ON THEIR MARRIAGES, AND SPARSENESS OF POPULATION.
CONTRARY to our custom, in their marriages the father does not give
a dower to his daughter to establish her with some one, but [61]
the lover gives beautiful and suitable presents to the father, so
that he will allow him to marry his daughter. The presents will be
in proportion to the rank of the father and beauty of the daughter;
dogs, beavers, kettles, axes, etc. But they have a very rude way
of making love; for the suitor, as soon as he shows a preference
for a girl, does not dare look at her, nor speak to her, nor stay
near her, unless accidentally; and then he must force himself not
to look her in the face, nor to give any sign of his passion,
otherwise he would be the laughingstock of all, and his sweetheart
would blush for him. After a while, the father brings together the
relatives, to talk over the match with them,--whether the suitor is
of proper age, whether he is a good and nimble hunter, his family,
his reputation, his youthful adventures; and if he suits them, they
will [62] lengthen or shorten, or make stipulations as to the time
and manner of his courtship as they may think best; and at the end
of this time, for the nuptials there will be solemn Tabagie and
feasts with speeches, songs and dances.
Selon la coustume du païs, ils peuuent auoir plusieurs femmes,
neantmoins la pluspart de ceux que i'ay veu n'en ont qu'vne: plusieurs
des Sagamos pretendent ne se pouuoir passer de ceste pluralité, non ja
pour cause de luxure (car ceste nation n'est point fort incontinente,)
ains pour autres deux raisons, l'vne à fin de retenir leur authorité,
& puissance ayants plusieurs enfans; car en cela gist la force des
maisons, en multitude d'alliés, & consanguins: la seconde raison est
leur entretien & seruice, qui est grand, & penible, puis qu'ils ont
grande famille & [63] suitte, & partant requiert nombre de seruiteurs &
mesnagers: or n'ont ils autres seruiteurs, esclaues, ou artisants que
les femmes. Les pauurettes endurent toute la misere & fatigue de la
vie: elles font & dressent les maisons, ou cabannes, les fournissent
de feu, de bois & d'eau, apprestent les viandes, boucannent les
chairs & autres prouisions, c'est à dire les seichent à la fumée pour
les conseruer; vont querir la chasse ou ell' a esté tuée, cousent &
radoubent les cauots, accommodent & tendent les peaux, les conroyent
& en font des habits, & des souliers à toute la famille; vont à la
pesche, tirent à l'auiron: en fin subissent tout le trauail, hors celuy
seulement de la grande chasse: outre le soin & la tant oppressante
nourriture de leurs petits. Elles emmaillottent leurs enfans [64] sur
des petits ais, tels que sont ceux qui pend[~e]t aux espaules des
crocheteurs de Paris, les aisles en estãt ostees. Ces ais pend[~e]t à
vne large courroye attachée à leur front, & ainsi chargees de leurs
enfans s'en vont à l'eau, au bois, à la pesche. Si l'enfant crie elles
se mettent à dansotter & chanter, bersants ainsi leur petit, lequel
cessant de plourer, elles poursuiuent leur besongne.
According to the custom of the country, they can have several
wives, but the greater number of them that I have seen have only
one; some of the Sagamores pretend that they cannot do without
this plurality, not because of lust (for this nation is not very
unchaste) but for two other reasons. One is, in order to retain
their authority and power by having a number of children; for
in that lies the strength of the house, in the great number of
allies and connections; the second reason is their entertainment
and service, which is great and laborious, since they have large
families and [63] a great number of followers, and therefore
require a number of servants and housewives; now they have no other
servants, slaves, or mechanics but the women. These poor creatures
endure all the misfortunes and hardships of life; they prepare and
erect the houses, or cabins, furnishing them with fire, wood, and
water; prepare the food, preserve the meat and other provisions,
that is, dry them in the smoke to preserve them; go to bring the
game from the place where it has been killed; sew and repair the
canoes, mend and stretch the skins, curry them, and make clothes
and shoes of them for the whole family; they go fishing and do the
rowing; in short, undertake all the work except that alone of the
grand chase, besides having the care and so weakening nourishment
of their children. They bind their babies [64] upon little slats
like those which hang from the shoulders of street-porters in
Paris, with the wings taken away. These slats hang from a broad
strap fastened to their foreheads; thus burdened with their
children, they go to the water, to the woods, and to fish. If the
child cries they begin to dance and sing, thus rocking their little
one, and when it stops crying they go on with their work.
