CHAPTER VII.
[76] ON THE MEDICINE OF THE SAVAGES.
IT is true that great poverty stifles the spirit, and overwhelms it with its importunate and despotic sway, so that it can seldom turn to itself, or revel in agreeable meditations, nor even dream of something better to prevent or lighten it, being always absorbed in and possessed by the greatest needs. We see this in our poor Savages, who live only from hand to mouth, and hence are always subject to the fear of hunger, first and strongest of all wants; they have no opportunity of developing their minds in the pursuit of [77] knowledge; not even of providing arts and trades for the relief and amelioration of life, nor to satisfy other wants however pressing. Now for this reason they not only lack all literature and fine arts, but also (unfortunately) medicine, whether for the preservation of their health, or for the cure of their diseases, except the little that I shall describe.
Ils entretiennent leur santé (l'Esté principalement) par l'vsage des estuuées & sueurs, & du baigner. Ils se seruent aussi de friction, apres laquelle ils s'oignent tout le corps d'huyle de loup marin. Ce qui les rend fort fascheusement puants à qui n'y est accoustumé. Neantmoins ceste onction faict, que le chaud & le froid leur en sont plus tolerables, que leurs [78] cheueux [116] ne sõt prins par les bois, ains glissent, que la pluye & mauuais temps ne leur nuit à la teste, ains coule en bas & iusques aux pieds. Item, que les moucherons (qui là sont cruels en Esté, & plus qu'on ne croiroit) ne les tourmentent point tant és parties nuës, &c. Ils vsent aussi du petun, & en boiuent la fumée, de la façon commune en France. Cela leur profite sans doute, voire leur est du tout necessaire, veu les grandes extremitez qu'ils endurẽt de froid & mauuais temps, de faim, & de repletion ou saturité, mais aussi beaucoup de maux leur en aduiennent; à cause de leur excés en cela, c'est tout leur deduit quãd ils en ont, & de certains François aussi bien que d'eux, qui s'y accoquinent, tellement que pour boire de ces fumées, ils vendroyent leur chemise. Tous leurs deuis, [79] traictés, bien-veignements, & caresses se font auec ce petun. Ils se mettẽt en rond à l'entour du feu, deuisants, & se baillants le petunoir de main en main, & s'entretenants en ceste façon plusieurs heures auec grand plaisir. Tel est leur goust, & coustume.
They keep themselves well (principally in Summer) by the use of hot rooms and sweat boxes, and by the bath. They also use massage, afterwards rubbing the whole body with seal oil, causing them to emit an odor which is very disagreeable to those not accustomed to it. Nevertheless, when this oiling process is over, they can stand heat and cold better, and their [78] hair is not caught in the branches, but is slippery, so that rain and tempest do not injure the head, but glide over it to the feet; also that the mosquitoes (which are very vicious there in Summer, and more annoying than one would believe) do not sting so much in the bare parts, etc. They also use tobacco, and inhale the smoke as is done in France. This is without doubt a help to them, and upon the whole rather necessary, considering the great extremes of cold and bad weather and of hunger and overeating or satiety which they endure; but also many ills arise from it, on account of its excessive use. It is the sole delight of these people when they have some of it, and also certain Frenchmen are so bewitched with it that, to inhale its fumes, they would sell their shirts. All their talks, [79] treaties, welcomes, and endearments are made under the fumes of this tobacco. They gather around the fire, chatting and passing the pipe from hand to hand, enjoying themselves in this way for several hours. Such is their inclination and custom.
Or ceux qui professent entre eux la medecine, sont les mesmes, qui maintiennent l'estat de la Religion, sçauoir est, les Autmoins, qui en charge representeroyent nos Prestres d'icy, & nos Medecins. Mais en verité, ils ne sont Prestres, ains vrais sorciers; ny Medecins, ains Triacleurs mensongers, & trompeurs. Toute leur science est en la cognoissance de quelque peu de simples laxatifs, ou astringents, chauds ou froids, lenitifs, ou corrosifs, pour le foye, ou pour le roignon; & le hasart de bonne fortune, voila tout. [80] Mais leurs malices, & tromperies sont grandes, desquelles ie vous presenteray icy vn eschantillon; [118] vous asseurant n'y auoir rien de feint, ou controuué en tout ce que ie vous en raconteray, quoy qu'il semble incroyable.
