PREFACE TO VOL. XVII
Le
Jeune’s Relation of 1639 (Doc.
XXXIV.) is, like the majority of the regular series, in two parts, —the first
(by Le Jeune) devoted to the field at large, with especial reference to the
Lower St. Lawrence region, and the second (by Jerome Lalemant) giving an
account of the year’s work among the Hurons. Part I., begun in our Vol. XV.,
was concluded in Vol. XVI., which also contained the first two chapters of Part
II., concluded in the present volume.
Following
is a synopsis of the material contained in this volume:
XXXIV.
Father Lalemant continues his account to Le Jeune (his superior, at Quebec) of
the Huron mission. He briefly reviews the year’s work, and, though the
missionaries still have many difficulties to contend with, he looks forward
hopefully to the future. He enumerates the baptisms of the past year. Many of
these conversions have occurred among the Wenrohronons, a tribe forced by its
weakness to take refuge with the Hurons, who receive the strangers with the
utmost kindness and hospitality, —even meeting them halfway, to aid them in
carrying their goods and infant children. The hardships of the journey are,
nevertheless, so great that many of the refugees die on the way, and those who
survive are afflicted by illness. In this emergency, the Fathers are able to
render great aid, especially as their [Page
1] domestics, or donnés, have learned in Europe the use of the lancet and
other remedies; thus they are enabled to reach the savages, and minister at
once to their temporal and spiritual necessities. Most of the refugees have
settled at Ossossané, and the infant church in that village now numbers almost
sixty persons, which affords the missionaries great consolation. Valuable aid
in their labors is given by the earliest real convert, Joseph Chihwatenhwa, who
improves every opportunity to profess his faith and to exhort his countrymen to
embrace it. On Christmas night, “not contenting himself with one Mass, he hears
five in succession, —during most of them, on his knees; this, for a Barbarian,
who has never known what that posture is, might well pass for a petty
martyrdom. ” While dangerously ill, and delirious, “ his utterances and ravings
are only about the things of God and the Faith; ” and, going to the fire, he
defies imaginary enemies to “ burn him, and see if it is in earnest he
believes, or only with his lips.”
Lalemant
reports that several causes have aided the progress of their work —the patience
and courage of the pioneer missionaries, despite persecutions and dangers; the
irreproachable lives led by lay Frenchmen in the Huron country; the aid of
Joseph Chihwatenhwa, just mentioned; the favors and graces of the Virgin Mary;
and finally, “ the holy prayers and devotions of so many good souls in France,
” —to which last, the writer, like St.
Francis Xavier, ascribes great power and efficacy.
The
writer narrates their change of residence from Ihonatiria to Teanaustayaé, the
most important of the Huron villages. He enumerates the conversions, since that
event; but regrets that many persons, who were baptized when in danger of
death, now fail to [Page 2] appreciate
the benefits of the holy rite. He then relates “ the most noteworthy particulars
of these baptisms.” The Hurons, having captured in war over a hundred Iroquois
prisoners, bring these home, and, according to their custom, put many of them
to death, with most cruel torments. “ All those,” says Lalemant, “ who were
assigned to the Villages where we have residences, or which are near these,
were, thank God, instructed and baptized. . . . These afterward displayed so
much fortitude in their torments that our Barbarians resolved no longer to
allow us to baptize these poor unfortunates, reckoning it a misfortune to their
country when those whom they torment shriek not at all, or very little. Indeed,
this has given us so much trouble since then, that there has not been one of
these for whose baptism we have not been obliged to give battle to those who
are their Masters and Guardians; and sometimes it has been necessary to atone
for this violence by some present.” One of these prisoners, an Oneida
chieftain, encourages his companion in misery by reminding him of the
blessedness prepared for them in heaven. The hideous cruelties inflicted on
this chief are related at length; he dies at last, and “ we have reason to
believe that this brave spirit now enjoys in heaven the freedom of the children
of God, since even his enemies loudly exclaimed that there was something more
than human within him, and that without doubt baptism had given him his
strength and courage, which surpassed all that they had ever seen. ” The Father
then narrates the birth of their little church in Teanaustayaé, where about
fifteen persons receive baptism on New Year’s day, 1639, others being from time
to time added to this number. He then describes the establishment of the new
mission. [Page 3] at Scanonaenrat,
and states that it has gained, since the beginning of the year, about twenty
converts. Among those baptized was “ a poor Hiroquois Prisoner, ” who “ during
his last and fatal night ” of torments, had endeavored to choke himself. “ This
obliged the Fathers to go and visit him a little while before the final cruelties
were exercised upon him, to make him acknowledge his fault, to lead him to
accuse himself thereof, and to ask pardon for it. Having done this, he was
granted absolution; and two hours later he was boiling in a kettle, of which
the inmates of the Fathers’ cabin were invited to come and get their share.”
The
Fathers had hoped to begin other missions, but find it necessary to devote all
their care to the upbuilding of the three churches already established. In the
summer, the savages being then scattered in various directions, the
missionaries spend a little time in rest and spiritual refreshment, and then
make short journeys to the neighboring villages, baptizing here and there a few
converts, — among these, several Iroquois prisoners, who are afterward tortured
to death.
Lalemant
goes on to describe the obstacles and difficulties that beset their work, —
hindrances raised by the evil demons that rule the land of the Hurons. The “
black gowns ” are again accused of spreading disease and death, to the ruin of
the country; their instructions to neophytes are interrupted by infidel
blasphemies; snowballs or clubs are flung at them as they pass, or through the
openings in their cabins; and they are even threatened with death. The demons
aforesaid have sent certain New England Indians into these regions, who repeat
the calumnies against the Jesuits, that they have learned from the [Page 4] English. Even some of the
native Christians think that the Fathers cause their death, through love to
them, that they may the sooner enter upon the bliss of Paradise. The converts
also are persecuted, threatened, and almost ostracized by their own people; and
from this arises the chief anxiety of the missionaries, that their flock may,
despite all their efforts, be led back to the paths of evil. Notwithstanding
the ignorance and weakness of the neophytes, there are some of them who,
through their faith and virtue, daily awaken in the Fathers feelings of
consolation and gratitude.
Lalemant
describes various feasts, dances, and other superstitious ceremonies,
especially those celebrated by the savages as a result of their dreams, —these
latter being directly inspired by the devil. This belief of the Fathers is
confirmed by the tales of the old men, whose traditions state that these solemnities
were taught them by the demons. They regard these observances as affairs of
great importance, and by them regulate all their proceedings. The Father
describes their ceremony of “ marrying the seine ” to young girls; also the
game of “ dish,“ —in which latter they think success depends mainly upon their
charms and dreams. He recounts their devotion to their Ascwandics, or “
familiar demons, ’ ‘ — a sort of fetich, which is kept in a pouch, and to which
its owner prefers his request for any desired article or event. “ Some of these
are more positive and efficacious than others. Some buy them from the
Algonquains, who are reputed to have excellent ones, and this is the most
costly and precious merchandise of the country; others have inherited them from
their relatives. ’ ’
Lalemant
again mentions the practices of the [Page
5] medicine men; and closes by invoking the prayers of the faithful to aid
the missionaries in their struggle against these several agencies of the devil.
XXXV.
Jerome Lalemant writes to Cardinal Richelieu (March 28, 1640), mentioning the
successes and the hindrances of the Huron mission, and requesting that he will
interfere, in behalf of the savage allies of the French, to check the hostile
advances of the Iroquois, who are encouraged and incited by the English and
Flemish (Dutch) colonists on the coast. If this be not done, he dreads the ruin
of the Hurons, and the consequent cessation of the mission work.
