de ce village, ayeule de l'autre Marie. Celle-cy vit encore, & attribuë
sa guerisõ à la vertu du S. Baptesme, le publiant par tout. En effet
elle estoit quasi aux abois, & dés qu'elle fut lauée de ces sacrées
eaux, elle commença à se mieux porter. Le 20. d'Octobre, ie partis
pour aller à la Nation du Petun: en ce voyage Dieu me fit la faueur de
baptifer & enuoyer au Ciel trois petits enfans, l'vn desquels entre
autres alloit ietter les derniers souspirs quãd i'arriuay dãs sa
cabane, où à peine eus-je le loisir [185] de l'ondoyer. Au retour du
voyage, ie trouuay que le P. Daniel auoit baptisé Ioseph _Ioutaya_,
qu'on croyoit deuoir expirer sur le chãp. Ie l'auois instruit
auparauãt. Il a suruécu long temps, tousiours languissant, & faisant
beaucoup d'actes de vertu. Nous l'auons assisté corporellement &
spirituellement; si bien que luy & toute sa cabane n'attribuoient la
prolongatiõ de sa vie, qu'au double secours qu'il a receu de nostre
part. En fin estant mort heureusement dãs la cõfession & inuocatiõ
du vray Dieu, & dans la repentãce de ses pechez, nous l'enterrasmes
solẽnellement comme il l'auoit desiré. Nous auõs admiré le soin, la
charité & la perseuerãce de sa fẽme, dãs les deuoirs & seruices qu'elle
luy rẽdoit pendãt vne fort longue, fort salle, & fort puãte maladie.
Elle & toute sa cabane (où nous en auons déja baptisé trois) nous
est demeurée [186] fort affectionnée, & ils m'ont protesté plusieurs
fois qu'ils seroient tous à la vie, à la mort, & au delà en nostre
disposition. Mais nous ne les iugeons pas encore assez instruits. C'est
en ceste cabane où demeure le premier Huron que i'aye iamais baptizé
qui fut l'an mil six cens vingt-neuf, auant nostre depart de ce Pays.
C'estoit vn petit enfant tenu pour mort, lequel sembla renaistre &
reuiure doublement dans les eaux viuifiantes du sainct Baptesme. Il vit
encore aagé d'enuiron cinq ans, & est fort gentil.
On the 26th of the same month, I baptized Marie _Oquiaendis_, the
mother of the Captain of this village, grandmother of the other
Marie. She is still living, and attributes her recovery to the
virtue of Holy Baptism, publishing it everywhere. In truth, she
was almost gone; and as soon as she was washed with the sacred
waters she began to improve. On the 20th of October, I set out to
go to the Tobacco Nation.[40] In this journey God granted me the
favor of baptizing and sending to Heaven three little children,
one of whom, among others, was about to give forth his last breath
when I reached the lodge and had scarcely time [185] to sprinkle
him. When I returned from the journey I found that Father Daniel
had baptized Joseph _Joutaya_, who was believed to be at the point
of death. I had instructed him previously. He survived a long
time, in a languishing condition, and doing many acts of virtue.
We helped him both bodily and spiritually; so well that he and all
his family attributed the prolongation of his life to nothing but
the double assistance he had received from us. At last, having
happily died in the confession and invocation of the true God, and
in repentance for his sins, we solemnly interred him as he had
desired. We admired the care, the charity, and the perseverance
of his wife in the duties and services she rendered to him during
a long, very dirty, and very disgusting sickness. She and all her
house, (where we have already baptized three) have continued [186]
warmly attached to us; and they have often protested to me that
they will all be, in life, in death, and beyond, at our service.
But we do not judge them yet sufficiently instructed. It is this
cabin where lives the first Huron I ever baptized, which was in the
year one thousand six hundred and twenty-nine, before our departure
from this Country. It was a little child, looked upon as dead,
who seemed to be born and live again in a double sense, in the
life-imparting waters of holy Baptism. He still lives, being about
five years of age, and is very gentle.
