The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 40

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 40

poor Neophyte, fortified by the spirit of God, held firm, and

answered steadfastly that she believed we told the truth. Thus she

died a very good Christian. As to the Savage who tried to shake

her faith, he did not do so long, for God drew down upon him a

most severe revenge; this wretch, who already felt ill, was seized

with frenzy, soon after his act of impiety, and died a maniac. We

had taught him well enough; but the fear of what others would say,

which is a potent factor [44] among these people, prevented him

from professing the Faith. He said to us several times, "I indeed

believe that all you say is true; but if I obey you, when I go to

the feasts of my People, they will all make sport of me." "Arrange

it," said he to me, "so that _Outaouau_" (this is one of the great

orators among the Savages) "may receive the Faith when he comes

here; and after that I will have no more difficulty in believing

you." _Outaouau_ found him dead and buried at his return.

 

Le septiesme d'Auril le petit Sauuage que nous auions enuoyé en

France, & que le Pere Lallemant nous ramena, fut fait Chrestien, &

baptisé solemnellement par le mesme Pere. Monsieur de Champlain nostre

Gouuerneur luy donna nom Bonauenture. Tous les matins venant donner

le bon iour au Pere, [45] qui prenoit le soin de l'instruire, il ne

manquoit pas de luy demander le baptesme; il fait maintenant fort

bien Dieu mercy, se rendant fort docile. I'espere qu'il nous seruira

grandement pour nostre Seminaire.

 

On the seventh of April, the little Savage whom we had sent to

France, and whom Father Lallemant brought back to us, was made a

Christian and solemnly baptized by the same Father. Monsieur de

Champlain, our Governor, gave him the name Bonaventure. Every day,

when he came to say good day to the Father, [45] who took care to

instruct him, he never failed to ask him for baptism; he is doing

very well now, thank God, and is becoming quite docile. I am hoping

he will be of great service to us in our Seminary.

 

Le treiziesme de May ie baptisay le fils de ceste bonne femme, que

i'auois fait Chrestienne & nommé Marie l'an passé, laquelle ie

laissay malade proche de nostre Maison, m'en allant hyuerner aux

trois Riuieres. Sa maladie se rengregeant le Pere Lallemant luy donna

l'Extreme-Onction, & venant à mourir l'enterra solemnellement dans

nostre Cimetiere. Elle laissa pour tout heritage sa maladie à son petit

enfant, qu'vne fieure lente a faict passer au Ciel apres le baptesme;

il portoit en sa langue le nom d'_Aouetitin_, qui luy fut changé au nom

de Pierre.

 

On the thirteenth of May, I baptized the son of the good woman whom

I made a Christian and named Marie last year, and whom I had left

sick near our House when I went to pass the winter at the three

Rivers. As she was growing worse, Father Lallemant gave her Extreme

Unction; and, when she died, buried her solemnly in our Cemetery.

She left, as her only heritage, her disease to her little child,

whom a slow fever sent to Heaven after his baptism; in his language

he bore the name of _Aouetitin_, which was changed to that of

Pierre.

 

[46] Le dix-neufiesme d'Aoust le Pere Lallemant a baptisé vne fille

aagée d'enuiron quatre ans; elle est née au païs des Bissiriniens; on

la mene en France pour estre esleuée & instruite en la Foy Chrestienne.

 

[46] On the nineteenth of August, Father Lallemant baptized a

girl about four years old, who was born in the country of the

Bissiriniens.[21] She is being taken to France to be reared and

educated in the Christian Faith.

 

Le reste des personnes faites Chrestiennes depuis que nous n'auons

escrit en France, ont esté baptisées aux païs des Hurons, comme V.R.

pourra voir par la Relation que nos Peres m'ont enuoyée, que ie luy

addresse. Ils ont entre autres conferé ce Sacrement à vn bon homme,

dont le Pere de Nouë qui l'a cogneu en ces païs si esloignez, me parle

en tres-bons termes. Nous auons, dit-il, tousiours creu que cet homme

mourroit Chrestien, & que Dieu luy feroit misericorde; car il estoit

fort porté au bien, il faisoit volontiers l'aumosne secourant ses

Compatriotes, voire mesme nous [47] autres qui estions estrangers.

Retournant de la pesche il nous apportoit tousiours quelque poisson,

non à la façon des autres Sauuages, qui ne donnent que pour auoir le

reciproque, mais gratuitement; il nous venoit visiter vne fois ou deux

la semaine, & apres s'estre entretenu quelque tẽps auec nous, voyant

que nous estions en bonne santé, il s'en alloit tout content. Or comme

il gardoit passablement la Loy que la nature a graué dans le cœur de

tous les hommes, Dieu luy a donné auant son trespas, la cognoissance de

la Loy de son fils.

 

The rest of the persons who have been made Christians since we

have written to France, were baptized in the Huron country, as

Your Reverence can see by the Relation our Fathers have sent me,

which I forward to you. Among others, they have conferred this

Sacrament upon an honest fellow whom Father de Nouë, who knew him

in that so distant country, recommended to me highly. "We have,"

said he, "always believed that this man would die a Christian,

and that God would be merciful to him; for he had a very good

disposition,--giving alms freely to aid his Countrymen, and even

to us, [47] who were strangers. When he returned from fishing he

always brought us some fish, not in the way the other Savages

did, who give only that they may get something in return, but

gratuitously; he came to see us once or twice every week, and,

after having talked for some time with us, seeing that we were in

good health, he would go away well satisfied." Now as he observed

fairly well the Law which nature has graven upon the hearts of all

men, God gave him before his death the knowledge of the Law of his

son.