XXXVI.
Jerome Lalemant writes (April I, 1640) a brief letter, apparently to the Father
General at Rome, summarizing the progress of the Huron mission, and mentioning
the dangers, even to life, that have menaced them during the year. Of late,
persecution had prevented any increase in the number of converts, and their
last-formed church has been nearly dispersed; but their faith remains unshaken.
XXXVII.
Jacques Buteux sends (in 1640) to the Father General a brief epitome of the
work accomplished in the mission at Three Rivers. This has been more successful
than that among the Hurons, —principally because of the influence exerted by
the new Indian colony at Sillery, and of Montmagny’s excellent government. He
mentions the great extent of the field, in which they are the only laborers,
and the need of additional men, who should be “ of good health, excellent
memory, and proved virtue.”
R. G. T.
Madison,
Wis., February, 1898.
XXXIV (concluded)
Le
Jeune's Relation, 1639
Paris
: SEBASTIEN CRAMOISY, 1640
—————
Part I. (Le
Jeune’s Relation proper) of this
document was given in Volumes XV. and XVI.; and, in Volume XVI., the first two
chapters of Part II. (Lalemant’s Huron report for the year). In the present
volume, we give chaps. iii.-viii. Of Part II., thus concluding the document.
[Page
7]
[25] CHAP. III.
OF THE GENERAL STATE OF CHRISTIANITY
IN THESE
COUNTRIES.
URVEYING from
afar the progress of Christianity in New France, and especially among the
Hurons, it seemed to me, in very truth, a special work of divine Providence.
But I have been far more strongly confirmed in this idea since I have had a
nearer view of it. Who would not have said, when our Fathers first arrived in
this country, that it would be best for those who could do so to establish
themselves in the chief and more important localities, as we are now? But if
that had been done, what could we have accomplished there, — having no idea of
the language or experience therein, and no knowledge of the customs of the
country and the disposition of the Barbarians? It is very probable that, having
nothing else which could give us a foothold in the understanding and esteem of
these Savages, we would have incurred so general contempt [26] throughout the
country, that we could with difficulty have recovered therefrom, or for a long
time have been in a position to give efficient aid to these people. And,
indeed, I do not know if this were not the reason why the people of the place
where we first fixed our residence profited so little.
God
so arranged matters, then, that we were obliged to settle at first in a little
corner of the country, where we forged the arms necessary for war, [Page 9] I mean to say that we there
devoted ourselves to the study and practice of the language, and began to
reduce it to rules; in this it was necessary to be at once both master and
pupil to oneself, with incredible difficulty. Thence, at the end of three years
we went with flying colors, so to speak, to Ossosané, one of the principal
villages of the whole country; the next year, to Teanaustayaé, the most
important village of all, leaving and entirely abandoning the first residence,
for lack of inhabitants there, and of persons capable of profiting by our
labors, —nearly all being scattered or dead from the malady, which seems to be,
not without reason, a punishment from Heaven for the contempt that they showed for
the [27] favor of the visit that the divine goodness had procured for them.
At
the outset, we gave special care to the children and to elderly sick persons
who were near death; these we did not allow to die without Baptism, or at least
without instruction to those who most needed it, our Fathers freely entering
all the cabins for this purpose. This is a boon and an advantage which cannot
be estimated; and those whom it almost cost their lives several times, as may
be seen in the Relation of last year, are so satisfied with this victory that
they would expose a thousand more lives, if they had them, to maintain it.
In
the general and individual instructions, as also in our journeys or missions,
we occasionally gain a few souls, although for the present there are usually
only mockeries and threats, —which will be, I hope, the seed that shall
produce, in its own time, the fruit of the Gospel, and the general subjection
of these people to the faith. [Page 11]
We
have sometimes wondered whether we could hope for the conversion of this
country without the shedding of blood; the principle received, it seems, in the
Church of [28] God, that the blood of Martyrs is the seed of Christians, made
me at one time conclude that this was not to be expected, — yea, that it was
not even to be desired; considering the glory that redounds to God from the
constancy of the Martyrs, with whose blood all the rest of the earth has been
so lately drenched, it would be a sort of curse if this quarter of the world
should not participate in the happiness of having contributed to the splendor
of this glory.
But
I confess, —now that I am here, and see what is taking place, namely, the
combats, battles, attacks, and the general assaults against all Nature, which
the Gospel laborers suffer here every day, and at the same time their patience,
their courage, and their continual assiduity in pursuing their object, —that I
begin to wonder whether any other martyrdom than this is necessary for the
results that we aim at; and I do not doubt that many persons could be found who
would prefer to receive at once a hatchet blow upon the head, than to spend
their years enduring the life that one must every day lead here, working for
the conversion of these barbarians.
[29]
If you go to visit them in their cabins, —and you must go there oftener than
once a day, if you would perform your duty as you ought, — you will find there
a miniature picture of Hell, — seeing nothing, ordinarily, but fire and smoke,
and on every side naked bodies, black and half roasted, mingled pell me11 with
the dogs, which are held as dear as the children of the house, and share the
beds, plates, and [Page 13] food of
their masters. Everything is in a cloud of dust, and, if you go within, you
will not reach the end of the cabin before you are completely befouled with
soot, filth, and dirt.
Their
words are often only blasphemies against God and our mysteries, and insults
against us, accompanied with incredible evidences of ingratitude, —hurling at
us the reproach that it is our visits and our remedies which cause them to
sicken and die, and that our sojourn here is the sole cause of all their
troubles. If you wish to converse, in order to instruct them, it will sometimes
be necessary to wait whole hours before finding opportunity to say to them at
the right time one profitable word; and after all your pains and your [30]
visits, a dream, which is, properly speaking, the God of the country, will undo
more in one night than you will have accomplished in thirty days; and you may,
indeed, as your sole reward, get a stroke from the hatchet or arrow. If they
come to your cabin, do not imagine that you can easily refuse them admittance,
or, when they are within, manage them in your own way. They sit down where they
please, and do not go away at your pleasure. They must enter everywhere, and
see everything, and if you try to prevent them, there are quarrels and
reproaches and insults. And, in all this, one must act submissively; a blow
from the hatchet is soon given by these Barbarians, and the bark set on fire;
as to seeking redress for the crime, there is none in the country, and the most
one could expect would be a few presents. In consequence, one must always be on
the watch and be patient, and consider that here, still less than in any other place
in the world, can one be sure of a moment of his life. [Page 15]
Add
to the above that your way of lodging, sleeping, and eating being in every
respect similar to that of the Savages, [13 i.e., 31] nature finds but few
alleviations amid all these hardships. A little Indian corn boiled in water,
and for the better fare of the country a little fish, rank with internal
rottenness, or some powdered dried fish as the only seasoning, — this is the
usual food and drink of the country; as something extra, a little bread made of
their corn, baked under the cinders, without any leaven, in which they
sometimes mix some beans or wild fruits; this is one of the great dainties of
the country. Fresh fish and game are articles so rare that they are not worth
mentioning, it being all the trouble imaginable to secure these for the sick. A
mat upon the ground, or upon a piece of bark, is your bed; the fire, your
candle; the holes through which the smoke passes, your windows, which are never
closed; bent poles, covered with bark, your walls and your roof, through which
the wind enters from all sides. In a word, all remains in keeping with the
Savages, except the clothing, to which we must yet begin to reduce ourselves.
