The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents Volume 52

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents

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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

Tomasz Mentrak

Vol. LII

Lower Canada, Iroquois, Ottawas

1667—1669

CLEVELAND: The Burrows Brothers

Company, PUBLISHERS, M DCCC XCIX

THE JESUIT RELATIONS

AND

ALLIED DOCUMENTS

Vol. LII

[Page iii]

The edition consists of sev-

en hundred and fifty sets

all numbered.

No.________

The Burrows Brothers Co.

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EDITORIAL STAFF

Editor	Reuben Gold Thwaites

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CONTENTS OF VOL. LII.

Preface To Volume LII		9
Documents:—
CXXIV.	Relation de ce qvi s’est passé en la Novvelle France, aux années mil fix cens foixante-fept & mil fix cens foixante-huit. [Second and final installment.] François le Mercier, n.p., n. d.; François de Laval, Quebec, November 8, 1668; Marie de S. Bonnaventure de Jesus, Quebec, October 4, 1668.		17
CXXV.	Relation de ce qvi s’est passé en la Novvelle France, les années 1668. & 1669. [François le Mercier], n.p., n.d.		111



Bibliographical Data; Volume			259
Notes			261

[Page vii]

[1NSERT GRAPHIC HERE]

ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOL. LII.

I.	Photographic facsimile of title-page, Relation of 1668-69

[Page viii]

PREFACE TO VOL. LII

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

CXXIV. In Vol. LI. appeared Chaps. i.-viii. of the Relation of 1667-68; the rest of the document is here given. Le Mercier, having in preceding chapters outlined the state of the various distant missions, now returns to affairs at Quebec. A remnant of the Hurons — “small indeed, but very precious” — yet exists there. Still more, the Jesuits there are instructing over two hundred Iroquois, sixty of whom have been baptized. The details of some remarkable conversions among these people are given; and the writer describes the death of a Young Indian girl, who had planned to become an Ursuline nun, Her patience, purity, and devotion show that she has reached “the perfection of souls consummate in sanctity;” and she has a visit from the Virgin Mary, and a vision of angels at her death.

The Relation proper apparently terminates here; but various addenda are made, beginning with a letter from Laval to a French priest in Paris. He notes the recent arrival in Canada of several priests from France, enabling him to supply outlying settlements, which have hitherto been destitute of religious services. Laval mentions with much gratification his recent visit to Tadoussac (described in Chap. vii. of this Relation). He has undertaken to educate a [Page 9] number of Indian children in the French mode of life and language; but finds considerable difficulty in this, as the Indian parents cling to their children and will not be long separated from them. This seminary is a branch of the older one, which is, about this time, united with the Paris Seminary of Foreign Missions.

A postscript is added, “on the eve of the departure of the last ship,” stating that ambassadors have just arrived from the Senecas to ask that Jesuits be sent to instruct them; and that Father Frémin has already gone to that tribe, leaving the Mohawks to the care of Pierron. The comparative gentleness and docility of the Senecas, and the presence among them of a Christian Huron village, render this a promising field of labor for the Jesuits.

Next follows a circular letter on the death of Mother Catherine de St. Augustin, a Hospital nun of Quebec, who passed away May 8, 1668. The details of her life, character, and religious experiences are recounted at considerable length, as also are the particulars of her death. She has many visions, and the martyr Brébeuf appears to her as her celestial spiritual director. Another circular letter — sent for the French convents belonging to the Institute of Hospital Nuns at Dieppe — narrates many of her pious traits, and graces received from heaven. Among the latter are included a knowledge of the inmost feelings and secret sins of others, the ability to predict future events, visits from departed saints, and even from the Virgin and Christ. At the end of this letter is a short article, probably written by the Jesuit superior at Quebec, praising the admirable work done by the nuns, both Hospital and [Page 10] ursuline. Finally, in some copies of this Relation is found a letter from the hospital superior, similar in tenor to those of preceding years. She returns thanks for alms received by the hospital, mentions the death of Mother de St. Augustine (described in the circular letters preceding), refers to the need of more nurses for their work, and adds the usual list of articles needed for the sick.

CXXV. The Relation of 1668-69 is here given entire. The missions among the Iroquois tribes are, of course, the chief subject of interest at this time, and much space is given to the account of their work. Letters by Pierron are quoted, which show that the Mohawks are now favorably disposed to the faith. He has learned enough of their language to explain the doctrines to them, and hear their confessions; he also finds effective aid to his labors in pictures, painted by himself. These greatly interest the savages, and impress upon their minds the religious teachings they receive. Representations of heaven and hell, of demons and angels, have especial influence upon them. The Father visits, every week, seven large villages. He describes some conversions among these people, mostly of old men. The medicine-men do not dare to practice their arts in his presence, since “by his address, he has rendered them so ridiculous.” Many, especially among the women, are regularly instructed in the catechism; and some adults have been baptized. The courage and devotion manifested by many of these neophytes shows that “the savages, as well as the French, are capable of everything in matters that concern piety and the service of God. They know all that is most difficult in the Mystery of the holy Trinity; they distinguish [Page 11] the two natures in Jesus Christ; they are familiar with what the Church teaches about the immortality of our souls, the judgment, mortal sin, venial sin, and original sin.”