Le vingt-vniesme d'Octobre fut baptizé Ioseph _Sondaarouhané_, aagé
d'enuiron quarante ou cinquante ans; il auoit vne grande bonté &
douceur naturelle, & m'estoit de longue main affectionné; il rendit son
bienheureux esprit à Dieu le vingtiesme Nouembre. Le mesme [187] iour
fut baptisé Ioachim _Tsindacaiendoua_, vieillard de 80. ans. C'estoit
vn des Hurons du meilleur naturel que i'aye connu, le lendemain il
quitta cette vie pour en commencer vne meilleure, comme nous croyons:
nous l'enterrasmes solemnellement en vn lieu separé. Cette ceremonie
attira sur nous les yeux de tout le village, & causa à plusieurs le
desir qu'on honorast leur sepulture de cette façon, notamment à Ioseph
_Ioutaia_, cy dessus mentionné: lequel apres les obseques acheuées me
dit qu'il eust esté bien aise que nous eussions passé au trauers de sa
cabane en l'estat que nous estions habillez, pour nous veoir du lieu
où la maladie le tenoit attaché: car on luy en auoit fait tant de cas,
qu'il declara authentiquement vouloir estre enterré de nos mains, ce
qui fut fait.
On the twenty-first of October, was baptized Joseph
_Sondaarouhané_, about forty or fifty years of age. He had great
goodness and natural sweetness, and had been attached to me
for a long time. He yielded up his blessed spirit to God, on
the twentieth of November. On the same [187] day was baptized
Joachim _Tsindacaiendoua_, an old man of 80 years. He was one of
the best-natured Hurons I have ever known. The next day he left
this life, to begin a better one, as we believe; we interred him
solemnly in a separate place. This ceremony attracted upon us
the eyes of the whole village, and caused several to desire that
we should honor their burial in the same way,--notably Joseph
_Joutaia_, the one above-mentioned, who, after the obsequies were
over, told me that he would have been very glad if we had passed
through his cabin in the style in which we were dressed, so that he
might see us from the place in which sickness kept him bound; for
they had talked so much to him about the matter that he declared of
his own will that he wished to be interred by our hands, which was
done.
[188] Puisque ie suis retombé sur le propos de cét homme, ie diray
vne chose memorable qui luy arriua apres son Baptesme. Le Diable
luy apparut vn iour en forme d'vn sien frere decedé. Entrant dans sa
cabane, il ne le salüa pas, & s'asseyant de l'autre cofté du feu, vis
à vis de nostre nouueau Chrestien, il demeura long-temps sans parler.
En fin prenant la parole, il luy dit, Quoy donc mon frere, vous nous
voulez quitter? Nostre Ioseph, qui n'estoit pas encore assez duit en
cette milice, respondit: non, mõ frere, ie ne vous veux pas quitter, ie
ne vous quitteray point; & dit-on qu'alors ce faux frere commença à le
caresser. Toutesfois il a depuis protesté plusieurs fois qu'il desiroit
aller au Ciel.
[188] Since I have referred to this man's decision, I will tell
a memorable thing which happened to him after his Baptism. The
Devil appeared to him in the form of one of his deceased brothers.
Entering his cabin without any salutation, he sat down on the other
side of the fire opposite our new Christian, and remained a long
time without speaking. At last beginning to speak, he said to him,
"How now, my brother, do you wish to leave us?" Our Joseph, who was
not yet sufficiently equipped for this warfare, replied, "No, my
brother, I don't wish to leave you; I will not leave you," and it
is said this false brother then began to caress him. Still, he has
since declared several times that he desired to go to Heaven.
Le vingt-septiesme de Nouembre Martin Tsicok, vieillard desia [189]
fort aagé, & d'vne humeur fort douce, fut baptisé. Ce bon hõme ne
cessa d'inuoquer Iesus & Marie depuis son baptesme iusques au 15.
Decembre qu'il mourut. Ie commençay à l'instruire par cette verité:
que nos ames apres la mort alloient toutes en Enfer ou en Paradis: Que
le Paradis estoit vn lieu remply de delices & de contentemens: & au
contraire, l'Enfer, vn lieu de feux, de peines & de tourmens eternels.