I
say nothing of the severity of the seasons; of the inconveniences of the roads,
which can be traveled only on foot or upon some one’s back; [32] of continual
dangers from the Enemies of the country, who are daily at your gates, filling
all with a terror renewed every hour by some massacre, or some prisoner whom
they have carried away, and by their determination to come and consume the
whole country — I say nothing, I repeat, of all this, and of an infinite number
of other little misfortunes which accompany and follow all the above. As a
final [Page 17] conclusion, it seems
as if a single year of patience and courage amid these continual struggles and
battles is indeed equal to one short martyrdom; and that, therefore, although
no blood of martyrs has yet been shed, we have, nevertheless, no reason to
despair of the conversion of these peoples.
It
will be, however, wholly as God shall please; and we fully expect that the
strong man armed, who has commanded absolutely in this country during so many
centuries, will not easily let slip from his hands so many old and former
conquests, and that he will do all he can to capture and exterminate all those
who oppose his empire, and who seek only its rum. But let him do the worst he
can; sooner or later all will result in his greatest confusion, [33] and in the
advancement of the glory of God, if it be only in justifying his goodness and
mercy towards this country. And yet nothing will happen without his permission,
for love of whom to die is to live, and to be defeated is to conquer and
triumph.
And,
if what one of our Holy Fathers of the Church says is true, that the present
benefactions of the divine Majesty toward men serve as a security and pledge
for those of the future, then the peace, confidence, joy, and consolation in
which the Gospel workers live here in this first state of martyrdom convince us
that we have no reason to dread the second more than the first.
But
before proceeding to make known in detail the exact condition of Christianity
in this country, I beg, once for all, that all those men and women who have hitherto
contributed to the means for the instruction of these Peoples, either through
their prayers, or through their other charities and benefactions, or to whom [Page 19] God shall hereafter grant the
purpose to do this, will consider that the fruit for which we labor is the
fruit of the Gospel, —which, if it is to be good and durable, will only come
[34] after much patience. I beg them, therefore, not to grow weary of
practicing this charity, the greatest that can be exercised in this world,
—looking at these matters always with the eye of faith, which alone will reveal
to them the merit and excellence thereof, —and to consider also that works so
important are not accomplished all at once. How much time and trouble is
necessary in France to convert a single heretic, or, indeed, any Sinner, young
or old? Ah! What is that in comparison with the conversion of a whole world,
earthy and brutal to the last degree, grown old in its errors and superstitions
during so many centuries I We find ourselves here as if in the midst of a sea
where a million persons are drowning, and, not knowing to which one we should
hasten, we feel our hearts breaking, and find ourselves reduced to the point of
experiencing what the Apostle of the Gentiles said, Charitas Christi urget nos. This misfortune occurs only through a
lack of workers, or rather of means of affording them subsistence here and of
maintaining them in a Country and among peoples, where one must of necessity,
with Saint Paul, renounce the dues of the Gospel and live upon [35] his own
means, at least for the present, if one would not see, in a moment, all
overthrown, and affairs reduced to a hopeless condition.
I
know very well that the difficulties of bringing hither from outside the means
of subsistence are extreme; but after all, there remains here a whole world to
be converted, and there is no more convenient gate [Page 21] through which to reach them than this where we are
to-day; and it is this which afflicts our hearts and minds.
And
if these losses are so keenly felt by us, to whom these peoples are nothing,
how much reason have we to believe that they are important to him who has given
them existence, in order to render them happy, — and, more, a divine life, and
his own blood to redeem them. Happy the Souls in whom the Holy Ghost inspires
and maintains the devout purpose to contribute according to their power to
quench the thirst of JESUS Christ, dying upon the Cross, and to collect the
drops of his precious blood, — or, to express it better, the wares of which this
adorable blood was the price.
I
cannot omit here the praise that is due to messieurs the associates of the
Company of New France, who continue more than ever to contribute [36] what they
can to so holy an enterprise. And this work, as well as all the others of New
France, will always be under most special obligation to Monsieur the Chevalier
de Montmagny, our Governor, to whose prudence, generosity, charity, and zeal it
does not seem possible to add anything; all of which virtues and noble
qualities make themselves felt as well here where we are, three hundred leagues
from his residence, as in the locality where he makes his home.
There
are still many others who would merit a good share of praise for contributing
according to their means to so holy a work, but that would never be completed,
and the point is this, that the book of life preserves the memory thereof
forever. As for us, all that we can do is to raise our hands to Heaven, and to
say with all our hearts, de rore cœli et de pinguedine terrœ, et desuper sit
benedictio vestra. [Page 23]
[37] CHAP. IV.
OF THE MORE REMARKABLE EVENTS THAT
HAVE OC-
CURRED IN THE RESIDENCE OF LA
CONCEPTION
AT THE VILLAGE OF OSSOSSANÉ, AND ES-
PECIALLY OF THE NEW CHURCH
OF THAT VILLAGE.
HE number of
children baptized in sickness at this Residence is 52, of whom twenty-seven
have flown away to Heaven; that of elderly persons who were baptized at death,
or at the crisis of their illness, is seventy-four, of whom twenty-two died,
and, as may be presumed from the goodness and mercy of God, took the same road
to Heaven; that of Catechumens, baptized while in good health, forty-nine.
Before
relating what was especially remarkable in all these baptisms, I must speak of
those who have longest partaken of this blessing, and who will therefore
render, more than ever, adorable to us the profound secrets and the abysses of
divine wisdom, Goodness, and Providence respecting [38] his Elect.
The
Wenrôhronons 1 formed in the past one of the associate Nations of
the Neutral Nation, and were located on its boundaries, toward the Hiroquois,
the common Enemies of all these Peoples. As long as this Nation of Wenrôhronons
was on good terms with the people of the Neutral Nation, it was sufficiently
strong to withstand its Enemies, to continue its existence, and maintain itself
against their raids and [Page 25]
invasions; but the people of the Neutral Nation having, through I know not what
dissatisfaction, withdrawn and severed their relations with them, these have
remained a prey to their Enemies; and they could not have remained much longer
without being entirely exterminated, if they had not resolved to retreat and
take refuge in the protection and alliance of some other Nation.
All
things considered, they decided that they could not do better than to choose
that of our Hurons. Accordingly, they deputed the most intelligent among them
to come and make such proposal, which was done in the councils and assemblies,
both special and general, of the whole Country; here, finally, it was concluded
to receive them, their arrival serving not a [39] little for the defense and
preservation of the country.
In
consequence of this resolution they took the time to go after them and assist
them in their journey, both to relieve them in carrying their household goods
and children, — as they have in all these countries no other conveyance on land
than the heads or shoulders of men and women, —and also to defend them from
their common enemies and act as escort for them.
Notwithstanding
the help that could be given them, the fatigue and inconveniences of such a
voyage —of more than eighty leagues, made by over six hundred persons, of whom
the majority were women and little children —were so great that many died on
the way, and nearly all were sick when they arrived, or immediately afterwards.
This
Village was the first one in the country, at which they arrived; and as soon as
the news of their [Page 27] approach
had been brought, every one went out to meet them; the Captains were present,
and exhorted their people with so much earnestness and compassion to take
courage and help these poor strangers, that I do not know what more could have
been done by a Christian Preacher, [40] most zealous in works of charity and
mercy.
They
were immediately distributed through the principal Villages of the country; the
greater part of them, however, remained in this Village, as one of the most
commodious and suitable of all. But, wherever they were received, the best
places in the cabins were given to them, the granaries or chests of corn were
opened and they were given liberty to dispose of them as if they were their
own.
