The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 39

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 39

On the second day of February, the little Savage who was taken to

France last year was baptized in the Convent of the sisters of

Mercy, that is, in the Hospital of Dieppe; as she was born in New

France, I will place her among those of her country who have been

made children of God this year. She was placed as a boarder with

these good sisters. Here is what the Mother Superior, who with her

whole house cannot be excelled in zeal for the salvation of the

poor Savages, has written me about her: "Our little Canadian girl

died on the day of the Purification [34] of our Lady, of smallpox,

which could not be cured, although all possible remedies were used;

she was baptized half an hour before her death, and it was almost

a miracle that we were not surprised, for she was strong for her

age, and did not seem to be so near death as she was. Her funeral

was honored with beautiful ceremonies, and with songs of gladness

instead of the Service for the dead, as her death followed so

closely upon her baptism. This child won the love of all; she was

very obliging, very obedient, and as careful as a Nun not to enter

forbidden places; and when it was desired to make her enter, either

through inadvertence or to test her obedience, she answered very

sweetly, 'I have not permission; [35] the Mother Superior does not

wish it.' She already knew several of the lessons in her Catechism,

and understood a great deal of the French language; it was through

this that we had made her comprehend the three principal Articles

of our belief. She could say very well that the Manitou was good

for nothing; that she no longer wished to return to Canada, but

that she desired to be a Christian and to be baptized, knowing well

that no one could go to Heaven without that. We all enjoyed these

talks: in a word, suffice it to say, that she tried to imitate, in

so far as she was able, all the good that she saw done." These are

the very words of the Reverend Mother Elizabeth of saint François,

Superior of this Hospital, one of the best regulated in Europe; it

is only necessary to enter the hall of the poor patients, to see

[36] the modesty of the sisters who serve them, to consider their

kindness in the most annoying cases of sickness, to cast the eyes

over the cleanliness of this house, to go hence full of affection

and to offer a thousand praises to our Lord. If a Monastery like

that were in New France, their charity would do more for the

conversion of the Savages than all our journeys and our sermons.

 

Le dix-huictiesme du mesme mois de Feurier, le Pere Buteux & moy

receumes au nombre ches Chrestiens, vne bonne femme Sauuage, qui fut

solemnellement baptisée en nostre Chapelle de la Conception aux trois

Riuieres. Elle s'appelloit _Ouetata Samakheou_, & nous luy donnasmes

le nom d'Anne. Les Sauuages s'en allans l'auoient delaissée auprés

de nostre Habitation toute malade, & couchée sur la terre dure, [37]

d'autres estans suruenus, nous la fismes entrer dans leur Cabane;

ceux-cy décampans apres quelque seiour, nous la logeasmes encore dans

vne autre qui resta seule: mais ceste Cabane s'en voulant aller apres

les autres, nous priasmes les Sauuages de laisser quelques rouleaux

de leur escorce pour faire vn méchant todis à ceste pauure creature;

ils font la sourde oreille. Or comme nous ne pouuuions point faire

entrer ceste femme dans le fort, où il n'y auoit que des hommes, & que

d'ailleurs nous ne la voulions pas voir mourir deuant nos yeux par

la rigueur du froid, n'ayans pas dequoy luy faire vne maison, nous

priasmes nos François d'intimider ces Barbares, si cruels enuers leur

nation; les voyla aussi-tost le pistolet au poing, qui se saisissent

par force de quelques escorces; leur disant que ceste [38] femme

mourroit ou gueriroit bien-tost, & qu'ils reprendroient ce qu'ils luy

auroient presté; cela les fascha fort, mais neantmoins comme ceste

violence estoit raisonnable, l'vn d'eux pour expier leur cruauté,

retourna du bois où ils s'estoient allez cabanner, & luy dressa luy

mesme vne petite cabanne, où tous les iours nous luy portions à manger,

& en suitte nous l'instruisions. Cõiecturez, s'il vous plaist, la

grande necessité qu'il y a icy d'vn Hospital, & quel fruit il pourroit

produire. Trois choses me consolerẽt fort, en luy déduisant les

Articles de nostre creance. La 1. fut que luy voulant faire exercer

quelque acte de douleur de ses pechez pour la disposer au baptesme; ie

luy rapportay le nom de plusieurs offenses, la menaçant du feu d'enfer,

si ayant commis ces crimes, elle n'estoit lauée des eaux Sacramentales;

[39] ceste pauure malade épouuantée, commence à nommer tout haut ses

offenses, disant, Ie n'ay point commis ces pechez que tu dis: mais bien

ceux-là, s'accusant de plusieurs choses bien vergongneuses. Ie luy

dis qu'il suffisoit d'en demander pardon en son cœur sans les nommer,

la Confession n'estant point necessaire qu'apres le Baptesme; elle ne

laissa pas de poursuiure, & d'en crier mercy à celuy qui a tout fait.

