The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents

Travels and Explorations

of the Jesuit Missionaries

in New France

1610—1791

THE ORIGINAL FRENCH, LATIN, AND ITALI-

IAN TEXTS, WITH ENGLISH TRANSLA-

TIONS AND NOTES; ILLUSTRATED BY

PORTRAITS, MAPS, AND FACSIMILES

 

EDITED BY

Reuben Gold Thwaites

Secretary of the State historical Society of Wisconsin

COMPUTERIZED TRANSCRIPTION BY

Thom Mentrak

Historical Interpreter at Ste. Marie Among The Iroquois

Vol. XXXVIII

Abenakis, Lower Canada, Hurons

1652 - 1653

CLEVELAND: The Burrows Brothers

Company, PUBLISHERS, M DCCC XCVIII

¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯

 

EDITORIAL STAFF

Editor Reuben Gold Thwaites

| Finlow Alexander [French]

| Percy Favor Bicknell [French]

| John Cutler Covert [French]

| William Frederic Giese [Latin]

Translators. | Crawford Lindsay [French]

| Mary Sifton Pepper [French & Italian]

| William Price [French]

| Hiram Allen Sober [French]

| John Dorsey Wolcott [Latin]

Assistant Editor Emma Helen Blair

Bibliographical Adviser Victor Hugo Paltsits

 

 

CONTENTS OF VOL. XXXVIII.
Preface To Volume XXXVIII.				9
Documents:—
LXXXI.	Relation de ce qvi s'est passé av pays de la Novvelle France, depuis l'Eté de l'année 1651. jusques à l'Eté de l'année 1652. [Chaps. viii.-x., concluding the document.] Paul Ragueneau, Kebec, October 4, 1652; Marie de l'Incarnation, Kebec, 1652				15
LXXXII.	Journal des PP. Jésuites. Paul Ragueneau, Hierosme Lalemant, and François le Mercier; Quebec, January-December, 1653.				167
LXXXIII.	Breve Relatione.d'alcvne missioni de' PP. della Compagnia di Gies• nella Nuoua Francia. [Part 1., Chaps. i.–iv., first installment of the document.] Francesco Gioseppe Bressani; Macerata, Italy, July 19, 1653				203
Notes					289
Bibliographical Data: Volume XXXVIII					293

[page 7]

ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOL. XXXVIII
	Portrait of Paul Ragueneau, S.J.,(photo-engraving from oil portrait by Donald Guthrie McNab	Frontispiece
	Photographic facsimile of handwriting of Paul Ragueneau; selected from his deposition relative to the martyrdom of Jogues, written in 1652, and preserved in the archives of St. Mary's College, Montréal	Facing 48
	Photographic facsimile of title-page, Bressani's Relatione,1653	206

[page 8]

PREFACE TO VOL. XXXVIII

Following is a synopsis of the documents contained in the present volume:

LXXXI. The first seven chapters of the Relation of 1651-52 were given in Vol. XXXVII.; we here present the remainder of the document. Chaps. viii.-ix. are written by the superior Ragueneau; the final chapter is compiled (apparently by the Paris editor) from a biographical memoir of Mother Marie de St. Joseph,—assistant in the Ursuline convent, who died April 4, 1652,—written by her superior, Mother Marie de l'Incarnation.

The account of the Abenaki mission, begun in the preceding volume, is here continued by Ragueneau recounting the readiness of that tribe to receive the faith, and their earnestness and zeal in following it. Visions and miraculous cures have often rewarded their devotion. They are exceedingly attached to Druillettes, their missionary, and hold him in great honor,—a feeling which the English settlers on the Kennebec also share. The Indians of Narantsouak (Norridgewock) publicly adopt the father as a member of their tribe, and regard him as its head. The leading men denounce drunkenness, sorcery, and polygamy. They beg Druillettes to remain with them, and only the command of his superior induces him to leave these disciples.

The ninth chapter describes the attacks with which [page 9] the Iroquois have harassed the French settlements during the summer, especially that at Three Rivers,—for which material is furnished by a letter received from that place. Nearly the same ground is traversed herein as in the Journal des Jésuites (in the volume preceding this), but with more detail of circumstance. As a climax to all their anxieties and dangers, the report comes that the Iroquois clans are preparing for a general and united attack upon the French settlements during the coming winter. The writer appeals for aid from France in this time of need,—saying that the country is now practically self-supporting, and that it needs only to have a few hundred workingmen sent hither each year; these would be at once an aid in the development of the country, and a defense against the Iroquois. A similar request is also made by Noël Tekwerimat, the Sillery chief, in a letter which he writes to Father le Jeune.

Thus far the Relation proper; it is followed by a long account of Mother Marie de St. Joseph, the Ursuline nun. Her childhood is characterized by devoutness and purity, and she would rather read the lives of saints than play with her comrades. Having been sent to an Ursuline convent for her education, she resolves to become a nun; and, although she has not reached the age required for the novitiate, her entreaties are so importunate that she is admitted thereto. A dream sent from Heave gives her strength to resist the efforts made by her family to keep her with them; and, at the age of sixteen, she takes the veil, in the Ursuline convent at Tours, where she greatly edifies all. At the call for nuns to go to Canada with Madame de la Peltrie, Marie de [page 10] St. Joseph is chosen as the companion of Marie de l'Incarnation, and goes with her to Quebec. Her intense devotion to the Holy Family is rewarded with visions and ecstasies, even more than ordinary. Her virtues are described at length, notably her humility, obedience, and purity. In Canada, she learns both the Huron and Algonkin tongues, and instructs the savages in the faith, becoming the spiritual mother of many souls. The attacks of the Iroquois upon the French, and this nun's failing health, lead her relatives to entreat that she will return to France; but her devotion to her work is so great that she steadfastly refuses to leave it. In one of her visions, her Lord tells her that hereafter she will "live only by faith and crosses;" from that time, she begins to fade away, and dies from consumption and asthma,—at the last, suffering intensely, but evincing the utmost patience and resignation. After her death, her spirit holds communication with a friend in Quebec, and saves his life by warning him of approaching danger.

LXXXII. The Journal des Jésuites (kept by Ragueneau, until .August 9; during the next ten days, by Jerome Lalemant; and thereafter by François le Mercier) gives but a meager record for the earlier months of 1653; there is but one entry previous to April 10. On the 21st of that month, news comes from Three Rivers that sixteen Frenchmen there—servants, sailors, and others—have run away, intending to leave the country. Two months later, Indians from Gaspé tell at Quebec the disastrous result of this escapade; several of these French fugitives have died from hardship and privation, "and there were indications that they had eaten one another." On [page 11] May 12, Jacques Junier, a Jesuit donné, runs away from Sillery, after having been in the service of the mission for twenty years. A fortnight later, some Massachusetts Indians bring a letter from Rev. John Eliot, asking for the release of certain savages, their allies, captured last year by the Algonkins,—a request which is granted.

With the coming of summer, the Iroquois again infest the river, directing their murderous attacks against isolated farm-houses, laborers in the fields, fishermen setting their lines, and stray Huron and Algonkin savages, even when in considerable bands. The danger and loss are greatest at Three Rivers, and aid is quickly sent thither. News is brought, July 20, that the New England colonists are under-taking war against the Dutch and the Iroquois; and, ten days later, that the Algonkin tribes of the North, with the remnant of the Tobacco and Neutral tribes, are assembling beyond Sault Ste. Marie, to unite against the Iroquois.

August 6, the mail from France arrives, in Which are received letters appointing Father le Mercier as superior in Canada. Pending his arrival (about ten days later) from Three Rivers, a vice-superior is named, Jerome Lalemant. Lalemant, in this brief time, writes in the Journal a full and highly interesting account of the ecclesiastical status of the Jesuits in Canada, and the relations of the church there to the diocese of Rouen, matters regarding which much dissension has already arisen, and which are to bring about, but three years later, an entire reorganization of ecclesiastical affairs in Canada. Le Mercier continues the record, beginning August 21; his first entry describes a battle near Montréal, in [page 12] which the Iroquois are defeated by the Hurons, Losing several of their number. From the captives, the French learn much news from the South,—one item of alarming import, that a troop of 600 Mohawks had started, thirty days before, to attack Three Rivers. But an hour later, the tidings come that Father Poncet and another Frenchman have been carried away as prisoners by the enemy. A party of Frenchmen at once start in pursuit of the captors; but, on the next day, they hear that Three Rivers is already besieged by the Mohawk band just mentioned, and they at once go to the relief of the town. The siege lasts over eight days, and the cultivated lands around the fort are laid waste; but the enemy begins then to talk of peace, and presents are exchanged on both sides. The Mohawks raise the siege, and the chief at their head sets out to pursue Poncet's captors. Ambassadors from the Onondaga tribe come, about this time, to treat for a peace. They reach Quebec soon after the beginning of a church jubilee; processions march through the streets daily, conspicuous in which are "more than four hundred fusiliers, in fine order,"—a sight which must have confirmed the peaceful predilections of the envoys.

Father Poncet arrives at Montréal, October 24, "in a wretched canoe, and dressed in Dutch fashion." He is conducted by some Iroquois, with whom, again, presents are exchanged; and feasts are made for them by the Jesuits and the Hospital nuns. Various complications arise in the relations between the Hurons, Iroquois, and French; and a council thereon is held at the Jesuit residence, November 19. [page 13]

LXXXIII. The Relation of the Jesuit missions in Canada, being written in French, had, of course, but a limited circulation in other countries than France, outside of ecclesiastical circles. These missions had now been carried on for twenty years, and the Roman Catholics of Europe felt general interest in them, as conducted by priests of an order within that church. To satisfy this interest in Italy, Francesco Bressani—who had been one of the missionaries in Huronia, from 1645 to 1649—wrote, after his return to his native land, the Breve Relatione. It gives, in popular style,—and often abridged from the Relations and other contemporary documents,—an account of the Canadian Indians (especially of the Hurons); of the Jesuit missions among them, and the difficulties incident to their conversion; and of the death of Jogues, Daniel, and other missionaries who have fallen at their posts in this arduous service. He begins with the situation and natural features of the country called New France, discussing at length the causes of its extremes in climate; with a brief mention of its earliest discovery, and of the French settlements thus far made therein. He then describes the Huron country, and enumerates the tribes beyond it; and gives an account of the customs, clothing, characteristics, and government of the savages among whom he had labored during four years. In the main, these chapters traverse the same ground as do the Huron Relations of 1636 and 1639 (Vols. X., XVII.).

R.G.T.

Madison, Wis., January, 1899.

LXXXI (concluded)

 

RELATION OF 1651-52

Paris: SEBASTIEN ET GABRIEL CRAMOISY, 1653

 

The First seven chapters of the Relation were given in Volume XXXVII.; we here present the remaining three chapters, thus concluding the document.

 

[page 15]

[92] CHAPTER VIII.

OF THE GOOD DISPOSITION SHOWN BY THE ABNAQUIOIS TOWARD THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST.

ATHER Gabriel Druillettes gives us, in his Memoirs, four or five beautiful proofs of the abundant disposition and cordial inclination felt for the faith of Jesus Christ by the peoples whom he has visited.

[93] The first is drawn from their faith, which they have preserved and increased for three or four years, although they have had no master or Teacher to cultivate that first germ and seed which he had sown in their hearts in passing, so to speak, and very hastily. That faith made them believe that he who takes pleasure in simple souls had, in an extraordinary manner, strengthened them in their temptations, and had miraculously cured them of many diseases.