Pour ces raisons doncques aucuns Sauuages veulent defendre leur
Polygamie, allegans outre ce, qu'ils viendroyent autrement à
defaillance par extreme paucité; ignorants la benediction du mariage
Chrestien. Et partant est digne de plus grande loüange ce leur insigne
Membertou, qui quoi qu'il ait esté le plus grãd Sagamo, le plus suiuy,
& le plus redouté qu'ils ay[~e]t eu de plusieurs siecles, [65] si
n'a-il voulu auoir plus que d'vne femme à la fois, mesmes estant Payen,
iugeant par instinc naturel, que ceste pluralité estoit & infame, &
incommode à raison des riottes, qui en sourdent tousiours, tãt entre
les femmes, qu'entre les enfans de diuers licts.
So for these reasons some of the Savages try to defend their
Polygamy, further alleging that otherwise there would be an
extinction of the family for lack of descendants; ignoring the
blessings of Christian marriage. And therefore their renowned
Membertou is worthy of greater praise, because although he was the
greatest Sagamore, the most followed, and the most feared, that
they had had for several centuries, [65] yet he did not care to
have more than one wife at a time; although a Pagan, judging from
instinct that this plurality was both infamous and troublesome, on
account of the quarrels which always arose from it, as much among
the wives as among the children of different mothers.
Or les femmes, quoy qu'elles ayent tant de peine, comme i'ay dit, si
n'en sont elles pas plus cheries. Les maris les battent comme plastre,
& souuent pour bien leger subject. Vn iour certain François osa tancer
quelque Sauuage, à cest'occasion: le Sauuage luy repliqua en cholere.
Et quoy? Mais as-tu que voir dans ma maison, si ie bats mon chien? La
comparaison estoit mauuaise, la response estoit aiguë. Peu de diuorces
arriuent entr'eux, & (comme ie croy) peu d'adulteres. Si la femme
s'oublioit en cela, ie ne pense pas qu'il [66] y allast de moins que de
la vie de tous les deux adulterans. La faute des filles n'est pas tant
estimée, ny elles ne perdent point pour cela de trouuer party; c'est
tousiours honte neantmoins.
Now these women, although they have so much trouble, as I have
said, yet are not cherished any more for it. The husbands beat
them unmercifully, and often for a very slight cause. One day a
certain Frenchman undertook to rebuke a Savage for this; the Savage
answered angrily: "How now, have you nothing to do but to see into
my house, every time I strike my dog?" The comparison was bad, the
retort was keen. Few divorces occur among them, and (as I believe)
little adultery. If the wife should so far forget herself I do
not believe that it [66] would be less than a matter of life and
death to the two adulterers. The immorality of the girls is not
considered so important, nor do they fail for this reason to find
husbands; yet it is always a disgrace.
Quant à l'exterieur habit, port & facon, les femmes & filles sont
fort pudiques & honteuses, les hommes aussi ne sont point impudens,
& sont fort mal edifiés, quãd quelque fol François ose se iouër auec
leurs femmes. Certain esceruelé s'estant vne fois licentié en cela,
ils vindrent aduiser nostre Capitaine qu'il reprimast ses g[~e]ts,
l'aduertissant que celuy n'auroit pas beau jeu, qui le recommenceroit,
qu'on l'estendroit par terre. On dresse tousiours vne cabane à l'escart
pour les femmes, qui ont leurs mois, car ils les estim[~e]t estre alors
contagieuses.
