This year the country has been visited, here and there, by dysenteric troubles, which have been fatal to those affected by them. It happened that Martin was stricken a week after his baptism with the disease, and died thereof. But [18] it is worthy of being remembered that this dying man always had the sacred name of Jesus upon his lips. In his last moments he requested that when he died he should be buried with the Christians. There was some trouble about this. For the Savages having still some reverence for the burial places of their fathers and friends, wished to take him to Cape Sable, forty leagues distant from the Port. On the other hand, the Sieur wished to have him buried according to his request. Thereupon a dispute arose, and the Savages, seizing their bows and arrows, wanted to take away the corpse. But the Sieur placed a dozen arquebusiers under arms, who carried it off without resistance, after he had demonstrated to them that this had been the intention of the deceased, and that, being a Christian, he must be buried with his fellow-Christians; and so he was, with the usual prayers of the Church. When this was done, they were all given some bread, and went away happy.
Mais puis que nous sommes sur le propos des maladies & mortuaires, ie ne veux passer souz silence chose que ie ne sçauoy pas, & laquelle pour ne l'avoir veu pratiquer, ie n'ay point écrite en mon Histoire de la Nouvelle France. C'est que noz Sauvages voyans vne personne languissante de vieillesse ou de maladie par vne certaine compassion ilz lui avancent ses iours, lui remonstrent qu'il faut qu'il meure pour acquerir vn repos, que c'est chose miserable de touiours languir, qu'il ne leur sert plus que de fardeau, & autres choses semblables, par lesquelles ils font resoudre le patient à [19] la mort. Et lors ilz lui ôtent tous les vivres, luy baillent sa belle robbe de Castors, ou d'autre pelleterie, & le mettent comme vn homme qui est à demi couché sur son lict, lui chantans des louanges de sa vie passee, & de sa constance à la mort: A quoy il s'accorde, & repond comme le Cygne fait sa derniere chanson: Cela fait, chacun le laisse, & s'estime heureux de mourir plustot que de languir. Car ce peuple estant vagabond, & ne pouvant touiours vivre en vne place, ils ne peuvent trainer apres eux leurs peres, ou amis, vieillars, ou malades. C'est pourquoy ilz les traitent ainsi. Si ce sont malades, ilz leur font premierement des incisions au ventre, desquelles les Pilotois, ou de vins succent le sang. Et en quelque façon que ce soit, s'ilz voyent qu'un homme ne se puisse plus trainer, ilz le mettent en l'estat que dessus, & lui iettent contre le nombril tant d'eau froide, que la Nature se debilite peu à peu, & meurent ainsi fort resolument & constamment.
But as we are now on the subject of sickness and death, I do not wish to pass over in silence a custom which I did not know about, and which, never having seen practiced, I did not speak of in my History of New France. It is, that when our Savages see a person gradually failing from old age or sickness, through a certain compassion they hasten his death; showing him that he must die to procure rest, that it is a wretched thing to languish from day to day, that he is only a burden to them, and offer other similar arguments, by means of which they make the sick man resolve to [19] die. And then they take away from him all food, give him his beautiful robe of Beaver or other fur, and place him in a half-reclining posture upon his bed, singing to him praises of his past life, and of his fortitude in death; to this he agrees, and replies with his last chant, like the Swan; When it is finished, all leave him, and he considers himself happy to die rather than to linger on. For these people, being nomadic, and not being able to continue living in one place, cannot drag after them their fathers or friends, the aged, or the sick. That is why they treat them in this manner. If they are sick, they first make incisions into their stomachs, from which the Pilotois,[23] or sorcerers, suck the blood. And, whatever the cause, if they see a man can no longer drag himself along, they put him in the condition above described, and throw upon his navel so much cold water, that Nature weakens little by little, and thus he dies with great steadfastness and fortitude.
[152] Ainsi en avoit-on fait à Henri Membertou, qui se trouvoit indisposé. Mais il manda au sieur de Poutrincourt qu'il le vinst voir ce iour là, autrement qu'il estoit mort. Au mandement ledit Sieur va trouver Membertou au fond du Port Royal à quatre lieuës loin de son fort, auquel ledit Membertou conte son affaire, disant qu'il n'avoit point encore envie de mourir. Ledit Sieur le console, & le fait enlever de la pour le mener avec lui. Ce qu'ayant fait, & arrivé audit Fort, il lui fait preparer vn bon feu, le couche aupres sur vn bon lict, le fait frotter, dorlotter, [20] & bien penser, lui fait prendre medecine, d'où s'ensuivit qu'au bout de trois iours voila Membertou debout, prest à vivre encore cinquante ans.