The
main body of them arrived in this village at the same time that I came here
with some domestics whom we had brought from France, who were skillful in
bleeding and in the use of remedies; and nothing ever happened more
opportunely. For, with this help, we immediately hastened to the very sick, who
were in danger of death, that we might, being thus admitted, provide for their
salvation. It was here that the adorable secrets of the goodness of God towards
these poor refugees first appeared to us; for this help came so opportunely to
some of them, both children and older people, that it was found that between
their arrival and their death there was only the time necessary to instruct and
baptize them.
[41]
From that time, these sick people gave us so much to do that, for some time,
they almost wholly engrossed the attention of our workers, who could not
repress their regrets and innocent complaints at not being able, on this
account, to devote themselves [Page 29] to
the cultivation of the people of their quarter, with whom, as we have said,
each one is charged. But they did not perceive that, while they observe the
mandate of charity, the mercy of God overlooks the order of their thoughts and
industry, and itself advances their task which they considered so greatly
retarded.
Two
months or thereabout, then, after the arrival of these poor strangers, the
number of their sick beginning to diminish, our laborers had more time and
leisure to visit the fields that they had sown in the past. And lo! They
immediately perceived, contrary to all their expectations, the greater part of
it all ready for harvest, finding the minds of many of those whom they had
cultivated in the past fully satisfied with and convinced of the truths of the
Faith, and desiring nothing else than to be baptized as soon as possible.
[42]
Their fervor went so far that we found ourselves obliged to deliberate whether
we should put them off until the times that the Church seems to appoint for the
Baptism of Catechumens, namely, Easter and Pentecost; but both were too far
away. Upon careful consideration, it was decided to open the door, in this
beginning, to all those who should present themselves, according as they were
found to be qualified therefor; since it was a question of a new Church, which
it was necessary to think of bringing into existence before applying ourselves
to give it perfection. But nevertheless it was necessary to proceed with much
reserve in this matter, and always to remember that we had to do with Savages,
for whose dissimulation and fickleness there would seem to be no comparison. [Page 31]
This
made us conclude to receive at first only a very few, — some Old Men, and the
more prominent Heads of families, and persons whose marriages were stable,
—fearing that, if we admitted others without more experience, the foundations
would begin to crumble, and we would soon see the whole edifice [43]
prostrated, its total ruin before its establishment, and the grave of this new
Church in its cradle.
Having
in view, then, all these circumstances, and what divine Providence offered us,
we devoted a day, on the feast of St. Martin, to three heads of families, among
the oldest and most prominent of the Village. One was baptized, then, with his
wife and three of his children. Of the two others, the one was a widower and
without small children, the other did not think his wife was yet capable of
receiving this blessing, as, in fact, she was not.
About
a month later, namely, on the Feast of the Conception of the blessed Virgin,
occurred the second group of baptisms, of sixteen persons, among whom were
three or four heads of families, with their wives and children, — who, added to
the previous baptisms in the family of Joseph Chihwatenhwa, of whom we spoke
fully in the last relation, make a company of thirty persons, who together
attended the holy Mass that day for the first time, where all those who were of
an age to do so received communion. It seems that we have every [44] reason to
acknowledge and to observe this holy day, devoted to the memory and to the
honor of the first dignity of this holy Virgin, as that of the Birth of this
new Church, and of the beginning of happiness and blessing for this country.
We
are certainly right in believing that she to [Page 33] whose honor this Feast is consecrated has put her hand to
this work, and has since conducted it to the point that we shall mention
hereafter, and which we see with our own eyes, with a consolation which cannot
be expressed.
It
was three years before, on this same day, that our Fathers had made the vow, in
order to obtain the favor of this great Princess in the establishment of
Christianity in these countries, to fast on the eve of this Feast, and to say a
Mass every month in honor of this her first dignity; and also, that the first
Chapel we should build in the country should be in her honor, and under the
title of her holy Conception. This Chapel is the one in which these first
Baptisms took place; in this we saw the result [45] that we desired, even
before we were entirely released from the obligations of our vow — since the
Chapel was not yet finished so far that we could conveniently say Mass therein,
and seemed fit only for the Baptisms, which were, in fact, administered there.
Let,
then, praise and thanksgivings be forever rendered to this great Queen of
Heaven and of earth, by all those who have and shall hereafter have an interest
in this work; and as for persons who have a pious and holy affection for this
enterprise, they will oblige us greatly by helping us thank this blessed Virgin
for the many gifts we have received and are continually receiving through her
favor and assistance, which makes us hope that her divine Son, our most honored
Lord and Master, who alone can lay the foundation of this edifice, will be
pleased to continue his blessing upon it and to bring it to the summit and
height of its perfection.
Since
that day we have continued at intervals to [Page
35] baptize me* and women who have presented themselves, who have been
deemed qualified for this blessing, [46] so that the number of the faithful who
make profession of Christianity in this Village now amounts to nearly 60, of
whom many are Wenroronons from among those poor Strangers taking refuge in this
country, whom we mentioned at the beginning of this Chapter, —divine Providence
having waited for them to furnish the nucleus for this new Church, as if they
were predestined, from all Eternity, to be a part of the foundation stones. In
this number are also some other Strangers of different Nations who have since
retired to their own country, who, sooner or later, may be very useful in
carrying out some design of the Providence, Goodness, and Mercy of God.
I
said, “ nearly 60 of the Faithful making a profession of Christianity; ” for of
those baptized in the extremity of their sickness there are many others in the
Village, who, nevertheless, having recovered their health, have attached no
value to the blessing they had received, — to which, for all that, it may be
believed, at least in the case of some, that they are indebted also for
temporal life.
It
must be confessed that the travail of a spiritual birth is painful, in the case
[47] of these peoples, Barbarous and savage to the last degree. But it is also
true that there is great consolation in seeing these poor creatures brought to
recognize, to respect, and to obey their Creator and Redeemer, and to assume
the duties of real Christians.
Hardly
could one repress the tears of joy, who should see, on a Sunday morning, these
poor people arrive at our house to hear Mass, having departed [Page 37] from their cabins at the
appointed time, and sometimes when they had to traverse a considerable distance
which lies between their Village and our dwelling, — naked, for the most part,
as the hand, except a single skin that they wear upon their backs in the form
of a mantle, and in the rigor of winter some skins around their feet and legs.
But
above all [would one rejoice] to see them get upon their knees, which to them
is a posture altogether strange and extraordinary, and offer their prayers
aloud in the presence of the blessed Sacrament, and receive communion
promiscuously with our French people. It must be confessed that the
satisfaction is such that by it we are inwardly repaid a hundredfold, and more,
and that we shall never have reason [48] for difficulty in seeing the promises
of the Gospel fulfilled in this respect.
In
winter, we are careful to have fireplaces full of burning coals in several parts
of the Chapel, to provide against the discomforts that might arise from the
cold and their nakedness. This so pleases them that some often remain, of their
own free will, whole hours after the service, to converse about our mysteries,
and to become better and better instructed.
The
first occasion that presented itself after their baptisms to show their
devotion was on Christmas night, part of which several spent in our cabin,
others in the new Chapel, which proved to be in condition for use at this solemnity.
Things were arranged with as much decoration and splendor as possible, to make
them realize the importance of this day; and the affair succeeded so well that
these poor people have often asked since then when that night would return, —or
rather this kind of a beautiful day; for, [Page
39] as these people are not in the habit of using candles, seeing many
lights shining and sparkling [49] in this Chapel, they had some reason to
question whether it were day or night.
