I will say in passing that the Montagnais Savages are not thieves. The doors of the French are open to them, because their hands can be trusted; [114] but, as to the Hurons, if a person had as many eyes as they have fingers on their hands, he could not prevent them from stealing, for they steal with their feet. They make a profession of this art, and expect to be beaten if they are discovered. For, as I have already remarked, they will endure the blows which you give them, patiently, not as an acknowledgment of their fault, but as a punishment for their stupidity in allowing themselves to be detected in their theft. I will leave the description of them to our Fathers who are going there, whose lot I would envy, were it not that he who assigns us our departments is always worthy of love and always adorable, whatever part or portion he may give us.
Il est du manger parmy les Sauuages, comme du boire parmy les yurognes d'Europe: ces ames seiches & toujours alterées, expireroient volõtiers dãs vne cuue de maluoisie, & les Sauuages dans vne marmite pleine de viande; ceux-là ne parlent que de boire, & ceux cy que de manger. C'est faire vne espece d'affront à vn Sauuage, de refuser les morceaux qu'il presente. Vn certain voyant que i'auois remercié mon hoste, qui me [115] presentoit à manger, me dit, tu ne l'aime pas, puis que tu l'esconduits: Ie luy dis que nostre coustume n'estoit pas de mãger à toutes heures, que neantmoins ie prendrois ce qu'il me donneroit, pourueu qu'il ne m'en donnast guieres souuent. Ils se mirẽt tous à rire, & vne vieille me dit, que si ie voulois estre aimé de leur nation, il falloit que ie mangeasse beaucoup. Quand vous les traittez [250] biẽ, ils témoignent le contentement qu'ils prennent en vostre festin par ces paroles tapoué nimitison, en verité ie mange: comme si leur souuerain contentement estoit en cette action: & à la fin du banquet, ils diront pour action de graces, tapoué nikhispoun, veritablemẽt ie suis saoul; c'est à dire, tu m'as bien traitté, i'en ay iusques à creuer; i'ay desia me semble remarqué cecy. Ils croyent que c'est bestise & stupidité de refuser: le plus grãd cõtentement qu'ils puissent auoir en leur Paradis, qui est le ventre. Ie m'écrierois volõtiers, ô iuste iugement de Dieu, que ce peuple qui met sa derniere fin à mãger soit tousiours affamé, & ne soit point repeu que comme les chiens, car leurs festins les plus splendides ne sont pour [116] ainsi dire, que les os & les reliefs des tables d'Europe; La premiere action qu'ils font le matin à leur resueil, c'est d'estendre le bras à leur escuelle d'escorce garnie de chair, & puis de manger. Au commencemẽt que ie fus auec eux, ie voulus introduire la coustume de prier Dieu deuant que de manger & de fait ie donnois la benedictiõ quand ils le vouloiẽt faire: mais l'Apostat me dit, si vous voulez prier autant de fois qu'on mangera dans la Cabane, preparés vous à dire vostre Benedicite plus de vingt fois auant la nuict. Ils finissent le iour comme ils le commencent, ils ont encore le morceau à la bouche, ou le calumet pour petuner, quand ils mettent la teste sur le cheuet pour reposer.
Eating among the Savages is like drinking among the drunkards of Europe. Those dry and ever-thirsty souls would willingly end their lives in a tub of malmsey, and the Savages in a pot full of meat; those over there, talk only of drinking, and these here only of eating. It is giving a sort of insult to a Savage to refuse the pieces which he offers you. A certain one, seeing that I had declined what my host [115] offered me to eat, said to me, "Thou dost not love him, since thou refusest him." I told him that it was not our custom to eat at all hours; but, nevertheless, I would take what he would give me, if he did not give it to me quite so often. They all began to laugh; and an old woman said to me that, if I wished to be loved by their tribe, I must eat a great deal. When you treat them well, they show their satisfaction with your feast in these words, tapoué nimitison, "I am really eating," as if their highest content were in this action; and at the end of the banquet, they will say as an act of thanks, tapoué nikhispoun, "I am really full;" meaning, "Thou hast treated me well; I am full to bursting." It seems to me that I have spoken of this before. They believe that it is foolish and stupid to refuse; the greatest satisfaction that they can have in their Paradise is in the stomach. I do not hesitate to exclaim: Oh, how just is the judgment of God, that these people, who place their ultimate happiness in eating, are always hungry, and are only fed like dogs; for their most splendid feastings are, [116] so to speak, only the bones and the leavings of the tables of Europe! Their first act, upon awakening in the morning, is to stretch out their arms toward their bark dish full of meat, and then to eat. When I first began to stay with them, I tried to introduce the custom of praying to God before eating, and in fact I pronounced a blessing when they wanted it done. But the Apostate said to me, "If you want to pray as many times as they will eat in your Cabin, prepare to say your Benedicite more than twenty times before night." They end the day as they begin it, always with a morsel in their mouths, or with their pipes to smoke when they lay their heads on the pillow to rest.
