I do not believe that there is a nation under heaven more given to sneering and bantering than that of the Montagnais. Their life is passed in eating, laughing, and making sport of each other, and of all the people they know. There is nothing serious about them, except occasionally, when they make a pretense among us of being grave and dignified; but among themselves they are real buffoons and genuine children, who ask only to laugh. Sometimes I annoyed them a little, especially the Sorcerer, by calling them children, and showing them that I never could place any reliance upon all their answers; because, if I questioned them about one thing, they told me about something else, only to get something to laugh and jest about; and consequently I could not know when they were speaking seriously, or when they were jesting. The usual conclusion of their discourses and conversations is: "Really, we did make [111] a great deal of sport of such and such a one."
I'ay fait voir dans mes lettres precedentes combien les Sauuages sont vindicatifs enuers leurs ennemis, auec quelle rage & quelle cruauté ils les traittent, les mageants apres leur auoir fait souffrir tout ce qu'vn demon incarné pourroit inuenter, cette fureur est commune aux femmes, aussi bien qu'aux hommes; voire mesme elles les surpassent en ce poinct. I'ay dit qu'ils mangent les poux qu'ils trouuent sur eux, non pour aucun goust qu'ils y trouuẽt, mais pource qu'ils veulent mordre ceux qui les mordent.
I have shown in my former letters how vindictive the Savages are toward their enemies, with what fury and cruelty they treat them, eating them after they have made them suffer all that an incarnate fiend could invent. This fury is common to the women as well as to the men, and they even surpass the latter in this respect. I have said that they eat the lice they find upon themselves, not that they like the taste of them, but because they want to bite those that bite them.
Ce peuple est fort peu touché de compassion, quand quelqu'vn est malade dans leurs Cabanes, ils ne laissent pas pour l'ordinaire de crier, de tempester, & de faire autant de bruit, cõme si tout le monde estoit en santé; ils ne sçauent que c'est de prendre soin d'vn pauure malade, & de luy donner des viandes qui luy sont bonnes: s'il demande à boire, on luy en donne, s'il demande à manger, on luy en presente, sinon on le laisse là: de l'inuiter auec amour & charité, c'est vn langage qu'ils n'entendent pas; tant qu'vn malade pourra manger, ils le porteront [112] ou le traisneront auec eux; cesse-il de manger, ils croient que c'est fait de sa vie, ils le mettent à mort, tant pour le deliurer du mal qu'il endure, que pour se soulager de la peine qu'ils ont de le porter quand ils vont en quelqu'autre endroit. I'ay admiré auec cõpassion la patiẽce des malades que j'ay veu parmi eux.
These people are very little moved by compassion. When any one is sick in their Cabins, they ordinarily do not cease to cry and storm, and make as much noise as if everybody were in good health. They do not know what it is to take care of a poor invalid, and to give him the food which is good for him; if he asks for something to drink, it is given to him, if he asks for something to eat, it is given to him, but otherwise he is neglected; to coax him with love and gentleness, is a language which they do not understand. As long as a patient can eat, they will carry [112] or drag him with them; if he stops eating, they believe that it is all over with him and kill him, as much to free him from the sufferings that he is enduring, as to relieve themselves of the trouble of taking him with them when they go to some other place. I have both admired and pitied the patience of the invalids whom I have seen among them.
[246] Les Sauuages sont mesdisants au de là de ce qu'on en peut penser; ie dis mesme les vns des autres, ils n'espargnent pas leurs plus proches: ils sont auec cela fort dissimulez; car si l'vn médit d'vn autre, il s'en mocquent à gorge desploiée: si l'autre paroist là dessus, il luy tesmoignera autant d'affection, & le traittera auec autant d'amour, comme s'il l'auoit mis iusques au troisiesme ciel à force de le loüer. La raison de cecy prouient à mon aduis de ce que leurs detractions & mocqueries, ne sortent point d'vn cœur enfielé, ny d'vne bouche empestée, mais d'vne ame qui dit ce qu'elle pense pour se donner carriere: & qui veut tirer du contentement de tout, voire mesme des mesdisances, & des gausseries: c'est pourquoy ils ne se troublent point; quoy qu'on leur die que d'autres se sont mocqués [113] d'eux, ou qu'ils ont blessé leur renõmée: tout ce qu'ils repartent ordinairement à ces discours, c'est mama irinisiou, il n'a point d'esprit, il ne sçait ce qu'il dit: & à la premiere occasion ils payeront leur detracteur en mesme monnoye, luy rendants le reciproque.
The Savages are slanderous beyond all belief; I say, also among themselves, for they do not even spare their nearest relations, and with it all they are deceitful. For, if one speaks ill of another, they all jeer with loud laughter; if the other appears upon the scene, the first one will show him as much affection and treat him with as much love, as if he had elevated him to the third heaven by his praise. The reason of this is, it seems to me, that their slanders and derision do not come from malicious hearts or from infected mouths, but from a mind which says what it thinks in order to give itself free scope, and which seeks gratification from everything, even from slander and mockery. Hence they are not troubled even if they are told that others are making sport of [113] them, or have injured their reputation. All they usually answer to such talk is, mama irinisiou, "He has no sense, he does not know what he is talking about;" and at the first opportunity they will pay their slanderer in the same coin, returning him the like.
La menterie est aussi naturelle aux Sauuages que la parole, non pas entr'eux, mais enuers les estrangers: en suitte dequoy l'on peut dire, que la crainte & l'espoir, en vn mot, que l'interest est la mesure de leur fidelité, ie ne me voudrois cõfier en eux qu'autãt qu'ils craindroient d'estre punis s'ils manquoient à leur deuoir, ou qu'ils espereroient d'estre recompensés s'ils estoient fideles. Ils ne sçauent que c'est d'estre secrets, de tenir leur parole, & d'aimer auec constance; notamment ceux qui ne sont pas de leur nation, car ils sont de bon accord parmy eux, & leurs mesdisances & railleries, n'alterent point leur paix, & leur bonne intelligence.
Lying is as natural to Savages as talking, not among themselves, but to strangers. Hence it can be said that fear and hope, in one word, interest, is the measure of their fidelity. I would not be willing to trust them, except as they would fear to be punished if they failed in their duty, or hoped to be rewarded if they were faithful to it. They do not know what it is to keep a secret, to keep their word, and to love with constancy,—especially those who are not of their nation, for they are harmonious among themselves, and their slanders and raillery do not disturb their peace and friendly intercourse.
[248] Ie diray en passant que les Sauuages Montagnais ne sont point larrons, l'entrée leur est libre dans les demeures des François, parce qu'ils ont la main seure: [114] mais pour les Hurons, si on auoit autant d'yeux qu'ils ont de doigts aux mains, encore ne les empescheroit-on pas de dérober, car ils dérobent auec les pieds: ils font profession de ce mestier, & en suitte d'estre battus si on les descouure. Car cõme i'ay desia remarqué, ils porteront les coups que vous leur donnerez patiemment; non pas en reconnoissance de leur peché, mais en punition de leur stupidité, s'estans laissez surprendre en leur larcin. Ie laisseray à parler d'eux aux Peres qui les sont allez voir, dont i'enuierois la condition, n'estoit que celuy qui nous assigne nos departemẽs est toujours aimable, & toujours adorable, quelque part ou portiõ qu'il nous dõne.