[303 i.e., 305] WHAT PROGRESS THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION HAS MADE IN
NEW FRANCE.
NOW some one, having heard all our story, with good reason will
say: "Come now, here is a great deal of labor you have told us
about, several laudable enterprises, and various rough and violent
accidents, but is this all the profit there is in the advancement
of the worship of God? Have you run, only to thus weary yourselves?
expended, only for the sake of consuming? endured suffering, only
to be abused for it in France? For if Canada does not furnish any
other revenue, we can tell you that no one, unless he be a fool,
works simply for the sake of suffering, [304 i.e., 306] or expends
only to exhaust himself. But very truly says the holy Apostle,
_That he who planteth hopeth to gather fruit_. What fruit then do
you bring us from your labors?"
A cela ie responds que par tout, & aussi bien en France, qu'en Canada,
il faut semer auant que moyssonner, & planter auant que recueillir, &
ne point tant estre ou auare, ou impatient, qu'on vueille, comme les
vsuriers, aussi tost le profit que le prest. Combi[~e] que certes au
seruice de Dieu il n'y auroit que despenses, & trauaux, elles ont de
soy-mesme assez grand emolument, & salaire; non ja pour estre despenses
& trauaux, ains pour estre preuues, & exercices de nostre deuoir, &
pieuse volonté enuers nostre liberal donateur de toutes choses nostre
Dieu tout-puissant. Car il [305 i.e., 307] ne poise pas, ny n'estime
nos conseils, & desseins à la balance & au poids des euenements, qui
sont en sa main, & ordonnance; ains à la solidité de nostre vouloir,
à la massiueté de l'entreprinse, à l'integrité de la deuotion, &
deliberation.
To this I answer, that everywhere, in France as well as in Canada,
it is necessary to sow before reaping, and to plant before
gathering, and not to be so avaricious or impatient as to wish,
like usurers, the profit at the same time as the loan. How true it
is that, in the service of God, there should be nothing but expense
and labor, these of themselves being a great enough reward and
salary; not because they are expenses and labors, but because they
are proofs and exercises of our duty and pious willingness towards
the liberal donor of all gifts, our all-powerful God. For he [305
i.e., 307] does not weigh nor judge our counsels and designs in the
balance and by the weight of the results, which are in his hand and
ordinance; but by the firmness of our desire, the greatness of the
enterprise, and the honesty of our devotion and purpose.
Il dispose les euenements comme il luy plaist, les rendant souuent plus
heureux, & plus fructueux, que moins on les recognoit pour tels. _Car
celuy, qui plante n'est rien, ny celui qui arrouse; ains celui, qui
donne accroissement_; lequel accroissement se fait premierement soubs
terre, & hors la veüe des hommes.
He arranges events as it pleases him, often rendering them the more
happy and the more fruitful, the less one recognizes them as such.
_For he that planteth is nothing, nor he that watereth; but he who
giveth the increase_; and this increase is first made under the
ground, and out of the sight of men.
Quant à moy, i'estime vn tres-grand profit en ce que nous auõs
tousiours mieux, & mieux descouuert le naturel de ces terres, & païs:
la disposition des habitans: le moyen de les pouuoir ayder: [306 i.e.,
308] les contrarietez, qui peuuent suruenir au progrez de l'oeuure: &
les secours, qu'il faut opposer à l'ennemy. L'architecte qui fait, &
deffaict ses plans & modeles iusques à la cinq, & sixiesme fois, ne
se pense pas pour cela n'auoir rien faict en son premier, & second
essay, lesquels il aura deffaits pour s'arrester, au sixiesme; Parce
que, dira-il, ce dernier n'a sa perfectiõ, que de l'imperfectiõ des
premiers. De mesme en est-il de l'orateur, qui efface & raye deux,
& trois fois ce qu'il auoit escrit de premiere ardeur, parce que
la beauté, & force des concepts, & paroles, qu'il substituë pour
la quatriesme fois, luy naist de la reiection, & du desplaisir des
precedentes. Aussi de vray, ce n'est pas autrement, que Dieu nous donne
pour l'ordinaire la prudence, & l'ameliorement des choses; sinon [307
i.e., 309] par diuerses experiences, & pour la pluspart de nos fautes
& de celles d'autruy. Nous auons donc vne partie de nos pretensions,
nous auons experimenté: nous sçauõs ce qu'il faut, & ce qui nuit: &
où gist le poinct principal de l'affaire. Les moyens, qu'on a employé
n'ont point esté si grands, ne si proportionnez à plus haute fin, qu'il
faille nous beaucoup mescõtenter de ce que Dieu nous dõne.
