Pervenimvs huc (sicut antè numeratum est) vigesimâ secundâ Maij. Itaque non multo plus hodie, quàm septem menses hic commorati sumus. Per hoc igitur tempus, & domi aliqua gesta sunt, & foris. Domi primùm dedimus operam, vt pro nostris viribus officium Ecclesiasticum ne deesset. Nam Sacerdos ille, qui huc ante nos aduenerat, à nostro statim aduētu in Galliam sua ipse sponte & pro veteri desiderio remigrauit. Dominicis festísque diebus solemnem missam & vesperas decantamus, cohortamur, & nonnunquam procedimus, ipsis etiam nostrorum siluicolarum pueris cereos, vrceos, aut aliud quid pium, quando hîc adsunt, præferentibus. Ita enim paulatim nostris ceremonijs assuescunt. Solemnior ea processio fuit, qua [27] sanctissimum Sacramentum festo ipsi die cumtulimus. Ipse enim D. Potrincurtius sedulitatem in eo nostram collaudauit, sicut & in sacello, quantum potest, in tanta paupertate coornando. Et quoniam animaduertimus eos, qui antè baptizati essent, vix aliud quidquam cum baptismate, nisi periculum maius suscepisse, prolectationem illam proiectionémqʒ ad baptisma quomodocumqʒ offerendum [92] reiecimus, in eóque perstamus, ne quis adultus ante necessariam suæ fidei professionísque cognitionem initietur. Ita cùm adhuc ignari linguæ simus, neque per vllum interpretem enuntiare sacra nostra, aut scriptis mandare potuerimus, quantacumque in eo sit opera, vti sanè posita est plurima cursus nimirum Euangelij in his hactenus hæret vadis ac syrtibus. Id suademus, vt infantes ad nos lustrandi afferantur, quod etiam Dei beneficio iam cœpit fieri. Duos baptizauimus, & tertiam puellam circiter nouennem. Hæc puella non magis morbo, quàm esurie neglectúque contabescebat; solet enim hæc natio facilè desperare medicinam, [28] & desperatos prorsum abijcere, vt antè dictum est. Ergo hanc ita depositam à cognatis deposcimus ad baptismum, illi verò perlibenter eam nobis concedere, non ad baptismum solùm, sed etiam ad voluntatem, vt quæ, inquiebant, instar iam esset canis mortui. At nos, vt specimen daremus Christianæ pietatis, in separatum eam transtulimus tuguriolum, ibíqʒ eam aluimus & curauimus ipsi sedulò, institutámque quantum extremo periculo conflictanti necesse esset, abluimus aquâ salutari. Nono demum pòst die abeuntem ad superos læta spe sumus prosecuti, cùm gauderemus cœlo iam nonnihil nostri laboris placere. Lætior exitus in alio fuit, sed exemplum non dissimile charitatis: hic est, secundò genitus celebris illius Sagami Membertou, quem antè diximus primū omnium Soricorum nostra sacra suscepisse.
We arrived here, as already noted, on the 22nd of May. Accordingly, we have now sojourned here a little more than seven months. During this period we have accomplished some work both at home and abroad. Our first efforts we expended at home, so that, as far as it lay in our power, there might be no interruption of Religious services. For the secular Priest who had preceded us here, immediately on our arrival, of his own free will and in accordance with a long-cherished desire, had returned to France. On Sundays and holydays we celebrate solemn mass and vespers; we preach and sometimes have processions, the boys of our children of the forest carrying before us, when they are present here, tapers and censers and other sacred utensils. For thus, little by little, they become accustomed to our ceremonies. Our procession was, however, a more solemn one on the day of Corpus Christi when we carried about the [27] blessed Sacrament. Sieur Potrincourt himself praised highly our efforts in this, as well as in adorning our chapel as much as we could, in spite of our great poverty. Since we have observed that those who had been previously baptized had gotten scarcely anything else through their baptism than increased peril, we have restrained this eager inclination to administer this sacrament without discrimination, and we insist that no adult person shall receive it until he has the necessary understanding of his faith and his profession. So, as we have thus far been ignorant of the language and have been unable to explain our doctrines through any interpreter, or to commit them to writing, howsoever great a labor that may prove—and it will certainly prove a great one—the course of the Gospel is, up to this point, embarrassed by these shoals and quicksands. We try to persuade the savages to bring their babes to us for baptism; and this, with God's blessing, they are beginning to do. We have baptized two boys, and a girl about nine years old. This girl was wasting away as much from hunger and neglect as from sickness; for this people very readily despair [28] of relief in sickness, and, as previously stated, soon abandon those whose recovery is deemed hopeless. Thus, when this girl was given up by her relatives, we asked that she be given us for baptism. They very willingly gave her to us, not only for baptism but to dispose of at our pleasure as being, they said, no longer of more value than a dead dog. But we, to show them an example of Christian piety, carried her to a separate cabin and there fed her and cared for her; and, after teaching her as much as was necessary for one struggling with death, we cleansed her with the saving waters. On her death, nine days later, we entertained the glad hope that our labor had found some favor in heaven. We soon found opportunity for another deed of charity not dissimilar to this, though its result was more auspicious. This was in the case of the second son of that famous Chief Membertou, whom I have already mentioned as having received our doctrines first of all the Soriquois.