En second lieu, luy parlant vn iour de la mort apres son baptesme,

elle se mit à pleurer, se faschant contre moy de ce que ie luy parlois

d'vne chose si horrible; cela m'estonna vn petit, i'estois quasi fasché

de l'auoir baptisée, nous la recommandasmes à nostre Seigneur, qui

luy toucha le cœur: car l'estant retourné voir, elle me fit plusieurs

interrogations: Mon ame, disoit-elle, [40] aura-elle de l'esprit quand

elle sera sortie de mon corps? verra-elle? parlera-elle? ie l'asseuray

qu'en effet elle ne perdroit rien de ces facultez, qu'au contraire

elle les auroit d'vne façon bien plus parfaite, & que si elle croyoit

en Iesus-Christ sans feintise, qu'elle cognoistroit des merueilles, &

iouyroit de tres-grands contentemens. Tu m'as dit que ie resusciteray

quelque iour, seray-ie semblable, me dit-elle, à moy-mesme, à celle que

ie suis maintenant, ou bien à vne autre? C'est toy-mesme, c'est ton

propre corps qui reprendra vie, & qui sera beau comme le iour, si tu

as eu la Foy; sinon il sera horrible, & tout difforme, & destiné aux

flammes eternelles. Que mangera mon ame apres ma mort? Ton ame n'est

point corporelle, elle n'a point besoin des viandes d'icy bas, elle se

repaistra [41] de plaisirs qu'on ne peut conceuoir. Que verray-ie si

ie vay au Ciel? Tu verras ce qui se fait ça bas, la bestise de ceux de

ta nation qui ne veulent pas receuoir la Foy, la beauté & la grandeur

de celuy qui a tout fait, tu le prieras pour moy. Que luy diray-ie,

me repart-elle? Dis luy qu'il me face misericorde, qu'il aye pitié de

moy, & qu'il m'appelle bien-tost pour aller auec luy au Ciel. C'est

donc, fit-elle, vne chose bien bonne d'estre, là haut, puis que tu

voudrois bien mourir pour y aller. Mais peut-estre que ie m'oublieray

de ce que tu me dis. Non, tu ne t'en oublieras point, si tu crois en

verité & sans mensonge. Que fera-on de mon corps quand ie seray morte?

On le mettra dans vn beau cercueil, & tous les François le porteront

auec honneur au lieu où nous enterrons nos morts. Dis moy encore [42]

vn coup, mon ame aura elle de l'esprit quand elle sera sortie de son

corps? Ouy elle en aura, elle verra, elle entendra, elle conceura

fort bien, & parlera d'vne façon plus noble que ne font tes leures.

Escoutant mes réponses, son visage s'alloit espanoüissant. En fin elle

me dit d'vn accent tout gay, _Nitapoueten, nitapoueten_, ie croy, ie

croy, & pour preuue de ma creãce, tu ne me verras iamais craindre

la mort; iusques icy ie tremblois quand tu m'en venois parler; mais

doresnauant ie la souhaitteray pour aller veoir celuy qui a tout fait;

ie luy disois tousiours en mes prieres, gueris moy, tu me peux guerir;

ie luy diray cy-apres, ie ne me soucie plus de la vie, ie suis contente

de mourir pour te veoir. Et en effect le reste du temps qu'elle a vescu

apres ces demandes, ie n'ay iamais remarqué en elle aucun petit indice

[43] de la crainte de la mort. La troisiesme chose qui nous resioüit

fort, fut qu'vn Sauuage nommé _Sakapouan_ la voulut diuertir de nostre

creance, disant que nous estions des conteurs, & qu'il ne falloit pas

nous croire, puis que nous ne sçaurions monstrer ny faire veoir à

personne ce que nous enseignons: ceste pauure Neophyte fortifiée de

l'esprit de Dieu tint bon, & repartit fort bien, qu'elle croyoit que

nous disions la verité, & ainsi elle est morte fort bonne Chrestienne.

Pour le Sauuage qui vouloit mettre obstacle à sa creance, il ne la fit

pas longue, Dieu en tira vne vengeance bien rigoureuse: ce miserable se

trouuoit desia mal, bien-tost apres son impieté il tomba en phrenesie

& mourut insensé. Nous l'auions assez bien instruit, mais les respects

humains qui regnent puissamment [44] parmy ces peuples, l'ont empesché

de professer la Foy. Il nous a dit plusieurs fois, Ie croy bien que

tout ce que vous dites est veritable, mais si ie vous obeï, quãd ie me

trouueray aux festins de mes Compatriotes, tout le monde se mocquera

de moy, Fais sorte, me disoit-il qu'_Outaouau_ (c'est l'vn des grands

discoureurs d'entre les Sauuages) reçoiue la Foy quand il viendra

icy, & pour lors ie ne feray plus aucune difficulté de vous croire.