For my part, I consider it a great advantage that we have learned
more and more about the nature of these territories and lands,
the character of the inhabitants, the means of helping them,
[306 i.e., 308] the obstacles which are liable to arise against
the progress of the work, and the help that must be given to
oppose the enemy. The architect who makes and unmakes his plans
and models even to the fifth and sixth time, does not think, for
all that, that he has not accomplished anything in his first and
second trials, which he has destroyed to stop at the sixth; for
he will say that the perfection of the last, lies only in the
imperfections of the first. It is thus also with the orator, who
erases and scratches out twice and three times what he has written
in his first enthusiasm, because the beauty and force of the ideas
and words, which he substitutes for the fourth time, come to him
from his rejection of, and dissatisfaction with, the preceding
ones. So, in truth, it is not otherwise that God usually gives us
prudence and the better management of things, only [307 i.e., 309]
through various experiences, and for the most part through our own
faults and those of others. We have done, then, a part of what we
intended to do; we have experimented, we know what is necessary
and what is harmful, and wherein lies the principal part of the
work. The means which have been employed have not been so great,
nor so proportioned to a higher purpose, that we should be greatly
dissatisfied with what God gives us.
Mais encores d'autre costé c'est vn grand fruict, que la confiance &
amitié que les Sauuages ont prinse auecques les François, par la grande
familiarité, & hantise, qu'ils ont eu auec eux. Car tousiours faut-il
mettre ceste base auant que d'esleuer le chapiteau; sçauoir est, de
les nous rendre ou citoyens, ou bons hostes, & amis auant que de les
auoir pour freres. Or ceste confiance, & ceste [308 i.e., 310] priuauté
est ja si grande, que nous viuons entr'eux auec moins de crainte, que
nous ne ferions dans Paris. Car dans Paris nous n'oserions dormir, que
la porte bien verrouïllée; mais là nous ne la fermons que contre le
vent, & si n'en dormons pas pour cela moins asseurez. Au commencement
ils nous fuyoi[~e]t, & craignoyent: ores ils nous desir[~e]t. A nostre
premiere descente, & visite de S. Sauueur, nous fismes semblant, que la
place ne nous agreoyt pas, & que voulions aller autrepart, ces bonnes
gents du lieu en pleuroyent, & lamentoyent. Au contraire, le Sagamo de
Kadesquit, appellé Betsabes, s'en vint pour nous y attirer auec mille
promesses, ayant ouy que nous pretendiõs de nous y aller loger. Est-ce
peu que d'auoir ce si bon fondement de Iustice en nos peuplades, &
ce tant [309 i.e., 311] asseuré gage de bon succez? Et ne faut point
estimer que les autres Nations ayent porté ceste amitié aussi bien que
nous. Car nous sommes tesmoins oculaires, comme lesdicts Sauuages
ayants rencontré vn auantage (à leur aduis) contre les Anglois, se
ruerent sur eux furieusement, pensants comme ie croy tirer quelque
reuenche de l'iniure, qui nous auoit esté faicte: mais le bon-heur
ne les seconda pas en leur attaque. Pareillement, sur la fin de l'an
1611. les Holandois voulans seulement descendre au Cap de la Heue,
pour y faire aiguade, nos Sauuages les assaillirent brusquement, &
en defirent six, entre lesquels estoit le Capitaine du nauire. Il me
semble, que nous serons indignes de ceste bienvueillance, si nous ne
faisons, qu'elle leur profite à aymer celuy, de qui nous [310 i.e.,
312] receuons tous nos biens.
But yet, on the other hand, it is a great result that the French
have won the confidence and friendliness of the Savages, through
the great familiarity and frequent intercourse which they have had
with them. For the foundation must always be laid before raising
the capital; that is, we must make them citizens, or good hosts
and friends, before making them brothers. Now this confidence and
this [308 i.e., 310] intimacy is already so great that we live
among them with less fear than we would in Paris. For in Paris we
can not sleep without having the doors well bolted; but there we
close them against the wind only, and sleep no less securely for
keeping them open. At first they fled from us, and feared us; now
they wish us with them. When we first disembarked and visited St.
Sauveur, and pretended that we did not like the place, and that we
thought of going elsewhere, these simple natives wept and lamented.