As to their dress, demeanor, and manners, the women and girls are
very modest and bashful; the men also are not immodest, and are
very much insulted, when some foolish Frenchman dares to meddle
with their women. Once when a certain madcap took some liberties,
they came and told our Captain that he should look out for his men,
informing him that any one who attempted to do that again would not
stand much of a chance, that they would kill him on the spot. They
always put up a separate cabin for the women when they have their
menses, for then they believe them to be infectious.
Ils s'estonnent & se plaignent [67] souu[~e]t de ce que dés que les
Frãçois hantent & ont commerce auec eux, ils se meurent fort, & se
depeuplent. Car ils asseurent qu'auant ceste hantise, & frequentation,
toutes leurs terres estoyent fort populeuses, & historient par ordre
coste par coste, qu'à mesure qu'ils ont plus cõmencé à traffiquer
auecques nous, ils ont plus esté rauagez de maladies: adjoustans, que
la cause pourquoy les Armouchiquoys se maintiennent en leur nombrosité,
c'est à leur aduis, parce qu'ils ne sont point nonchalants. Là dessus
ils alambiquent souuent leur cerueau, & tantost ils opinent, que les
François les empoisonnent, ce qui est faux: tantost qu'ils donnent
du poison aux scelerats, & peruers de leur natiõ, pour s'en seruir à
l'exequution de leur malice. Ceste posterieure coniecture n'est pas
sans [68] exemple: car nous auons veu du reagal, & du sublimé entre
leurs mains, lequel ils disoyent auoir acheté de certains Chirurgiens
François, à fin de faire mourir tous ceux qu'il leur plairoit, & se
vantoyent l'auoir ja experimenté sur vn captif, lequel (disoyent-ils)
estoit mort vn iour apres la prinse. Autres se plaignent qu'on leur
desguise souuent, & sophistique les marchandises, & qu'on leur vend
des pois, febues, prunes, pain, & autres choses gastees? & que c'est
cela qui leur corromp le corps, & dont s'engendr[~e]t les dysenteries
& autres maladies, qui ont coustume de les saisir en Automne. Ceste
raison de mesme ne se propose pas sans productiõ d'exemples, dont ils
ont esté souuent sur le poinct de rompre auecques nous, & de nous
faire la guerre. Certes il y auroit bon besoin de [69] pouruoir à ces
meurtres execrables, par remedes conuenables si lon en pouuoit trouuer
aucun.
They are astonished and often complain [67] that, since the
French mingle with and carry on trade with them, they are dying
fast, and the population is thinning out. For they assert that,
before this association and intercourse, all their countries were
very populous, and they tell how one by one the different coasts,
according as they have begun to traffic with us, have been more
reduced by disease; adding, that the reason why the Armouchiquois
do not diminish in population is because they are not at all
careless. Thereupon they often puzzle their brains, and sometimes
think that the French poison them, which is not true; at other
times that they give poison to the wicked and vicious of their
nation to help them vent their spite upon some one. This last
supposition is not without [68] foundation; for we have seen them
have some arsenic and sublimate which they said they bought from
certain French Surgeons, in order to kill whomsoever they wished,
and boasted that they had already experimented upon a captive, who
(they said) died the day after taking it. Others complain that
the merchandise is often counterfeited and adulterated, and that
peas, beans, prunes, bread, and other things that are spoiled
are sold to them; and that it is that which corrupts the body
and gives rise to the dysentery and other diseases which always
attack them in Autumn. This theory likewise is not offered without
citing instances, for which they have often been upon the point of
breaking with us, and making war upon us. Indeed there would be
great need of [69] providing against these detestable murders by
some suitable remedy if one could be found.