Our
Christian, —it is thus we call Joseph Chiwatenhwa, both because he was the
first one in this Village, and for nine or ten months the only one who, with
his family, made a profession of Christianity, notwithstanding all the speeches
and the verbal persecutions of his Countrymen; and because he is incomparably
superior to all the others in knowledge of and pious affection to our mysteries
and to the spirit of Christianity, — this brave Christian, I say, did not fail
on this occasion often to address the people, and to perform the duty of an
elder brother by instructing and teaching his juniors with most special benefit
and success, because he had at once intelligence, eloquence, integrity,
reputation, the knowledge of our mysteries, and the affection for them, in an
eminent degree; so we are beginning to regard him as an Apostle rather than a
Barbarian of these countries. “ Ah, my Brothers, ” said he; “ what do these
lights shining and sparkling in the midst of the night mean, if not that he
whose memory we are now honoring has through his birth [so] dissipated the
shadows and the ignorance of the world; having done this the first time so many
centuries ago, he is about to grant us to-day, for the first time in these
countries, the same grace and mercy. There are purposes and reasons, which can
only be adored, for which he has not done this sooner; but it is a grace and a
favor toward us, which cannot be sufficiently estimated or acknowledged, that
his providence has arranged this blessing for our country while we are still
living.” [Page 41] With this and
similar discourses this good Christian entertained for a great part of the
night, the little flock of this rising Church, whom he edified no less by his
examples than by his words. For, among other things, not contenting himself
with one Mass, he heard five in succession, —during most of them, on his knees;
this, for a Barbarian, who has never known what that posture is, might well
pass for a petty martyrdom. Others, imitating him, heard almost as many Masses,
and all confessed and received communion, and on this occasion gave so much
comfort and satisfaction, that one could not [51] wish for more besides.
I
can say the same, relatively, of all the great Feasts and Sundays which have
followed that time, on which occasions we observe as many as possible of the
ceremonies of the Church, —among others, that of the consecrated bread, of
which these good Neophytes partake, each in his turn, with great devotion, some
in especial.
Not
that, in order to direct all in this way, a great deal of trouble and care must
not be taken, — as much, at least, as to raise sickly children; but the
satisfaction of having finally brought these children into the world, or rather
into the grace of Christianity, and the desire and hope of seeing them become
men in the Church of God, renders one almost insensible to his pains, and makes
him quite ready to suffer’ a great many more.
This
grace of God upon these peoples is not conceivable except to those who know to
what extent these Barbarians are of the earth, and of themselves disinclined
and incompetent to understand or consider the things of the spirit and of
Eternity. But [Page 43] he to whom
nothing is impossible, and who is not less powerful at one time than at [52]
another, seems finally pleased to raise up from these stones and rocks true
children of Abraham and of the Church.
The
things which seem, after the aid of Heaven, to have contributed most to the
advancement of this work, are: First, the patience and the courage of the
Fathers who were here before, who were not rebuffed or wearied in waiting for
the times and moments of divine Providence, and who, — notwithstanding all the
persecutions and dangers of massacre, on the verge of which they often found
themselves, and particularly last year, — in no wise relaxed their attentions
and kindnesses in visiting and assisting the sick, yea, even in the cabins of
those who seemed to. Have the most ill-will towards them.
And
indeed it seems that God wished to show that that was the seed which produced
this fruit, —so arranging matters that in the very month of October in which,
the year before, their death had been decreed, in this same month the next
year, when they thought themselves to be still very far from the harvest, they
perceived the fruit quite ripe and ready to be gathered.
[53]
In the second place, the example of our secular French, or domestics, has been
of no little service. We experience only too strongly the force of this
element, either for good or for evil; and I do not doubt that the cause might
have been sooner advanced if all the French who have come up to this country
had been of irreproachable lives. At least it is certain that the Barbarians
would not so often have stopped us when we were proposing to them the
Commandments of God, and brought forward, in the [Page 45] actions and deeds of certain persons, the opposite of
what we were teaching. But God, in bringing affairs to the condition in which
we see them, seems to have inspired the Gentlemen of the Company of New France
with so good ideas and resolutions thereupon, and Monsieur the Chevalier de
Montmagny, our Governor, has brought about so good order, that we hope this
stumbling-block will no longer be found in our way. And, in fact, those who are
here at present not only lead irreproachable lives, but besides live and behave
in such a way that we have every reason to believe that God upon their account
[54] has given a special blessing to this work, in which they strive, according
to their power and skill, to take a worthy part.
I
place among the causes for the advancement of this same work the speeches and
behavior of Joseph Chihwatenhwa, the good Neophyte of whom we have already
spoken several times, who seems to have been the leaven of the Gospel that has
made the whole lump of this new Church of the Hurons rise, —not only in this
village, but also everywhere else where we have striven to make Christians,
either in the town of Teanaustayaé where we have a Residence, or in the
Missions, —he having been everywhere present on the most suitable occasions, to
make a public profession and to render an account of his faith and his
conversion. In this he conducted himself everywhere to the full and entire
satisfaction of his compatriots, who were never tired of hearing him. “ You are
disheartened, my Brothers ” (he sometimes said to them), “ because the matters
of your salvation that the French propose to you are new things, and customs of
their own which overthrow ours. You tell [Page
47] them that every country [55] has its own ways of doing things; that, as
you do not urge them to adopt ours, so you are surprised at their urging us to
adopt theirs in this matter, and to acknowledge with them the same Creator of
Heaven and of Earth, and the universal Lord of all things. I ask you, when at
first you saw their hatchets and kettles, after having discovered that they
were incomparably better and more convenient than our stone hatchets and our
wooden and earthen vessels, 2 did you reject their hatchets and
kettles, because they were new things in your country, and because it was the
custom of France to use them and not yours? Now if they urge us to believe what
they believe, and to live conformably to this belief, we are under great
obligations to them; for indeed, if what they say is true, as it is, we are the
most miserable people in the world if we do not do as they tell us.”
I
would never finish if I were to dwell at length upon all the discourses, or
rather upon all the flashes of the spirit of God, which often seems to speak
through the [56] mouth of this good Neophyte, I say “ flashes of the spirit of
God,” for we cannot think of anything else when we see him sometimes beginning
to bless God and to praise him in the same fashion and manner as did in olden
time the children in the furnace, without his ever having learned what the holy
Scriptures teach us thereof. I would not find myself less embarrassed if I had
undertaken to declare all the acts of remarkable virtue and all the good
examples he has continued to manifest since the time of the last Relation, whether
in health or in sickness, in prosperity or in adversity.
When it was a question of going after those
poor [Page 49] strangers whom we
have mentioned above, he was not satisfied to go halfway, like many others; but
he made the entire journey, and took so much pains and care to assist them,
through truly Christian motives, that after he returned hither he fell sick of
a fever that lasted 40 days, during which he was several times considered a
hopeless case. It pleased God, however, to grant a blessing to the remedies and
charities [57] with which we assisted him, so that at the end of 40 days he
proved to be entirely out of danger. At the height of his illness, being
overtaken with delirium, his utterances and ravings were only about the things
of God and of the Faith. He sometimes arose, entirely naked, and, keeping near
the fire, “ Let them come, let them come, ” said he; “ let them burn me, and
let them see if it is in good earnest that I believe, or if it is only with my
lips.”