[94] Huius ego filium extremo iam discrimine periclitantem inuisi: reperio pro more veteri de ipsius bonis tabagiam, hoc est epulum solemne, vt scilicet post epulas non sicut Iacob benediceret suis, [29] sed valediceret, ac deinde cōclamaretur, & cōclamato canes præmitterentur ad interitū. Increpaui ego, vt potui, per interpretē paganicos hos mores in iam Christianis. Benignè respōdit pater ipse Membertou neophytos se esse, verum imperarem; in mea potestate esse omnia. Negaui ego licitam esse illam occisionē canum, aut deplorati derelictionem; choreas, cantusvé funestos ægroto ipso inspectāte mihi non placere; ipsam alioqui tabagiam, & piam in extremis agētis consalutationem ac mandata permisi. Responderunt omnes sibi hoc satis esse, reliqua sese reiecturos. Cæterum D. Potrincurtij nomine ipsos inuitaui, vt ægrū in ipsius ædes deportarēt (aberat enim valde procul) sperare nos de misericordia Dei fore, vt conualescat, quò tandē intelligant falsas atqʒ impias esse, aut momorū suorū, hoc est fatidicorū denunciationes. Paruerunt illi, atqʒ ad nos depositum triduo pòst, hoc est semianimē detulerunt. Quid multa? Fecit dextera Dñi virtutem: non est mortuus, sed vixit; & nunc incolumis narrat opera [30] Dñi. Hoc exemplo commotus senior ipse Membertou cum eam invaletudinem sensisset, quæ postrema illi fuit, deportari ipse vltro, ad nos voluit, atqʒ adeò in nostrum ipsorum tuguriolū, & si placet, in lectum ipsum alterius nostrū. Ibi decumbentem quinqʒ dies prosecuti sumus omni [96] nō solum officio, sed etiam famulatu. At sexto die cùm iam vxor eius aduenisset, & cerneret ipsa vix alteri nostrū, quo miserè humi decubaret, locum esse in tuguriolo derelictū, aliò suapte sponte demigrauit, vbi & piam mortē obijt. Certè hunc reperimus (quippe Domini primitias ab hac gēte) præter cæteros mirabiliter solitū intrinsecus adeò moueri, multò vt ipse plus de nostra fide conciperet, quàm quantū potuisset auditione accipere. Itaqʒ solebat ipse crebrò dictitare, valde optare se, vt citò linguā nossemus. Continuò. n. postquam id perdidicisset, se futurū apud gentem suam cœlestis verbi ac doctrinæ prædicatorem. Dederat ipse in mādatis, vt antiquo in monumēto cū demortua prius familia (quā sciebā paganicè obijsse) [31] sepeliretur. Ego rē improbaui, veritus scilicet, ne vel Galli, vel etiā Gētiles hoc interpretarētur in fidei nostræ iniuriā. Sed ille hoc respōdebat: ita sibi promissū fuisse, antequā Christo nomen daret, fore, vt locus cōsecraretur, & exemplū proferebat ex anteactis non dissimile; alioqui. n. cōtrà se vereri, si nostro in cœmeterio humaretur, ne sui deinceps locū refugerent, atqʒ ita nunquā ad nos redirent. Opposui ego contrà, ̄q potui, & mecū is, quo ferè solo vtor interprete, D. Biencurtius, fili9 D. Potrincurtij. Discessi mœstus: nihil. n. disputando profecerā. Extremā nihilominus vnctionem, ad quā paratus erat, non denegaui. Valuit vis Sacramēti: postridie D. Biencurtiū, mêqʒ magnopere aduocat, docet audiētibus omnib9 mutatā sibi sententiā, velle se nobiscū humari, suísqʒ [98] ̄pcipere, ne ideo locū refugiant ex veteri errore, quin poti9, è Christiani populi sapiētia magis ob eam ipsam caussam locū adament, frequenténtque; ad pias videlicet pro ipso preces effundēdas.