"Those whom I had instructed very cursorily," says the Father, "who at that time could only stammer in their own language, have recited every day, without fail, the prayers that I had taught them. Those whom I had baptized in cases of sickness that I thought mortal,—not daring, on my first visit, to administer this Sacrament to those who were enjoying perfect health,—those persons, I say, proclaimed everywhere that Baptism had given them life. And, as they had learned that one must confess the sins into which he fell after receiving those waters of salvation, they did not wait until they were on their [page 17] knees at the [94] Priest's feet; they accused themselves aloud, asking to be punished for very light offenses.

"One of them, who had been cured rather suddenly, cried out: 'I was walking like the four-footed animals and could not stand upright; but, as soon as I received Baptism, I ran and hunted like the rest.' Fathers and mothers came to present to me their little children, whom I had regenerated in the waters of Baptism when I thought them at the point of death. 'Behold' (they would say to me), 'the one whom thou hast restored to life by those important waters which thou didst pour upon its head.'

"Some talked with me until midnight, rendering me a very ingenuous account of their consciences. They told me about the attacks very often made upon them, on the occasion of their ailments, by the Jugglers who wished to attend them in their fashion,—with cries, and howls, and invocations of the Demon. 'They were the cause' (said they) 'of our redoubling our prayers, by asking God for the cure of our diseases, in order that we might not be urged to put them into the hands of those Jugglers; and often [95] our petitions were immediately granted. After saying to him who made all things what we knew and what our hearts prompted, we used to add these words: "Thou knowest our hearts: we wish to for the good of the sick what the Patriarch does; we say to thee what he says to thee; thou knowest it, we do not. Do thou give heed to what he does and what he says to thee; that is what we would do and would say to thee."'

"I met an old man, almost a hundred years of age, whom I had baptized in the year 1647, believing him [page 19] to be on the brink of the grave. This good Neophyte, whom I named Simeon, was so suddenly revived in body and soul, after three or four years of weakness, in an extreme old age, that he caused astonishment to all his fellow-countrymen. 'You well know,' he would say to them, 'that, before my baptism, I was dead. I had ceased to live, I could not move; and, two days later, I was seen to be in health. This winter, I have killed four Moose which I hunted down; I have slain two Bears, and put to death a good many small Deer. I think unceasingly of him who made all things; I often speak to Jesus, [96] and he strengthens and comforts me. I am the only one left of my family, having seen my son, my wife, and my little nephews die. .At first, I felt some sorrow at these deaths; but, as soon as I had begun to pray, my heart was consoled, knowing as I did that they who believe and are baptized go to Paradise. I thanked him who made all things that they had died Christians, and I feel a joy in my heart at the prospect of seeing them soon in Heaven. When my heart is inclined to lose itself in sadness, I kneel before God, and prayer makes me find my heart again.'

"Another man, still older, is so greatly given to prayer that he spends a part of the night in private intercourse with God, while the others are taking their rest. On one occasion, when I had lain down to sleep in his cabin, I heard him get up stealthily, hidden by the darkness from my eyes, but not from my ears. He began his orisons with the prayers that I had taught him, adding others so appropriate, and rendering acts of devotion so tender, that they delighted me He tried to speak in a very low tone, [page 21] and I to listen very [97] attentively to him. His people told me that God often answered the prayers that he offered in behalf of sick persons, or for other purposes." I have noted in this connection that a part of those whom the Father had baptized in the extremity of their illness, upon being restored afterward to health, ascribed that favor to their Baptism. "Those who died," adds the Father, "were not less benefited; and they published by their deeds what the others preached by their words. In the first place, they repulsed all those who spoke to them about summoning their physicians, or Jugglers, to blow upon them, and sing over them, and beat their drums, in order to drive away the Demon, as they say, who wishes to take away their lives.

"In the second place, they made it manifest in their faces and by their conversation that they were leaving this world, to go to Heaven, with so much peace and joy that not only did they check the tears and lamentations of their relatives, but they also gave them an ardent desire to be themselves instructed in the faith of Jesus Christ, in order to enjoy so easy a death.

"Some very aged women, who had been ill [98] for two years, not being able to prevent the Jugglers of the country, who had been summoned by the relatives, from practicing their superstitions over them, asked God, during their howling, to be pleased to confound their Demon. In fact, they found themselves worse after this uproar; and when these fine Physicians were giving them up, as persons having already one foot in the land of the dead, those good souls asked our Lord for life and health, which they [page 23] suddenly recovered before the eyes of these Jugglers.

"Many of these good people" (continues the Father) "have assured me that their children, dying immediately after Baptism, had appeared to come down to them from Heaven, to encourage them to embrace the truths of Christianity. 'The sight of them, 'they would say,' overwhelmed us with a joy that we cannot express; and some of us who were ill were .almost immediately cured.' Those poor Neophytes conducted me to the grave of these little Angels, for the purpose of having me thank God for having received them as his children. There the mothers unburdened their hearts to me, telling me how they had had recourse to God and [99] he had 'given them aid. 'We were inconsolable, before we were told about Paradise; we used to mourn the death of even the most distant of our relatives, every morning and evening. My heart is now wholly changed, and no longer feels that anguish, even at the deaths of my husband and my children. My eyes, indeed, shed some tears at first; but as soon as I come to think that their souls are in Heaven with God, or that they will soon be there, I feel a joy in my soul, and all my thought is to pray that he will soon take them to himself. But if, at times, the Demon wishes to make me sad, as if I had lost those that I loved, I immediately have recourse to him who made all things, and he makes me know that one who is with him is not lost.'"

The second proof of the love felt by these peoples for Jesus Christ and his doctrine is based on their fervor, and on some acts that are very remarkable for people conceived in the midst of Barbarism. "Their [page 25] ardor was so great," says the Father, "for retaining the prayers or the truths that I taught them, that they spent the [100] nights in repeating their lessons. The old men became pupils to their little children. The Catechumens, very little versed in our science, were forced to play the Doctor. Some would write their lessons after a fashion of their own, using a bit of charcoal for a pen, and a piece of bark instead of paper. Their characters were new, and so peculiar that one could not recognize or understand the writing of another,—that is to say, they used certain signs corresponding to their ideas; as it were, a local reminder, for recalling points and articles and maxims which they had retained. They carried away these papers with them, to study their lessons in the quiet of the night. Jealousy and emulation sprang up among them: the little ones vied with the older ones who should soonest learn his prayers; and those to whom I could not give all the time they asked me for, reproached me therefor.

"But it seems to me the Angels took especially great pleasure in seeing the ardor and spirit of the smallest children: they all ran after me to [101] be instructed; they came to prayers every morning and evening; they clasped their little hands, knelt down, and pronounced after me very sedately what I made them say; and they continued this exercise every day, of their own impulse, or, rather, by the impulse of him who bade the Apostles to let them come unto him, since theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."

The third proof is found in the love they feel for their Father and Patriarch. The Savages, who are commonly rather cold in their passions, have very often made 'him feel the warmth of their affection. [page 27] They honored him at their feasts with the viands that they ordinarily give to their Captains. If he went on a journey with them, the best Canoe was chosen, and he was given the most comfortable seat; and if he wished to ply the paddle, they snatched it out of his hands, saying that his occupation was to pray to God. "Pray for us and we will paddle for thee," they would say. In the places where it was necessary to carry their little Boat and all their baggage, in order to pass [102] from one river to another, or to avoid steep descents and waterfalls, they would carry his bed, his cloak, and very often his house,—all that consisting of a covering, or blanket, which served him for all these uses. Now, as he always loaded himself with his Chapel, some begged him to put it on the sacks or packets which they bore on their shoulders, saying that this little burden for Jesus lightened the weight of their load. Some, in order to oblige him to remain always among them, offered to clear some land for him, and to give him some fields to have tilled.

If any one not well-disposed toward our faith let fall some word against the Patriarch, he was immediately checked. Here is an example, which is very remarkable for Savages. When the Father was in a village quite near the English settlements, an Englishman's servant chanced to be present one day in a cabin where the Father was instructing his good Catechumens This man—either from malice, or because he did not understand the language of the country well—reported to his master afterward that the [103] Father had spoken against the English, which was not true. These worthy Neophytes, learning that this master was offended at that, [page 29] repaired to his house and addressed him as follows: "We understand our language better than thy servant does. we were near the Patriarch when he was speaking; we listened attentively, and all his words came directly into our ears. Be assured, he has never said any ill of you people. He teaches us that he who made all things hates and condemns and punishes lying; and as we wish to receive his law, and render him obedience, take these thoughts to thy heart,—those people yonder do not lie. And, furthermore, it is well for you to know that the Father is now one of our nation; that we have adopted him for our fellow-countryman; that we pay him consideration and love, as the wisest of our Captains, and respect him as the Ambassador of Jesus, to whom we wish to give ourselves entirely; and, consequently, whoever attacks him, attacks all the Abnaquiois." The Captain who delivered this little harangue uttered it so emphatically that the [104] principal Englishmen dwelling on the river Kenebek, having heard him, had the Father come to them, and begged him—through the mouth of an Englishman recently arrived from Boston, who spoke very good French—to forget all that had passed, assuring him that they gave no further credence to the false reports of a thoughtless servant. They added that they clearly saw that all the Savages loved him, and had great respect for him; that they themselves honored him as a Minister of the holy Gospel; and that the confidence which these people had in him would foster a good understanding between the French, the English, and the Savages of those regions. And thereupon appeared bottles and cups, and the Father's health was generously drunk; and, as they were from different [page 31] places, each one begged the Father to pay him a visit at his settlement, assuring him that he would always be received there with honor. Indeed, whenever the Father, in his journeys on the Kenebec river, where they dwell, went to greet them, they received him with marks of cordial good-will; and, since that time, they have always spoken of him to the Savages in very complimentary terms.

[105] The people of Naranchouak,—who are at all times the most influential of this region, and have strong alliances with several nations of new England,—wishing to give proofs of the love that they bore to their Patriarch and his doctrine, publicly naturalized him in a great assembly and received him into their Nation. Captain Oumamanradok, who made the harangue, declared openly that the Patriarch was not only their master in the faith, but that he was also the best head in the country for speaking, and for giving decisions in their affairs; and that, although he himself had been looking at the Sun for a long time, he was nevertheless only a child, while the Patriarch was an old man, full of wisdom. This man has the best intellect of all the Abnaquiois, and is the most devoted to our faith.

The fourth proof of these peoples' love for Jesus Christ is drawn from their actions. Cæpit Jesus facere et docere. Jesus began to accomplish our salvation by his deeds, and then by his teachings. He does not desire that all those who belong to him should be Doctors, [106] but he wishes them all to be obedient. "Thou dost bid us combat and resist the Demons that attack us" (they said to the Father). "They are many in number, but their strength is [page 33] diminishing from day to day, and our courage is increasing.

"The Demon that excites and foments quarrels and enmities is banished from among us: thou hearest no noise in our cabins, and the women do not scold one another. The sudden death of one of our Captains, following upon a quarrel that he had had with the Captain of the people living at the mouth of our River, made us believe that that man, who is regarded as a great Sorcerer, had killed him secretly by means of his sorcery. Our hearts were already arousing the old-time hatred that we had had for those peoples, and we were on the point of cutting one another's throats and making war on one another; but thy words banished that Demon. Thou art our Father; be also our Umpire. Speak in our councils; thou shalt be heard. We will always refer our disputes to thee. We see well that thou lovest us, suffering and fasting and praying for us as thou dost, day and night.