The severe punishments recently inflicted upon the Mohawks by the new governor, Courcelles, have had a salutary effect. Their haughty spirit is humbled; and they even entreat the French to aid them in their war against the Mohican tribes. They also see the dangers and evils of brandy-drinking, and hold a public council to consider this matter. Under Pierron’s direction, they draw up a memorial to the English governor at New York, complaining that Albany traders sell them too much liquor. He writes to the Father in answer, promising to punish severely any offense of this kind.

During the two years 1668 and 1669, the baptisms among the Mohawks number one hundred and fifty-one. This harvest of souls is to be largely attributed to “the death and blood of the Reverend Father Jogues.”

Among the Oneidas, “least tractable of all the Iroquois,” Bruyas is toiling for their salvation. Not having been attacked by the French army, they are proud and haughty, averse to religion, and contemptuous toward the other tribes of their nation. The Father encounters, from most of them, only “rebuff s and scorn;” but he wins a few old persons, and baptizes some dying children — in all, nearly thirty. The infidels and drunkards often annoy him, and even threaten his life; but he labors on for their salvation, amid poverty, hardships, and persecution.

“During the greater part of the year, he has only dried frogs” for food. His greatest consolation is [Page 12] the holy life of a fervent Christian woman — which is described at some length in one of his letters.

In the Onondaga mission are two laborers — Pierre Milet and Julien Garnier. Their greatest obstacle is the faith of the savages in their dreams, and the superstitious rites which these occasion. Still, the Onondagas are, in most cases, disposed to hear and respect the truth; and the influence and friendship of the chief Garakontie are most helpful to the Fathers. The Huron captives have done much to prepare the way for the faith among these tribes; for they remember the instructions they had received in their own country, and practice all the Christian duties to the best of their ability. Over thirty persons have been baptized at this mission during the year.

At Cayuga, Father Carheil is in charge. The savages build him a Chapel, and many go thither for instruction. In a panic which follows a report that the village is to be attacked by enemies, the Father shows himself so fearless and resolute that he wins the admiration of all, and thus gains much advantage in his work. Here are won to the faith “not only children and women, but warriors, two of whom are among the most influential.” There was a rivalry between the Cayugas and the Onondagas, which tribe should have Carheil; but he was assigned to the former. Garakontié, the noted chief of the latter tribe, continues to be the warm friend of the French. He now earnestly desires baptism; but this privilege is deferred until he shall be thoroughly proved. Carheil has a propitious beginning for his mission; but his opposition to the superstitious rites of the savages, and the old notion that baptism causes [Page 13] death, arouse fear and dislike in many, and he is driven from their cabins when he tries to visit the sick. His life is even threatened by a medicine-man whom he opposes. Still, many come to prayers, and show an interest in the faith. As elsewhere, intemperance is a great hindrance to their conversion.

Frémin has established a mission among the Senecas, which is regarded as the most hopeful of all the Iroquois missions; but, as at Cayuga, the medicine-men arouse opposition to his work. A war, moreover, is threatened between this tribe and the Ottawas; but the French are using all their endeavors to avert this danger.

At Lake Superior, Allouez has been laboring with the Ottawas. Dablon is sent to reinforce him, and to act as superior of that mission. They are stationed at Sault Ste. Marie, and Allouez has also ministered at Chequamegon. A third church will soon be established at Green Bay. A peace has been negotiated between the Iroquois and the Ottawas; but the fickle temper of these savage peoples makes the duration of the peace somewhat uncertain.

Allouez announces the conversion of an entire Ottawa tribe. These people had received instructions for several years, but had always made sport of the new religion. But at last the good seed has taken root, and they institute a complete reform. They abolish polygamy, give up their sacrifices, and flock to Allouez’s little Chapel. Some of the conversions here made are described at length, — especially that of their chief, Kekakoung. A hundred of them have already been baptized, — besides thirty-eight Hurons, who had fled to that country for [Page 14] refuge; and a hundred more, in other neighboring tribes.

Marquette, too, is stationed at Sault Ste. Marie, and he writes that “the harvest there is very abundant, and that it only rests with the Missionaries to baptize the entire population, to the number of two thousand;” but, knowing the fickle nature of the Indians, the Fathers are not disposed to trust them too far.

The Montagnais mission at Tadoussac is also flourishing. Father Beaulieu so quickly learned the language that he was able to take the entire charge of the mission, replacing Nouvel; but the hardships of the savage life have broken down his health. Nouvel has been among the savages of Gaspé; he finds that the instructions given them in preceding years are still bearing fruit, and that “the Faith is as dear to them now as ever.” These missionaries have also done what they could to confirm in the faith the wandering Papinachois tribes, who have been occasionally visited by the Fathers for several years past. These savages communicate to their tribesmen and allies the instructions they have received, “and thus become themselves Apostles.”

