THE VOYAGE, AND ARRIVAL AT PORT ROYAL.
NEVER was the coming of the high tide more opportune to a stranded
ship to free it from the shallow waters, and place it again upon
the high sea with its prow turned toward home, than was the meeting
of the Jesuit partners with sieur Robin, to arrange for the
equipment of his vessel for Canada, and to deliver it from the bars
among which it was entangled. For he was the son of a gentleman and
you may judge that he did not have millions at command; [138] his
father also did not want to hear about the voyages beyond the sea,
having quite recently undertaken the great salt enterprise, which
required so great a capital and investment, as every one knows. I
say this because the factionist writer, misjudging the blessings
of God, lays it at the door of the Jesuits that sieur de Biencourt
did not depart sooner from Dieppe to new France; it was, however,
just the contrary, since it was for their sake that money was
found to unfurl the sails to the wind, which could not have been
done without it. So they left their moorings the twenty-sixth of
January, 1611, with all the more joy since the disputes and delays
had caused so much vexation. Yet they departed too soon for such
a late arrival, for four months were consumed in the voyage; and
first they went to land [139] at Campseau, on account of which
they were compelled thereafter to keep near the shore, with stops
at several places. Along this coast to Port Royal, it is about one
hundred and twenty leagues.
En nostre route nous eusmes le rencontre du sieur Champlain, qui
tiroit à Kebec parmy les glaces sur la fin du moys d'Auril. Ces
glaces estoyent monstrueuses, car en aucuns endroits la mer en estoit
toute couuerte, autant qu'on pouuoit estendre la veuë. Et pour passer
à trauers, falloit les rompre auec barres & leuiers apposez aux
escobilles, ou bec du nauire; elles estoyent d'eau douce & auoyent
esté charriées plus de cent lieuës auant en haute, & pleine mer par la
grande riuiere S. Laurens. En aucuns endroits apparoissoyent des hauts,
& prodigieux glaçons nageants, & flottans, esleuez de [140] trente
& quarante brasses, gros, & larges cõme si vous ioigniez plusiears
chasteaux ensemble, & comme vous diriés, si l'Eglise nostre Dame de
Paris auec vne partie de son Isle, maisons, & palais alloit flottant
dessus l'eau. Les Holãdois en ont bien veu de plus enormes & prodigieux
à Spitbergen, & au destroit de Vbaïgats, si ce qu'ils en ont publié
est veritable. Nous arriuasmes à port Royal le 22. de Iuin de la mesme
annee 1611. le S. iour de la Pentecoste.
On our way, towards the last of April, we had seen sieur Champlain,
who was making his way through the icebergs to Kebec. These masses
of ice were enormous, for the sea was in some places covered with
them as far as the eye could reach. And, to cross them, they had to
be broken with bars and pointed irons inserted in the escobilles or
beak of the ship; it was fresh-water ice, and had drifted down more
than a hundred leagues to the deep and open sea through the great
St. Lawrence river. In some places there appeared vast and lofty
pieces of floating and wavering ice, [140] thirty and forty fathoms
out of the water, as big and broad as if several castles were
joined together, or, as you might say, as if the Church of notre
Dame de Paris, with part of its Island, houses, and palaces should
go floating out upon the water. The Hollanders have seen still more
enormous and wonderful ones at Spit[z]bergen, and in the strait of
Ubaïgats,[34] if what they have published about them is true. We
arrived at port Royal the 22nd of June of the same year, 1611, the
Holy day of Pentecost.[35]
Mais auant que mettre pied à terre disons vn mot touchant l'estat
auquel les Iesuites ont vescu pendant le voyage. Car quoy que ce soyent
choses de peu de consequence elles sont toutesfois necessaires pour
fermer la bouche au mensonge. La verité doncques est, Premierement,
qu'il n'eurent aucun seruiteur en tout ce voyage, [141] sinõ leur
propres pieds, & bras: s'il falloit lauer leur linge, si nettoyer
leur habits, si les rapiecer, si pouruoir à aultres necessités ils
auoyent priuilege de le faire eux mesmes aussi bi[~e] que le moindre.
Secondement ils ne se mesloyent d'aucun gouuernement, ny ne faisoyent
aucun semblant d'auoir point de droict ou puissance dans le nauire;
le sieur de Biencourt faisoit tout, seul maistre, & absolu: laquelle
forme d'humilité ils ont tousiours cõtinuée despuis à port Royal.