[107] "As for the Demon of drunkenness that thou hadst driven out of our cabins, on thy first journey, the English brought it back as soon as thou didst leave us; but it must now be exterminated forever, for it deprives us of our lives, causes murders among us, and makes us lose our wits, rendering us like madmen. Let us go this moment and find the Deputy of the English, and speak to him as follows: 'Thou Deputy of Plummet and Boston, paint our words on paper, and send them to those on whom thou art dependent; and say to them that all the allied Savages dwelling on the river Kenebek hate fire-water,'" or brandy, "'as much as they hate the Hiroquois; and that if they have any more of it [page 35] brought hither to sell to the Savages, the latter will believe that the English wish to exterminate them. Paint these words; and our Patriarch will act as our Ambassador, and will carry them to your Governors, accompanied by our chief men; and, after that prohibition, if any one gets drunk in secret, he shall be punished according as our Father shall decree.'

"The Demon who gives us fear of our Sorcerers and faith in [108] our Pythonesses," who divine future events and have knowledge (according to their own account) of things absent, "this Demon has lost his credit. Thy prayers, and those of the little children, and the recourse that we have to God, make us see the vanity and powerlessness of those Jugglers and of their sorcery. How many times have we seen persons in the last extremity, whom we thought bewitched, restored to health upon praying to him who is the master of all the Demons!" It is true that all the Sorcerers now acknowledge their weakness, and the power of Jesus, some even inviting the Father into their cabins, and treating him with high honor. The most noted and the most feared of their number, named Aranbinau,—who had, in time past, raised his hatchet against the Father to kill him, upon finding him catechizing a nephew of his,—has shown himself so docile to the Father's words that he now makes profession of having him as an intimate Friend.

"As to the Demon that makes us love polygamy " (they said), "he is in great discredit among us, inasmuch as we see clearly the inconveniences and disorders which arise from a plurality of wives. [109] He who claims to have been elected Captain in this village will never be Captain if he does not give up' [page 37] one of his two wives; and even if some one person should fail to have sense, that would not prevent the rest from becoming Christians." Then they added the following address to the Father:

"Take heart, then, and stay with us, since we are ready to obey thee. Thou art our fellow-countryman; we are of the same nation. Thou art our master; we are thy disciples. Thou art our father, and we thy children; do not abandon us to the fury of the Demons. Think not that they have gone far away; they will come and cut our throats as soon as thou leavest us. Deliver thyself, and us too, from the trouble of so many journeys, which are so long and so difficult that one can carry nothing with him—which often exposes us to the danger of dying from hunger. We are witnesses that the principal Englishmen of these regions respect thee. The Patriarchs of Acadia have told us that they had written thee that thou couldst return to our country whenever thou shouldst choose. What will become of those that shall die without baptism [110] or without confession, in thine absence?" "I confess to you," says the Father, "they touched me; and if I had not believed that God was recalling me to Kebec by the voice of my Superior who was summoning me, the most frightful labors would never have torn me from the country of those whom I love more than myself."

The last proof of these peoples' favorable attitude toward the faith is their disinterested spirit. The Huron and Algonquin Savages can expect some help from our Fathers and, through their mediation, from the French; but the Abnaquiois can claim from us only their instruction, pure and simple. They see in [page 39] their midst a Father and his companion in need of all things, having for house only their bark cabins, for bed only the earth, for food only their own salmagundis. They look for no favor from the English through the Jesuits' mediation. They have no thought of coming to Kebec to trade, for they were notified in the year 1646 that one or two Canoes were enough for coming every year to renew the alliances which they have with the new Christians of saint Joseph. Consequently [111] they have no hope, either as individuals or as a people, of reaping any temporal advantage from the coming of our Fathers to their country. It is God alone who has given them the grace and strength to persevere so long in acts of piety, without master, without teacher, and without guide. It 'is he alone who makes them receive with ardor the teachings that are given them. It is he alone who plants deep in their hearts the esteem and affection which they have for their Father. It is he alone who makes them offer such strong and unceasing resistance to the Demons of whom 1 have just spoken, and who in truth appeared unconquerable in a country where there are no laws directed against Sorcerers, or against drunkenness, or against polygamy, or against enmities and mortal hatreds. God is their sole and only law. "Now judge," says the Father, "whether one can forsake these peoples without forsaking Jesus Christ, who earnestly prays, in their persons, to be rescued from the danger of eternal destruction. Can one leave as prey to the Demons so many persons, and so many nations, each composed of ten or twelve thousand souls, without [112] having compassion on them? To leave them is to leave JESUS CHRIST; to [page 41] forsake them is to forsake him who says to us, as well as to his Father: Ut quid dereliquisti me? 'Why hast thou forsaken me?'" These conquests are worthy of Christian Princes and Kings, but very few render themselves worthy of receiving such palms. People fight very often for reeds, and despise laurels and palms. [page 43]

CHAPTER IX.

OF THE WAR WITH THE HIROQUOIS.

LETTER sent from Three Rivers will furnish us a Journal of what the Hiroquois have done during the past year in this new world. God's ways are none the less just for being hidden. He often humbles those whom he intends to exalt. He sends a man in search of She-asses, in order to make him find a Kingdom. He trains a shepherd in the use of a sling, to give him the victory over a Giant. Up to the present time, the Hiroquois have done almost more good than harm in New [113] France. They have delivered many souls from the fires of Hell, while burning their bodies in an elemental fire. For it is true that they have converted many persons, and that they are the instruments which God has used for deriving the sweet from the bitter, life from death, glory from ignominy, an eternity of pleasure from a moment of suffering,—severe indeed, but recompensed a hundredfold. When the Hurons were in affluence, and the Algonquins in prosperity, they mocked at the Gospel, and tried to murder those who proclaimed it in their country,—accusing them of being sorcerers, who made them lose their lives by secret means, spoiled their grain, and caused drouths and inclement weather; and regarding them as traitors, who held communication with their enemies for the purpose of selling their country. A strange thing, but truly worthy of note, and showing [page 45] that God knows well how men must be taken, in order to draw them to a knowledge of himself and a love for him! As soon as the Hiroquois (who, before the good news of the Gospel was carried to them, were, as a general rule, subdued by our Savages) [n q] had cast them into the abyss where they still are, these poor people came to throw themselves into our arms,—asking shelter and protection from those whom they had regarded as traitors; seeking the friendship of those whom they had tried to murder as Sorcerers; urging that the life of the soul might be granted them, since they were losing that of the body; and desiring entrance into Heaven, since they were being driven out from their own lands. And, it seems to me, I can say, with a very great appearance of truth, that the Algonquins, and the Hurons, and numerous other Nations whom we have instructed, would have been lost if they had not been ruined; that the greater part of those who came in quest of baptism in affliction, would never have found it in pro>sperity; and that those who have found Paradise in the Hell of their' torments, would have found the true Hell in their earthly Paradise. Let us say, then, that the Hiroquois have rendered men rich, thinking to make them poor; that they have made saints, thinking to make victims of wretchedness; in a word, that we owe to them (without, however, being under any obligation to them) the conversion and sanctification [115] of many souls. But I must confess that if they have done good, as indicated above, they appear now in our eyes like monsters ready to devour us. Let people lose their property, let them lose their lives, let them be killed, massacred, burnt, roasted, broiled, and eaten alive,—[page 47] patience! that matters not, so long as the Gospel takes its course, and God is known, and souls saved. The gain is greater than the loss in this traffic. But that the door of salvation should be closed to the more populous nations dwelling on the shores of the fresh-water sea of the Hurons; that the new Churches of Jesus Christ, founded and established by the piety of France, should be ruined, and so many new Christians delivered to the jaws of these Lions; that the Gospel laborers and the Pastors of this fold should be banished and driven away from their flocks,—that is what may be called a great misfortune, which, however, the high mightinesses can easily remedy, notwithstanding the disorders of France, caused by Hiroquois as barbarous as those of America. But that is straying too far from my goal; let us begin our narrative.

[116] On the sixth of March of last year, 1652, the Hiroquois, who prowled around the French .settlements all the Spring and all the Summer, defeated a Squad of Hurons who were going in search of them at a great distance, and found them very near, without expecting it. They were in ambush at the river of la Magdelaine, six leagues, or thereabout, above three Rivers. That Squad, commanded by a man named Toratati, fell into their hands and was entirely defeated.

On the 10th of May, Father Jacques Buteux (as related in the first Chapter of this Relation) was put to death, with a Frenchman accompanying him, named Fontarabie.

On the 13th of the same month, a band of Algonquins, on their way to the country of the Attikamegues, were surprised and defeated when they were [page 49] passing the place where Father Buteux had been murdered. A young man who had killed one of the Hiroquois who surprised them, was burnt and tormented in a horrible manner, on the same spot.

On the 16th of the same month, the Algonquins of three Rivers, having learned of the defeat of their people, went out to lie in wait for the [117] Hiroquois as they passed; but they fell into the trap which they intended to set for their enemies, for another band of Hiroquois—concealed near Lake St. Pierre, where they were going to lay their ambuscade—cut them into pieces, for the most part.

On the same day, there arrived from Montréal a Huron soldier of Toratati's company, who had escaped from the hands of the Hiroquois. He reported that this Captain had been burnt, and that those of his band that were left had been given their lives. It is thus that the Hiroquois swell their troops.

On 15th of the same month, a Huron woman, who was working at Montréal cultivating Indian corn, was carried off by the Hiroquois, with two of her children. These wretches hide in the woods, behind tree-trunks or in holes which they make in the ground, when they pass two and three days sometimes, without eating, in order to lie in wait and surprise their prey.

On the 21st, a French soldier and a Savage—crossing the great River, in a Canoe, before the Fort of three Rivers—were attacked, and both wounded, the Savage dying of his wounds two days afterward.

[118] On the 26th of the same month of May, a Frenchman who was tending cattle at Montréal was put to death; and a French woman received five or six wounds,—not dangerous, however, since she [page 51] did not die of them; her courage brought her out of the danger. These wanton Rascals abound everywhere, and at all times.

On the 8th of June, two Hurons who were stretching a line to catch some fish, near the Islands of the river called three Rivers, were butchered. As this place is very near the French settlements, some men hastened hither, on hearing the noise, and pursued the Hiroquois, who made their escape, leaving behind their equipage, and the scalps of the two men whom they had killed.

On the 19th of the same month, three Canoes arrived by the river of three Rivers, bringing word that the Hiroquois had made their way very far into the country of the Attikamegues, and had defeated them for the third time.

On the 2nd of July, at five o'clock in the morning, when Some Hurons were going out to fish opposite the Fort of the French, on the other side of the great river, which is of considerable width at this place, the Hiroquiois, who were in ambush, rushed upon them; but they [119] jumped into the shallop of the French who had come to escort them. The Hiroquois took to their Canoes and opened fire in all directions, pursuing the shallop, which spread its sail to the wind and extricated itself from this danger. Having reached land, near the French Fort, some soldiers entered it; the Savages followed them in their Canoes, and they gave chase to the Hiroquois, pressing them very hard. But as they are adroit, they halted, protecting themselves from our firearms; and seeing that the Lion's skin could not cover them, they tried to use that of the Fox. They sent a Canoe toward our people, propelled by two [page 53] men, who demanded a parley; a Canoe was sent to them from our side, in charge of two Hurons and an Algonquin; and these two Canoes parleyed for about half an hour, keeping the distance of a pistol shot apart. The Hiroquois said they were led by a man named Aontarisati, their Captain, and that he wished to speak to the French, and to the Savages who were their allies. They were told, in answer, to go down opposite the French Fort, and there they should receive an interview. They [120] repaired thither immediately, and from that place sent two Canoes to the quarters of the French. One carried a young Huron whom they had captured, whom they put ashore at a spot a little above the Fort, to go and see his kinsfolk who were among the French; this was in order that he might incite them to desert the French side. The other Canoe did not approach the land, but called out from its position on the water, and asked that the three Captains—of the French, of the Algonquins, and of the Hurons—should cross the river in order to go and treat with their people; and they said that they would, on their side, send the three most prominent men of their number. This proposal was ridiculed; and, meanwhile, some Canoes approaching for the purpose of corrupting our Hurons and bringing them over to their side, one of them was captured, which carried three Hiroquois; two of these were Captains, who were notorious on account of the murders they had committed in all the French settlements. They were more fortunate than the rest, for our Fathers instructed and baptized them before their death.