I went to visit this chief's son, who was already at death's door. I found that, in accordance with their old custom, they were holding a tabagie, that is, a solemn feast for the distribution of his property, so that after the entertainment he might, not like Jacob give them his blessing, [29] but might bid them farewell, after which they were to bewail his death and then to offer up a sacrifice of dogs. I rebuked as well as I could, through an interpreter, these pagan usages among a people who were already Christians. The father himself, Membertou, answered mildly that they were but neophytes; that I had but to command and that everything lay in my power. I said that this slaughtering of dogs was wrong, as well as this abandonment of the sick man for whom they were mourning; I added that these dances and death-songs, in the very presence of the sick man displeased me, though I permitted them to hold their tabagie elsewhere, as well as to visit the dying man and learn his last wishes. All replied that this was enough for them, and that they would dispense with the rest. Moreover, in the name of Sieur Potrincourt I invited them to transport to his house the sick man (who was at a very great distance), and said that we hoped, with God's mercy, for his recovery, so that they might thus learn at last that the predictions of their medicine-men or prophets are false and impious. They obeyed, and the third day after brought to us the sufferer, whose life they had despaired of, in a half-dying condition. God's right hand exerted its power; he did not die, but lived, and now, completely recovered, relates what [30] God has done for him. Moved by this example, the elder Membertou himself, when he began to suffer from that sickness which was to be his last, desired of his own accord to be brought to us and to be received into our own cabin, and even, if it pleased us, to occupy one of our beds. He lay there five days, during which we performed every friendly and even every menial office. But on the sixth day, when his wife had also come, and when she saw that there was scarcely room left for one of us to find a wretched couch on the ground in our cabin, he, of his own accord, went elsewhere, and there died a pious death. We found, indeed, that this man (the first fruits of the Lord among this people) was, beyond all others, wont to be so wondrously moved within, that he apprehended much more of our faith than he could have learned from hearing us. Thus he used to say frequently that he ardently desired that we might soon know his language. He said that as soon as he had learned them thoroughly he would become the preacher of this heavenly word and doctrine among his people. He himself had commanded that he should be buried in the ancient burial-place of his family, with those who were already dead (who, I knew, had died as pagans). [31] I opposed this, fearing, of course, that the French and even the Gentiles might interpret this as an affront to our faith. But he answered that it had been promised him, before he gave himself to Christ, that this place should be consecrated; and he cited a past example of something of the sort, adding that he feared, on the contrary, that if he were buried in our cemetery his people might thenceforth avoid the place and thus never return to us. I opposed all the reasons I could, and so did Sieur de Biencourt, the son of Sieur de Potrincourt, he being almost my only interpreter. I went off sadly, for I had accomplished nothing by arguing. Nevertheless, I did not refuse him the extreme unction, for which he was prepared. The power of the Sacrament manifested itself; the next day he called eagerly for Sieur de Biencourt and myself, and told us in the hearing of all the others that he had changed his mind, and wished to be buried in our cemetery; and to teach his people that they should not avoid the place in accordance with their old and erroneous notion, but rather, with the wisdom of a Christian people, should love and frequent it, in order to utter pious prayers for him.
Pacem deinde cum Nostris iterum, [32] iterúmque commendauit, méqʒ adeò præeunte ac manum regente, singulis suorum pio more benedixit: nec lōgè pòst extinctus est. Funus curatum magna ad exemplum pompâ. Et certè diu inter hos populos tantæ auctoritatis Sagamus nō fuit. Quo magis est mirum, quomodo in eo semper inuictus consilio perstiterit, etiam ante conuersionem, ne plures vnquam simul vxores habere vellet.
Then he recommended to them again [32] and again to maintain peace with us, and also piously gave his blessing to certain of his people, I dictating the words and guiding his hand. A short time after, he died. We deemed it well to celebrate his funeral with great pomp. And certainly there has for a long time been no Chief of such great authority among these people. What is still more remarkable is that he always adhered firmly to his resolution never to have more than one wife at a time, even before his conversion.