Qu'au reste, il auisast, tandis qu'il estoit encore en vie, auquel
de ces deux lieux il vouloit aller, & demeurer pour iamais. Alors ce
bon vieillard se tournant vers sa femme, Ma femme, luy dit-il, ne
vaut-il pas bien mieux aller au Ciel? I'ay peur de ces effroyables feux
d'enfer: sa femme fut de mesme aduis; & ainsi il presta volontiers
l'oreille aux instructiõs qu'on luy dõna.
On the twenty-seventh of November, Martin Tsicok, already a very
[189] old man and of a very gentle disposition, was baptized. This
good man did not cease to invoke Jesus and Mary from his baptism
until the 15th of December, when he died. I began to instruct
him with this truth, that our souls after death all go to Hell
or to Paradise; that Paradise is a place full of delights and
contentment, and on the contrary that Hell is a place of fires, of
pains, and eternal torments; that, besides, he should think, while
he was yet in life, to which of these places he desired to go and
dwell forever. Then this good old man, turning to his wife, said to
her, "My wife, is it not indeed better to go to Heaven? I am afraid
of those horrible fires of hell." His wife was of the same opinion,
and thus he willingly listened to the instructions we gave him.
Le dixneufiesme Ianuier, ie partis [190] pour aller en la maison de
Louys de saincte Foy, distante de nostre village de sept ou huict
lieuës. Ie n'auois peû ny deu y aller plustost, pour ce qu'il estoit
allé en la Nation neutre querir son Pere, qui y estoit demeuré perclus.
On the nineteenth of January, I set out [190] for the house of
Louys de saincte Foy, distant from our village seven or eight
leagues. I had been neither able nor willing to go sooner, as he
had gone to the neutral Nation[41] to seek his father, who had
remained there, a cripple.
En ce voyage, passant par _Onnentissati_, i'allay voir vn nommé
_oukhahitoüa_, qui auoit l'an passé embarqué vn de nos hommes: le
trouuant à l'extremité, ie l'instruisis, il creut, il detesta sa vie
passée, il fut baptisé sous le nom de François, & deux iours apres
quitta ce monde pour s'enuoler au Ciel.
On this journey passing through _Onnentissati_,[42] I went to see
a man named _oukhahitoüa_, who last year embarked one of our men.
Finding him dying, I instructed him; he believed, he detested his
past life, he was baptized under the name of François, and two days
later quitted this world to fly to Heaven.
Le vingt-neufiesme de Mars nous baptisames solemnellement en nostre
petite Chapelle Ioseph Oatij: François petit Pré luy seruit de Parain,
plusieurs y assisterent. Il y auoit long-temps que nous l'instruisions;
c'est pourquoy il respondit [191] luy-mesme aux interrogations
que ie luy faisois en langue Huronne. Ce bon ieune homme estoit
d'vne complexion fort valetudinaire; nous l'auions gaigné par vne
continuelle assistance, qui l'auoit remis par deux fois: de sorte que
tres-volontiers il remit entre nos mains le soin de son ame, laquelle
alla heureusement à Dieu le quatorziesme Auril, apres auoir esté
fortifiée du Sacrement d'extreme-Onction.
On the twenty-ninth of March, we solemnly baptized in our little
Chapel Joseph Oatij; François petit Pré[43] was his Godfather,
and many were present. We had been instructing him a long time,
and hence he replied [191] personally to the questions I put to
him in the Huron tongue. This good young man was of a very sickly
constitution; we had gained him by continual assistance, which
had twice saved his life; so that he willingly put in our hands
the care of his soul, which went happily to God on the fourteenth
of April, after having been fortified by the Sacrament of extreme
Unction.
Nous auons sur tout admiré sa patience, & sa tranquillité d'esprit,
principalement depuis le baptesme. A peine auions nous commencé à
l'instruire, qu'il commença à dire fort souuent & de iour & de nuict;
Iesus ayez pitié de moy. Marie & Ioseph secourez moy.
We especially admired his patience and tranquility of mind,
especially after his baptism. Scarcely had we begun to instruct him
when he began to say very often, both by day and by night, "Jesus,
have pity on me! Mary and Joseph, help me!"