On the 25th of the same month of ,July, a Squad composed of more than a hundred Savages, strongly [page 55] suspecting that the enemy [121] were scattered in various places, started out in order to find some of them. They had two encounters, and fought stoutly and resolutely, without our learning the degree of success on the side of the Hiroquois; as for our own people, they returned on the seventh of August, having lost two men, and bringing back many wounded.

On the 18th of August, four inhabitants of three Rivers, on going down a short distance below the settlement of the French, were pursued by the Hiroquois, who killed two of them, as it was reported, and carried off the other two, to sacrifice them to their wrath.

On the 19th, the repulse was much greater. Monsieur du Plessis Kerbodot, Governor of three Rivers, taking with him forty or fifty Frenchmen and ten or twelve Savages, had them embark in shallops to give chase to the enemy, to recover, if possible, the prisoners and the cattle belonging to the French, which, it was believed, had been carried away. After sailing to a distance of about two leagues above the Fort, he perceived the enemy in the undergrowth at the edge of the woods, and landed in a place that was full of mud and very disadvantageous. Some one pointed out to him the advantage [122] of the enemy, who had the forest for shelter. He went forward, advancing headlong; but his ardor made him lose his life, as well as those of fifteen Frenchmen. During this engagement some Hiroquois, detached from their main body, slew a poor Huron and his wife who were at work in their own field, not far from the French settlements. God, who balances victories and confines them within limits, showed in this disaster that it was his will to preserve us; for, [page 57] if the Hiroquois had followed up their advantage,—as panic had been spread among our people, who had lost their Chief,—they would have wrought havoc among the inhabitants of three Rivers. But they retired, not knowing how to make use of their victory, and suffered the French to finish their harvests and garner their crops in peace, but not without sorrow.

On the 23rd of the same month of August, a visit was made to the scene of the engagement, where these words were found written on a Hiroquois buckler: Normanville, Francheville, Poisson, la Palme, Turgot, Chaillon, St. Germain, Onneiochronnons and Agneehronons. I have as yet lost only a Finger-nail. Normanville, a young [123] man of skill and bravery who understood the Algonquin and Hiroquois languages, had written these words with a piece of charcoal, wishing to convey the information that the seven persons whose names were seen, had been taken by the Hiroquois known as the Onneiochronnons and Agneehronnons, and that he had himself up to that time received no further injury than the tearing out of a finger-nail. I greatly fear that these poor victims have been sacrificed to the rage and fury of those Barbarians. A Lady, honored for her virtue, has written to some one in France, who was acquainted with the sieur de Normanville, that he seemed to have had some presentiment of his capture. " It is probable " (he said to this Lady a short time before falling into the hands of those Barbarians) " that, as I am every day exposed to danger, I may be captured by the Hiroquois. But I hope God will give me the grace to endure their fires with constancy, and that I shall have the good fortune to baptize some dying children, or even some adult sick [page 59] persons whom I shall instruct in their own country before my death."

On the 30th of the same month of August, the Hiroquois captured another young Huron, [124] and carried him away alive to their own country.

A letter, dated the first of November, conveys the following information: " Some Hurons have just apprised us that two Frenchmen have recently been killed at Three Rivers, and that two others have had their arms broken. They add that, when spending the night near the burnt Rock, they heard the Hiroquois singing as they are wont to sing when they torture their prisoners.

"An Algonquin who has just come to Sillery says that yesterday, opposite sainte Croix, those same Barbarians captured a Savage and two women of his nation. A good many of our Neophytes have gone out hunting in that direction, and I greatly fear lest they may fall into the snares of those hunters of men. Noël Tekouerimat is setting out immediately to arm the young men, who are here in considerable numbers, in order to avert such a disaster; but he would very much like to have Monsieur our Governor give him a French escort." Those are the contents of that letter.

To crown all our calamities, we are informed that the Hiroquois intend to rally together all their forces, in order to [125] come and destroy us next Winter. Such is the report made by the fugitives, and the reason which they give is very probable. They say, then, that the Hiroquois of the lower country, who are called Agneehronnons, asked aid, last year, from the Hiroquois of the upper districts, who are called Sontouaheronnons, in order that they might [page 61] come to fight against the French. But the Sontouaheronnons made answer that they had upon their hands enemies near home; and, if they would come and help destroy these, they themselves would join them later on for the purpose of destroying the French. The Agneehronnon Hiroquois accepted the condition and sent their troops to join those of the Sontouaheronnons,—who, with this assistance, have destroyed the Neutral nation, which was on their borders. Consequently, they are obliged to join forces with the Hiroquois called Agneehronons, for the purpose of coming to make war on the French. Those are the contents of the memoirs which have served as material for writing this Chapter.

The Demon well knows how to seize his opportunity. Seeing that old France is rent asunder by her own children, he wishes to destroy the new, in order to reestablish his Dominion [126] and his Kingdom, which is steadily going to ruin, owing to the conversion of these poor north Americans, of whom some Thousands have already entered into Heaven by the door of faith, of Baptism, and of a holy life. Those who remain, forming a Church of great innocence, cry out: " Help us, ye people who call yourselves our brothers. Let not the Hiroquois stifle to death the germ of your belief, and the seed of the faith, and the plant of the Gospel, which we have received through your agency. If ye love Jesus Christ, protect those who love him and are baptized in his name."

Some time ago, there was a request for soldiers, and for their pay, or salary; their provisions were asked for, as well as their arms and their passage. But now,—when the country is yielding grain for [page 63] the feeding of her people, and this is being done every day,—the only thing demanded for the maintenance of these vast regions is the payment of transportation for two or three hundred workmen each year; the inhabitants of the country will feed them and pay their wages. France, who is constantly emptying herself into foreign countries, [127] does not lack men to build up Colonies. God grant that she may have charity enough to send them to a place where they will live holier and easier lives, and where they would be the defense and aid of Jesus Christ, who honors men so highly that he chooses to save them by the help of men. That is enough. Let us finish this Chapter with a letter that a Savage Captain, a good Christian, sent to Father Paul le Jeune, who is laboring in old France for the salvation of the new.

"Father le Jeune: I seem to see thee, when thy letter is read to me; and I seem to be with thee, when I speak to thee by the mouth, or the pen, of Father de Quen. I do not lie; it seems to me only yesterday that thou didst baptize me. I am growing old, but the faith is not growing old in me. I love prayer as much, at the end of fifteen years, as on the first day when thou didst instruct me. We are Changing in all things, we people of this country; but I assure thee that I never shall change in regard to what thou didst teach me, and what we are now taught by him who governs us in thy place. Indeed, I make hardly any further change, [118] even in my location; I shall pass the coming Winter at Ka-Miskouaouangachit, which you call St. Joseph, as I passed the last one. I am almost wholly French. I laughed when Father de Quen told me [page 65] thou hadst shown the robe that I sent thee last Autume to some Ladies of importance in your country, and that they were pleased with it. That was not because it is beautiful, but because they like, and are glad to see, what comes from us. I would have been pleased to see the robe that thou art going to send me; it is said that there is gold upon it. Didst thou not have this thought: 'Noël will become haughty when he uses it?' Do not fail to send it next Spring; if I die this Winter, my son, when he grows up, will wear it, and he will live in the house that has been made for us at the Fort of Sillery. Make haste to come, and to bring us many sword-bearers, in order to drive away the Hiroquois from our heads. We shall soon be departed souls; do not wait until we are in the grave before coming to see us. It is thy good friend, Noël Tekouerimat, who writes to thee, and who says that he will always pray to God for thee, an d for those who give us aid. [129] Speak to the great Captain of France, and tell him that the Dutch of these coasts are causing our destruction, by furnishing firearms in abundance, and at a low price, to the Hiroquois, our enemies. Tell him to give aid to those who are baptized. That is all I have to say."[page 67]

CHAPTER X.

OF THE LIFE AND DEATH Of' MOTHER MARIE DE ST. JOSEPH, WHO DIED AT THE SEMINARY OF THE URSULINES OF KEBEC.

OTHER Marie de l'Incarnation, Superioress of the Ursuline Seminary of Kebec, in new France, wishing to console her Sisters in regard to the death of Mother Marie de saint Joseph, sent them a short account of her life, her death, and her virtues. As these Memoirs have fallen into my hands, I thought it would be wronging the public to confine the enjoyment of this treasure exclusively to the Houses of the Ursulines. Accordingly, I have extracted therefrom the greater part of the facts which I shall relate in this Chapter.

[130] OF HER CHILDHOOD.

OTHER Marie de saint Joseph was born in Anjou, on the seventh of September, in the year 1616. She was the daughter of Monsieur and Madame de la Troche, of saint Germain, persons of virtue, worth, and quality. The Holy Ghost endowed her from her tenderest infancy with a thousand graces and a thousand blessings, all of which she attributed to the blessed Virgin, saying that Madame her mother had dedicated and consecrated her to that Queen of the Virgins from the moment of her birth; and that it was for that reason that she had the beautiful name [page 69] Marie given her,—which, indeed, was so pleasing to her that she never heard herself called by that name without feeling its sweetness. That Royal Virgin and Mother of Virgins diffused in this little one's heart the love of purity and of Religion before she knew what purity and Religion were, unless it may be said—a thing which some persons remarked—that she was notably precocious in the use of her reason.

[131] "Her parents were taking a walk, one day, in the wooded path on one of their estates, when they sent for their little Marie, who was then only four years old. The valet de chambre, or footman, who brought her in his arms, gave her on the way some improper caresses; the poor child began to cry and to resist, in so strange a manner that this astonished man had much difficulty in framing a falsehood to conceal the cause of her tears. Now I would willingly assert that this was the greatest sin :against purity she ever committed. Though she gave me a very exact account, in new France, of all the acts of her life, I can say (to render honor and glory to the source of all goodness) that I do not remember having noted any fault that approached, even remotely, a serious offense. Speaking to me, then, afterward about that man's caresses, which were over in a moment, she still wept hot tears,—not that she believed she had committed any fault in the matter, but from a holy jealousy for purity, lamenting with sorrow that, after having been so expressly dedicated and attached to the blessed Virgin, [132] she should have had that unfortunate experience, to the detriment of her purity. [page 71]

"From that early age she avoided the approach of men, not through any exercise of her reason, but by the instinct of a superior Spirit, which made her speak of being a Nun without knowing what they were except by name. Monsieur her father, seeing that she was of an amiable disposition, took pleasure in opposing her in this inclination,—often telling her that he wished to marry her to a little Gentleman of her own age; and often making her little presents, which he said were sent to her from him. The poor child resisted and grieved so greatly, taking this raillery for earnest, that Madame her mother, perceiving that she was beginning to waste away with melancholy, begged Monsieur her husband to forego this diversion. It happened, one day, that a man of condition, wishing to tease her, kissed her by surprise; she turned around and gave him so smart a blow in the face that he felt it sharply, although it was delivered only by the hand of a child."

