CHAPTER V.
THE POLITY AND GOVERNMENT OF THE SAVAGES.
THERE can be no more polity than there is Commonwealth, [50] since polity is nothing else than the regulation and government of the Commonwealth. Now these Savages not having a great Commonwealth, either in number of people, since they are few; nor in wealth, since they are poor, only living from hand to mouth; nor in ties and bonds of union, since they are scattered and wandering; cannot have great polity. Yet they cannot do without it since they are men and brethren. So what they have is this. There is the Sagamore, who is the eldest son powerful family, and consequently also its chief and leader. All the young people of the family are at his table and in his retinue; it is also his duty to provide dogs for the chase, canoes for transportation, provisions and reserves for bad weather and expeditions. The young people [51] flatter him, hunt, and serve their apprenticeship under him, not being allowed to have anything before they are married, for then only can they have a dog and a bag; that is, have something of their own, and do for themselves. Nevertheless they continue to live under the authority of the Sagamore, and very often in his company; as also do several others who have no relations, or those who of their own free will place themselves under his protection and guidance, being themselves weak and without a following. Now all that the young men capture belongs to the Sagamore; but the married ones give him only a part, and if these leave him, as they often do for the sake of the chase and supplies, returning afterwards, they pay their dues and homage in skins and [52] like gifts. From this cause there are some quarrels and jealousies among them as among us, but not so serious. When, for example, some one begins to assert himself and to act the Sagamore, when he does not render the tribute, when his people leave him or when others get them away from him; then as among us, also among them, there are reproaches and accusations, as that such a one is only a half Sagamore, is newly hatched like a three-days' chicken, that his crest is only beginning to appear; that he is only a Sagamochin, that is, a Baby Sagamore, a little dwarf. And thus you may know that ambition reigns beneath the thatched roofs, as well as under the gilded, and our ears need not be pulled much to learn these lessons.
[53] Ces Sagamies se partagent la region, & sont quasi distribuees par bayes, ou riuieres. Par exemple, en la riuiere de Pentegoet vn Sagamo; vn autre à celle de S. Croix; vn autre à celle de S. Iean, &c. Quand ils se visitent c'est au recepuant de bien-veigner, & faire tabagie à ses hostes, autant de iours qu'il peut; les hostes luy font des presents: mais c'est à la charge que le visité reciproque, quand ce vient au départ, si le visitant est Sagamo, autrement non.
[53] These Sagamies divide up the country and are nearly always arranged according to bays or rivers. For example, for the Pentegoet river there is one Sagamore; another for the Ste. Croix; another for the St. John, etc. When they visit each other it is the duty of the host to welcome and to banquet his guests, as many days as he can, the guests making him some presents; but it is with the expectation that the host will reciprocate, when the guest comes to depart, if the guest is a Sagamore, otherwise not.
C'est l'Esté principalemẽt qu'ils font leurs visites, [90] & tiennent leurs Estats: ie veux dire, que plusieurs Sagamos s'assemblent, & consultent par entr'eux de la paix, & de la guerre, des traictés d'amitié, & du bien commun. Il n'y a que lesdits Sagamos, qui ayent voix en chapitre, & qui harenguent, ne fussent quelques vieux, & renommés [54] Autmoins, qui sont comme leurs Prestres, car ils les honnorent fort, & leur donnẽt seance la mesme qu'aux Sagamos. Il arriue quelque fois, qu'vn mesme est tout ensemble & Autmoin & Sagamo, & lors il est grandement redouté. Tel a esté le renõmé Membertou, qui se fit Chrestien, ainsi que vous ouyrez bien tost. En ces assemblées donc, s'il y a quelques nouuelles d'importance, comme que leurs voisins leurs veulẽt faire la guerre, ou qu'ils ayent tué quelqu'vn, ou qu'il faille renouueller alliance, &c. Lors messagers volent de toutes parts pour faire la plus generale assemblée, qu'ils peuuent de tous les confederez qu'ils appellent Ricmanen, qui sont quasi tous ceux de mesme langue. Neantmoins souuent la confederation s'estẽd plus loin, que ne faict la langue, & contre [55] ceux de mesme langue, s'esleuant quelquefois des guerres. En ces assemblees ainsi vniuerselles se resout ou la paix, ou trefue, ou guerre, ou rien du tout, ainsi qu'arriue souuent és deliberations, où y a plusieurs testes sans ordre, & subordinatiõ, d'où lon se depart plus confus souuent & des-vny qu'on n'y estoit venu.