Leurs ordinaires exercices estoyent de chanter le seruice diuin les
Dimanches, & festes, auec vne petite exhortation ou sermõ: tous
les iours le matin, & soir ils assembloy[~e]t toute la troupe pour
la priere, & le Caresme par l'hexhortation, trois fois seulem[~e]t
la semaine. Leur conuersation estoit telle, que le capitaine Iean
d'Aune [142] & le pilote Dauid de Bruges, tous deux de la Pretenduë
en r[~e]dirent tesmoignage auec grande approbation au sieur de
Potrincourt, & ont deposé souuent depuis dans Dieppe, & autre part,
qu'ils auoyent cogneu lors les Iesuites pour tout autres, qu'on ne
les leur auoit figuré auparauant, sçauoir est pour gens honnestes,
courtois, & de bonne conuention & conscience.
But before going ashore, let us say a word about the way in
which the Jesuits lived during the voyage. For although these are
things of little consequence, they are, nevertheless, necessary to
close the mouth of falsehood. The truth then is this: First, that
they had no servant during the entire voyage, [141] except their
own hands and feet: if their linen was to be washed, their clothes
cleaned and patched, if other needs had to be provided for, they
had the privilege of doing it themselves, as well as the least.
Secondly, they did not meddle with any one's authority, or make
any pretense of having control or rights over the ship: sieur de
Biencourt was in everything, sole and absolute master: and this
kind of submissiveness they always continued afterward at port
Royal. Their usual exercises were singing divine service Sundays
and holidays, with a little exhortation or sermon: every morning
and evening, they assembled the whole crew for prayer, and during
Lent for exhortation, only three times a week. Their conversation
was such, that captain Jean d'Aune [142] and the pilot, David de
Bruges, both of the Pretended Religion,[31] have often expressed
their approval of it to sieur de Potrincourt; and frequently since
then, in Dieppe and other places, have affirmed that they then
found the Jesuits quite different from what they had previously
been pictured to them, namely, honest and courteous men, of good
conduct and pure consciences.
CHAPITRE XV. [i.e., xiv.]
L'ESTAT, AUQUEL ESTOIT LE SIEUR DE POTRINCOURT LORS DE CEST'ARRIUÉE, &
SON VOYAGE AUX ETECHEMINS.
LA ioye de l'arriuée fut grãde d'vn costé, & d'autre. Grande aux
arriuants à cause de leur desir, & de l'ennuy supporté en vne si longue
nauigation: [143] mais bien plus redoublée au sieur de Potrincourt,
qui auoit esté en de grandes peines, & apprehensions durant tout
l'Hyuer. Car ayant eu auec soy vingt & trois personnes, sans prouisions
suffisantes pour les nourrir, il auoit esté contrainct d'en cõgedier
aucuns pour s'en aller auec les Sauuages, viure auec eux: aux autres le
pain auoit manqué six, ou sept sepmaines durant, & sans l'assistance
des mesmes Sauuages, ie ne sçay si tout ne leur eust miserablement
failly. Or le secours, que nous leur apportions n'estoit quasi que,
comme l'on dit, vn verre d'eau à vn bien alteré. Premierement parce
que nous estions trente-six, en nostre equipage, lesquels adioustez à
23. hõmes, qu'il y auoit, cinquãte neuf bouches se retrouuoyent tous
les iours à sa table. Et Membertou le Sauuage [144] par dessus, auec
sa fille, & sa sequelle. En apres nous auions demeuré quatre mois sur
mer: & par ainsi nos prouisions estoyent fort diminuées, veu mesmement,
que nostre vaisseau estoit fort petit, sçauoir est de cinquante, ou
soixante tonneaux, & plus prouisionné pour la pesche, que pour autre
chose. A cest'occasion donc ce fut à Monsieur de Potrincourt de penser
plustost comm'il renuoyeroit promptement ceste si grande famille, de
peur qu'elle ne consumast tout, que non pas de procurer la trocque, &
la pesche, esquelles neantmoins gisoit tout l'espoir de ressource pour
vn secõd voyage. Si ne pouuoit-il s'empescher totalement de trocquer;
car il falloit faire de l'argent, & pour payer les gages de ses
seruiteurs, & pour estant en France, aller, & venir.