Les Sauuages ont tousiours esté gourmands, mais depuis la venuë des Europeans, ils sont deuenus tellement yurognes, qu'encore qu'ils voyent bien que ces nouuelles boissons de vin & d'eau de vie, qu'on leur apporte depeuplẽt leurs pays, & qu'eux mesmes s'en [252] plaignent; ils ne sçauroient s'abstenir de boire, faisants gloire de s'enyurer, & d'enyurer les autres. Il est vray qu'ils meurẽt en grand [117] nombre, mais ie m'estonne encore comme ils peuuent si long temps resister, car donnez à deux Sauuages deux & trois bouteilles d'eau de vie, ils s'asseoiront, & sans manger boirõt l'vn apres l'autre, iusques à ce qu'ils les ayent vuidées. La compagnie de ces Messieurs est merueilleusement loüable, de defendre la traitte de ces boissons. Monsieur de Champlain fait tres sagement de tenir la main que ces deffences soient gardées. I'ay appris que Mõsieur le General du Plessis les a fait obseruer à Tadoussac. On m'auoit dit que les Sauuages estoient assez chastes, ie ne parleray pas de tous, ne les ayãt pas tous frequentez, mais ceux que i'ay conuersez sont fort lubriques, & hõmes & femmes. Dieu quel aueuglemẽt? quel bõ-heur du peuple Chrestien? que le chastiement de ces Barbares! au lieu que par admiratiõ nous disons assés souuent, Iesvs qu'est cela! mon Dieu qui a fait cela? ces vilains & ces infames prononcent les parties des-honnestes de l'homme & de la femme. Ils ont incessamment la bouche puante de ces ordures, & mesmes iusques aux petits enfãts, aussi leur disois-je par fois, que si les [118] pourceaux & les chiens sçauoient parler, ils tiendroient leur langage. Il est vray que si l'impudique Sorcier ne fust pas venu dãs la Cabane où i'estois, i'auois gaigné cela sur mes gens, qu'aucun n'osoit parler des choses des-honnestes en ma presence, mais cét impudent authorisoit les autres. Les femmes vn peu âgées se chauffent presque toutes nuës, les filles & les ieunes femmes, sont à l'exterieur tres-honnestement couuertes, mais entre elles [254] leur disscours sont puants, comme des cloaques. Il faut neãtmoins aduouër que si la liberté de se gorger de ces immondices estoit parmy quelques Chrestiens, cõme elle est parmy ces peuples, on verroit bien d'autres monstres d'excez qu'on ne voit pas icy; veu mesme que nonobstant les loix Diuines & humaines, la dissolution y marche plus à descouuert que non pas icy. Car les yeux n'y sont point offensez. Le seul Sorcier a fait en ma presence quelque action brutale, les autres battoient seulement mes oreilles, mais s'apperceuants que ie les entendois, ils en estoient honteux.