It is principally in Summer that they pay visits and hold their State Councils; I mean that several Sagamores come together and consult among themselves about peace and war, treaties of friendship and treaties for the common good. It is only these Sagamores who have a voice in the discussion and who make the speeches, unless there be some old and renowned [54] Autmoins, who are like their Priests, for they respect them very much and give them a hearing the same as to the Sagamores. It happens sometimes that the same person is both Autmoin and Sagamore, and then he is greatly dreaded. Such was the renowned Membertou, who became a Christian, as you will soon hear. Now in these assemblies, if there is some news of importance, as that their neighbors wish to make war upon them, or that they have killed some one, or that they must renew the alliance, etc., then messengers fly from all parts to make up the more general assembly, that they may avail themselves of all the confederates, which they call Ricmanen, who are generally those of the same language. Nevertheless the confederation often extends farther than the language does, and war sometimes arises against [55] those who have the same language. In these assemblies so general, they resolve upon peace, truce, war, or nothing at all, as often happens in the councils where there are several chiefs, without order and subordination, whence they frequently depart more confused and disunited than when they came.
Leurs guerres ne se font quasi que de langue à langue, ou de pays à pays, & tousiours par surprinse & trahison. Ils ont l'arc & le pauois, ou targue, mais ils ne se mettẽt iamais en bataille rãgée, au moins de ce que i'en ay peu apprendre. Et de vray ils sont de leur naturel paoureux & coüards, quoi qu'ils ne [92] cessent de se vanter, & facent leur possible d'estre censés, & auoir le nom de Grand cœur. Meskir Kameramon, Grand cœur chez eux, c'est toute vertu.
Their wars are nearly always between language and language, or country and country, and always by deceit and treachery. They have the bow and the shield, or buckler, but they never place themselves in a line of battle, at least from what I have been able to learn. And, in truth, they are by nature fearful and cowardly, although they are always boasting, and do all they can to be renowned and to have the name of "Great-heart." Meskir Kameramon, "Great-heart," among them is the crowning virtue.
[56] Si les offenses ne sont pas de peuple à peuple, ains entre compatriotes, & combourgeois, lors ils se battent par entr'eux pour les petites offenses, & leur façon de cõbat, est cõm'icy celle des femmes, de se voler aux cheueux: saisis par là, ils se luittẽt & secoüent d'vne terrible façon, & s'ils sont fort esgaux, ils demeureront tout vn iour voire deux sans se quitter iusques à ce qu'on les separe, & de vray pour la force du corps, & bras, ils nous sont esgaux, le prenant de pareil à pareil, & si sont plus adextres à la luicte, & plus agiles à courir: mais ils n'entendent point à l'escrime des poings. I'ay veu vn de nos petits garçons faire fuir deuant soy vn Sauuage plus grãd que luy d'vn pied: quãd se mettant en posture de noble combattant, il fermoit le pouce sur les doigs, luy disant, Approche: [57] mais aussi, quand le Sauuage pouuoit le happer par le tronc du corps, il luy faisoit crier mercy.
[56] If the offenses are not between tribes, but between compatriots and fellow-citizens, then they fight among themselves for slight offenses, and their way of fighting is like that of women here, they fly for the hair; holding on to this, they struggle and jerk in a terrible fashion, and if they are equally matched, they keep it up one whole day, or even two, without stopping until some one separates them; and certainly in strength of body and arms they are equal to us, comparing like to like; but if they are more skillful in wrestling and nimble running, they do not understand boxing at all. I have seen one of our little boys make a Savage, a foot taller than himself, fly before him; placing himself in the posture of a noble warrior, he placed his thumb over his fingers and said, "Come on!" [57] However, when the Savage was able to catch him up by the waist, he made him cry for mercy.
Reueuant à mon propos les petites offenses querelles sont facilement appaisees par les Sagamos & communs amis. Et certes ils ne s'offensent guieres, qu'on sçache. Ie dy qu'on sçache. Car nous n'en auons rien veu, ains tousiours vn grand respect, & amour entr'eux. Ce qui nous donoit vn grãd creue-cœur lors que nous tournions les yeux sur nostre misere. Car de voir vne assemblee de François sans reproches, mespris, enuies, & noises de l'vn à l'autre, c'est autant difficile, que de voir la mer sans ondes, ne fust dedans les Cloistres & Conuents, où la grace predomine à la nature.