 

Ie rapporteray en ce lieu le chastiment manifeste que Dieu a tiré du

miserable Sorcier, & de son frere, dont i'ay parlé bien amplement dans

la Relation de l'an passé. Ce méchant homme pour me déplaire [48]

s'attaquoit par fois à Dieu comme i'ay dit. Il disoit certain iour aux

Sauuages en ma presence, Ie me suis auiourd'huy bien mocqué de celuy

que la robbe noire nous dit qui a tout fait. Ie ne pûs supporter ce

blaspheme, ie luy dis tout haut, que s'il estoit en France on le feroit

mourir. Au reste qu'il se mocquast de moy tant qu'il voudroit, que ie

le souffrirois: mais qu'il me tueroit & massacreroit plustost, que

d'endurer qu'il se rist de mon Dieu où ie ferois present; qu'il ne

porteroit pas loing ceste impudence, Dieu estant assez puissant pour le

brusler, & le ietter dans les enfers, s'il continuoit ses blasphemes.

Il ne tint iamais plus ces discours deuãt moy; mais en mon absence, il

ne relaschoit rien de ses boufonneries & de ses impietez. Dieu n'a pas

manqué de l'attraper; car l'année n'estoit pas [49] encore expirée,

que le feu s'estant mis en sa cabane, ie ne sçay par quel accident,

il a esté tout grillé, rosty, & miserablement bruslé, à ce que m'ont

rapporté les Sauuages, non sans estonnement.

 

I will relate in this place the manifest chastisement which God has

drawn down upon the wretched Sorcerer and his brother, of whom I

spoke very fully in the Relation of last year. This wicked man, in

order to displease me, [48] occasionally made attacks upon God, as

I have said. One day he said to the Savages in my presence, "I have

to-day made a great deal of sport of the one whom the black robe

tells us has made all things." I could not stand this blasphemy,

and told him aloud that, if he were in France, they would put him

to death; furthermore, that he might sneer at me as much as he

pleased and I would endure it, but that he might better kill and

murder me than to expect me to suffer him to mock my God when I

was present; that he would not continue much longer with this

impertinence, for God was powerful enough to burn and cast him into

hell, if he kept on with his blasphemies. He never again spoke

in this way before me, but in my absence he did not in the least

refrain from his scoffing and impious speeches. God did not fail to

strike him; for the year had not [49] yet expired, when his cabin

took fire, I know not how, and he was dreadfully scorched, roasted

and burned, as it was related to me by the Savages, not without

wonder.

 

Ils m'ont dit encor que Mestigoü lequel i'auois pris pour mon hoste

a esté noyé; i'aurois bien plus souhaitté que Dieu leur eust touché

le cœur; i'ay esté marry particulierement de mon hoste; car il auoit

de bonnes inclinations; mais s'estant mocqué en quelque compagnie de

Sauuages des prieres que ie leur auois fait faire en nostre extremité,

il a esté enueloppé dans la mesme vengeance, tombant dans vne maladie

qui luy fit perdre l'esprit, si bien qu'il couroit çà & là tout nud

comme vn fol; s'estant trouué de basse mer sur le bord du grand fleuue,

la marée montante l'a etouffé [50] dans ses eaux.

 

They told me also, that Mestigoü, whom I had taken for my host,

was drowned. I would much rather God had touched their hearts;

I have been particularly grieved about my host, for he had good

inclinations; but having sneered, in company with some of the

Savages, at the prayers I had made them say in the time of our

great need, he was involved in the same vengeance. Falling ill of

a disease which made him lose his reason, so that he ran hither

and thither naked, like a madman, he found himself upon the shore

of the great river, at low tide; and, when the tide arose, he was

smothered [50] in the waters.

 

Quasi tous ceux qui estoient dans la cabanne où le Sorcier m'a assez

mal traité, font morts qui d'vn costé, qui de l'autre, & tous d'vne

mort deplorable. Il n'y a que trois iours qu'on m'a amené le fils du

Sorcier pour le mettre dans vn Seminaire que nous voulons commencer;

i'auois grand desir de le prendre, & de luy faire autant de bien, que

son pere m'a fait de mal; mais comme il a les escroüelles d'vne façon

fort horrible auprés de l'oreille, la crainte que nous auons en qu'il

ne donnast ce mal aux petits garçons, que nous tenons en nostre Maison,

nous l'a fait éconduire. Monsieur Gand, homme tout a fait charitable,

fait penser & pense luy-mesme cét enfant; s'il guerit nous le mettrons

en nostre Seminaire.

 

Almost all of those who were in the cabin where the Sorcerer

treated me so badly, have died, some here, some there, and all

by a lamentable death. Only three days ago they brought me the

Sorcerer's son, to have him put in a Seminary we intend to

establish; I was very anxious to take him, and to do him as much

good as his father had done me evil; but, as he has a most horrible

scrofulous affection near the ear, we were afraid he would give the

disease to the little boys we have in our House, and so we refused

him. Monsieur Gand,[22] a very charitable man, has this child's

sores dressed and dresses them himself; if he recovers, we will

place him in our Seminary.

 

Quant à l'Apostat, il nous est venu [51] voir, faisãt mine de se

vouloir recõcilier à l'Eglise; nous luy auons demandé quelques preuues

de sa bonne volõté; sçauoir est qu'il nous vint voir non dans la

famine des Sauuages, qui luy fait rechercher les François, mais dans

leur abondance: que s'il retourne en ce temps-là, nous le receurons &

retiendrons quelques mois auant que de luy donner l'entrée de l'Eglise.