Having noted that Madame her mother gave alms to the poor, and spoke of them with compassion, she would often [133] steal away from her side to carry them her breakfast and her lunch, and even what she could find in the kitchen. Her good mother, upon perceiving this, not only did not disapprove of her conduct, but even kissed and caressed her, and gave her full permission to bestow alms, and to visit the poor whom she fed,—taking the child with her, in order to give her pleasure, when she went to dispense her own charities. Bona arbor bonos fructus facit,—"From a good tree come good fruits."

"She had a natural aversion for jewels, gewgaws, and those little insignificant trifles which often constitute the highest pursuits of girls who are fond of [page 73] the world. She envied the lot of a little shepherd-girl whom she saw somewhere, because she was freed from the trouble of wearing gloves, of adjusting a mask, of keeping little ornaments that were given to her, and of adapting herself to the fashion. Her father and mother, seeing that she was delicate, and of so sweet a disposition, besides being so different in her ways from persons of her condition who are reared for the world, wished [134] to induce in her a disposition to consecrate herself entirely to God, if he should deign to call her to his service. Madame her mother herself took her to Tours, at the age of eight or nine years, and gave her in charge of the good Ursuline Mothers, on whom Our Lord has conferred much grace for the rearing of youth in his fear and his love.

"This young Lady soon charmed the hearts of all her companions. She gained an empire over them by her deference and courtesy, and by the little services she rendered them,—so that they regarded her as their little mistress, and were never jealous at seeing her loved more than the others, and even to such a degree that the Nuns employed her to teach the others. And although she was very merry-hearted, and liked her little amusements, it was always without detriment to her devotions. She applied herself with great pleasure to reading the lives of Saints, especially of those who had toiled in the conversion of souls; hence it was that she loved and honored with peculiar fervor the Apostle of the Indies, St. Francis Xavier, making his life her innocent [135] delight,—so that she often stole away from her companions, and deprived herself of her amusements, in order to find time to read it." [page 75]

I know not whether the delicacy of her temperament, or the intensity with which she devoted herself to the acquisition of virtue, made her fall ill; however that may be, the Physicians deemed it necessary to send her back to her native air. She was not long with her parents before she recovered her former health. She did not discontinue her devotions, despite the distance separating her from the house and the guidance of the Ursuline Mothers. She confessed and received communion with much frequency; she gave some time to silent prayer; she talked about God, and incited the servants to the practice of the virtues, with such well-grounded argument that Monsieur and Madame de la Troche were unable to conceive how a girl of her age could attain such heights, unless she were endowed with very extraordinary grace.

"Feeling herself entirely cured, she asked permission to return to her little Paradise. She obtained it, but not without difficulty; for the new [136] intercourse and the new conversations that she had had with her parents had bound them so closely together on both sides that, when the question of parting came up, I do not know which suffered more, the parents or the child. She has since said that the love they bore her, and the confidence which her good mother manifested in her, above her brothers and sisters, had exerted so sweet a charm over her that the violence she did to herself in leaving them came near making her fall down in a swoon from grief. On the other side, her parents could never say 'Adieu' to her; and Madame her mother, fearing lest she would go to excess in the tenderness that she felt for her daughter, could not escort her back, [page 77] but begged a relative of hers to render her that office of love and charity.

"Our young Lady, having broken her Bonds and her chains, from a desire to belong wholly to God, was no sooner away from her Father's house than joy took possession of her heart. You would have said that the Spirit of God made her fly, and exult in her triumph, after that noble victory. At the same time when she was restored to the house of the Ursulines, she [137] entered on a new Struggle. She prayed, she conjured the Mothers to receive her into their Novitiate, that she might become a Nun. She was told that she was not old enough,—that she was only thirteen or thereabout, and that fourteen was the required age. This repulse and her own fervor made her pine away; she gave heed where the Superior and the Nuns were to pass, where she waited for them, and implored them on her knees to take pity on her. They answered her that she was out of health and they must rather speak about sending her back to her honored parents than about admitting her to the Novitiate. The poor child sighed, and protested that the Novitiate would be her cure. Mother de saint Bernard, who loved her fondly, decided that it was necessary to grant her this satisfaction, with the condition, however, that she must leave if her parents wished to withdraw her. She agreed to what was required from her, that she might enjoy what she herself was asking for; and God graciously caused her to find her health in this place of benediction. Her fear lest, after all, she might have to leave it, made her send out messengers and letters without delay, to obtain from Monsieur her father and Madame her mother [138] this boon, that she [page 79] might become an Ursuline Nun—without, however, telling them that she had already taken the first step. Let us .see how that favor was granted her."

OF HER NOVITIATE AND HER PROFESSION.

ONSIEUR and Madame de la Troche, seeing that their daughter was entering upon her fourteenth year, and that she was pressing them urgently to permit her to enter the Religious life, repaired to Tours for the purpose of testing her thoroughly; for, although they had offered her to God from the time she was in her cradle, in case he were pleased to accept her for his house, yet, in spite of that, the love which they bore her made them resolve not to give her up, except for good cause, and until they were fully convinced of the genuineness of her call. As soon as they arrived, they took her out of the Monastery and, keeping her with them, planted two batteries, capable of overthrowing any other calling less strong than hers. I admit that it is well for parents to sound their children's wishes, for one cannot rely upon every order of mind; but it must also [139] be admitted that God does not always call so loudly, and make himself so clearly heard, that the child's attention cannot be diverted, and the child itself withdrawn from the place where Our Lord destined for it the grace of his salvation. Monsieur de la Troche, knowing the temper and spirit of his daughter, who in truth had nothing of the girl about her, attacked her with strong arguments, showing her the means of gaining her salvation without giving herself so much trouble; and representing to her the dangers of a long repentance upon seeing herself bound and fettered by a long chain of sufferings [page 81] which the religious life drags after it. Madame her mother kissed and caressed her, and offered her every endearment calculated to win the heart of a young Lady of her condition. All these offerings failed to touch her; but the love that she felt for so kind a mother rent her heartstrings when she thought of parting from her.

But as she had a very high-spirited disposition, she stoutly resisted her natural tenderness; and then Our Lord put into her mouth such beautiful passages of Scripture, and thoughts from the holy fathers, touching the blessedness of the Religious life, and she quoted them [140] with such fluency and eloquence, that her parents and several persons of quality who heard her were struck with surprise, and decided that no further resistance must be made to the spirit that makes eloquent the tongues of children.

Accordingly she was made to return to the Convent of the Ursuline Mothers, where the Evil One, fore-seeing the sanctity of this valiant subject, made a furious attack upon her. He displayed to her in a clear light all the reasons that her father had adduced to divert her from her purpose, effacing from her memory all the rejoinders with which God had inspired her. He aroused all the tenderness felt by her for a mother who was never tired of seeing or of loving her. The shock was so great and the darkness so thick that, feeling her strength wavering, she flung herself, as if she were a lost creature, into the arms of the blessed Virgin, offering all the devotions of which she could think, in order to win her heart and obtain, by her mediation, deliverance from this temptation. The thought of leaving her mother forever frightened her; but at length the desire to [page 83] belong to God, and to follow the maxims of the Gospel, [141] made her resolve, in the presence of the blessed Virgin, to drink the bitterness of her son's cup, and to persevere constantly in his house, even though all these torments should accompany her until death.

"The day on which she assumed the holy garb of Religion was another day of conflict for her. It is the custom to dress the girls, on this last day of their secular life, in a manner befitting the rank that they would have held in the world. Our Novice appeared, to the view of Madame her mother, so composed, so modest, that, when the latter approached her to give her the last Farewell, she seized and embraced her, and held her so long clasped to her bosom that Monsieur de la Troche, seeing her speechless and well-nigh in a swoon, snatched her from her mother's arms to conduct her to the door of the Monastery whence she had come. This separation drew some tears from the daughter's eyes, and left the mother in a deep melancholy. As soon as the former entered the Monastery, her parade dress was removed, and the one that she had so ardently desired was given her, with the customary ceremonies. She was also made to bear the name of saint Bernard; we shall relate hereafter how [142] she took that of saint Joseph."

Our Lord invested her spiritually with the unction and the grace that were symbolized by her veil and the other appurtenances of her costume. You would have said that she was beginning where many leave off. " I was delighted and astonished, " says Mother de l'Incarnation, " to see in a girl of fourteen years not only the maturity of one over twenty-five, but also the virtue of a Nun already far advanced Nothing puerile showed itself in her youth: she [page 85] followed her Rules with so great exactness that one would have said she was born for these observances; and the high sacrifice of the understanding and will, which causes so many persons great exertions, seemed to come to her by nature. In a word, her disposition, which was ever invariably cheerful, made her very lovable and very welcome to all the Community; and she watched so carefully over herself that it was not necessary to admonish her twice in regard to the same thing; indeed, she even regarded herself as admonished and reprimanded for the faults that she saw corrected in her companions." I will say nothing of her devotions, especially [143] of the love that she had for the holy Virgin; we will speak of that in its place. It suffices to render this very authentic and truthful testimony, that, from her entrance upon her Novitiate until her death, she always endeavored to respond faithfully to the grace of her calling.

"When the two years of her Novitiate had been piously accomplished, her parents came to fight the last battle with her. Madame her mother brought to bear the rest of her rhetoric, and showed all her affection, all her love, and all her tenderness,—assuring her daughter that she would receive her with open arms, if the life of a Religious order that was far from easy was in the slightest degree distasteful to her; she protested that she could not, without violence, be separated from her. Monsieur her father represented to her that no decisive step had yet been taken, that she was still in full possession of her liberty; but that it needed only three words to bind her so that there would be no further remedy for her repentance. Their design was not to resist God, but to oppose a calling founded on shifting sand." [page 87]

The union of hearts is not very often broken without violence. He who utters the word " mother " [144] utters the name of one who loves; and he who speaks of a well-born child, speaks of a heart full of love and respect. Our Novice could forsake neither God nor her parents. She would have wished either that her mother might become a Nun with her, or that her parents might convert their house into a Monastery of her Order; for to speak of separation was to speak of death. She would rather have died a thousand times than quit the plow-handle and turn back; and poor nature suffered, in her, strange convulsions and anguish at the thought that she was about to deprive herself, for the rest of her days, of her good mother's delightful conversation.

He who holds all nature suspended in his hand, who knows the number of the stars, who gives force to the winds, and sets bounds to the floods and storms of the sea, cured her of this temptation in a moment. He caused her to see in her sleep a ladder like that of Jacob; with one end it touched the heavens, and with the other it rested on the earth. Many people were climbing this ladder, aided by their good Angels, who gently wiped away the sweat [145] which the toil and exertion called forth from their foreheads and their entire faces. Some of them she saw who fell backward at the first step, or at the first round of the ladder; others tumbled headlong from the middle; and a small number, surmounting the difficulties of a road so straight and so steep, arrived at last at the top, and gained the victory. The effect of this vision made it evident that it was not a simple dream forged in the workshop of her imagination, but a remedy for her ill, applied by the hands of her [page 89] good Angel. It needed no questioning of Œdipus for the explanation of this enigma; the Spirit of God was its interpreter. He cracked the stone, and made her taste its kernel. That love of the child of Adam which held her fettered by the eyes and heart of flesh, was changed in an instant to a love which does not destroy nature, but sanctifies it,—a love stronger, but freer; a love which regards not time, but eternity. Her fidelity in resisting that stifling love; her greatness of soul in never revealing it to her parents, for fear that they would take advantage of it to oppose her calling; her resolve to suffer, for the rest [146] of her days, the tyranny of that love, rather than take a backward step and desert her post,—won for her that holy and unfettered love which, after freeing her from her bondage, gave her the means to offer to God, in deep peace, a veritable sacrifice,—or, rather, an entire holocaust of herself; uniting herself closely to him in separating herself from all his creatures, by means of the vows of her profession, which she took at the age of sixteen. And never after that time did the love of her parents cause her trouble; and the fear of severing her connection with them was so banished from her heart that she afterward, without any difficulty, put more than a thousand leagues distance between herself and them.