The Savages have always been gluttons, but since the coming of the Europeans they have become such drunkards, that,—although they see clearly that these new drinks, the wine and brandy, which are brought to them, are depopulating their country, of which they themselves complain,—they cannot abstain from drinking, taking pride in getting drunk and in making others drunk. It is true that they die in great [117] numbers; but I am astonished that they can resist it as long as they do. For, give two Savages two or three bottles of brandy, they will sit down and, without eating, will drink, one after the other, until they have emptied them. The company of these Gentlemen is remarkably praiseworthy in forbidding the traffic in these liquors. Monsieur de Champlain very wisely takes care that these restrictions are observed, and I have heard that Monsieur the General du Plessis has had them enforced at Tadoussac.[19] I have been told that the Savages are tolerably chaste. I shall not speak of all, not having been among them all; but those whom I have met are very lewd, both men and women. God! what blindness! How great is the happiness of Christian people! How great the chastisement of these Barbarians! In place of saying, as we do very often, through wonder, "Jesus! what is that? My God! who has done that?" these vile and infamous people pronounce the names of the private parts of man and woman. Their lips are constantly foul with these obscenities; and it is the same with the little children. So I said to them, at one time, that if [118] hogs and dogs knew how to talk, they would adopt their language. Indeed, if the shameless Sorcerer had not come into the Cabin where I was, I should have gained thus much from my people, that not one of them would dare to speak of impure things in my presence; but this impertinent fellow ruled the others. The older women go almost naked, the girls and young women are very modestly clad; but, among themselves, their language has the foul odor of the sewers. It must be admitted, however, that if liberty to gorge oneself in such filth existed among some Christians, as it does among these people, one would see very different exhibitions of excess from what are seen here; for, even despite the laws, both Divine and human, dissoluteness strides more openly there than here. For here the eyes are not offended. The Sorcerer alone has been guilty of any brutal action in my presence; the others only offended my ears, but, perceiving that I heard them, they were ashamed.
Or comme ces peuples connoissent bien cette corruption, ils prennent plustost [119] les enfans de leurs sœurs pour heritiers, que leurs propres enfans, ou de leurs freres, reuoquans en doute la fidelité de leurs femmes, & ne pouuãts douter que ces nepueux ne soient tirez de leur sang, aussi parmy les Hurons, qui sont plus sales que nos Montagnais; pource qu'ils sont mieux nourris, l'enfant d'vn Capitaine ne succede pas à son pere, mais le fils de sa sœur.
Now, as these people are well aware of this corruption, they prefer to take [119] the children of their sisters as heirs, rather than their own, or than those of their brothers, calling in question the fidelity of their wives, and being unable to doubt that these nephews come from their own blood. Also among the Hurons,—who are more licentious than our Montagnais, because they are better fed,—it is not the child of a Captain but his sister's son, who succeeds the father.
Le Sorcier me disant vn iour que les femmes l'aimoient, car au dire des Sauuages, c'est son genie que de se faire aimer de ce sexe. Ie luy dis que cela n'estoit pas beau qu'vne femme aimast vn autre que son mary; & que ce mal estãt parmy eux, luy mesme n'estoit pas asseuré, que son fils qui estoit là present, fut son fils. Il me repartit, tu n'as point d'esprit: vous autres François vous n'aimez que vos propres enfans, mais nous, nous cherissons vniuersellement tous les enfans de nostre nation, ie me mis à rire, voyant qu'il philosophoit en cheual & en mulet.
The Sorcerer told me one day that the women were fond of him, for, as the Savages say, it is his demon that makes the sex love him. I told him that it was not honorable for a woman to love any one else except her husband; and that, this evil being among them, he himself was not sure that his son, who was there present, was his son. He replied, "Thou hast no sense. You French people love only your own children; but we all love all the children of our tribe." I began to laugh, seeing that he philosophized in horse and mule fashion.
Apres toutes ces belles qualitez, les Sauuages en [256] ont encore vne autre plus onereuse que celles dont nous auons parlé, mais non pas si meschante; c'est [120] leur importunité enuers les estrangers. I'ay coustume d'appeller ces cõtrées lá, le pays d'importunité enuers les estrangers, pource que les mouches, qui en sont le symbole, & le hierogliphique, ne vous laissent reposer ny iour ny nuict: pendant quelques mois de l'Esté, elles nous assaillent auec telle furie, & si continuellement, qu'il n'y a peau qui soit à l'espreuue de leur aiguillõ: tout le monde leur paye de son sang pour tribut. I'ay veu des personnes si enflées apres leurs picqueures, qu'on croyoit qu'ils perdroient les yeux, qui ne paroissoient quasi plus: or tout cela n'est rien, car enfin cette importunité se chasse auec de la fumée, que les mouches ne sçauroient supporter, mais ce remede attire les Sauuages: s'ils sçauent l'heure de vostre disner, ils viẽnent tout exprez pour auoir à manger, ils demandẽt incessamment, mais auec des presses si reïterées, que vous diriez qu'ils vous tiennent tousiours à la gorge: faites leur voir quoy que ce soit, s'il est tant soit peu à leur vsage: ils vous diront l'aime tu? donne le moy.