Since
that time, this good Soul has seemed to us to be more and more filled with the
Holy Ghost, and to have entered the path of the Saints, of which he has given
many other proofs, not only in attacks against his chastity and Religion, but
in his exercises of charity and mercy.
I do
not know to what I should attribute what happened to him last Summer, —when,
being engaged in fishing, it rained throughout the country, and especially all
around the place where he was, which caused great havoc among the fish; and yet
it never rained in the locality where he was with his company, and his fishing
was very successful. One thing is certain —he never omitted in all that time to
pray, [58) and to have all those who were with him pray, to God morning and
evening; besides this, he [Page 51] withdrew
alone into the woods, every day, that he might, with less interruption and for
a longer time, devote himself to prayer.
Finally,
it seems to me that it is this good Gospel seed, the very best, which yields
not only 60 but 100-fold; since on St. Joseph’s day of last year we had only
him with his family, of those baptized, who made a profession of Christianity;
one year afterwards, on the same day, there were nearly a hundred in the
country making the same profession, to whose conversion he had contributed not
a little.
I
shall not dwell further in this Chapter, nor in the following ones, upon many
other details of the events which have taken place, —especially upon the
Baptisms of children and of sick adults, —both to avoid prolixity, and not to
weary those who may cast their eyes over this Narrative. For although in
several there are many important features, which are notable achievements of
the goodness, justice, and Providence of God toward his Creatures, yet some of
these things are like works of [59] painting or of sculpture, which, if the
lines are subtle and delicate, cannot be seen satisfactorily from a distance,
however excellent they may be, and require persons who are not far away, that
they may see them close at hand and judge their merits. These cases, then, will
be reserved for the entertainment of the saintly Souls in the blessed sojourn
of Eternity, —who, meanwhile, will still aid, us, if they please, in thanking
the divine Majesty for special and hidden favors, as well as for manifest and
general ones.
I
would be wholly wrong if I were to close this Chapter before enumerating
another cause for the [Page 53] advancement
of this work, —the holy prayers and devotions of so many good Souls in France,
who take so great a share and so much interest in all these affairs.
I am
sometimes astonished at the order formerly observed by that great Apostle of
the Indies, St. François Xavier, —when he was engaging and entreating the
divine Majesty to assist him in the enterprise of converting the unbelievers of
the countries where he was, —in one of his Prayers which he said every day with
this object, [60] and which is found in the narrative of his life; in this he
gives the first place to the prayers of saintly Souls, as the most powerful
means he had of influencing God and causing him to show mercy to those poor
Wanderers.
But
experience causes me to recover from this astonishment. For considering, in the
harvest of this year, what it pleases God to make us hope for the future of our
labors in these countries, and yet the small ratio of our forces to such
labors, I feel myself compelled to acknowledge that, as in the Sky which turns
above our heads there are some Stars and constellations so powerful that the
first and principal virtue productive of certain riches of the soil is
attributed to them, —this being done usually by Philosophers, when they cannot
find here below any cause proportionate to the effect, —so, likewise, in the
Sky of the Church there are some mystical Stars and constellations so powerful
to influence the affairs that we have in hand, that the first and principal
virtue productive of the good that we can do here should be attributed to them,
since, in fact, we do not see down here any other causes proportionate [61] to
these effects. [Page 55]
I intend by this to offer a general acknowledgement and
expression of thanks, of which each saintly Soul and community will take, if it
please, the share that it claims, and that is its due, unless it prefer to give
up its rights to wait for its reward from God. [Page 57]
CHAPTER V.
OF THE RESIDENCE OF ST. JOSEPH AT THE VIL-
LAGE OF TEANAUSTAY[AÉ]; OF THE MORE RE-
MARKABLE EVENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED
THERE, AND ESPECIALLY OF THE BIRTH
AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEW
CHURCH OF THAT VILLAGE.
AVING resolved to
abandon the dwelling at Ihonatiria, on account of its lack of inhabitants, —the
majority of them having been carried off or scattered by the disease, as has
been related above, and still more fully in the preceding Relation, —we were
not long in deciding to what place it would be wise to go, the village of
Teanaustayaé 3 being the most important in the whole [62] country,
and one which, consequently, being once won to God, would give a strong impulse
to the conversion of all the rest.
But
what a prospect for commencing this undertaking, to say nothing of success
therein! For that village had been, a little while before, one of the principal
shops in which were forged the blackest calumnies and most pernicious plots
against us, — to such an extent that the Captains had publicly exhorted the
young men to come and massacre us at this village of Ossosane, where we then
were. Nevertheless, he to whom nothing is impossible has facilitated the
enterprise, in both respects, more than we would ever have dared to hope. [Page 59]
Accordingly,
sustained by God alone, Father Jean de Brébeuf repaired to this Village, spoke
to individuals and then to the Council, and did so well that he won them both
over, —so that in a little while they decided to receive us in their village
and give us a cabin there. This was accomplished, and the first Mass was said
there on the 25th of June, —to the great satisfaction of our Fathers, who could
hardly believe what they saw, so greatly had this village abominated us a
little while before,
[63]
It is true that this cabin is so poor and so mean that, if the Savior of the
world had not himself once, in time of need, taken lodging in the stable of
Bethlehem, we would be at a loss to give him each day a sort of new birth in
this place, which is covered only with wretched bark, through which the wind
enters on every side. But necessity, and our inability to have anything better,
excuses us easily to the divine Majesty. Now is completed the first year since
the establishment of this Residence; behold the fruits it has borne.
Children
baptized, in danger of death, to the number of 49, of whom eighteen have flown
away to Heaven. Of the others who have recovered I do not know if several are
not under obligation therefor to holy Baptism.
Adults
baptized in sickness after having been instructed, to the number of forty-four,
of whom twenty-six, it is to be hoped, have taken the same road to Heaven. Of
those who survived, some have professed to be under obligations to holy
baptism; but, to our great regret, not all those who are under this obligation
feel such gratitude as they should.
[64]
Adult Catechumens, baptized in full health [Page
61] with their children, to the number of twenty-eight. Let us come to the
most noteworthy particulars of these baptisms.
The
first one baptized in this village was a poor unfortunate Hiroquois, a prisoner
of war, who was taken to another village, near this, to be given as a
recompense to the relatives of that brave Taratwane who was captured during
these last years by the enemy, as has been mentioned in previous Relations. I
do not know if I should not tarry for a moment to consider and admire the
adorable ‘Providence of God towards this poor wretch, and his fellow prisoners,
to the number of 12 or 13, baptized by the Fathers of this Residence; but I
prefer to leave these reflections to those who shall cast their eyes over this
Narrative, and to stop only to observe some circumstances of these events which
render them more important.
For
a long time, the Hurons had no more good fortune or advantage over their
enemies until last year. Having gone to war, together with some Algonquains,
their neighbors, they captured at one [65] stroke about eighty of their
enemies, whom they brought home alive. Besides this victory, the most notable
of all, they had others of less importance, which in all gave them more than a
hundred prisoners.
All
those who were assigned to the Villages where we have residences, or which are
near these, were, thank God, instructed and baptized, and hardly one without
circumstances so peculiar that there is reason to believe that there was, in
their cases, some special guidance of divine Providence and of their
predestination. In many instances, we had only the exact time necessary for
their instruction and baptism; others, [Page
63] after having been baptized, were so comforted that they could not
refrain from putting into song the cause of their consolation, — that
thenceforward, at least, they were sure of going to Heaven. Others nobly
refused to imitate foul and immodest actions to which their captors tried to
incite them. Others afterward displayed so much fortitude in their torments
that our Barbarians resolved no longer to allow us to baptize these poor
unfortunates, reckoning [66] it a misfortune to their country when those whom
they torment shriek not at all, or very little.
