Le treiziesme de May ie baptisay le fils de ceste bonne femme, que i'auois fait Chrestienne & nommé Marie l'an passé, laquelle ie laissay malade proche de nostre Maison, m'en allant hyuerner aux trois Riuieres. Sa maladie se rengregeant le Pere Lallemant luy donna l'Extreme-Onction, & venant à mourir l'enterra solemnellement dans nostre Cimetiere. Elle laissa pour tout heritage sa maladie à son petit enfant, qu'vne fieure lente a faict passer au Ciel apres le baptesme; il portoit en sa langue le nom d'Aouetitin, qui luy fut changé au nom de Pierre.
On the thirteenth of May, I baptized the son of the good woman whom I made a Christian and named Marie last year, and whom I had left sick near our House when I went to pass the winter at the three Rivers. As she was growing worse, Father Lallemant gave her Extreme Unction; and, when she died, buried her solemnly in our Cemetery. She left, as her only heritage, her disease to her little child, whom a slow fever sent to Heaven after his baptism; in his language he bore the name of Aouetitin, which was changed to that of Pierre.
[46] Le dix-neufiesme d'Aoust le Pere Lallemant a baptisé vne fille aagée d'enuiron quatre ans; elle est née au païs des Bissiriniens; on la mene en France pour estre esleuée & instruite en la Foy Chrestienne.
[46] On the nineteenth of August, Father Lallemant baptized a girl about four years old, who was born in the country of the Bissiriniens.[21] She is being taken to France to be reared and educated in the Christian Faith.
[298] Le reste des personnes faites Chrestiennes depuis que nous n'auons escrit en France, ont esté baptisées aux païs des Hurons, comme V.R. pourra voir par la Relation que nos Peres m'ont enuoyée, que ie luy addresse. Ils ont entre autres conferé ce Sacrement à vn bon homme, dont le Pere de Nouë qui l'a cogneu en ces païs si esloignez, me parle en tres-bons termes. Nous auons, dit-il, tousiours creu que cet homme mourroit Chrestien, & que Dieu luy feroit misericorde; car il estoit fort porté au bien, il faisoit volontiers l'aumosne secourant ses Compatriotes, voire mesme nous [47] autres qui estions estrangers. Retournant de la pesche il nous apportoit tousiours quelque poisson, non à la façon des autres Sauuages, qui ne donnent que pour auoir le reciproque, mais gratuitement; il nous venoit visiter vne fois ou deux la semaine, & apres s'estre entretenu quelque tẽps auec nous, voyant que nous estions en bonne santé, il s'en alloit tout content. Or comme il gardoit passablement la Loy que la nature a graué dans le cœur de tous les hommes, Dieu luy a donné auant son trespas, la cognoissance de la Loy de son fils.
The rest of the persons who have been made Christians since we have written to France, were baptized in the Huron country, as Your Reverence can see by the Relation our Fathers have sent me, which I forward to you. Among others, they have conferred this Sacrament upon an honest fellow whom Father de Nouë, who knew him in that so distant country, recommended to me highly. "We have," said he, "always believed that this man would die a Christian, and that God would be merciful to him; for he had a very good disposition,—giving alms freely to aid his Countrymen, and even to us, [47] who were strangers. When he returned from fishing he always brought us some fish, not in the way the other Savages did, who give only that they may get something in return, but gratuitously; he came to see us once or twice every week, and, after having talked for some time with us, seeing that we were in good health, he would go away well satisfied." Now as he observed fairly well the Law which nature has graven upon the hearts of all men, God gave him before his death the knowledge of the Law of his son.
Ie rapporteray en ce lieu le chastiment manifeste que Dieu a tiré du miserable Sorcier, & de son frere, dont i'ay parlé bien amplement dans la Relation de l'an passé. Ce méchant homme pour me déplaire [48] s'attaquoit par fois à Dieu comme i'ay dit. Il disoit certain iour aux Sauuages en ma presence, Ie me suis auiourd'huy bien mocqué de celuy que la robbe noire nous dit qui a tout fait. Ie ne pûs supporter ce blaspheme, ie luy dis tout haut, que s'il estoit en France on le feroit mourir. Au reste qu'il se mocquast de moy tant qu'il voudroit, que ie le souffrirois: mais [300] qu'il me tueroit & massacreroit plustost, que d'endurer qu'il se rist de mon Dieu où ie ferois present; qu'il ne porteroit pas loing ceste impudence, Dieu estant assez puissant pour le brusler, & le ietter dans les enfers, s'il continuoit ses blasphemes. Il ne tint iamais plus ces discours deuãt moy; mais en mon absence, il ne relaschoit rien de ses boufonneries & de ses impietez. Dieu n'a pas manqué de l'attraper; car l'année n'estoit pas [49] encore expirée, que le feu s'estant mis en sa cabane, ie ne sçay par quel accident, il a esté tout grillé, rosty, & miserablement bruslé, à ce que m'ont rapporté les Sauuages, non sans estonnement.
I will relate in this place the manifest chastisement which God has drawn down upon the wretched Sorcerer and his brother, of whom I spoke very fully in the Relation of last year. This wicked man, in order to displease me, [48] occasionally made attacks upon God, as I have said. One day he said to the Savages in my presence, "I have to-day made a great deal of sport of the one whom the black robe tells us has made all things." I could not stand this blasphemy, and told him aloud that, if he were in France, they would put him to death; furthermore, that he might sneer at me as much as he pleased and I would endure it, but that he might better kill and murder me than to expect me to suffer him to mock my God when I was present; that he would not continue much longer with this impertinence, for God was powerful enough to burn and cast him into hell, if he kept on with his blasphemies. He never again spoke in this way before me, but in my absence he did not in the least refrain from his scoffing and impious speeches. God did not fail to strike him; for the year had not [49] yet expired, when his cabin took fire, I know not how, and he was dreadfully scorched, roasted and burned, as it was related to me by the Savages, not without wonder.
Ils m'ont dit encor que Mestigoü lequel i'auois pris pour mon hoste a esté noyé; i'aurois bien plus souhaitté que Dieu leur eust touché le cœur; i'ay esté marry particulierement de mon hoste; car il auoit de bonnes inclinations; mais s'estant mocqué en quelque compagnie de Sauuages des prieres que ie leur auois fait faire en nostre extremité, il a esté enueloppé dans la mesme vengeance, tombant dans vne maladie qui luy fit perdre l'esprit, si bien qu'il couroit çà & là tout nud comme vn fol; s'estant trouué de basse mer sur le bord du grand fleuue, la marée montante l'a etouffé [50] dans ses eaux.
They told me also, that Mestigoü, whom I had taken for my host, was drowned. I would much rather God had touched their hearts; I have been particularly grieved about my host, for he had good inclinations; but having sneered, in company with some of the Savages, at the prayers I had made them say in the time of our great need, he was involved in the same vengeance. Falling ill of a disease which made him lose his reason, so that he ran hither and thither naked, like a madman, he found himself upon the shore of the great river, at low tide; and, when the tide arose, he was smothered [50] in the waters.