Returning to my subject. The little offenses and quarrels are easily adjusted by the Sagamores and common friends. And in truth they are hardly ever offended long, as far as we know. I say, as far as we know, for we have never seen anything except always great respect and love among them; which was a great grief to us when we turned our eyes upon our own shortcomings. For to see an assembly of French people without reproaches, slights, envy, and quarrels with each other, is as difficult as to see the sea without waves, except in Monasteries and Convents, where grace triumphs over nature.
[94] Les grandes offenses, comme si [58] quelqu'vn auoit tué vn autre, s'il luy auoit desrobé sa femme, &c. C'est à l'offensé de les venger de sa propre main: ou s'il est mort, c'est à ses plus proches parents, ce qu'arriuant personne ne s'en remuë, ains tous demeurent contents sur ce mot, habenquedouïc, il n'a pas commencé, il le luy a rendu: quittes & bons amis. Que si le delinquant, repentant de sa faute desire faire sa paix, il est receu d'ordinaire à satisfaction, moyennant presents & autres reparatiõs conuenables.
The great offenses, as when [58] some one has killed another, or stolen away his wife, etc., are to be avenged by the offended person with his own hand; or if he is dead, it is the duty of the nearest relatives; when this happens, no one shows any excitement over it, but all dwell contentedly upon this word habenquedouïc, "he did not begin it, he has paid him back: quits and good friends." But if the guilty one, repenting of his fault, wishes to make peace, he is usually received with satisfaction, offering presents and other suitable atonement.
Ils ne sont nullement ingrats entr'eux, ils s'entredonnent tout. Nul oseroit esconduire la priere d'vn autre, ny manger, sans luy faire part de ce qu'il a. Vne fois que nous estions allés bien loin à la pesche, passerent par là cinq ou six femmes, ou filles bien chargées & lasses: nos gents par courtoisie, [59] leur donnerent de leur prinse, ce qu'elles mirent cuire tout aussi tost dans vn chauderon, que nous leur prestasmes, à peine le chauderon boüilloit, que voicy vn bruit, que d'autres Sauuages estoyent là qui venoyẽt, alors nos pauures femmes à s'enfuir viste dans les bois à tout leur chauderon demy cuit: car elles auoyent bonne faim. La raison de la fuite estoit pour-autant que si elles eussent esté veuës, il eust fallu par loy de ciuilité, qu'elles eussent faict part aux suruenants de leur viande, qui n'estoit point trop grande. L'on rit bien alors; & plus encores quand elles apres auoir mangé, voyants lesdits Sauuages venus aupres de nostre feu, firent semblant de n'y auoir pas touché, & de passer tout ainsi, que si elles ne nous eussent point veu au parauant, elles dirent à nos gents [60] tout bas où c'est qu'elles auoyent laissé le chauderon, & eux comme bons compagnons, cognoissans le mystere [96] sçeurent bien seruir aux belles mines, & pour mieux aider au jeu, les pressoyent de s'arrester & gouster vn peu de leur pesche, mais elles ne voulurent rien faire, tant elles auoyent de haste, disants, coupouba, coupouba, grand mercy, grand mercy. Nos gẽts respondirẽt: Or allez de part Dieu, puis qu'auez si grand haste.
They are in no wise ungrateful to each other, and share everything. No one would dare to refuse the request of another, nor to eat without giving him a part of what he has. Once when we had gone a long way off to a fishing place, there passed by five or six women or girls, heavily burdened and weary; our people through courtesy [59] gave them some of our fish, which they immediately put to cook in a kettle, that we loaned them. Scarcely had the kettle begun to boil when a noise was heard, and other Savages could be seen coming; then our poor women fled quickly into the woods, with their kettle only half boiled, for they were very hungry. The reason of their flight was that, if they had been seen, they would have been obliged by a rule of politeness to share with the newcomers their food, which was not too abundant. We had a good laugh then; and were still more amused when they, after having eaten, seeing the said Savages around our fire, acted as if they had never been near there and were about to pass us all by as if they had not seen us before, telling our people [60] in a whisper where they had left the kettle; and they, like good fellows, comprehending the situation, knew enough to look unconscious, and to better carry out the joke, urged them to stop and taste a little fish; but they did not wish to do anything of the kind, they were in such a hurry, saying coupouba, coupouba, "many thanks, many thanks." Our people answered: "Now may God be with you since you are in such a hurry."