_Outaouau_ l'a trouué mort & enterré à son retour.

 

On the eighteenth of the same month of February, Father Buteux and

I received among the number of Christians, a good Savage woman, who

was solemnly baptized in our Chapel of the Conception at the three

Rivers. She was called _Ouetata Samakheou_, and we gave her the

name of Anne. When the Savages went away, they left her near our

Settlement, very sick and lying upon the hard ground; [37] others

arriving, we had her placed in their Cabin; and when these moved

away, after a short sojourn, we had her placed in another, the

only one remaining; as the people of this Cabin wished to follow

the others, we begged them to leave a few rolls of their bark to

make a miserable hut for this poor creature; but they turned a deaf

ear. Now as we could not have this woman taken into the fort, where

there were only men, and as on the other hand we did not wish to

see her die before our eyes a victim to the cold, having nothing

with which to make her a house, we begged our French people to

intimidate these Barbarians, who were so cruel towards their own

people. So some of them came at once, pistol in hand, and took

some of the bark by force, telling them that this [38] woman would

soon either die or recover, and they would get back what they had

loaned. They were very angry; but nevertheless, as this violence

was reasonable, one of them, to atone for their cruelty, returned

from the woods where he had gone to camp, and himself put up a

little cabin for her, where every day we carried her food and then

instructed her. Imagine, if you please, how great is the necessity

for a Hospital here, and how much fruit it could produce. Three

things consoled me greatly in expounding to her the Articles of our

belief; the 1st was, that, wishing to make her perform some act

of contrition for her sins, in order to prepare her for baptism,

I called up the names of several offenses, threatening her with

the fires of hell if, having committed these crimes, she were not

washed in the waters of the Sacrament; [39] this poor, frightened,

sick woman began to name her offenses aloud, saying, "I have not

committed those sins that thou sayest, but I have these," accusing

herself of several very shameful ones. I told her it would be

enough for her to ask pardon in her heart without naming them,

Confession not being necessary except after Baptism; but she did

not cease, begging for mercy from him who has made all. In the

second place, speaking with her about death, one day after her

baptism, she began to cry, being angry at me for speaking to her

of such a horrible thing; I was somewhat astonished at this, and

almost sorry that I had baptized her. We recommended her to our

Lord, who touched her heart; for, having returned to see her, she

asked me a number of questions: "Will my soul have any [40] sense

when it leaves my body?" said she. "Will it see? Will it speak?"

I assured her that indeed it would lose none of these faculties,

but on the contrary would have them in a much more perfect way;

and that, if she believed in Jesus Christ without dissembling, she

would know wonders and would enjoy great consolation. "Thou hast

told me that I shall come to life again some day; shall I be like

myself," she said to me, "like what I am now, or like some one

else?" "It is thyself, it is thy own body which will live again,

and which will be as beautiful as the day, if thou hast had Faith;

if not, it will be horrible, all deformed and destined to the

eternal flames." "What will my soul eat after death?" "Thy soul has

no body, it has no need of the food here below; it will feast upon

[41] joys beyond conception." "What shall I see if I go to Heaven?"

"Thou wilt see what is going on down here,--the foolishness of such

of thy people as will not receive the Faith, the beauty and the

grandeur of him who has made all; and thou wilt pray to him for

me." "What shall I say to him?" she asked. "Tell him to be merciful

to me, to have pity on me; and to call me soon, to be with him in

Heaven." "Then," said she, "it is a good thing to be up there,

since thou wishest to die to go there. But perhaps I shall forget

what thou tellest me." "No, thou wilt not forget it, if thou dost

really and truthfully believe." "What will they do with my body

when I am dead?" "It will be placed in a beautiful coffin, and all

the French will bear it with honor to the place where we bury our

dead." "Tell me once [42] more, will my soul have sense when it

has left my body?" "Yes, it will; it will see, hear, understand

readily, and will speak in a more noble way than thy lips." While

listening to my answers, her face began to brighten; and at last

she exclaimed, joyfully, _Nitapoueten, nitapoueten_, "I believe, I

believe; and, as a proof of my belief, thou wilt never see me fear

death; until now I was trembling when thou wert speaking of it to

me, but from now on I shall wish for it, so that I may go and see

him who has made all; I was saying always in my prayers 'Make me

well, thou canst cure me;' but hereafter I shall say to him, 'I do

not care to live any longer, I am content to die to see thee.'"

And, in fact, the rest of the time she lived after these questions,

I never noticed in her the least indication [43] that she was

afraid to die. The third thing that gladdened us was, that when a

Savage called _Sakapouan_, wishing to divert her from our belief,

said that we were story-tellers and she must not believe us, since

we could not show nor make any one see what we were teaching, this