Neantmoins la principale cause de toutes ces morts & maladies n'est
pas ce qu'ils disent: ains c'est à leur honte; que l'Esté nos nauires
venus ils ne cessent de plusieurs sepmaines s'engorger outre mesure
de plusieurs viandes non accoustumés auec oisiueté, d'yurongner, & au
vin adiouster encores l'eau de vie; dont n'est pas de merueille si
despuis l'Automne suiuant, il faut qu'ils endurent des trenchées de
ventre. Ceste nation est fort peu soucieuse de l'auenir, ainsi que tous
les autres Americains, qui iouyssent du present: & ne sont poussez au
trauail, que par la necessité presente. Tandis qu'ils ont dequoy, ils
font tabagie perpetuelle; chants, danses & harangues: & s'ils sont
[70] en troupe, n'attendez pas autre chose; il y a lors belles treues
par les bois. Parler de reserue s'ils ne sont en guerre, sont propos
de sedition. Ils auront faim l'Hyuer, leur dirés vous: _Endriex_,
vous respondront: c'est tout vn; nous l'endurons facilement: nous
passons les sept & huict iours, voire les dix aucunefois sans manger,
si n'en mourons point pour cela. Toutesfois s'ils sont à part, & où
leurs f[~e]mes puissent estre creuës (car les femmes sont par tout
plus mesnageres) ils feront aucunesfois des magasins pour l'Hyuer, où
ils se reserueront quelques chairs boucanées: quelques racines, du
gland espeluché en noyaux, quelques pois, ou febues, ou pruneaux de
la trocque, &c. La façon de ces magasins est telle. Ils mettent ces
prouisions dans des sacs qu'ils enueloppent dans des [71] grandes &
amples escorces; lesquelles ils suspendent en l'air aux branches de
deux ou trois arbres, liées par ensemble, à ce que les rats ny les
autres bestes, ny l'humidité de la terre, ne les endommage. Voila leurs
magasins. Qui les gardera? eux s'en allants: car s'ils demeuroyent,
leurs magasins iroyent bien tost par terre; ils s'en vont doncques
autre part iusques au temps de famine: Telles sont les gardes, qu'ils
y mettent. Aussi de vray ceste nation n'est point larronnesse. Pleust
à Dieu, que les Chrestiens, qui vont à eux ne dõnassent en cela point
de scandale. Mais auiourd'huy si on soupçonne aucun Sauuage d'auoir
desrobé, aussi tost il vous mettra deuant le nez ceste belle defense.
_Nous ne sommes point larrons, comme vous, Ilinen auio aciquoan guiro
derquir._
Nevertheless the principal cause of all these deaths and diseases
is not what they say it is, but it is something to their shame;
in the Summer time, when our ships come, they never stop gorging
themselves excessively during several weeks with various kinds
of food not suitable to the inactivity of their lives; they get
drunk, not only on wine but on brandy; so it is no wonder that they
are obliged to endure some gripes of the stomach in the following
Autumn. This nation takes little care for the future, but, like
all the other Americans, enjoys the present; they are not urged
on to work except by present necessity. As long as they have
anything, they are always celebrating feasts and having songs,
dances and speeches; if there is [70] a crowd of them you need
not expect anything else; there are then some fine truces in the
woods. To speak of restraint, when they are not at war, is equal
to proposing a riot. If you tell them that they will be hungry in
the Winter: _Endriex_, they will answer you, "It is all the same to
us, we shall stand it well enough: we spend seven and eight days,
even ten sometimes, without eating anything, yet we do not die."
Nevertheless, if they are by themselves and where they may safely
listen to their wives (for women are everywhere better managers),
they will sometimes make some storehouses for the Winter, where
they will keep smoked meat, roots, shelled acorns, peas, beans, or
prunes bought from us, etc. The storehouses are like this;--They
put these provisions in sacks, which they tie up in [71] big
pieces of bark; these they suspend from the interlacing branches
of two or three trees so that neither rats nor other animals,
nor the dampness of the ground, can injure them. These are their
storehouses. Who is to take care of them when they go away? for,
if they stay, their stores would soon be consumed; so they go
somewhere else until the time of famine. Such are the only guards
they leave. For in truth this is not a nation of thieves. Would to
God that the Christians who go among them would not set them a bad
example in this respect. But as it is now, if a certain Savage is
suspected of having stolen anything he will immediately throw this
fine defense in your teeth, _We are not thieves, like you, Ilinen
auio aciquoan guiro derquir_.