As soon as our young Professed nun was enrolled in the army of Jesus Christ, weapons were put into her hands to combat his enemies,—namely, the ignorance of the little girls given her to teach, and the evil tendencies of their nature. This pursuit—a low one, to mercenary souls—raised her to the dignity of the guardian Angels. Her aim was to engraft Jesus Christ upon these little wild stocks, to [page 91] make them know their own passions [147] and their evil tendencies, and to suggest to them the means of combating these. If she instructed them in civility, if she taught them to read or write, or if she made them learn some work, she always made her instruction bear on their salvation, gently inculcating in them how they were to sanctify these occupations, and derive therefrom help for their salvation. In a word, her sole object, during almost all her life, was to cause God to be known and loved by those with whom she had intercourse.

"On the occasions which obliged her to appear at the Grating " (,say the Memoirs which I have before me), " there was observed in her bearing and demeanor a gravity and modesty that were quite extraordinary. Conversation that did not have to do with piety :he could not endure; and if any one (by some digression of too great freedom) wished to draw her into talk which savored of the world, she would lead him back again with a holy dexterity; or if he were persistent, she would retire from the Grating or else would take the liberty to speak to him according to her feelings, without respect to human considerations, saying that one must not be less free and less bold in upholding the good than some [148] were in destroying it. Hence it was that she not infrequently asked her Superior to excuse her from seeing those whose conversation she believed would be fruitless."

HOW GOD CALLED HER, AND MADE HER GO OVER TO NEW FRANCE.

OTHER de St. Joseph possessed an intelligence that was quick, clear, and highly enlightened. Her conversation was amiable, and her skill in [page 93] winning the hearts of those at the helm was delightful. " Seeing herself, in course of time, approved and upheld by the chief pillars of her house, her youth, which still had some fire in its veins, brought her within two fingers of a precipice, by exposing her " (says my paper) " to the danger of taking a road which would have been very detrimental to I her, and which, under the guise of an apparent good, was going to conduct her into very subtle vanity. Being, then, on the point of taking this flight, Our Lord made her see what I am about to relate. She found herself, in the quiet of night, at the entrance to a large square surrounded on all sides by shops. [149] These shops appeared to her filled with all the articles and all the delights calculated to attract the eyes, to win the heart, and to charm the mind. These beautiful things, advantageously displayed, shone with a marvelous brilliancy; so that all those who entered this square were immediately enamored of them. She saw enter there a Friar of her acquaintance, who was forthwith enchanted, as well as the others. What most frightened her in this danger was, that, not being able to retreat, she saw herself apparently forced to throw herself into this abyss. But, just as she thought herself lost, there appeared a troop or company of young people having exactly the appearance of the Savages of new France, whom she had not then seen. One of them bore a standard inscribed with certain words in a strange tongue. She, greatly astonished, heard a voice which came from these olive-colored people, and which said to her: 'Fear not; it is by us that you shall be saved.' And thereupon, drawing themselves up in line on both sides, they made her pass between them and [page 95] across that square, without being arrested [150] or charmed by its beauties. In a word, they put her in a place of safety." Now it is easy to see, from the sequel of her life and from what happened to that wretched Friar,—who had then the reputation of a high liver, and who apostatized, some time afterward,—that this vision was not a chimera but a reality. It is true, she did not at once know this, and she did not take her Benefactors for Savages; but it must also be owned that the fondness she had always had for the salvation of souls, increased in ardor every day in her heart after this vision; and that the reading of the Relations, which were sent every year from Canada, gave her most fervent desires to undertake things which she held as chimerical, not thinking the day was ever destined to come when she could realize them. She spoke about them often to Mother Marie de l'Incarnation, who burned with the same fire, which they both regarded as folly,—not seeing with what fuel it could be fed, and unable to conceive that persons of their sex and condition were destined ever to be sent even unto the ends of the world.

[151] About that time, Madame de la Pelterie—having read in the same Relations that it was desired in new France that some Amazon should undertake a voyage, longer than that of Æneas, in order to provide for the instruction of the little Savage girls—resolved to found a Seminary in that country of Crosses, and to conduct thither in person some Ursuline Nuns to govern it, In pursuance of this plan, she repaired to Tours, to obtain some from Monseigneur the Archbishop and from Mother Françoise de St. Bernard, Superior of their Convent. [page 97] Monsieur the Archbishop approved this enterprise, contrary to the expectation of those who knew how much he was naturally opposed to things so new and unprecedented. He ordered the Superior to give to Madame de la Pelterie Mother Marie de l'Incarnation, whom she asked for expressly, and to choose, by the advice of some persons whom he named, a companion for her. The whole House of the Ursulines was on fire, there being no one, except our young Professed Nun, who did not wish for this second place. You would have said that the Evil One [152] had given her a blow on the head with a cudgel, She was colder than ice; she seemed stunned and abashed; and that great love that she felt for a good whose realization had appeared to her so advantageous, but impossible, was changed into a great aversion when she saw herself empowered to claim it. And, although she honored Madame de la Pelterie as a saint, yet she regarded her, as well as the one who had been accorded her, as lost. It is a strange thing that the affairs of God are always attended with abhorrence and crosses. All her light was changed to darkness, her affections to estrangement, and her love to hate. It is true, this noise and din were only in the kitchen or in the courtyard among the servants,—I mean, in the lower story of the passions; for she always had, in the inmost depths of her heart, and in her soul's highest chambers, a secret esteem for a calling so exalted. Hence it was that, upon unbosoming herself to her dear companion, Mother de l'Incarnation, these phantoms vanished, the curtain was withdrawn, and the day appeared to her, more beautiful than ever. [153] [page 99] She hastened to throw herself at her Superior's feet, in order to obtain a share of this good fortune; but she received for answer only an order to take the chamber and assume the Duties of her who was to depart, and to remain in quiet. Those who knew her talents, and who had a love for this great work, believed that matters must not rest there; they urged Mother de l'Incarnation to ask for her as companion. The Superior lent her a deaf ear. Thereupon the task of choosing another was undertaken: the holy Sacrament was exposed, and forty hours of Prayer were observed, in order that God might preside at that election. Strangely enough, in so great a number, those with whom this choice rested could reach no conclusion except in favor of our Candidate; in the case of all the others, there was something or other that proved an objection. Accordingly, she went again to find the Mother Prioress, prostrated herself, and conjured her to be favorable to her in this emergency, unless she knew her to be unacceptable to God. Her Prioress remained speechless; love made her fear to lose a girl whom she had tenderly nurtured, [154] who had given her so much satisfaction, and who gave great promise for her house. These reiterated demands, and the fear of resisting God and not yielding him what he desired, made her pass the whole night without sleeping; and in this silence Our Lord took possession of her with such power, and gave her so much knowledge concerning the calling of her dear daughter, that she submitted, with the provision, however, that her parents should give their consent.

Forthwith a special courier was sent to ask their [page 101] permission, although only a refusal was expected from them. Meanwhile' the prayers were continued in the house, and our young Amazon took as advocate in her cause the great saint Joseph, asking of him not admission to Canadas, but that he would incline her parents' hearts to follow the promptings of the spirit of God; and she made a vow to I him that, if his goodness should open that door to her, she would take and bear his name, and proceed under his auspices, in that remote quarter of the world.

"The courier found her parents at Angers, and presented them the letters regarding their dear daughter. Monsieur de la Troche, [155] on reading them, was completely overcome with astonishment. Madame her mother, opening the sluice-gates of her tears and giving free vent to her grief, filled her whole house with alarm: there were hurrying feet and lamentations on every hand, the name of Canadas inspiring all with terror. Madame de la Troche, regaining her spirits somewhat, ordered the horses put to the coach, in order to go at once and prevent this voyage. No sooner said than done. When she had one foot already in the coach, there appeared a certain Carmelite Father, who, upon learning the cause of so sudden a journey, said to her, 'Madame, I detain you; permit me to say a word to you in your house.' She obeyed, although reluctantly, and they both went together to find Monsieur de la Troche. This good Religious, filled with the spirit of God, spoke to them so freely and so effectively of the honor and grace done them by Our Lord in calling their dear daughter on so holy a Mission; and he [page 103] showed them, by so many and pregnant arguments, the harm they would cause before God, and the wrong they would do to the sanctity of that generous soul, if they took measures to prevent her journey, that they [156] had no other response to give than a hearty acquiescence in the orders of him who was master, abasing themselves before him and adoring his guidance, bitter indeed though they found it. Were they not parents worthy of being honored by so holy a daughter ? What will be said before God by the Communities from which such eminent subjects are not demanded, when they see a house give the dearest that it has, and parents deprive themselves of the object of their love and tenderness?

Madame de la Troche, having made her sacrifice, asked for nothing more than the satisfaction of going to embrace her dear daughter once more, of being able to bid her a final farewell, and at the same time to carry her the parting words and benediction of her father, who was ill. This good Religious, with a holy frankness, said to her: " No, Madame, you shall not go; your tenderness might weaken in some manner your Amazon's noble spirit. Offer the holocaust in all its entirety. It is sufficient for you to write to her according to the feelings that God gives you. " His counsel was followed. Monsieur and Madame de la Troche wrote two letters, of such [157] piety and Christian spirit that they drew tears from all who read them.

This news having arrived, the name of Marie St. Joseph was given to Mother Marie de saint Bernard, in accordance with the vow which she had made in the matter. She was triumphant with joy, recalling [page 105] the whole course of her vocation, and worshipping with love God's operations in her guidance. In a word, she made ready for that long voyage of a thousand leagues in a straight line, and of more than three thousand in the detours and tacks that had to be made.

Monsieur the Archbishop, learning that the choice of the two Mothers was made, summoned them to his Palace, where this holy old man gave them his blessing. He urged them to embrace with courage the Cross of the son of God,—using the same words that our Lord uttered to his Apostles upon sending them on their Missions, and making them sing the Psalm, In exitu Israel de Ægypto, etc., and the Song of the blessed Virgin, Magnificat anima mea Dominum, etc. He dismissed them, with astonishment at seeing the strength and constancy of those three Amazons, for Madame their foundress was of the party.

[158] After receiving his benediction and that of her parents, she had to take leave of her dear Mother Prioress and her dear sisters. The greater number envied her happy lot, although some trembled at the thought of the dangers she might encounter by land and sea. Be that as it may, she departed from Tours with her dear companion, on the twentieth day of February in the year sixteen hundred and thirty-nine. She was then only twenty-two and a half years old; and nevertheless, in all the journeys that had to be made,—from Tours to Paris, from Paris to Dieppe, and from Dieppe to new France,—and in all the company that she met,—at the Court, in private houses, or in the Monasteries of Nuns,—she left everywhere [page 107] such an impression of her modesty and virtue, that I can affirm that it still continues at the present time in many places. She was welcome in times of danger; she could dispel fear' by some little saying, and induce the company to join in prayer, which she herself, with much cheerfulness, was the first to begin. In her extreme youth, no youth was noticed, but only [159] maturity. Her self-reliance especially showed itself one day, at the prospect of death that presented itself,—not armed with a scythe, but clothed in frightful ice, against which their vessel would have been dashed to pieces, had not God preserved them by a kind of miracle. Her firmness brought color to their pale faces and strengthened the hearts that trembled with fear. At last, after weathering the Ocean storms,—after withstanding the violence of winds and waves, after passing through a thousand dangers, and bearing with constancy the fatigues of the sea,—she was by the will of God enabled, in the same year in which she started, to enter the land so ardently longed for, the land of conflicts and of victories, to pass thence to the glorious sojourn of an everlasting triumph. Let us say now a few words about her virtues, and the favors which her Bridegroom showed her in this land of benediction.