Finalement le vingtiesme d'Auril, ie baptisay à Oënrio vne femme fort
vieille. Elle deceda le vingt-quatriesme; [192] du commencement que
ie l'abborday, & que ie luy demanday si elle vouloit aller au Ciel
ou en Enfer: elle ne respondoit autre chose, sinon qu'elle iroit où
son fils voudroit. Mais luy ayant esté dit que son pere feu Ioachim
_Tsindacaiendoua_ estoit allé au Ciel: I'y veux donc aller, dit-elle.
Lastly, on the twentieth of April, I baptized at Oënrio a very old
woman, who died on the twenty-fourth. [192] At first, when I talked
to her, and asked her whether she wished to go to Heaven or to
Hell, she did not answer, except to say that she would go where her
son wished. But having told her that her father, the late Joachim
_Tsindacaiendoua_, had gone to Heaven, she said, "Then I wish to go
there!"
Ce sont là les fruicts que nous auons recueilly de nos visites, &
instructions particulieres. Ie croy que la moisson eust esté plus
grande, si i'eusse peu abandonner nostre village, & parcourir les
autres. Plaise à nostre Seigneur accepter ces petites premices, & nous
donner les forces & les moyens d'en faire dauantage. On en a instruit
beaucoup d'autres, qui demandoient le Baptesme fort instãment. Mais ne
les voyant pas en dãger de mort, nous les auons reseruez pour vne plus
grãde instructiõ.
These, then, are the fruits that we have gathered from our visits
and private instructions. I believe the harvest would have been
greater if I could have left our village, and visited the others.
May it please our Lord to accept these few first fruits, and give
us strength and opportunities to gather more of them. We have
instructed many others, who asked very urgently for Baptism; but
not seeing them in danger of death, we have kept them back for
further instructions.
[193] Enuiron le mois de Decembre les neiges commencerent à prendre
pied, & les Sauuages se rendirent sedentaires dans le village. Car
tout l'Esté, & tout l'Automne, ils sont la plus-part ou dans des
cabanes chãpestres à prendre garde à leurs bleds, ou sur le lac à la
pesche, ou en traite; ce qui n'est pas vne petite incommodité pours
les instruire. Les voyãt donc ainsi reünis, au commencemẽt de ceste
année, nous resolusmes de prescher publiquement à tous, & leur faire
cognoistre le sujet de nostre venuë en leur Pays, qui n'est pas pour
leurs pelleteries, mais pour leur annoncer le vray Dieu, & son fils
Iesus-Christ, Sauueur vniuersel de nos ames.
[193] About the month of December, the snow began to lie on the
ground, and the Savages settled down in the village. For, during
the whole Summer and Autumn, they are for the most part either in
their rural cabins, taking care of their crops, or on the lake
fishing, or trading; which makes it not a little inconvenient to
instruct them. Seeing them, therefore, thus gathered together at
the beginning of this year, we resolved to preach publicly to all,
and to acquaint them with the reason of our coming into their
Country, which is not for their furs, but to declare to them the
true God and his son, Jesus Christ, the universal Savior of our
souls.
Nous faisons cette Instruction ou Catechisme en nostre cabane: car nous
n'auons point encore d'autre Eglise capable. C'est le plus souuent
[194] que nous pouuons: car leurs festins, leurs danses, & leurs ieux,
les occupent tellement, qu'on ne les assemble pas comme l'on veut.
We gave the Instruction or Catechism in our cabin, for we had as
yet no other suitable Church. This is often the most [194] we can
do; for their feasts, dances, and games so occupy them that we
cannot get them together as we would like.
La façon ordinaire que nous y tenons est cette-cy. Nous appellons le
monde par le moyen du Capitaine du village, qui les assemble tous chez
nous comme en Conseil, ou bien au son de la clochette. Ie me sers du
surplis & du bonnet carré, pour donner plus de maiesté. Au commencement
nous chantons à genoux le _Pater noster_ reduit en vers Hurons. Le P.