On the other hand, the Sagamore of Kadesquit, called "Betsabes,"[8]
came to persuade us, with a thousand promises, to go to his place,
having heard that we had some intention of making a settlement
there. Is it a small thing to have such a foundation of Justice
in our colonies, and this so [309 i.e., 311] sure pledge of great
success? And we must not conclude that other nations have borne
this friendship as well as we, for we are eyewitnesses to the fact
that these Savages, having (as they supposed,) some advantage over
the English, threw themselves upon them with fury, thinking, I
believe, to get revenge for the injury that had been done us; but
they were not successful in their attack. Likewise, towards the
end of the year 1611, the Hollanders merely wishing to land at
Cap de la Heve to take in some fresh water, our Savages assailed
them fiercely, and made away with six of them, among whom was the
Captain of the ship. It seems to me that we will be unworthy of
this friendliness, if we do not so act that it may avail them in
learning to love him, from whom we [310 i.e., 312] receive all our
blessings.
Outre plus, quoy que les Iesuites n'ayent pas baptisé communement les
adultes pour les raisons cy-deuant deduites: si les ont-ils catechisé
tant qu'ils ont peu, & par les yeux, & par les oreilles. Par les yeux,
dy-ie, leur faisant voir nos vs & ceremonies, & les y accoustumants.
En nos Processions nous faisiõs aller les petits enfans au deuãt de
la Croix, & faire quelque seruice, comme de porter les luminaires,
ou autres choses; & tant eux que leurs peres y prenoyent du plaisir,
comme s'ils eussent esté vrayement Chrestiens. Dieu mercy cela est ja
communement gaigné, qu'ils ne veulent point mourir sans baptesme, se
croyans estre miserables à iamais, s'ils trespassent sans iceluy, ou du
moins, sans vne forte volonté d'iceluy, & sans douleur de leurs pechez.
Furthermore, although the Jesuits have not usually baptized adults,
for the reasons heretofore stated, yet they have catechized them
as well as they could, both through the eyes and the ears. Through
the eyes, I say, making them see our usages and ceremonies and
accustoming them thereto. In our Processions we had the little
children march before the Cross, and perform some service, such
as carrying the lights, or other things; and both they and their
fathers take pleasure in this, as if they were really Christians.
Thank God this much has already been accomplished, that they do not
wish to die without baptism, believing that they will be forever
miserable, if they pass away without it, or at least a strong
desire for it, and without sorrow for their sins.
[311 i.e., 313] Le Patriarche Flesche (comme a esté dit) en auoit
baptisé peut estre quatre vingts, les Iesuites seulem[~e]t vne
vingtaine, & iceux petits enfans, hormis trois, qui ont esté baptisés
en extreme necessité de maladie, & sont allés iouïr de la vie
bien-heureuse, apres auoir esté regenerés à icelle, comme aussi
auc[~u]s des petits enfans. Nous auions composé nostre Catechisme en
Sauuageois, & commencions aucunement à pouuoir iargonner auec nos
Catechumenes. Nous dressions vne nouuelle peuplade fort commode:
c'estoit nostre Automne, nostre temps des fruicts: & voila que sur ce
poinct l'enuieux de tout bien, & specialement, du salut humain est venu
de malice à mettre le feu à nos trauaux, & nous emporter hors du champ.
Le victorieux Iesus de sa puissante main: & inuincible [312 i.e., 314]
sapience le confonde. Ainsi soit-il.
[311 i.e., 313] The Patriarch Flesche (as has been said) baptized
perhaps eighty of them, the Jesuits only about twenty, and these
were little children, except three, who were baptized in the last
extremity of sickness, and thence have gone to enjoy a life of
bliss, after having been born again in this life; as have also some
of the little children. We had composed our Catechism in the Savage
language, and had begun to be able to talk some kind of a jargon
with our Catechumens. We were founding a new and very pleasant
colony, it was our Autumn, our time of harvest. And lo, at this
moment, the one who is jealous of all good, and particularly of
human salvation, came and, wickedly setting fire to all our work,
bore us away from the field. May the victorious Jesus, with his
powerful hand, and invincible [312 i.e., 314] wisdom, confound him.
Amen.
CHAPITRE XXXVI. [i.e., xxxv.]
AUCUNES MERUEILLES, QUE DIEU A OPERÉ EN LA GUERISON DES SAUUAGES.
MAIS comme Dieu appelle ceste nation de Sauuages par sa misericorde, &
douceur conuenablement à leur portee, & necessités, ainsi luy a-il pleu
se monstrer à eux benin & secourable. Ie vous remarqueray icy trois de
ces marques bien euidentes, & certaines, faictes en la guerison des
maladies corporelles.