Atque hæc domi gesta, nunc exeamus foras. Lustraui ego cum Domino Biencurtio magnam totius regionis partem, hoc est totum id, quod antiqui Norumbedam appellabant, flumina etiam ingressus sum præcipua. Fructus is extitit, vt & cognosceremus, & cognosceremur; ipsique siluatici, qui nunquam antea Sacerdotē, aut sacra nostra viderant, inceperint aliquid nostra de Religione apprehendere. Vbicumque ac quoties potuimus, infiniti pretij hostiam obtulimus Omnipotenti Deo, vt scilicet altari, tanquam sede sua posita, inciperet hoc sibi dominium seruator hominum vendicare; terrerētúrque ac fugarentur [33] vsurpatione sua laruales tyranni. Et astiterunt frequenter Barbari magno semper silentio ac reuerentiâ. Inuisebam postea ipsorum casulas, orabam, ægris manus imponebam, cruciculas æneas aut imagunculas donabam, [100] ipsisqʒ de collo suspendebam, & quæ poteram diuina insinuabam. Excipiebant illi omnia perlibenter, signúmque Crucis me ducente conformabant, feréqʒ omnes pueri etiam me longè prosequebantur, vt ipsum sæpius iterarent. Semel contigit, vt quem ægrotum altero antè die inuiseram, propemodúmque depositum audieram, pòst cernerē vegetum, hilarémque, cruce sua gloriantem, & mihi vultu manúque gratulantem, vt suspicio magna sit, non solùm opem crucis sensisse, verum etiam agnouisse. Si quando in Gallicas naues incidebamus, vt sæpe incidimus, monita salutaria dabantur pro loci & temporis opportunitate: interdum etiam vectores expiabantur. Semel maxima quædam complurium mala, & animorum fortunarúmque labes auersa est per Dei gratiam: semel item [34] exitium certissimum, cædésque non paucorum. Reconciliatus quoque magni quidam Iuuenis & animi & spei. Is quòd sibi à D. Potrincurtio timeret, annum iam vnum cum Siluicolis eorum more atque vestitu pererrabat: & suspicio erat peioris quoque rei. Obtulit eum mihi Devs, colloquor, denique post multa Iuuenis sese mihi credit, deduco eum ad D. Potrincurtium, non pœnituit fidei datæ, pax facta est maximo omnium gaudio, & Iuuenis postridie, antequam ad sacram Eucharistiam accederet, suapte ipse sponte à circumstātibus mali exempli veniam petijt. Iam verò vti superuacaneum est de nauigantibus dicere, quòd multa pericula mirabiliter euaserint; ita & de hîc commorantibus, quòd multa [102] sustineant. Quod aqua bibatur, nulla querela est: siquidem cœpit iam nobis ante sex hebdomadas ita panis deficere, vt nunc detur in hebdomadam, quod antè dabatur in vnum diem. Nauim expectamus subsidio venturam. Interim Pistores ac Fabri magno scilicet nomine atque antiquo viuimus, & [35] incidimus quibus vterque in grauem ægritudinem, sed Dominus supposuit manū suam. Nam neque id diu fuit, & semper altero decumbente, alter stetit. Experimur sanè, quantum sit onus vitæ necessitas, dum lignatum, dum aquatum imus, dum coquimus ipsi nobis, dum indumenta aut lauamus, aut reficimus, dum sarcimus tugurioli labes, dum in reliqua corporis cura necessariò detinemur. Inter hæc dies nobis, miserè, noctésque depereunt; illa nos spes consolatur ac sustentat, fore, vt qui subleuat abiectos Devs, vilitatem ipse nostram pro sua quandoque misericordia non despiciat. Quamquā certè dum in subsidiorum inopiam, dum in asperitatem regionis & gentis mores, dum in difficultates rerum, & coloniæ constituendæ, dum in mille pericula obicésqʒ vel maris vel hominum intendimus, somnium & idea Platonica videtur quod conamur. Demonstrarem hoc sigillatim, nisi hoc esset cum Hebræis exploratoribus magis pro humanis viribus, quàm pro diuino auxilio, nec minus ex [36] animi languore, quàm ex rei veritate dicere: Terra hæc deuorat habitatores suos; nos locustæ sumus, cùm hic monstra sint de genere Giganteo. Sed enim tamen, quanticunque sint hi Gigantes, præualebit [104] ille Dauid in funda & lapide, qui conculcat terram in fremitu suo, & in furore obstupefacit gentes; ille Iesvs hominum Seruator, qui benefacit terram & perficit eam, quantumcunque infirmata sit; ille verò, ille, vti speramus, benignitatis ac potentiæ suæ ducet esse, vt quod vaticinatus est Isaias, Exultet solitudo & floreat sicut lilium: quemadmodum sapientiæ paritérqʒ potentiæ suæ reputauit id, quod cernimus, vt cultissima imperia, atque omnibus elata viribus, & gloriâ; suæ cruci atque humilitati subiugarentur. Amen ita sit. Atque hoc nostrum votum adiuuent comprecatione sua cœlites omnes, atque in primis cœlitum Regina & præses; adiuuet Ecclesia vniuersa, speciatímque Ecclesiæ pars illa, cui Paternitas vestra nutu diuino iam diu præest, Societas, votum meum; adiuuet oro atque obsecro [37] Paternitas vestra omni ope, suámque nobis ad id benedictionem pijssimam, si placet, largiatur. E portu Regali in noua Francia vltimo die Ianuarij Anni CIↃ.IↃC.XI.
Vestræ Paternitatis filius ac seruus indignus
Petrvs Biardvs.