Daniel comme autheur de cela chante vn couplet tout seul, & puis nous
le rechantons tous ensemble, & ceux d'entre les Hurons, principalement
les petits enfans qui le sçauent desia, prennent plaisir de chanter
auec nous, & les autres d'escouter. Cela fait, comme vn chacun est
assis, ie me leue, & fais [195] faire le signe de la Croix à tous,
puis ayãt recapitulé ce que i'ay dit la derniere fois, i'explique
quelque chose de nouueau. Apres cela nous interrogeons les ieunes
enfans, & les filles, donnans ou vn petit canon de verre, ou de la
racade à ceux qui l'ont merité. Les parents sont fort aises de veoir
leurs enfans bien dire, & remporter quelque petit prix, dont ils se
rendent dignes par le soin qu'ils ont de venir en particulier se faire
instruire. Nous de nostre costé, pour leur donner plus d'emulation,
faisons reprendre chaque leçon, par nos deux petits garçons François,
qui s'entreinterrogent l'vn l'autre; ce qui rauit les Sauuages en
admiration. En fin tout se conclud par le discours des Anciens, qui
proposent leurs difficultez, & quelquesfois me [196] font escouter à
mon tour le narré de leur creance.
The usual method that we follow is this: We call together the
people by the help of the Captain of the village, who assembles
them all in our house as in Council, or perhaps by the sound of
the bell. I use the surplice and the square cap, to give more
majesty to my appearance. At the beginning, we chant on our knees
the _Pater noster_, translated into Huron verse. Father Daniel,
as its author, chants a couplet alone, and then we all together
chant it again; and those among the Hurons, principally the
little ones, who already know it, take pleasure in chanting it
with us, and the others in listening. That done, when every one
is seated, I rise and make [195] the sign of the Cross for all;
then, having recapitulated what I said the last time, I explain
something new. After that we question the young children and
the girls, giving a little bead of glass or porcelain to those
who deserve it. The parents are very glad to see their children
answer well and carry off some little prize, of which they render
themselves worthy by the care they take to come privately to get
instruction. On our part, to arouse their emulation, we have each
lesson retraced by our two little French boys, who question each
other,--which transports the Savages with admiration. Finally the
whole is concluded by the talk of the Old Men, who propound their
difficulties, and sometimes [196] make me listen in my turn to the
statement of their belief.
Nous commençasmes nos Catechismes par cette verité memorable, que
les ames qui sont immortelles, vont toutes apres la mort en Paradis
ou en Enfer. Et c'est ainsi que nous les abordons, soit en public,
soit en particulier. I'adioustay qu'ils auoiẽt le choix pendant la
vie, de prendre party apres la mort icy ou là, où ils aduiseroient
presentement. A quoy vn bon veillard m'ayant dit, Aille qui voudra dans
les feux d'Enfer, pour moy ie desire aller au Ciel. Tous les autres
le suiuirent, & vsans de la mesme response, nous prierent de leur en
monstrer le chemin, & oster les pierres, les arbres & les halliers qui
y sont, & qui pourroient les arrester.
We began our Catechizing by this memorable truth, that their souls,
which are immortal, all go after death either to Paradise or to
Hell. It is thus we approach them, either in public or in private.
I added that they had the choice, during life, to participate
after death in the one or the other,--which one, they ought now to
consider. Whereupon one honest old man said to me, "Let him who
will, go to the fires of Hell; I want to go to Heaven;" all the
others followed and making use of the same answer, begged us to
show them the way, and to take away the stones, the trees, and the
thickets therein, which might stop them.
Nos Hurons comme vous voyez ne sont pas si massifs qu'on croiroit biẽ,
[197] ils me semblent auoir le sens cõmun assez bon, & ie les recognois
vniuersellemẽt fort dociles. Il y en a neantmoins d'opiniastres, &
attachez à leurs superstitiõs & mauuaises coustumes; ce sont notamment
les vieillards: car horsmis ceux là, qui ne sont pas en grand nombre,
tout le reste ne sçait rien en leur croyance. Nous en auons en nostre
village deux ou trois de ce nombre. Ie suis souuent aux prises auec
eux, où ie les conuaincs & les mets en contradiction, de telle sorte
qu'ils aduoüent ingenuement leur ignorance, & les autres se mocquent
d'eux; neantmoins ils ne se rendent pas, ayant pour tout refuge, que
leur Pays n'est pas comme le nostre, qu'ils ont vn autre Dieu, vn autre
Paradis, en vn mot d'autres coustumes.