Indeed,
this has given us so much trouble since then, that there has not been one of
these for whose baptism we have not been obliged to give battle to those who
are their Masters and Guardians; and sometimes it has been necessary to atone
for this violence by some present.
Among
those who showed most fortitude, and most appreciation of their good fortune,
was one Ononelwaia, in baptism named Pierre, who was one of the prisoners at
that principal defeat of which we have just spoken, a Captain of the
Oneiouchronons, a nation of the Hiroquois. 4 This man, being
fastened to a stake upon a platform, not very far from his companion fastened
to another, — where our barbarians, every one according to his pleasure,
tormented them, by the application of flames, firebrands, and glowing irons, in
ways cruel beyond all power of description, and beyond all imagination of those
who have not seen it, — Pierre, I say, seeing this companion of his lose
patience in the midst of these torments, comforted and encouraged him [67] by
representing the blessedness they had found in their misfortune, and that which
was prepared for them after this life. [Page
65] Finally seeing him dead, “ Ah, my poor comrade,” said he, “ didst thou
ask pardon of God before dying? “ — fearing that the evidence of suffering he
had given was some grievous sin.
This
brave spirit, who merited a better fate, was more tormented than ever by our
barbarians after the death of his companion; for, the latter having died sooner
than they expected, they all wreaked the rest of their fury upon him who
remained. Accordingly, the first thing they did to him afterward was that one
of them cut with a knife around his scalp, which he stripped off in order to
carry away the hair, and, according to their custom, to preserve it as very
precious.
After
such treatment one would hardly believe that there could remain any sensation
of life in a body so worn out with tortures. But lo! He suddenly rises, and,
seeing upon the scaffold only the corpse of his dear companion, he takes in his
hands, which [68] were all in shreds, a firebrand, that he might not die as a
captive, and that he might defend the brief liberty he had recovered a little
while before death. The rage and the cries of his enemies redouble at this
sight; they rush towards him with pieces of red-hot iron in their hands. His
courage gives him strength; he puts himself on the defensive; he hurls his
firebrands upon those who come nearest him; he throws down the ladders, to cut
off their way, and avails himself of the fire and flame, the severity of which
he has just experienced, to repel their attack vigorously. The blood that
streamed down from his head over his entire body would have rent with pity a
heart which had any remnant of humanity; but the fury of our barbarians found
therein its satisfaction. [Page 67]
Some
throw upon him coals and burning cinders; others underneath the scaffold find
open places for their firebrands. He sees on all sides almost as many butchers
as spectators; when he escapes one fire, he encounters another, and takes not
one step without falling into the evil that he flees.
While
defending himself thus for a long time, a false step causes him to fall
backward [69] to the ground. At the same time, his enemies pounce upon him,
burn him anew, then throw him upon the fire. This invincible spirit, rising
again from the midst of the flames, — all covered with cinders that were imbued
in his blood, two flaming firebrands in his hands, — turns towards the mass of
his enemies, to inspire them with fear once more before he dies. Not one is so
hardy as to touch him; he makes a way for himself, and walks towards the
Village, as if to set it on fire.
He
advances about a hundred paces, when some one throws a club which fells him to
the ground; before he can rise again, they are upon him; they cut off his feet
and hands, and, having seized the rest of this mangled body, they turn it round
and round over nine different fires, which he almost entirely extinguished with
his blood. Finally they thrust him under an overturned tree-trunk, all on fire,
so that, at the same time, there may be no part of his body which is not
cruelly burned. It was then that nature, before yielding to the cruelty of
these torments, made one last effort, that could never have been expected. For,
having neither feet nor hands, he rolled over in the flames, and, having fallen
outside of them, he moved [70] more than ten paces, upon his elbows and knees,
in the direction of his enemies, [Page
69] who fled from him, dreading the approach of a man to whom nothing
remained but courage, of which they could not deprive him except by wresting
away his life.
This
they finally did, one of them cutting off his head with a knife. Happy stroke
which gave him freedom! For we have reason to believe that this brave spirit is
now enjoying in Heaven the freedom of the children of God, since even his
enemies loudly exclaimed that there was something more than human within him,
and that without doubt baptism had given him his strength and courage, which
surpassed all that they had ever seen.
Several
Savages have reported with wonder, and a sort of conviction of the truths that
we preach to them, that, shortly before he received the last blow which caused
his death, he raised his eyes to Heaven and cried out joyfully, “ Let us go,
then, let us go,” as if he were answering a voice that invited him.
Surely
it would seem that he had in mind no other journey except that to Heaven, to
which, without distinction, the captive, if he so will, has as much [71] right
and admission as he who is free. The following was learned from some of the
other prisoners, his companions in misfortune and misery:
Some
Adventurers from the band of our Hurons and Algonquains having, in that most
important defeat, gone on ahead of their troop of three hundred men to discover
if there were any of the enemy in ambush, found themselves rather nearer than
they thought. They were not, however, so greatly taken —by surprise that the
majority of them could not retreat to the main body; only one of them was
caught by the enemy, who, finding that they were discovered, [Page 71] decided to return with this
one trophy, although they were a hundred in number. But the captive, seeing
them in this mind, gave them to understand that those who were coming against
them were not so numerous that they could not easily overpower them. He told
them this in such a manner and such a tone ‘that they believed him, and
resolved to make a fort, and there await the entire body of their enemies. But
they were utterly astounded, when our Barbarians approached, to see the
multitude of these, and to find themselves so surrounded that they hardly [72]
had a chance to flee. However, there being still a certain place through which
they could escape, they began —after having vented their wrath upon their
captive, whom they immediately tore to pieces —to consider what was to be done.
The
majority advising flight, Ononkwaia, or Pierre, he of whom we have just spoken,
casting his eyes on the Sky and seeing the unclouded Sun, said, “ This
resolution would be passable if the Sky were covered and if the Sun were not a
spectator of this cowardice; but as it is, we must fight as stoutly as we can,
and then each one shall decide what he ought to do. ” No sooner said than done.
But our Hurons and Algonquains played their parts so well that, having killed
upon the spot only 17 or 18, they took alive all the rest, except four or five
who escaped them; and all these, having been brought to this country, were
distributed through all the villages, where they were made to endure sufferings
which it is not possible to describe.
I
cannot, however, omit here one detail of the cruelties that were practiced upon
the first captive tormented after my arrival in this country, who had [Page 73] been brought hither as a
prisoner of [73] war. It was the first day of December, which gave us reason to
name him, at his Baptism, François, in honor of Saint François Xavier, whose
feast we celebrated the next day. This poor wretch on the night of his tortures
(for it is essential to employ therein at least one, whole night) was, among
others, taken in hand by one of our Barbarians, who, having commanded him to
put his hands to the ground, pierced them one after the other with a heated
iron, and did not cease raising and lowering them, and sliding them along the
iron, until its glow was quenched. It was said that some one else did the same
thing to his feet. Nothing more was wanting, except to open his side, to make
him in some sort like him whose blood a little while before had been applied to
him through Holy Baptism, — that, likewise, did not fail him, for shortly
before expiring, it was opened to tear out his heart. If this kind of torture did
not serve this poor wretch as a consolation, —in seeing himself in this respect
like him whom he knew simply in not being ignorant of him, and only as much as
was necessary to experience him as his Savior, —at least it [74] availed with
the others, who experienced a special sense of the obligation laid upon us by
this good Lord and Master, who, by the wounds that he consented to receive for
us, has delivered us from the fires and torments, of which those that our
Barbarians exercise upon their captives are only transient shadows and images.
