They think it hears, especially when, for a joke, some one of our Frenchmen calls out at the last stroke of the hammer, "That's enough," and then it immediately becomes silent. They call it the Captain of the day. When it strikes, they say it is speaking; and they ask when they come to see us how many times the Captain has already spoken. They ask us about its food; they remain a whole hour, and sometimes several, in order to be able to hear it speak. They used to ask at first what it said. We told them two [161] things that they have remembered very well; one, that when it sounded four o'clock of the afternoon, during winter, it was saying, "Go out, go away that we may close the door," for immediately they arose, and went out. The other, that at midday it said, yo eiouahaoua, that is, "Come, put on the kettle;" and this speech is better remembered than the other, for some of these spongers never fail to come at that hour, to get a share of our Sagamité. They eat at all hours, when they have the wherewithal, but usually they have only two meals a day, in the morning and in the evening; consequently they are very glad during the day to take a share with us.
A propos de leurs admirations, i'en pourrois icy coucher plusieurs faites au sujet de la pierre d'aymant; en laquelle ils regardoient s'il y auoit [162] de la colle, & d'vne lunette à onze facettes, qui leur representoit autant de fois vn mesme obiet, d'vne petite [114] phiole dans laquelle vne pulce paroist comme vn hanneton, du verre triangulaire, des outils de menuiserie. Mais sur tout de l'escriture; car ils ne pouuoient conceuoir comme ce qu'vn de nous, estãt au village leur auoit dit & couché en mesme temps par escrit; vn autre qui cependant estoit dans la maison bien esloignée, le disoit incontinent en voyant l'escriture. Ie crois qu'ils en ont fait cent experiences. Tout cela sert pour gaigner leurs affections, & les rendre plus dociles, quand il est question des admirables & incomprehensibles mysteres de nostre Foy. Car la croyance qu'ils ont de nostre esprit & de nostre capacité, fait que sans replique ils croyent ce qu'on leur annonce.
Speaking of their expressions of admiration, I might here set down several on the subject of the lodestone, into which they looked to see if there was [162] some paste; and of a glass with eleven facets, which represented a single object as many times; of a little phial in which a flea appears as large as a beetle; of the prism, of the joiner's tools; but above all of the writing, for they could not conceive how, what one of us, being in the village, had said to them, and put down at the same time in writing, another, who meanwhile was in a house far away, could say readily on seeing the writing. I believe they have made a hundred trials of it. All this serves to gain their affections, and to render them more docile when we introduce the admirable and incomprehensible mysteries of our Faith; for the belief they have in our intelligence and capacity causes them to accept without reply what we say to them.
[163] Reste maintenant à dire quelque chose du pays, des meurs & coustumes des Hurons, de la disposition qu'ils ont à la Foy, & de nos petits trauaux.
[163] It remains now to say something of the country, of the manners and customs of the Hurons, of the inclination they have to the Faith, and of our insignificant labors.
Quant au premier, le peu de papier & de loisir que nous auons, m'oblige à vous dire en peu de mots ce qui pourroit faire vn iuste volume. Le pays des Hurons n'est pas grand, sa plus longue estenduë se peut trauerser en trois ou quatre iours, l'assiette en est belle, la plus part toute en plaines. Il est environné & entrecoupé d'vne quantité de tres-beaux lacs, ou plustost mers, d'où vient que celuy qui leur est au Nord, & au Nord-nordouest, est appellé mer douce. Nous passõs par là en venāt des Bissiriniens. Le sol de ce pays est tout sablonneux, quoy que non esgalement. Cependant il produit quantité de tres-bon bled d'Inde, & peut-on [164] dire, que c'est le grenier de la plus part des Algonquains. Il y a vingt Bourgades, qui disent enuiron trente milles ames, sous vne mesme langue, & encore assez facile à qui a quelque maistre. Elle a distinction de genres, de [116] nombre, de temps, de personnes, de mœuds, & en vn mot tres-parfaite & tres accomplie, contre la pensée de plusieurs. Ce qui me resioüit, c'est que i'ay appris que cette langue est commune à quelques douze autres Nations toutes sedentaires & nombreuses. Sçauoir est aux Conkhandeenrhonons, khionontaterrhonons, Atiouandaronks, Sonontoerrhonons, Onontaerrhonons, Oüioenrhonons, Onoiochrhonons, Agnierrhonons, Andastoerrhonons, Scahentoarrhonõs, Rhiierrhonons, & Ahouenrochrhonons. Les Hurons sont amis de tous ces peuples, excepté des Sonontoerrhonons, Onontaerrhonons, Oüioenrhonons, Onoiochrhonons [165] & Agnierrhonons, que nous comprenons tous sous le nom d'Hiroquois. Encore ont ils desia la paix auec les Sonontoerrhonons, depuis qu'ils furent par eux défaits l'année passée an Printemps.
