les offres que ie luy faisois, ne m'a iamais voulu

enseigner, voire sa déloyauté est venuë iusques à ce point de me donner

exprez vn mot d'vne signification pour vn autre.

 

Third, the perfidy of the Apostate, who, contrary to his promise,

and notwithstanding the offers I made him, was never willing to

teach me,--his disloyalty even going so far as to purposely give me

a word of one signification for another.

 

En quatriesme lieu, la famine a esté long temps nostre hostesse, ie

n'osois quasi en sa presence interroger nos Sauuages, leur estomach

n'est pas de la nature des tonneaux qui resonnẽt d'autant mieux qu'ils

sont vuides, il ressemble au tambour, plus il est bandé mieux il parle.

 

In the fourth place, famine was for a long time our guest; and I

scarcely ventured in her presence to question our Savages, their

stomachs not being like barrels which sound all the louder for

being empty; they resemble the drum,--the tighter it is drawn, the

better it talks.

 

En cinquiesme lieu, mes maladies m'ont fait quitter le soing des

langues de la terre pour penser au langage de l'autre vie où ie pensois

aller.

 

In the fifth place, my attacks of illness made me give up the care

for the languages of earth, to think about the language of the

other life whither I was expecting to go.

 

[184] En sixiesme lieu enfin la difficulté de ceste langue qui n'est

pas petite, comme on peut coniecturer de ce que i'ay dit, n'a pas esté

vn petit obstacle pour empescher vue pauure memoire comme la mienne

d'aller bien loing. Ie iargonne neantmoins, & à force de crier ie me

fais entendre.

 

[184] In the sixth place, and finally, the difficulty of this

language, which is not slight, as may be guessed from what I have

said, has been no small obstacle to prevent a poor memory like

mine from advancing far. Still, I talk a jargon, and, by dint of

shouting, can make myself understood.

 

Vn point me toucheroit viuement, n'estoit que i'estime qu'il ne faut

pas marcher deuant Dieu, mais qu'il faut le fuiure, & se contenter

de sa propre bassesse; c'est que ie ne croy quasi pas pouuoir iamais

parler les langues des Sauuages auec autant de liberté qu'il seroit

necessaire pour leur prescher, & répondre sur le champ sans broncher à

leurs demandes & à leurs obiections, estant notamment occupé comme i'ay

esté iusques à present. Vray que Dieu peut faire d'vne roche vn enfant

d'Abraham. Qu'il soit beny à iamais par toutes les langues des nations

de la terre.

 

One thing would touch me keenly, were it not that we are not

expected to walk before God, but to follow him, and to be contented

with our own littleness; it is that I almost fear I shall never

be able to speak the Savage tongues with the fluency necessary to

preach to them, and to answer at once, without stumbling, their

demands and objections, being so greatly occupied as I have been up

to the present. It is true that God can make from a rock a child

of Abraham. May he be forever praised, in all the tongues of the

nations of the earth!

 

 

 

 

[185] CHAPITRE XII.

 

DE CE QU'IL FAUT SOUFFRIR HYUERNANT AUEC LES SAUUAGES.

 

 

EPICTETE dit que celuy qui veut aller aux bains publics, se doit au

prealable figurer toutes les insolences qui s'y commettent, afin que se

trouuant engagé dans la risée d'vn tas de canailles, qui luy laueront

mieux la teste que les pieds, il ne perde rien de la grauité & de la

modestie d'vn homme sage. Ie dirois volontiers le mesme à qui Dieu

donne les pensées, & les desirs de passer les mers, pour venir chercher

& instruire les Sauuages: c'est en leur faueur que ie coucheray ce

Chapitre, afin qu'ayant cogneu l'ennemy qu'ils auront en teste, ils

ne s'oublient pas de se munir des armes necessaires pour le combat,

notamment d'vn patience de fer ou de bronze, ou plustost d'vne patience

toute d'or, pour supporter, fortement & amoureusement les grands

trauaux qu'il faut souffrir parmy ces peuples. Commençons [186] par la

maison qu'ils doiuent habiter s'il[s] les veulent suiure.

 

[185] CHAPTER XII.

 

WHAT ONE MUST SUFFER IN WINTERING WITH THE SAVAGES.

 

 

EPICTETUS says that he who intends to visit the public baths must

previously consider all the improprieties that will be committed

there; so that, when he finds himself surrounded by the derision

of a mob of scoundrels who would rather wash his head than his

feet, he may lose none of the gravity and modesty of a wise man. I

might say the same to those in whom God inspires the thought and

desire to cross over the seas, in order to seek and to instruct the

Savages. It is for their sake that I shall pen this Chapter, so

that, knowing the enemy they will encounter, they may not forget

to fortify themselves with the weapons necessary for the combat,

especially with patience of iron or bronze, or rather with a

patience entirely of gold, in order to bear bravely and lovingly

the great trials that must be endured among these people. Let us

begin [186] by speaking of the house they will have to live in, if they wish to follow them.