Now those among them who practice medicine, are identical with those who are at the head of their Religion, i.e. Autmoins, whose office is the same as that of our Priests and our Physicians. But in truth they are not Priests, but genuine sorcerers; not Physicians, but Jugglers, liars, and cheats. All their science consists in a knowledge of a few simple laxatives, or astringents, hot or cold applications, lenitives or irritants for the liver or kidneys, leaving the rest to luck; nothing more. [80] But they are well versed in tricks and impositions, of which I shall give you a sample, assuring you that I have not misrepresented or fabricated anything of all that I shall tell you, although it may seem incredible.
Le Sauuage se sentant mal extraordinairement, se couche tout au long du feu: lors on dit; Ouëscouzy. Ouëscouzy. Il est malade. En son temps on luy donnera sa part de ce qu'on aura rousty, boüilly, ou trainé par les cendres; tout ainsi qu'aux autres, car de luy chercher ou apprester quelque chose de particulier, ils n'en ont point l'vsance. Si donc le malade mange ce qu'on luy aura baillé, bon prou luy face; sinon, lon dira, qu'il est bien malade. Et apres quelques iours (si lon peut) on mandera querir l'Autmoin, que les Basques appellent Pilotoys, c'est à dire, sorcier. [81] Or ce Pilotoys ayant consideré son malade, le souffle, & resouffle auec ie ne sçay quels enchantements; vous diriés que ces vents pectoraux doiuent dissiper la cacochymie du patient. Que s'il voit apres quelques iours, que pour tout son boursoufflement le mal ne disparoit point, il en trouue bien la cause à son aduis, c'est dit-il, pour-autant que le Diable est là, au dedans du malade, le tourmentant, & empeschant la guerison. Mais qu'il faut l'auoir le mauuais, l'enleuer de force, & le tuer. Lors tous se preparent à ceste heroique action, que le tuer Belzebut: Et l'Autmoin les aduertit d'estre bien sur leurs gardes: car il se peut biẽ faire que cest audacieux se voyant mal mené par luy, se ruë sur quelqu'vn de la troupe, & l'estrangle là. Pour ceste cause il distribue à chascun son acte de la [82] fable: mais elle seroit trop longue à raconter, car elle dure bien trois heures.
A Savage, feeling very ill, stretches himself out near the fire: then they say: Ouëscouzy, Ouëscouzy, "he is sick." When his turn comes, they give him his share of whatever they have boiled, roasted, or dragged over the coals, just the same as the others, for they are not accustomed to seek or prepare any special food for him. Now if the sick man eats what is given him, it is a good sign; otherwise, they say that he is very sick, and after some days (if they can) they will send for the Autmoin, whom the Basques call Pilotoys; i.e., sorcerer.[20] [81] Now this Pilotoys, having studied his patient, breathes and blows upon him some unknown enchantments; you would say that these chest winds ought to dispel the vitiated humors of the patient. If he sees after some days, that notwithstanding all his blowing the evil does not disappear, he finds the reason for it according to his own ideas, and says it is because the Devil is there inside of the sick man, tormenting and preventing him from getting well; but that he must have the evil thing, get it out by force and kill it. Then all prepare for that heroic action, the killing of Beelzebub. And the Autmoin advises them to be upon their guard, for it can easily happen that this insolent fellow, seeing himself badly treated by him, may hurl himself upon someone of the crowd, and strangle him upon the spot. For this reason he allots to each one his part of the [82] farce; but it would be tedious to describe, for it lasts fully three hours.