[160] OF HER LOVE AND HER DEVOTION TO JESUS CHRIST AND HIS SUFFERINGS,

OTHER Marie de saint Joseph had from her childhood a great tenderness for the incarnate Word. The Reverend Father Jean Bagot, a Religious well known in our Society, told me that, happening to be at her father's house at the time of her [page 109] first communion, he was surprised to see the intelligence of that child: her confession, so artless and so judicious for her age, astonished him, and the tender devotion displayed by her for Our Lord in that communion charmed him. " I never spoke to her, " added the Father, " about the Son of God, in the brief stay that I made with her parents, without seeing her little cheeks all wet with tears; her eyes, full to overflowing, were so intently fixed upon me that, upon witnessing this holy eagerness and great love for her Savior at so tender an age, I could not refrain from saying to her mother that that child would some day attain a great height, Quia virtus Domini erat cum illa."

All the light, all the knowledge, [161] all the love, and all the feeling that she had for that divine Bridegroom in old France, were merely the preludes and first essays of what she was to receive in the new. One morning, some six years before her death, as she was at prayer, her soul appeared to her under the form of a charming castle; and at the same time this Bridegroom, the Son of the Almighty, presenting himself at the door, made himself apparent to her spirit by a purely intellectual communication, wherein the Evil One had no part, since it was independent of all the senses. " He was so bright and full of glory, and of such ravishing beauty " (says the one from whom I received the memoirs), " he held out his arms and threw her such fond glances, that she would have died of joy and love if he had not sustained her. At length, holding her in his arms and taking full possession of her soul, he said to her: 'My daughter, take care of the outside of the castle, and I will guard the interior.' As he [page 111] was about to withdraw, she wished to follow him; but a piece of crape, or a veil, intervening between them, she understood clearly that she must resume the path of faith, and enjoy this light only in passing, as one sees the lightning flash."

[162] Nevertheless, for about a week she was in ecstasy, without, however, losing her senses; and in this apparition her Well-beloved instructed her in all the mysteries of his adorable humanity, clothing her with his Spirit and changing her entirely into a new creature. From that time, her heart was no Longer her own; and one could not speak of Jesus Christ in her presence without causing her soul to soften and melt with love. She spoke of him sometimes in such exalted language that it was clearly seen whence came her knowledge.

Our Lord often talked with her, in language heard only by the inner ear. Singing the Credo one day at holy Mass, she lapsed into a state of amorous delight on uttering these words, Per quem omnia facta sunt, rejoicing in her heart that all things had been made by her Bridegroom. And, when that joy and that delight made her almost swoon away, he said to her: "'Yes, my daughter, all things were made by me, but I am recreated in thee. " She thought she would expire upon hearing these words, which signified nothing less than a holy transformation in him in whom she lived more than in herself.

[163] I cannot relate all the effects that these divine communications wrought in her soul; they were a veritable series of Thanksgivings, praises, and blessings. She enjoyed a continual consciousness of having come into the world under the law of grace, in order to have the means of possessing Jesus [page 113] Christ to the full. She felt great pity for souls that had no knowledge of this great treasure, and was displeased with those that had knowledge of it, but did not possess it.

The sight of the charms of her Well-beloved made her see so plainly the baseness and ugliness of created beings in a word, the nothingness of every thing that, long before her death, she was regarded by some as incapable of vainglory, or of any other love than that which is directed toward God. Indeed, the vision that has been made clear, and sees things as they are, is not greatly touched by what is false.

It occurs to me that some of her sisters, upon reading this little summary of her life, may well desire the same delights and the same intimacy with their Savior. It must be confessed [164] that that sugar is sweet and that ambrosia is full of delight; but they will permit me to say to them that those great and transient consolations are ordinarily communicated only to the souls that Jesus Christ causes to suffer with him. It is merely a nutriment and support which he gives them to enable them to bear the burden of his sufferings, as we shall see in what follows.

As Our Lord often spoke to her, he told her, four years and a half before her death, that she would thenceforth live only by faith and crosses. These words, weighty indeed, had their effect. Thence-forward she cared only for sufferings, and her Bridegroom gave her an abundance of them. She was constantly subjected to a state of spiritual suffering so hidden, so piercing, and so acute, that few persons were able to understand them. In her body [page 115] she suffered almost continual pains and weaknesses, so that the words of saint Paul, " I am crucified with Jesus Christ, " were found to be very true in the case of this victim of suffering love. Often that Lover of suffering souls burdened her with the weight [165] of his Justice, of his Holiness, and of his other attributes, with loads of such heaviness that her life ceased to be anything but a martyrdom. One day, when she was overcome with weakness, she said to her companion these words: " If I were asked the cause of my suffering, I could only answer that it is the Incarnate Word, the one whom I love, who torments me in an inexplicable manner. " Sometimes she had such great heaviness of heart and such vivid impressions of the sufferings of Jesus Christ, that she seemed to suffer a death that was harder than death itself. Her longing to die, in order to enjoy him whom she had seen in such ravishing beauty, kindled in her soul a fire so scorching and so painful, that she could only quench it by another pain. She appeased her love of joy by her love of suffering. This language is not strange to those who love, and who know that, in order to be in a high degree like Jesus Christ in his glory, one must, as St. Paul says, be conformed to him in his sufferings.

The Bride of the Canticles goes to seek her Bridegroom when he is absent. The soul [166] that God engages in prayer remains at rest; but, if he hide himself, it arouses its spirit and sends forth its affections to seek and to find its well-beloved. Our Canadian followed this maxim in her Crosses. When her Bridegroom gave her any, she bore them with a peace, and submission to his orders and guidance, that were altogether charming: she took that vessel [page 117] of myrrh and hid it in her bosom with love; and when he denied her this favor, she made Crosses for herself, and sought for self-inflictions that would very soon have borne her away from this world, had not her Superiors set bounds and limits to her fervor.

Knowing, as she did, the malice and cunning of the daughter of Adam—I mean, of corrupt nature—she had a marvelous adroitness not only in killing it, but also in preventing her sisters' Charity from affording her any relief. It gave her offense to tell her that her infirmities exempted her from observing the rules of the Community; and a formal contest ensued when she was urged to take some rest in her weakness, unless the latter were [167] extreme. Her resistance did not consist in a little compliment formed merely by her lips; but was based on a perception of her lowliness, and a belief that she was a burden to her Community. In other matters she yielded easily and submitted readily to those who governed her, when they did not listen to her arguments—a thing which happened very seldom; for her eloquence was great when she pleaded the cause of Jesus Christ's sufferings against the effeminacy of the old Adam.

OF HER DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN AND TO SAINT JOSEPH.

T is very difficult to love Jesus without loving Mary, or to honor Mary without respecting saint Joseph. I can say with truth that that holy family gave the first, the noblest, and the most constant occupation to Mother Marie de saint Joseph, during all the years of her earthly pilgrimage. Jesus Christ [page 119] drew her to himself, the Virgin received her, and she sought saint Joseph. She was born with a spirit of devotion toward the blessed Virgin; that was the first milk which she imbibed. Her good [168] mother dedicated and consecrated her from her cradle to that Queen of the Angels, and made her pass her first infancy in that piety. We have said that the name Marie was given her with this intent, that it was as sugar to her mouth, whenever she pronounced it, and that her ears and her heart always felt a new pleasure when she was called by the beautiful name Marie. This joy arose from the love that she bore that Queen of the Angels, and it may be said this love was a jealous love; for she could not bear that others should not have frequent recourse to, and great confidence in, her whose goodness she so often experienced. To her she attributed her pious education in her early youth, her desires to belong to God and draw others to him, her calling in an order laboring for the salvation of souls, the love of her dear son, her deliverance from her difficulties and temptations,—in a word, all the graces and favors that she received from the goodness of her dear child. She often said that, from her birth up to the age of twenty years, every day, every week, and every month of her [169] life had been consecrated to her in a very special manner. By the love and confidence which she had in the blessed Virgin, she was delivered from that low and selfish love that she bore her parents. The hallowed and unfettered Love that she had for them afterward was only an imitation of the love which that Princess cherished for her sovereign lord. If she obeyed her Rules, it was in a union of the obedience which that amiable Mother [page 121] rendered to her son, and that which she herself rendered to her dear Bridegroom. If she had some little time to herself, it was immediately consecrated to the blessed Virgin; and, during the first years that she was in the house of God, she was always searching for new devices by which to honor her—now by Psalms, now by Hymns, and again by praises and by vows that never ended. She often recited a thousand times, the first Angelical salutation. If at any time she lapsed into some imperfection, she went, full of love, to caress her good Mother, conjuring her to cover up that fault with the beauty of her virtues, in order that her son's eyes might not be wounded by it, and that [170] the wrong she had done him by her offense might be repaired by her very lovable fidelity; and thereupon, pouring out her heart at her feet, she promised her to be more faithful another time, and to perform such and such mortifications, or to recite such and such devotions in her honor. She entered into her joys and into her sorrows; she served her on her journeys; in a word, she was all confidence and love for her much honored Lady and Mistress.

She did not feel that tenderness toward saint Joseph, and would have been almost willing to bring suit in the matter against the blessed Virgin, reproaching her for not giving her any access to her dear Spouse. She urged and conjured her to take pity on her and grant her that favor,—to present her to that lovable Spouse. " I fear, " she would say, " that this insensibility is a mark of my reprobate condition. " When she was at Tours, and had withdrawn into solitude, she went to find her Superior, in the middle of her retreat,—weeping like a child, because [page 123] she felt no devotion toward saint Joseph; that made her tremble. Her Prioress told her, with a smile, that her tears and anguish were a mark [171] of that devotion. But this did not comfort her, because she did not feel the protection of that great Patriarch as she did that of his dear Spouse.

At the time of her greatest anguish, the Superior of the Ursulines of Loudun, on her way to the grave of the Blessed Monsieur de Sales, passed through Tours and lodged at the Monastery of our Canadian. All the Nuns, and she in her turn, kissed the sacred balm which saint Joseph used in curing that good Mother and bringing her out of her agony. There was not one of them that did not experience an odor and an influence from this balm, which was not of earthly origin,—except our Canadian, who was denied that grace; the odor of this balm neither touched her nostrils, nor produced any emotion in her heart. God knows with what grief her poor soul was seized. Then indeed it was that she believed that he whose friendship she sought so piously had repulsed her. If God takes his delight in men, the Saints do so no less. This great Patriarch took pleasure in seeing that innocent soul run after what she [172] already possessed in a nobler manner than her ardor laid claim to. At length, it was his will to comfort her.

That good Mother of Loudun, returning from her journey and passing again through Tours, entered the same Monastery, and gave a second opportunity to kiss the holy balm, which she always carried with her. Mother Marie de St. Joseph trembled upon approaching it, fearing a second rebuff; she [page 125] presented herself on her knees, with a spirit that was humbled, but yet full of confidence that the most blessed Virgin, her good mother, would this time give her to her Spouse. Her expectation was not in vain: she had no sooner touched that ointment than she not only perceived its odor, but was also penetrated thereby to her inmost soul, receiving the grace which she had so earnestly entreated. The spiritual transports which she then experienced were so keenly felt that the Mother of Loudun, perceiving it, said to her with a smile, " Here is a heart powerfully acted upon by God. " She, in a perfect transport, softly retired, and hastened to a grotto of saint Joseph, which is in the Monastery, where she kept herself shut in for about [173] two hours; and, during that time, Our Lord gave her saint Joseph as her Father and Protector, making her understand that she was now the daughter of the Virgin and of saint Joseph.