As to the first, the little paper and leisure we have compels me to say in a few words what might justly fill a volume. The Huron country is not large, its greatest extent can be traversed in three or four days. Its situation is fine, the greater part of it consisting of plains. It is surrounded and intersected by a number of very beautiful lakes or rather seas, whence it comes that the one to the North and to the North-northwest is called "fresh-water sea" [mer douce].[33] We pass through it in coming from the Bissiriniens. The soil of this country is quite sandy, although not equally so. However, it produces a quantity of very good Indian corn, and one may [164] say that it is the granary of most of the Algonquains. There are twenty Towns, which indicate about 30,000 souls speaking the same tongue, which is not difficult to one who has a master. It has distinction of genders, number, tense, person, moods; and, in short, it is very complete and very regular, contrary to the opinion of many. I am rejoiced to find that this language is common to some twelve other Nations, all settled and numerous; these are, the Conkhandeenrhonons, khionontaterrhonons, Atiouandaronks, Sonontoerrhonons, Onontaerrhonons, Oüioenrhonons, Onoiochrhonons, Agnierrhonons, Andastoerrhonons, Scahentoarrhonons, Rhiierrhonons, and Ahouenrochrhonons.[34] The Hurons are friends of all these people, except the Sonontoerrhonons, Onontaerrhonons, Oüioenrhonons, Onoiochrhonons [165] and Agnierrhonons, all of whom we comprise under the name Hiroquois. But they have already made peace with the Sonontoerrhonons, since they were defeated by them a year past in the Spring.
Les deputez de tout le Pays sont allez à Sonontoen pour cõfirmer cette paix, & dit on que les Onontaerhonons, Ouioenrhonons, Ouiochrhonons & Agnierrhonons, veulẽt entrer en ce party. Mais ce n'est pas chose asseurée; que si cela est, voila vne belle grande porte ouuerte à l'Euangile. On m'a voulu mener audit Sonontoen, mais ie n'ay pas iugé à propos d'aller encore en aucune part, iusques à ce que nous ayons icy mieux estably les fondemens de la Loy Euangelique, & que nous y ayons tiré vn crayon, sur lequel les autres Nations qui se conuertiront se puissent reigler. Ie voudrois bien n'aller en aucũ lieu qu'on [166] ne nous recogneust aussi tost pour Predicateurs de Iesus-Christ.
The deputies of the whole Country have gone to Sonontoen[35] to confirm this peace, and it is said that the Onontaerhonons, Ouioenrhonons, Ouiochrhonons and Agnierrhonons wish to become parties to it. But that is not certain; if it were, a noble door would be open to the Gospel. They wanted me to go to this Sonontoen, but I did not judge it wise to go yet into any other part, until we have better established here the foundation of the Gospel Law, and until we have drawn a line by which the other Nations that shall be converted may guide themselves. Indeed, I would not go to any place where [166] we would not be immediately recognized as Preachers of Jesus Christ.
Il est si clair & si euident, qu'il est vne Diuinité qui a fait le Ciel & la terre, que nos Hurons ne la peuuent entierement mécognoistre. Et quoy qu'ils ayent les yeux de l'esprit fort obscurcis des tenebres [118] d'vne longue ignorance, de leurs vices & pechez, si est-ce qu'ils en voyent quelque chose. Mais ils se méprennent lourdement, & ayant la cognoissance de Dieu, ils ne luy rendent pas l'honneur, ny l'amour, ny le seruice qu'il conuient: car ils n'ont ny Temples, ny Prestres, ny Festes, ny ceremonies aucunes.