Le sommaire est, que le Iongleur enfoüit dans vn creux bien profond en terre vne cheuille, à laquelle [120] il attache vne corde. Puis ayant fait diuers chants, danses & hurlements sur le trou, & sur le malade, qui n'en est pas loin, tel qu'il y en auroit assez pour estourdir vn homme bien sain; il prend vn' espee toute nuë, & s'endemene si furieusement çà & là, qu'il en suë à grosses gouttes par tout le corps, & baue comm'vn cheual. Sur quoy les spectateurs estant ja intimidés: luy d'vn effroyable & vrayement energumenique ton, redouble ses denontiations, & mugissements, qu'on se garde, il est en fougues le Satan, il y a du grand danger. A ce cry les pauures abusez deuiennẽt pasles, [83] à demy morts comme linge, & tremblent comme la fueille sur l'arbre. En fin cest affronteur s'escrie d'vn autre accent plus gaillard. Il en a le maudit cornu: Ie le vois là tout estendu aux abois, & pantelant dedans la fosse. Mais courage; il le faut auoir du tout, & l'exterminer entierement. Adonc le monde present bien-aise, & tous les plus robustes de grande ioye se iettent à la corde pour enleuer Satan, & tirent, tirent. Mais ils n'ont garde de l'auoir: l'Autmoin ayãt trop biẽ fiché la cheuille. Ils tirẽt encore vn' autrefois tant qu'il peuuẽt, mais pour neant. Tandis le Pilotoys de temps en temps va descharger ses blasphemes dessus la fosse, & faisant semblant de donner à l'ennemy d'enfer de grandes estocades, deschausse peu à peu la cheuille, laquelle en fin à force de tirer s'arrache, apportant [84] auec soy quelques badineries, que le charlatant auoit attachée au bout, comme des ossements pourris de mouluë, de roigneures de peaux chargées de fiente, &c. Alors ioye par tout; il a esté tué le meschant Lucifer. Nepq. Nepq. Tenez, en voyez-vous les marques? O victoire! vous guerirez, malade; Ayez bonne esperance, [122] si le mal n'est point plus fort que vous: ie veux dire, si le Diable ne vous a ja blessé à mort.
The sum and substance of it is that the Juggler hides a stick in a deep hole in the ground, to which is attached a cord. Then, after various chants, dances, and howls over the hole, and over the sick man, who is not far away, of such kind that a well man would have enough of it to deafen him, he takes a naked sword and slashes it about so furiously that the sweat comes out in great drops all over his body and he froths like a horse. Thereupon the spectators, being already intimidated, he, with a frightful and truly demoniac voice, redoubles his roars and threats that they must take care, that Satan is furious and that there is great peril. At this cry the poor dupes turn pale [83] as death, and tremble like the leaf upon the tree. At last this impostor cries out in another and more joyous tone: "There is the accursed one with the horn: I see him extended there at bay and panting within the ditch. But courage, we must have him all and exterminate him entirely." Now the audience being relieved, all the strongest with great joy rush for the cord to raise Satan, and pull and pull. But they are far from getting him, as the Autmoin has fastened the stick too well. They pull again as hard as they can, but without success, while the Pilotoys goes, from time to time, to utter his blasphemies over the hole; and, making as if to give great thrusts to the diabolical enemy, little by little uncovers the stick which, at last, by hard pulling, is torn out, bringing [84] with it some rubbish, which the charlatan had fastened to the end, such as decayed and mouldy bones, pieces of skin covered with dung, etc. Then they are all overjoyed; wicked Lucifer has been killed. Nepq. Nepq. Stop, do you see his tracks? Oh victory! You will get well, sick man; be of good cheer, if the evil is not stronger than you, I mean, if the Devil has not already given you your deathblow.
Car icy est la derniere Scene de la farce. L'Autmoin dit, que ja le Diable estant tué, ou bien blessé, ou du moins dehors, ie ne sçay, ou bien loin: Il reste à sçauoir s'il aura point laissé le malade blessé à mort. Pour deuiner cela il faut qu'il songe: aussi a-il bon besoin d'aller dormir: car il est fort trauaillé: cependant il gaigne temps pour voir les crises de la maladie. [85] Ayant bien dormy, & songé, il reuoit son malade, & selon les prognostiques, qu'il recognoit, il le prononce deuoir, ou viure, ou mourir. Il n'est ja si sot de dire, qu'il viura, s'il n'en a des prorretiques asseurez: Il dira doncques qu'il mourra, par exemple dans trois iours. Or oyez maintenant vne belle façon de verifier ses propheties. Premierement le malade dés qu'il est ainsi iugé à mort ne mange point, & lon ne luy donne rien plus. Que si le troisiesme iour venu il ne meurt point encores, ils disent, qu'il y a ie ne sçay quoy du Diable, qui ne le permet pas expirer à son aise: par ainsi on s'en court à l'ayde: Où? A l'eau. Quoy faire? En apporter des pleins chauderons. Pourquoy? Pour la luy verser toute froide dessus le vẽtre, & ainsi luy esteindre toute chaleur vitale si aucune [86] luy reste. Il faut bien qu'il trespasse le troisiesme iour, puis que s'il ne veut mourir de soy, on le tuë.
