These obsequies finished, they flee from the place, and, from that time on, they hate all memory of the dead. If it happens that they are obliged to speak of him sometimes, it is under another and a new name. As for instance, the Sagamore Schoudon[21] being dead, he was called "the Father" [Père.] Membertou was called "the great Captain," and so on.
Or toute leur Religion, pour le dire en vn mot, n'est autre qu'és sorceleries & charmes des Autmoins, tels que nous vous auons recité cy deuant, parlants de leurs maladies. Ils ont beaucoup d'autres semblables sacrifices faicts au Diable, pour auoir bonne fortune [94] à la chasse, pour la victoire, pour le bon vent, &c. Ils croyent aussi aux songes, à fin que nulle sorte de folie ne leur manque. Aussi, dit-on, que souuent ces Necromantiens de Pilotoys prouoquent des spectres, & illusions aux yeux de ceux qui les croyent, faisants apparoistre des serpents & autres bestes, qui entrent & sortent de leur bouche [132] tandis qu'ils harenguent: & plusieurs autres semblables traicts de Magicien. Mais ie ne me suis iamais rencontré en tels spectacles. On nous donnoit aussi à entendre deuant qu'arriuer là, que le malin esprit tourmẽtoit sensiblemẽt le corps de ces pauures gẽts auãt le baptesme, & non apres; ie n'ay rien veu de tout cela, ny ouy dire estant sur le lieu, quoy que ie m'en sois fort enquesté. Ce que ie mets icy, à fin de rembarrer les [95] faux tesmoins de Dieu, comme les appelle S. Paul: c'est à dire, ceux qui racontent des faux miracles pour honnorer Dieu. Combien que l'escriuain du factum, qui a controuué tel mensonge, n'auoit pas dessein d'honnorer Dieu, en auançãt ces miracles: ains de charger les Iesuites cõmẽt que ce fust.
Now all their religion, to speak briefly, is nothing else than the tricks and charms of the Autmoins, as we have related before in speaking of their illnesses. They have many other similar sacrifices which they make to the Devil, so they will have good luck [94] in the chase, victory, favorable winds, etc. They believe also in dreams, that no kind of nonsense may be wanting to them. Furthermore, they say that the Magic of the Pilotoys often calls forth spirits and optical illusions to those who believe them, showing snakes and other beasts which go in and out of the mouth while they are talking; and several other Magical deeds of the same kind. But I never happened to be present at any of these spectacles. We were given to understand before we went there, that the evil spirit greatly tormented the bodies of these poor people before baptism, but not afterwards; I saw nothing of all this, nor heard of it while I was there, although I inquired into the matter very carefully. I put this down here in order to confute the [95] false witnesses of God, as St. Paul calls them; namely, those who relate false miracles in order to glorify God; to show that the writer of the memoir,[25] who has forged such a lie, does not intend to glorify God in advancing these miracles so much as to charge that they were manufactured by the Jesuits.
Les Sauuages m'ont bien souuent dit, que du temps de leurs Peres, & auant la venuë des François, le Diable les mastinoit fort, mais qu'il ne le faict plus maintenant, comm'il appert. Membertou aussi m'a asseuré qu'estant encores Autmoin (car il l'auoit esté, & fort celebre) le Diable s'estoit apparu souuẽtesfois à luy: mais qu'il l'auoit quitté, ayant fort bien cogneu qu'il estoit meschant, parce qu'il ne commandoit iamais que de mal faire. Voila tout ce que i'en ay peu apprendre.
The Savages indeed have often told me that, in their Fathers' time, and before the coming of the French, the Devil tormented them a great deal, but that he does not do it any more, as it appears. Membertou has assured me that when he was still Autmoin (for he was one, and very celebrated too), the Devil appeared to him many times; but that he had avoided him, knowing well that he was wicked, because he never commanded him to do anything but evil. Now this is all I have been able to learn on this subject.
[96] Ils croyent vn Dieu, ce disent-ils: mais ils ne sçauent le nommer que du nom du Soleil Niscaminou, Ny ne sçauent aucunes prieres, ny façon de l'adorer. Vn ieune Autmoin interrogé par moy sur cela, respondit: Que quand ils estoyent en necessité il prenoit sa robe sacrée, (car les Autmoins ont vne robe precieuse, exprés pour leurs Orgies) & se tournant vers l'Orient disoit, Niscaminou hignemoüy ninem marcodam: [134] Nostre Soleil, ou nostre Dieu, donne nous à manger. Qu'apres cela ils alloyẽt à la chasse, & volontiers auec bõheur: autre chose ne me sceust il dire. Ils tiennent l'immortalité de l'ame, & la recompense des bons & des mauuais, cõfusément & en general; mais ils ne passent point plus auant en recherche ny soucy, comment cela doit estre, occupés tousiours & preoccupés ou [97] des necessitez de la vie, ou de leurs vs & coustumes. Voila briefuement le plus principal de ce que i'ay peu apperceuoir de ces nations, & de leur vie.
[96] They believe in a God, so they say; but they cannot call him by any name except that of the Sun, Niscaminou,[22] nor do they know any prayers or manner of worshipping him. When I asked a young Autmoin about this, he answered, that when they were in great need he put on his sacred robe (for the Autmoins have a precious robe, expressly for their Orgies) and turning toward the East said, Niscaminou, hignemoüy ninem marcodam: "Our Sun, or our God, give us something to eat;" that after that they went hunting cheerfully and with good luck; he could not tell me anything more. They have an incoherent and general idea of the immortality of the soul and of future reward and punishment: but farther than this they do not seek nor care for the causes of these things, occupied and engrossed always either [97] in the material things of life, or in their own ways and customs. Now these are briefly the principal features of what I have been able to learn about these nations and their life.
Mais si ores nous venons à sommer le tout, & apparier leurs biẽs, & leurs maux auec les nostres, ie ne sçay si en verité ils n'ont point bonne raison de preferer (comm' ils font) leur felicité à la nostre, au moins si nous parlons de la felicité temporelle, que les riches & mondains cherchent en ceste vie. Car si bien ils n'ont pas toutes ces delices, que les enfans de ce siecle recherchent, ils sont frãcs des maux qui les suiuent, & ont du contentement, qui ne les accompagne pas. Il est vray neantmoins, qu'ils sont purement, & absoluement miserables, tant parce qu'ils n'ont aucune part en la felicité naturelle, qui est en la contemplation [98] de Dieu, & cognoissance des choses grandes, & perfectiõ des parties nobles de l'ame, comme principalemẽt parce que ils sont hors la grace de nostre Seigneur Iesvs-Christ, & le chemin du salut Eternel.
But now if we come to sum up the whole and compare their good and ill with ours, I do not know but that they, in truth, have some reason to prefer (as they do) their own kind of happiness to ours, at least if we speak of the temporal happiness, which the rich and worldly seek in this life. For, if indeed they have not all those pleasures which the children of this age are seeking after, they are free from the evils which follow them, and have the contentment which does not accompany them. It is true, nevertheless, that they are purely and absolutely wretched, as much because they have no part in the natural happiness which is in the contemplation [98] of God, and in the knowledge of sublime things and in the perfection of the nobler parts of the soul, but chiefly because they are outside the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the way of Eternal salvation.