CHAPTER VI.
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 [100]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 pendẽt aux espaules des crocheteurs de Paris, les aisles en estãt ostees. Ces ais pendẽt 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[102] 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 ayẽt 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 gẽts, l'aduertissant que celuy n'auroit pas[104] 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 estimẽt 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] souuẽt 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'engendrẽt 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[106] 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 fẽmes 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;[108] 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 accouchoyẽt plus souuent; veu mesmes qu'elles alaictent leurs enfans iusques à trois ans, si elles peuuẽt. 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 [110] 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, mœurs, & 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? [112] Benin, & pieux laboureur, faictes que la prophetie, qui suit se verifie en nous en nostre âge. En ce tẽps 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.