They are dirty in their habits, in their postures, in their homes, and in their eating; yet there is no lack of propriety among them, for everything that gives satisfaction to the senses, passes as propriety.
I'ay dit qu'ils sont sales en leurs demeures, l'aduenuë de leurs Cabanes est vne grange à pourceaux. Iamais ils ne balient leur maison, ils la tapissent au cõmencement de branches de pin, mais au troisiesme iour ces brãches sont pleines de poil, de plumes, de cheueux, de coupeaux, de raclure de bois, & cependant ils n'ont point d'autres sieges, ny d'autres licts pour se coucher, dõt l'on peut voir de quelle saleté peuuent estre chargez leurs habits: vray est que ces ordures [124] & saletez ne paroissent pas, tant dessus leurs robes, que dessus les nostres.
I have said that they are dirty in their homes; the entrance to their Cabins is like a pig-pen. They never sweep their houses, they carpet them at first with branches of pine, but on the third day these branches are full of fur, feathers, hair, shavings, or whittlings of wood. Yet they have no other seats, nor beds upon which to sleep. From this it may be seen how full of dirt their clothes must be; it is true that this dirt [124] and filth does not show as much upon their clothes as upon ours.
Le Sorcier quittant nostre Cabane pour vn temps, me demanda mon manteau, pource qu'il faisoit froid, disoit-il; comme si i'euffe esté plus dispensé des loix de l'Hiuer que non pas luy: ie luy prestay, s'en estant seruy plus d'un mois, en fin il me le rẽdit si vilain, & si sale, que i'en estois honteux, car les flegmes & autres immondices qui le couuroient, luy donnoient vn autre teinture. Le voyant en cét estat, ie le dépliay exprez deuant luy, afin qu'il le vit; connoissant bien ce que ie voulois dire, il me dit fort à [262] propos, tu dis que tu veux estre Mõtagnais & Sauuage comme nous, si cela est, ne sois pas marry d'en porter l'habit; car voila comme sont faites nos robes.
The Sorcerer leaving our Cabin for a while, asked me for my cloak, because it was cold, he said, as if I more than he were exempt from the rigors of Winter. I lent it to him, and, after having used it more than a month, he returned it to me at last so nasty and dirty, that I was ashamed of it, for it was covered with phlegm and other filth which gave it a different color. Seeing it in this condition, I purposely unfolded it before him, that he might see it. Knowing very well what I meant, he quite aptly remarked to me, "Thou sayest that thou wouldst like to be a Montagnais and Savage, like us; if that is so, do not be troubled about wearing the cloak, for that is just the way our clothes look."
Quand est de leur posture, elle suit la douceur de leur commodité, & non les regles de la bien seance: les Sauuages ne preferent iamais ce qui est honneste à ce qui est delectable. I'ay veu souuent le pretendu magicien couché tout nud, hormis vn mechant brayer plus sale qu'vn torchon de cuisine, plus noir qu'vn écouillõ de four, retirer vne de ses [125] iambes contre la cuisse, & mettre l'autre sur son genoüil releué, haraguant ses gens en cette posture, son auditoire n'auoit pas plus de grace.
As to their postures, they follow their own sweet wills, and not the rules of good breeding. The Savages never prefer what is decent to what is agreeable. I have often seen the pretended magician lie down entirely naked,—except a miserable strip of cloth dirtier than a dish-cloth, and blacker than an oven-mop,—draw up one of his [125] legs against his thigh, place the other upon his raised knee, and harangue his people in this position, his audience being scarcely more graceful.
Pour leur manger, il est tant soit peu plus net que la mangeaille que l'on donne aux animaux, & non pas encore tousiours, ie ne dis rien par exaggeration, i'en ay gousté & vescu quasi six mois durant. Nous auiõs trois écroüélés en nostre Cabane, le fils du Sorcier qui les auoit à l'oreille d'vne façon fort sale, & pleine d'horreur; son neueu qui les auoit au col, vne fille qui les auoit sous vn bras; ie ne sçay si ce sont vrayes escroüelles, quoy qu'il en soit, ce mal est plein de pus, couuert d'vne croute fort horrible à voir: ils en sont quasi tous frappez en leur ieunesse, tant pour leur saleté, que pource qu'on ne fait point de difficulté de boire & de mãger auec des malades. Ie les ay veu cent fois patroüiller dans la chaudiere où estoit nostre boisson cõmune, y lauer leurs mains, y boire à pleine teste comme les bestes, reietter leurs restes là dedans; car c'est la coustume des Sauuages, y fourrer des bastons demy brulés, & pleins de cendre, y plonger de [126] leur vaisselle d'escorce pleine de graisses, de poil d'Orignaux, de cheueux, y puiser de [264] l'eau auec des chaudrons noirs com[me] la cheminée: & aprés tout cela, nous beuuions tous de ce broüet, noir comme de l'ambroisie. Ce n'est pas tout, ils reiettẽt là dedãs les os qu'ils ont rongé, puis vous mettent de l'eau ou de la neige dans la chaudiere, la fõt boüillir, & voila de l'hipocras. Vn certain iour des souliers venant d'estre quittés, tomberent dãs nostre boisson, ils se lauerent à leur aise, on les retira sans autre ceremonie puis on beut apres eux comme si rien ne fut arriué. Ie ne suis pas bien delicat, si est-ce que ie n'eus point de soif tant que cette maluoisie dura.
As to their food, it is very little, if any, cleaner than the swill given to animals, and not always even as clean. I say nothing in exaggeration, as I have tasted it and lived upon it for almost six months. We had three persons in our Cabin afflicted with scrofula,—the son of the Sorcerer, whose ear was very disgusting and horrid from this disease; his nephew, who had it in his neck; and a daughter, who had it under one arm. I do not know whether this is the real scrofula; whatever it is, this sore is full of pus, and covered with a horrible-looking crust. They are nearly all attacked by this disease, when young, both on account of their filthy habits, and because they eat and drink indiscriminately with the sick. I have seen them a hundred times paddle about in the kettle containing our common drink; wash their hands in it; drink from it, thrusting in their heads, like the animals; and throw into it their leavings; for this is the custom of the Savages, to thrust sticks into it that are half-burned and covered with ashes; to dip therein [126] their bark plates covered with grease, the fur of the Moose, and hair; and to dip water therefrom with kettles as black as the chimney; and after that, we all drank from this black broth, as if it were ambrosia. This is not all; they throw therein the bones that they have gnawed, then put water or snow in the kettle, let it boil, and behold their hippocras. One day some shoes, which had just been taken off, fell into our drink; they soaked there as long as they pleased, and were withdrawn without exciting any special attention, and then the water was drunk as if nothing whatever had happened. I am not very fastidious, but I was not very thirsty as long as this malmsey lasted.
Iamais ils ne lauent leurs mains exprés pour manger, encore moins leur chaudiere, & point du tout la viande qu'ils fõt cuire, quoy que le plus souuent (ie le dis comme ie l'ay veu cent & cent fois) elle soit toute couuerte de poil de bestes, & de cheueux de leurs testes: Ie n'ay iamais beu aucun boüillon parmy eux, qu'il ne m'aye fallu jetter quãtité de ces poils & de ces cheueux, & bien d'autres ordures; comme des charbons, des petits [127] morceaux de bois, & mesme du baston dont ils attisent le feu, & remuent bien souuent ce qui est dans la chaudiere: ie les ay veu par fois prẽdre vn tison ardẽt, le mettre dãs la cendre pour l'esteindre: puis quasi sans le secoüer, le tremper dãs la chaudiere ou trempoit nostre disner.