On the twenty-first of October, was baptized Joseph Sondaarouhané, about forty or fifty years of age. He had great goodness and natural sweetness, and had been attached to me for a long time. He yielded up his blessed spirit to God, on the twentieth of November. On the same [187] day was baptized Joachim Tsindacaiendoua, an old man of 80 years. He was one of the best-natured Hurons I have ever known. The next day he left this life, to begin a better one, as we believe; we interred him solemnly in a separate place. This ceremony attracted upon us the eyes of the whole village, and caused several to desire that we should honor their burial in the same way,—notably Joseph Joutaia, the one above-mentioned, who, after the obsequies were over, told me that he would have been very glad if we had passed through his cabin in the style in which we were dressed, so that he might see us from the place in which sickness kept him bound; for they had talked so much to him about the matter that he declared of his own will that he wished to be interred by our hands, which was done.
[188] Puisque ie suis retombé sur le propos de cét homme, ie diray vne chose memorable qui luy arriua [138] apres son Baptesme. Le Diable luy apparut vn iour en forme d'vn sien frere decedé. Entrant dans sa cabane, il ne le salüa pas, & s'asseyant de l'autre cofté du feu, vis à vis de nostre nouueau Chrestien, il demeura long-temps sans parler. En fin prenant la parole, il luy dit, Quoy donc mon frere, vous nous voulez quitter? Nostre Ioseph, qui n'estoit pas encore assez duit en cette milice, respondit: non, mõ frere, ie ne vous veux pas quitter, ie ne vous quitteray point; & dit-on qu'alors ce faux frere commença à le caresser. Toutesfois il a depuis protesté plusieurs fois qu'il desiroit aller au Ciel.
[188] Since I have referred to this man's decision, I will tell a memorable thing which happened to him after his Baptism. The Devil appeared to him in the form of one of his deceased brothers. Entering his cabin without any salutation, he sat down on the other side of the fire opposite our new Christian, and remained a long time without speaking. At last beginning to speak, he said to him, "How now, my brother, do you wish to leave us?" Our Joseph, who was not yet sufficiently equipped for this warfare, replied, "No, my brother, I don't wish to leave you; I will not leave you," and it is said this false brother then began to caress him. Still, he has since declared several times that he desired to go to Heaven.
Le vingt-septiesme de Nouembre Martin Tsicok, vieillard desia [189] fort aagé, & d'vne humeur fort douce, fut baptisé. Ce bon hõme ne cessa d'inuoquer Iesus & Marie depuis son baptesme iusques au 15. Decembre qu'il mourut. Ie commençay à l'instruire par cette verité: que nos ames apres la mort alloient toutes en Enfer ou en Paradis: Que le Paradis estoit vn lieu remply de delices & de contentemens: & au contraire, l'Enfer, vn lieu de feux, de peines & de tourmens eternels. Qu'au reste, il auisast, tandis qu'il estoit encore en vie, auquel de ces deux lieux il vouloit aller, & demeurer pour iamais. Alors ce bon vieillard se tournant vers sa femme, Ma femme, luy dit-il, ne vaut-il pas bien mieux aller au Ciel? I'ay peur de ces effroyables feux d'enfer: sa femme fut de mesme aduis; & ainsi il presta volontiers l'oreille aux instructiõs qu'on luy dõna.
On the twenty-seventh of November, Martin Tsicok, already a very [189] old man and of a very gentle disposition, was baptized. This good man did not cease to invoke Jesus and Mary from his baptism until the 15th of December, when he died. I began to instruct him with this truth, that our souls after death all go to Hell or to Paradise; that Paradise is a place full of delights and contentment, and on the contrary that Hell is a place of fires, of pains, and eternal torments; that, besides, he should think, while he was yet in life, to which of these places he desired to go and dwell forever. Then this good old man, turning to his wife, said to her, "My wife, is it not indeed better to go to Heaven? I am afraid of those horrible fires of hell." His wife was of the same opinion, and thus he willingly listened to the instructions we gave him.
Le dixneufiesme Ianuier, ie partis [190] pour aller en la maison de Louys de saincte Foy, distante de nostre village de sept ou huict lieuës. Ie n'auois peû ny deu y aller plustost, pour ce qu'il estoit allé en la [140] Nation neutre querir son Pere, qui y estoit demeuré perclus.
On the nineteenth of January, I set out [190] for the house of Louys de saincte Foy, distant from our village seven or eight leagues. I had been neither able nor willing to go sooner, as he had gone to the neutral Nation[41] to seek his father, who had remained there, a cripple.
En ce voyage, passant par Onnentissati, i'allay voir vn nommé oukhahitoüa, qui auoit l'an passé embarqué vn de nos hommes: le trouuant à l'extremité, ie l'instruisis, il creut, il detesta sa vie passée, il fut baptisé sous le nom de François, & deux iours apres quitta ce monde pour s'enuoler au Ciel.
On this journey passing through Onnentissati,[42] I went to see a man named oukhahitoüa, who last year embarked one of our men. Finding him dying, I instructed him; he believed, he detested his past life, he was baptized under the name of François, and two days later quitted this world to fly to Heaven.
Le vingt-neufiesme de Mars nous baptisames solemnellement en nostre petite Chapelle Ioseph Oatij: François petit Pré luy seruit de Parain, plusieurs y assisterent. Il y auoit long-temps que nous l'instruisions; c'est pourquoy il respondit [191] luy-mesme aux interrogations que ie luy faisois en langue Huronne. Ce bon ieune homme estoit d'vne complexion fort valetudinaire; nous l'auions gaigné par vne continuelle assistance, qui l'auoit remis par deux fois: de sorte que tres-volontiers il remit entre nos mains le soin de son ame, laquelle alla heureusement à Dieu le quatorziesme Auril, apres auoir esté fortifiée du Sacrement d'extreme-Onction.