This is the way they had treated Henry Membertou when he was sick. But he sent and asked sieur de Poutrincourt to come and see him that very day, otherwise he would be dead. At this request the Sieur went to seek Membertou at the farther end of Port Royal, four leagues away from his fort; to him the said Membertou related his story, saying he did not care to die yet. The Sieur consoled him, and had him lifted up and taken away with him. Then, when they arrived at the Fort, he had a good fire prepared for him, and, placing him near it upon a good bed, had him rubbed, [20] nursed, well cared for, and doctored; and the result was, at the end of three days, behold Membertou up and about, ready to live fifty years longer.
On ne peut arracher tout d'un coup les coutumes & façons de faire inveterées d'un peuple quel que ce soit. Les Apôtres ni plusieurs siecles apres eux ne l'ont pas fait, témoins les ceremonies des chandeles de la Chandeleur, les Processions des Rogations, les Feuz de ioye de la sainct Iehan Baptiste, l'Eau benite, & plusieurs autres traditions que nous avons en l'Eglise, lesquelles ont esté introduites à bonne fin, pour tourner en bon vsage ce que l'on faisoit par abus. Ainsi iaçoit que la famille de Membertou soit Chrétienne, toutefois elle n'avoit esté encore enseignée qu'il n'est pas loisible aux hommes d'abbreger les iours aux vieillars, ou malades, quoy qu'ilz pensent bien faire, mais faut attendre la volonté de Dieu, & laisser faire son office à la Nature. Et de verité vn Pasteur est excusable qui manque à faire chose dont il n'a connoissance.
You cannot all at once eradicate the deep-rooted customs and habits of any people, whoever they may be. The Apostles did not do it, neither was it done several centuries after them; witness the ceremonies of the candles on Candlemas, the Processions of the Rogation-days, the Bonfires of saint John the Baptist's day, the holy Water, and many other traditions that we have in the Church, which have been introduced for a laudable purpose, to convert to a good usage what had only been abused. So, although Membertou's family were Christians, nevertheless they had not yet been taught that it is not lawful for men to shorten the days of the aged, or sick, although they think they are doing right; but rather that they must await the will of God, and leave Nature to do her work. And certainly a Pastor is excusable who fails to do things of which he has no knowledge.
Vne chose de méme merite avint en la maladie de Martin. Car on lui ietta de l'eau semblablement, [154] pour ne le voir languir: & estant malade comme ledit Patriarche, & vn nommé de Montfort lui eussent pris à la chasse & fait manger quelques tourtres, lesquelles il trouva bonnes, il demandoit lors qu'on luy parloit de Paradis, si l'on y en mangeoit: A quoy on lui répondit qu'il y auoit chose meilleure, & qu'il y seroit content. Voila la simplicité d'un peuple [21] plus capable de posseder le royaume des cieux que ceux qui sçavent beaucoup, & font des œuvres mauvaises. Car ce qu'on leur propose, ilz le croyent & gardent soigneusement, voire reprochent aux nóstres leurs fautes, quand ilz ne prient point Dieu avant & apres le repas: ce qu'a fait plusieurs fois ledit Henri Membertou, lequel assiste volontiers au service divin, & porte toujours le signe de la Croix au devant de sa poitrine. Méme ne se sentant assez capable de former des prieres convenables à Dieu, il prioit le Pasteur de se souvenir de lui, & de tous ses freres Sauvages baptizés. Depuis le dernier bapteme duquel nous avons fait mention, il y en a eu plusieurs autres du 14. & 16. d'Aoust, 8. & 9. d'Octobre 1. de Decembre 1610. Et en somme ledit Pasteur fait estat d'en auoir baptizé sept vingts en vn an, ausquels ont esté imposez les noms de plusieurs personnes signalées de pardeça, selon l'affection de ceux qui faisoient l'office de parins, ou marines, lesquels ont baillé des filleuls à ceux & celles qui ensuiuent.
Something similar was done in Martin's sickness. For they threw water upon him in this way, in order not to see him linger along; during his sickness, when the Patriarch and a man named de Montfort had caught for him, and made him eat some wild pigeon, which he liked very much, he asked them, as they were speaking to him about Heaven, if there would be any wild pigeon there. To which they answered that there was something better there, and that he would be happy. Such is the simplicity of a people [21] more fit to possess the kingdom of heaven than those who know a great deal, and whose deeds are evil. For they believe and carefully observe what is proposed to them, even reproaching our people for their carelessness, if they do not pray to God before and after eating; this was done a number of times by Henry Membertou, who likes to attend divine service, and always wears the sign of the Cross upon his bosom. Furthermore, not being able to formulate suitable prayers to God, he begged the Pastor to remember him, and all his brother Savages who have been baptized. Since the last baptism, of which we have spoken, there were several others, on the 14th and 16th of August, the 8th and 9th of October, and the 1st of December, 1610. And altogether the Pastor calculates that he has baptized one hundred and forty in one year, to whom have been given the names of many distinguished people over here, according to the inclinations of those who held the position of godfathers or godmothers: these have given godsons to the following.
ET PREMIEREMENT,