This process, wholly divine in its nature, and these caresses, so full of love, overpowered her and made her burst into tears of love and joy. In her inmost soul she felt the powerful effects of that grace, assuring her of this filiation, so that she could never doubt it for the rest of her days, experiencing in the subsequent course of her life the aid of so powerful and so kind a Father. She took his name, as we have noted, when he caused her passport to be given her for going to his country—I mean, to new France, which may be called the country of St. Joseph, inasmuch as those vast regions march under his standards, and honor him as their Father and their Patron. He led her into that glorious land, into that [page 127] Kingdom of sufferings, to be one of the foundation stones of a Seminary and Convent erected in the name of saint Joseph.

[174] OF SOME OF HER VIRTUES.

REAT lights and lofty contemplations which do not engender virtue are like those flowers which bear no fruit; their tree is beautiful, but it is not useful. There are persons enough who talk about virtue, or who take pleasure in hearing it talked about, who approve it and who honor it; but the number of those who actually practice it is small indeed. Our Canadian made this her guiding principle, believing that all visions which did not tend thither went astray from the true path, and that all brightness not representing virtue was only a false light; so she died in a country where truth is loved, and whence mere appearances are banished. The glory of a beautiful soul is not to have beautiful eyes, but to have well-formed hands, like those of the Bride, fitted for the exercise of the virtues. Here are some little marks of those with which our Canadian was highly endowed. Let us begin with her humility. It seems to me that I might say that [175] want of clear vision is the cause of our being so sensitive to praise and scorn. The soul that sees clearly the nothingness of all that is not God, gives itself little concern whether it be loved or hated, honored or despised, by that nothingness. Mother de St. Joseph was so convinced of her own baseness, she was so filled with thoughts of God's grandeur, and she saw so clearly that from him alone comes trustworthy and .true judgment, that she could almost say with St. [page 129] Paul that the judgment of men was to her of little account. Those who seek only the King's approval scarcely trouble themselves about the opinion of a peasant. Thence it was that, in her inmost soul, she received contempt as if it were the truth, regarding it as very well suited to her condition; and honor as if it were deceitfulness, holding herself before God as truly unworthy of it. Let us say that she held both in small esteem, as a wise man despises the game of knuckle-bones, or the pursuits of little children.

She received with great equanimity, indeed even with pleasure, words and actions that tended to her own abasement, [176] saying that they conduced to the truth. She felt love and kindness for persons who mortified her,—defending them, when occasion offered, and willingly rendering them service in their needs.

Recognizing no other nobility than virtue, she could not endure that any one should exalt himself on account of his birth. She said that Religion rendered all its subjects equal, giving to all one and the same birth, and that virtues and vices made nobles and plebeians. When some one caused her to be asked for some information concerning one of her ancestors, she replied that she had never taken the trouble to ascertain the advantages Nature had given her in her parents,—that it was her glory to' be the daughter of God and of his Church, and that she rested all her good fortune and happiness on that glory. It was not that she failed to love and honor her parents, but that love and honor were bestowed upon him from whom they derived their true greatness.

Although the mere thought that Jesus Christ, [page 131] her Savior, had passed thirty years in a [177] life obscure and hidden, checked all outward manifestations of self, she could not conceal her native talents, which rendered her very lovable and commendable to all. But all the graces and favors of which I have just spoken were unknown to those who approached her most nearly,—she herself diverting the view from them, since she was well aware that lightning hurts the eyes and causes thunder and the thunderbolt. In this respect she followed perfectly the guidance of her Directors, who passed lightly over these extraordinary favors, leaving God to do his work, and inciting his creature to be faithful to him. Neither out of nor in the house did they ever speak of operations that are not within our domain; humility, patience, charity, and the other virtues were exalted. It was in these paths that that soul was kept engaged, and I am sure that a part of her Sisters will be astonished to read what they have, perhaps, been ignorant of hitherto. It is true, she had been bidden, some time previously, to write an account of the guidance which God had exercised over her from her infancy; in order that (as it was said) a more intimate knowledge might be gained [178] of her soul, which made little enough outward manifestation of itself. We would not willingly have lost those treasures; but the burning of their house snatched them from us.

"Here is an action proceeding from her humility and obedience. The perception that she had of her nothingness gave her a great love for the hidden life; and that love sometimes caused her fear and dread lest she should be drawn from beneath the bushel and set upon a candlestick. One day, when [page 133] the time to elect a Superior was drawing near, being somewhat disturbed by the fear of being elected, she cast herself at her Bridegroom's feet,—she caressed and coaxed him; represented to him that he had passed all his life in lowliness, affirming that his Kingdom was not of this world; and implored him to grant her the favor that her life might bear some resemblance to his, and might be a homage of his manger, a hanging upon his cross, and a continuation of his self-effacement, since he wished our lives to be hidden in his. 'I promise you and make a vow to you,' said she, 'that I will love and honor her whom you shall elect, and that I [179] will obey you faithfully in obeying her, as far as it shall be possible for me to do so. I shall see you in seeing her, I shall love you in loving her; in short, she shall hold your place to me.' Her prayer was granted and her vow fulfilled. As soon as the Superior was elected, she went to find her, rendered her a faithful account of her soul, and made known to her the paths and the roads which God took for her guidance,—and all this with the candor and simplicity of a child, and with a deference wholly ingenuous and very lovable. I leave you to judge whether a Superior could fail to love a soul so submissive, a soul endowed with very fine talents, a generous soul which did more than it said, a soul which disliked anything shallow, anything low in its conversation, which was free from all puerility before the world, and which rendered itself compliant and docile to those who directed it.

"I am ocular witness to this last article, for she revealed her heart to me at that time. I was the depositary of her fears and vows and of her entire [page 135] procedure. Some persons, seeing that she was always loved by her Superiors, and not knowing the secret of it, [180] used to say that she was always on the side of the stronger, that she knew how to win those who were in command, and that her adroitness always sheltered her from the storms which came from above. They told the truth, but they attributed to a meanness of spirit what arose from a high noble-mindedness.

"I know also of a certain person's giving her a great deal of trouble, and I have never known that her mouth or her heart escaped her control in regard to that person. Since there is now no danger of telling tales out of school, I will add one thing more. She was accused sometimes, not of too great attachment—for hers was a spirit by no means held in bonds—but of yielding too great complaisance to some persons,—whether through some sympathy, or from some too human interest. As for me, who knew her heart to be so unfettered, I smiled without saying anything; for I knew that she felt a natural antipathy toward those to whom she rendered this complaisance. Their temperaments were disagreeable to her senses; but as, with her, the senses were but servants, she made them bow to reason and grace with so great fidelity that one would have said [181] what was bitter to them became changed into sweetness and honey. Besides, she acted from principles which were even natural to her and were so free and so magnanimous, that it was next to impossible for her to seek the friendship or support of any creature by a base submission. Guidance from a man, or woman, or girl was, in itself, unbearable to her; guidance from God through the instrumentality of a [page 137] child would have humbled her to the point of self-annihilation. She loved the channel through which Heaven's orders reached I her, without heeding whether it was of wood or of clay, of lead or of gold.

"One of her bonds of attachment to Canadas was the love that she felt for poverty: she loved the country which made her like her Bridegroom. The living, poor and coarse, and the cold, of long duration and great severity, were very unfavorable to her infirmities, but very much in harmony with her predilections. It was necessary to guess her wants, so adroit was she in dissembling them. Never were there heard any complaints, never any attempts to obtain, not what would have been a I hindrance to perfection, but what would I have been in the slightest degree out of harmony with the sanctity of her vows.

[182] "I say nothing of her altogether Angelic purity: she was so well prepared and so well armed against those things that might have enslaved her, however little, that one would have said they would not have dared to approach her within a thousand leagues,—so perfectly was' she on her guard, and such horror did she have of what might have wounded the innocence of the Virgins who everywhere follow the Lamb in the Heavens.

"Her conversation was not melancholy; one never saw a frown on her face or observed in her a Saturnine or an uneven humor; she was cheerful, amiable in conversation, but always modest; she knew how to prepare hearts, by pleasant little incidents, for most seasonably making her stroke. Her talk, although about God, was not tiresome but profitable, even to those who had not much love for [page 139] virtue. Hers was not a punctilious nature or one that took umbrage easily; but frank, well-rounded, upright, and so 'firm that I can say that, in all the communications made to me by her,—and sometimes they were of no little importance, whether in regard to the country, or for the tranquillity of' the advancement of their house,—I always found in her the Judgment, [183] not of a girl, but of a man of good sense.

"Her talents and her graces gave her an ascendancy over the minds of both French and Americans, who were charmed with them. They never approached her without feeling and carrying away some spark of the fire that burned in her soul; and, after all, she was so Religious and paid such respect to her Rules, especially to the divine service, that she would cut short all else as soon s' the bell called her to the Choir. On one occasion she was told that she had left too soon a person of consequence, who wished for a longer interview. 'God is not satisfied,' she replied, 'with our words, but with our obedience; I would leave o King, in the world, to obey the King of Heaven. "'

No sooner had she arrived in New France than she applied herself to the study of the languages of the country, learning the Algonquin and Huron tongues with considerable facility. Those two may be said to have been to her two holy languages, two innocent languages, never having been used by her except for God.

When she had acquired these two treasures, [184] she dispensed the bread of the word of God with so much grace to those poor people, that both children and grown persons loved her as their mother. She [page 141] instructed many of them, beginning with the first elements of Christianity and leading up to the point where they' were worthy of holy Baptism and of the other Sacraments of the Church; she was the Spiritual Mother of many, giving them such Christian advice and counsel for their guidance in the paths of their salvation, that they were charmed therewith. Not only the women; but also some men,—Hurons, as well as Algonquins,—opened their hearts to her, stating to her their troubles and difficulties with an entire confidence; and they always returned from these interview's greatly comforted and edified. Her name was known in all the country of the Algonquins and of the Hurons, she being called by them sometimes Marie Joseph, in our tongue; again, " the holy maiden, " and " the Captain's daughter, " in the Huron and Algonquin languages; those are the two names that they commonly give to the Nuns of this new world.

If these new plants had love and respect for Mother Marie de [185] saint Joseph, it is impossible to express how much she cherished them, and with what holy love she caressed them; they were her creatures, for whose salvation she would have given a thousand lives, and suffered a thousand deaths. Every year, .she used her utmost influence with Madame her good mother, and with other persons of piety, to obtain some alms and Charitable offerings for her good Neophytes; and, in exchange, she procured for those benefactors Mediators of both sexes with Our Lord. This practice she continued until her death.

She did not enter upon an undertaking thoughtlessly, and did not believe in all kinds of spirits; she [page 143] took counsel with God on all matters, before choosing them; and, when she had received any orders from him, he alone could exempt her from their execution. No creature ever made her relax from her purpose. What was not done to shake her in her call to Canadas? Blows were given her, capable of prostrating a Giant. As soon as she had taken the first step, setting out from Tours to go to that distant Region whither God was calling her, the report of her journey and its object having spread [186] far and wide, those who were interested in the honor of her house represented to her parents in such vivid terms the wretchedness to which they were consigning their daughter,—telling them that Canadas was a country of ruined reputation, that vice held the upper hand there, that unfair means had been employed in their case, but that it was still easy to balk the plan,—that thereupon Monsieur de la 'Troche sent a very urgent letter to his daughter, and orders t