Our
Barbarians, —who know the displeasure that we feel at these cruelties, and
particularly at their inhumanity in eating the bodies of these poor victims.
After their death, — found means, in order to annoy [Page 75] us, of throwing one of the hands of this poor dead man
into our cabin, as if giving us our share of the feast. We were surprised to
see at our feet this pierced hand; and considering that it was the hand of a
Christian, we buried it in our Chapel and prayed to God for the repose of his
soul.
One
could make a Romance of the adventures of this poor captive. He was of the
Agnierhonon Nation, which forms one of the five Nations of the Hiroquois, the
one farthest from our Hurons. He left his own country to come to the Hiroquois
nations nearer to us, intending to trade some porcelain [75] that he had
brought for some beavers. But, when he arrived, instead of doing this for which
he had come, he began to gamble and lost all he had brought with him. Ashamed
to return home without any other achievement, he decided to remain there for
some time; and, a little while afterwards seeing some people from that place
who were undertaking a raid into our region, he became one of the party; but,
their plans having resulted unsuccessfully, he was one of the captives, and was
brought to this village, where he came to the end we have just described.
But
let us leave these poor captives and come to other kinds of baptism and
conversion.
It
is not the order of Nature to give the fruits of the earth until after a year
spent under the influences of the stars, of the Sky, and of the work of man;
but grace does not always adhere to the laws of Nature, and it has pleased God
to dispense with them in the establishment of the new Church of this village,
where, after six months of labor, has been seen what one could not expect to do
elsewhere in several years. In consequence, then, of the instructions, both
general [Page 77] and individual,
that were given to the inhabitants of this village [76] by the Fathers of this
Residence, according to the order mentioned in chapter 2nd, the first of the
Catechumens who declared himself convinced, and determined to follow the Call
and invitation of the Holy Ghost, and who, consequently, earnestly desired Baptism,
was a good old man about 70 years old, named Aochiati.
It
did not take long to recognize that he spoke in earnest, what he said, and that
he really believed and purposed all that was necessary in order to receive
Baptism. And although we therefore had reason to hope that he would not do less
than he promised, yet his Savage character forbade us to be hasty in this
matter, and to give him satisfaction as soon as he desired it. But-as he had
little time before departing for the trade, in which he must pass three months
with many dangers to his life —he redoubled his entreaties, praying that this
consolation might be given to his soul, which could not otherwise, said he,
remain at peace, since after death those who were not baptized went into fires
which were never extinguished.
Notwithstanding
all these entreaties, they considered it wise to put him off, and contented
themselves with instructing him thoroughly and teaching him the act [76 i.e.,
77] of contrition, and this for excellent reasons and considerations. But it
seems that divine Providence wished to make us see clearly that it had destined
him from all Eternity to be the first foundation stone of the new Church of
this village. For, two days after his departure, he was overtaken by so bad weather,
and warned by so many persons regarding ambushes of the enemy, that he [Page 79] was obliged to retrace his
steps and return hither to await more favorable weather, and better news.
At
the very time of his return, there happened to be here that brave Christian of
the Residence of la Conception, Joseph Chihwatenhwa, whose speeches and
conversations having more than ever kindled him, he redoubled his earnest
requests for baptism, which was finally granted him on the 20th of December; he
was named Mathias, as the one to whose lot it had fallen to be the first
Christian of this village, as well as the first Catechumen baptized in good
health and with solemnity. And it happened that his cabin bore the name of this
holy Apostle, in accordance with the devout purpose that we have entertained to
place every cabin of the Savages, in the village where we labor, [78] under the
patronage and protection of some saint of Paradise.
What
caused us the more readily to yield to his wishes was that he was daily upon
the point of setting out on his journey, and that, four or five days before, he
had protested to some Chiefs of the village that he was ready to give up all
the dances and diabolical superstitions of the country, but particularly the
dance of the Naked ones, of which he was the head and Master. This good man,
after having answered and performed all the renunciations that are found in the
ceremonies of Baptism, during Mass mentally revolving the question if there
were any evil thing to which he was attached, and nothing occurring to him but
Tobacco, immediately asked if tobacco were forbidden, explaining that he was
quite ready to give it up and abandon it, in case it were not allowable to use
it. This resolution may pass for one of the most heroic acts of which a Savage
is [Page 81] capable, who, it seems,
would as soon dispense with eating as with smoking.
With
this good man, who was a widower, were baptized two of his granddaughters, whom
he singularly cherished, which [79] was no small mark of his faith and of his
love for Christianity, considering the idea common throughout the country that
Baptism caused all classes of people to die, but especially children.
This
man’s example was followed a few days afterwards by eleven other persons,
chosen from the number of Catechumens, who had been carefully instructed and
who were continually asking for baptism. Accordingly, these twelve or fifteen
being all present at Mass on the first day of the year 1639, this is the day
which we shall always observe and recognize as that of the birth of this New
Church, —as that of the Conception of the Virgin, as the birthday of the church
at the Residence of la Conception.
Since
then we have continued from time to time to baptize men and women who have been
found willing and fitted to receive this blessing; so that the number of
persons baptized in this Village, making profession of Christianity, at present
amounts to nearly thirty, as we have said above.
I shall not enlarge here upon the comfort and satisfaction that is
afforded us [80] by this little company, and especially by some of them, nor
upon the causes which have preceded and contributed to this holy Work, —the
whole resembling, and in scarcely any respect unlike, what we have related in
the preceding Chapter, in speaking of the birth of the New Church of the
Residence of la Conception. If it were only a matter of resolution and courage
of these [Page 83] Neophytes in
professing Christianity in the very midst of their Nation, —one of the most
perverse on earth, where they find themselves continually assailed by mockery
and slander, by fears and panics, by misfortunes threatening them on all sides,
in consequence of their having become Christians, —if, I say, this were the
only thing, we would have every reason to be satisfied. And this feature seems
so important, that it deserves to be spoken of somewhat more at length; but
that will occur more conveniently in one of the following Chapters, where we
shall treat of the obstacles and difficulties that still exist, and are every
day encountered, in the birth and establishment of these new Churches. Let us
first say something of the Missions. [Page
85]
[81] CHAP. VI.
OF THE MOST REMARKABLE EVENTS THAT
HAVE OC-
CURRED IN THE MISSIONS.
F the ten Fathers
of our Society who are here, there were seven at the end of last year (not
without most special grace and favor of God) who understood the language of our
Savages, and spoke it well enough to converse profitably among them, and give
them the instruction necessary for their salvation; and three others,
newcomers, who, two or three months after their arrival, —by the help and
assistance of the others, who fortunately have succeeded in reducing this
language to rules, thereby facilitating its acquisition by those who have
recently come, — found themselves qualified to conduct a little school where
they might teach the children to pray to God. We considered that, —as three of
the seniors, with one new man, would be sufficient, in some fashion, for the
work of the vineyard in each Residence, —one senior, with one new man, could be
employed [82] to go and scour the country, and help to execute the designs of
divine Providence upon some predestined soul.
The
Village upon which, at the outset, we cast our eyes was Scanonaenrat, both
because it is one of the most important of the country, —itself alone forming
one entire nation of the four that compose the Hurons, as we have explained in
the first Chapter, —and because it is distant only one and one-fourth leagues [Page 87] from the Residence of saint
Josep
