CHAPTER XIV. [i.e., xiii.]
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 biẽ que le [182] 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 assembloyẽt toute la troupe pour la priere, & le Caresme par l'hexhortation, trois fois seulemẽt la semaine. Leur conuersation estoit telle, que le capitaine Iean d'Aune [142] & le pilote Dauid de Bruges, tous deux de la Pretenduë en rẽdirent 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.