For this is the last Scene of the farce. The Autmoin says, that the Devil being already killed, or seriously hurt, or at least gone away, whether very far or not, I do not know, it remains to be seen if he has given a death wound to the patient. To guess this he will have to dream; indeed he is in great need of sleep, for he has worked hard. Meanwhile he gains time to observe the crisis of the disease. [85] Having slept well and dreamed he looks again at his patient and, according to the symptoms which he observes, he declares that he is either to live or to die. He is not so foolish as to say that he will live, if the symptoms are not encouraging. He will then say, for instance, that he will die in three days. Hear now in what a fine fashion he verifies his prophecies. In the first place the sick man, since he has been thus appointed to die, does not eat, and they no longer offer him anything. But if he does not die by the third day, they say that he has something of the Devil in him, I know not what, which does not permit him to die easily, so they rush to his aid. Where? To the water. What to do? To bring kettles full of it. Why? To pour the cold water over his navel, and thus extinguish all vital heat, if any [86] remain to him. He is indeed obliged to die the third day, since if he is not going to do it of himself, they kill him.
Le Pere Enemõd Massé se rencontra vne fois en vn tel badinage, & en conuainquit manifestement la piperie, & fausseté. Mais on ne sçauroit dire combien peut la coustume, & l'authorité ja preiugée, encores mesmes contre les demonstratiõs oculaires. Car [124]toutes vos raisons, & apportez-en mille si vous voulez, sont biffées, par ce seul traict, qui leur est en main. Aoti Chabaya, c'est (disent-ils) la façon de faire des Sauuages. Vous vsez de la vostre, nous de la nostre. Chacun prise ses merceries, mais en despit de ces malencontreuses predictions Autmoinales nous en auons veu par la grace de Dieu, qui sont eschappez & reuenus en santé, par le bon soin & [87] cure des François, comme Membertou, que Monsieur de Potrincourt retira d'vne toute telle mort, & despuis de nostre temps son fils Actodin. Ce qui a grandement decredité ces desastrez Magiciens, & a ouuert les yeux à ceste pauure Gentilité, à la grande gloire de nostre Sauueur, & consolation de ses seruiteurs.
Father Enemond Massé once found himself in the midst of this kind of foolery, and demonstrated to them plainly the trickery and falsity of it. But it is impossible to tell to how great a degree custom and influence can prejudice, even in the presence of ocular proof. For all your arguments, and you can bring on a thousand of them if you wish, are annihilated by this single shaft which they always have at hand, Aoti Chabaya, (they say) "That is the Savage way of doing it. You can have your way and we will have ours; every one values his own wares." But in spite of these lugubrious Autmoinal predictions, we have seen some who, by the grace of God, have been saved and have recovered their health, through the good care and [87] nursing of the French, as for instance Membertou, whom Monsieur de Potrincourt delivered from just such a death as this; and in our time his son, Actodin; which has greatly discredited these baleful Magicians, and has opened the eyes of these poor Heathen, to the great glory of our Savior, and satisfaction of his servants.
Pour la cure des playes, les Autmoins n'y entendent guieres plus: car ils ne sçauent que succer la blesseure & la charmer, y apposant quelques simples au rencontre de la bonne auenture. Cependant la cõmune opinion est, qu'il faut faire plusieurs & bons presents à l'Autmoin, à celle fin qu'il aye meilleure main: car, disent-ils, cela y fait beaucoup en toutes sortes de symptomes. Les mesmes Pilotoys ont aussi ce priuilege, que de receuoir de tous, & de ne [88] dõner à personne; Ainsi que s'en venta vn faux vieillard, audict P. Enemond Massé. C'est vne belle exemption de taille, que ceste-là: Ne rien donner, & receuoir tout.
In regard to the cure of sores, the Autmoins know no more; for all they can do is to suck the wound and charm it, applying to it some simple remedies at random. However, the general impression is, that they must make many and valuable presents to the Autmoin, so that he may have a more skillful hand: for they say that that counts a great deal in all kinds of diseases. Likewise the Pilotoys have also this privilege, that of receiving from all and [88] giving to none, as a wicked old man boasted to Father Enemond Massé. This is a fine exemption from taxes, indeed: Give nothing and take all.