Reuenants à la paucité de ce [72] peuple, il y a encores des autres
raisons d'icelle, ceste-cy principalement: qu'en vne vie tant inegale,
si disetteuse, & tant laborieuse, le naturel luy peut durer, s'il
n'est bien fort; & le fort mesme y reçoit des accidents souuent, &
heurts irremediables. Leurs femmes aussi à cause du grand trauail ne
sont pas si fecondes: car c'est le plus, si elles enfantent de deux
en deux ans. Aussi ne pourroyent elles nourrir leur fruict, si elles
accouchoy[~e]t plus souuent; veu mesmes qu'elles alaictent leurs enfans
iusques à trois ans, si elles peuu[~e]t. Leur couche ne dure guieres,
deux heures: souuent en chemin elles se deliurent, & vn peu apres
reprendront leur trauail comme deuant.
Returning to the sparseness of the [72] population, there are still
some other reasons for it; this being the principal one, that
in a life so irregular, so necessitous and so painful, a man's
constitution cannot hold out unless it be very strong, and even
then he is liable to accidents and irremediable injuries. Their
wives, on account of their heavy work, are not very prolific, for
at most they do not have children oftener than every two years,
and they are not able to nourish their offspring if they have them
oftener, as they nurse them for three years if they can.[19] Their
confinement lasts hardly two hours; often the children are born on
the march, and a little while afterward the mothers will go on with
their work as before.
Ie me suis enquis souuent, combien grand pourroit estre le nombre de
ce peuple: I'ay trouué par [73] la Relation des Sauuages mesmes, que
dans l'enclos de la grande riuiere, dés les Terres Neufues iusques
à Chouacoët, on ne sçauroit trouuer plus de neuf ou dix mill'ames.
Regardez la carte, & ie vous en donneray le denombrement. Tous les
Souriquoys 3000. ou 3500. Les Eteminquois iusques à Pentegoët 2500.
Dés Pentegoët iusques à Kinibequi, & de Kinibequi iusques à Chouacoët
3000. Les Montaguets 1000. Voila enuiron dix mill'ames, & ie crois que
c'est pour le plus. Les autres peuples ne nous sõt pas cogneus. Aduisez
combien veritablement, & emphatiquement a parlé le S. Esprit par la
bouche d'Isaye de ces pauures Sauuages dispersez, soubs la metaphore
propre & conuenable d'vn grãd vergier, ou parterre sauuagin, &
forestier. _Il ne fait que florir encores, sur le temps de la recolte_,
[74] dit-il, _Il germe, quand il deuroit estre venu à maturité: Il
le faut lors émonder, & tailler; C'est pourquoy ses fruicts sont
delaissez aux oyseaux des montagnes & bestes de la terre: Les oyseaux
jucheront sur luy tout l'Esté; & toutes les bestes de terre hyuerneront
sur luy._ Car certainement, ce pauure peuple, comme vn grand plan de
sauuageons mal nez, & de mauuaise venuë, quand par le laps & experience
des siecles, il deuroit estre venu à quelque perfection des arts,
sciences, & raison: Qu'il en deuroit auoir produict fruict abondant
en philosophie, police, moeurs, & commoditez de la vie; qu'il deuroit
estre ja disposé à la maturité du S. Euangile, pour estre recueilly
en la maisõ de Dieu: voila qu'on ne le voit sinon chetif & rare,
donné la pasture des corbeaux, hiboux & cocus infernaux: & la curee
maudite des renards, [75] ours, sangliers, & dragons spirituels. O
Dieu de misericorde! n'aurez vous point pitié de ce desastre? Ne
ietterez-vous point vos yeux de douceur sur ce pauure desert? Benin,
& pieux laboureur, faictes que la prophetie, qui suit se verifie en
nous en nostre âge. _En ce t[~e]ps là present sera apporté au Seigneur
des Armées par le peuple rompu, & deschiré, par le peuple terrible,
apres qui n'en y a point d'autre; La nation attendãte, attendante,
& mesprisee, de qui les fleuues ont gasté la terre; au lieu où est
inuoqué le nom du Seigneur des Armées à la montagne de Sion._ Ainsi
soit-il.