Our Hurons, as you see, are not so dull as one might think them;
[197] they seem to me to have rather good common sense, and I
find them universally very docile. Nevertheless, some of them are
obstinate, and attached to their superstitions and evil customs.
These are principally the old people; for beyond these, who are not
numerous, the rest know nothing of their own belief. We have two
or three of this number in our village. I am often in conflict with
them; and then I show them they are wrong, and make them contradict
themselves, so that they frankly admit their ignorance, and the
others ridicule them; still they will not yield, always falling
back upon this, that their Country is not like ours, that they have
another God, another Paradise, in a word, other customs.
Ils nous racontent que cette femme nommé _Eataentsic_ tomba du Ciel
[198] dedans les eaux, dont estoit couuerte la terre, & que peu à peu
la terre se descouurit. Ie leur demande qui a creé ce Ciel, où cette
femme n'a pû se tenir, & ils demeurent muets; comme aussi quãd ie
les presse de me dire qui auoit produit la terre, veu qu'elle estoit
au fond des eaux auparauant la cheute de ceste femme. Vn certain me
demanda assez subtilement sur ce propos, où estoit Dieu auant la
creation du monde. La response me fut plus facile, apres S. Augustin,
qu'à eux l'intelligence de la question qu'ils me faisoient. Vn autre
bon vieillard estant tombé malade, ne vouloit point oüyr parler d'aller
au Ciel, disant qu'il desiroit aller où estoient ses ancestres.
Quelques iours apres il se rendit, & me fit vn plaisant conte. Resioüys
toy, me dit-il, car ie suis reuenu du pays des ames, & ie n'y en ay
plus trouué, [199] elles sont toutes allées au Ciel. Il n'y a rien qui
ne serue à salut, quand il plaist à Dieu, iusques aux songes.
They tell us how the woman, named _Eataentsic_, fell from Heaven
[198] into the waters with which the earth was covered; and that
little by little, the earth became bare. I ask them who created the
Heaven in which this woman could not stay, and they remain mute;
as also when I press them to tell me who formed the earth, seeing
that it was beneath the waters before the fall of this woman. One
man asked me very cunningly, in this connection, where God was
before the creation of the world. The reply was more easy for me,
following St. Augustine, than the grasp of the question put to me
was for them. Another good old man, having fallen sick, did not
wish to hear of going to Heaven, saying he desired to go where his
ancestors were. Some days afterwards, he came to me and told me a
pleasant story: "Rejoice," he said, "for I have returned from the
country of souls, and I have found none there any longer; [199]
they have all gone to Heaven." There is nothing which does not
serve for salvation when God pleases, not even dreams.
Deux choses entre autres nous ont fort aydé, pour si peu de profit que
nous auons desia fait icy, par la grace de nostre Seigneur. La premiere
est, comme i'ay desia dit, la santé que Dieu nous a conseruée parmy
vne si grande & si vniuerselle contagion: car nos Hurons ont pensé que
s'ils croyoient en Dieu, & le seruoient comme nous, il[s] ne mouroient
pas en si grand nombre.
Two things among others have aided us very much in the little we
have been able to do here, by the grace of our Lord; the first is,
as I have already said, the good health that God has granted us in
the midst of sickness so general and so widespread. For our Hurons
have thought that, if they believed in God and served him as we do,
they would not die in so large numbers.
La seconde est l'assistance temporelle, qu'on a rendu aux malades.
Ayans apporté pour nous quelques petits rafraichissemens, nous leur en
donnions, à l'vn vn peu de prunes, à l'autre vn peu de raisins; aux
autres quelque autre chose. Les pauures gens venoient [200] de fort
loin pour en auoir tous leur part.