I have often wondered how many of these people there are. I
have found from [73] the Accounts of the Savages themselves, that
in the region of the great river, from Newfoundland to Chouacoët,
there cannot be found more than nine or ten thousand people. Look
at the chart and I will give you the enumeration of them. The
Souriquoys, in all, 3000, or 3500. The Eteminquois to Pentegoët,
2500. From Pentegoët to Kinibequi and from Kinibequi to Chouacoët,
3000. The Montaguets, 1000. This is about ten thousand souls, and I
believe it is the highest number. The other tribes are not known to
us. Consider how truly and emphatically the Holy Spirit has spoken
through the mouth of Isaiah about these poor scattered Savages,
under the fitting and appropriate comparison of a great orchard
or garden, wild and uncultivated. He says: _At the time of the
harvest there are still nothing but buds,_ [74] _At the time of the
ripening, they are springing up: Then must he cut off the sprigs
with pruning hooks: Therefore the fruits are left to the fowls
of the mountain, and to the beasts of the earth; the fowls shall
Summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter
upon them._ For in truth this people, who, through the progress
and experience of centuries, ought to have come to some perfection
in the arts, sciences and philosophy, is like a great field of
stunted and ill-begotten wild plants, a people which ought to have
produced abundant fruits in philosophy, government, customs, and
conveniences of life; which ought to be already prepared for the
completeness of the Holy Gospel, to be received in the house of
God. Yet behold it wretched and dispersed, given up to ravens,
owls, and infernal cuckoos, and to be the cursed prey of spiritual
foxes, [75] bears, boars, and dragons. O, God of mercy! wilt thou
not have pity upon this misery? Wilt thou not look upon this poor
wilderness with a favoring eye? Kind and pious husbandman, so
act that the prophecy which follows may be fulfilled upon us and
in our time. _In that time shall a present be brought unto the
Lord of Hosts from a people rent, and torn in pieces, a terrible
people, after which there hath been no other; A nation expecting,
expecting, and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have
spoiled; to the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts, the mount
Sion._ Amen.
CHAPITRE VII.
[76] DE LA MEDECINE DES SAUUAGES.
IL est asseuré, que les disettes grandes suffoquent l'esprit, &
l'oppressent de leur importun & tyrannique seruice, en sorte qu'à
peine peut-il reuenir à soy iamais, ou se regaillardir en quelques
gentiles considerations: non pas mesme songer aux autres moindres
necessitez pour leur aller au deuant, ou les alleger; preoccupé
tousiours & violenté par les plus fortes. Nous voyons cecy en nos
pauures Sauuages, lesquels pour ne viure qu'au iour à la iournée, &
par consequent tousiours asseruis à la crainte de la faim, premiere, &
plus forte necessité de toutes, n'ont moyen de cultiuer leur esprit en
la recherche des [77] sciences; non pas mesme de se pouruoir des ars,
& industries pour l'aisance, & ameliorement de la vie, ny pour fournir
aux autres defauts, quoy que bien pressants. A ceste cause donc ils
manquent non seulement de toutes lettres & beaux artifices; ains aussi
(chose miserable) de medecine, soit pour l'entretenement de leur santé,
soit pour le secours de leurs maladies, sinon en ce peu que ie diray.