An important event occurs at Sillery — the election of a successor to the noted chief Noël Tekwerimat, who has been dead several years. This ceremony is described in detail.

The remnant of the Hurons at Quebec have retired to a new location, not far from the City, and have thus formed a village by themselves. The saintly lives and pious deaths of several of these Christians are circumstantially related. One of them, a Young girl of fourteen, is recompensed for the purity of [Page 15] her life by the incorruption of her body, — which, nine months after her burial, is “found intact, without the loss of even a hair from her head.” The last chapter describes at length “the holy death of Cecile Gannendâris, a Huron woman,” with an account of her charity, piety, zeal, and other virtues. [Page 16]

R. G. T.

Madison, Wis., August, 1899.

CXXIV(concluded)

Relation Of 1667-68

Paris: SEBASTIEN MABRE-CRAMOISY, 1669

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The first installment (chaps. i.-viii.) was published in Volume LI. We give herewith the remainder of the document. [Page 17]

[126] CHAPTER IX.

OF THE CHURCH OF THE HURONS AT QUEBEC.

FTER having gone the round of the Missions scattered all about us, at last we find ourselves back again at Quebec, where we shall find the flower of the Christian Savages; it is also a remnant — small, indeed, but very precious — of a Church that formerly flourished in the country of the Hurons. Those who were the authors of its ruin are now striving for their own salvation; for, during the last three years, we have here instructed thoroughly in all our Mysteries more than 200 persons from the country of the Iroquois. Of this number, 60 have had the good fortune to receive Holy Baptism, — [127] most of them from the hands of Monseigneur the Bishop. These are so many acts of predestination for these poor Barbarians, many of whom have died in our arms, with no common evidences of their salvation.

A poor woman of the neutral Nation was among these. She had no sooner arrived at Quebec than she contracted an illness which reduced her to a very critical condition. The Father in charge of that Church made haste to instruct her; and, as she had an excellent mind, she understood everything in a short time. She would have been fit to receive Baptism, if the old belief of the Infidels, who thought that this Sacrament hastened the death of those who received it, had not still made [128] some impression upon her mind. It was necessary for the Father to [Page 19] employ the zeal of some good Huron women, who knew so well how to disabuse her mind that she asked, of her own accord, to be Baptized. And it was time, for we did not think that she would live one day; but God, wishing to reclaim her entirely from her error, permitted those sacred waters to have a salutary influence on both her Soul and her body at the same time. This cure, which was so unexpected, gave her so high an opinion of the Faith, and put her into so rare a fervor of devotion, that she did not walk on the streets without telling her Beads; and she served as an example, even to the most fervent of that Church.

God willed to crown this [12 i.e., 129] fervor, after sixteen months, during which she had exercised it without any relapse; and he even had the goodness to impart to her a knowledge of the glory that he had prepared for her — as she declared to a good Huron woman, who was with her one day before her death. For she informed the latter both of the time of her departure, and of the happiness that she was going to possess, — saying that she could no longer doubt it, after the assurances she had received upon so good authority. If that good Huron woman had had sufficient curiosity, perhaps we would have known the mystery, the truth of which has been only too well confirmed by a part of the result; for the woman died at exactly the time which she had predicted.

[130] ARTICLE I, REMARKABLE CONVERSION OF A

YOUNG WOMAN WHO CAME FROM THE HIROQUOIS

TO QUEBEC, EXPRESSLY TO BE BAPTIZED THERE.

HE following gives occasion to admire the acts of Providence, who, by a wonderful chain of events, makes use of some persons for the conversion. [Page 21] of others; and of the latter to procure, for still others, the same happiness of which they have been made participants.

An Iroquois woman, of the Village of St., François Xavier among the Iroquois, had often heard the Faith spoken of by her husband, — a Huron by Nation, who had formerly been Baptized by our Fathers in his own country. These words had made a strong impression on [131] her, and had left in her a great desire that she might have an interview with some Father, for the purpose of being more thoroughly enlightened concerning the Mysteries about which her husband talked to her. Several years passed without her being able to satisfy her desires, and she had already made an engagement with this good Huron that they should go together on their hunting expedition toward Montreal, and thence should continue as far as Quebec, where they might find what she had been so long desiring.

When they were ready to depart, news was brought to the Village that a black Gown was coming. It was, in fact, Father Bruyas, who had no sooner arrived than this Iroquois woman became his Pupil; and the Father, in return, became her [132] Pupil, to learn from her the secrets of the Iroquois language, while he disclosed to her those of her salvation. She had to suffer great persecution from her relatives, and even from the whole Village, — which, of all the Iroquois Nations, is the least favorably inclined toward Faith. They upbraided her, saying that she was hastening her own death; and that Faith, which had already killed so many people, would not spare her, — to which that noble-spirited Catechumen made no other reply than this: “When I shall see that those [Page 23] who do not believe do not die, I will listen to your remonstrances; until then you will not change my mind in the least.” When, accordingly, she had received instruction for a considerable time, it was God’s will that she should go down [133] to Mont Royal. After she had arrived there, she urged upon her husband that they should go down as far as Quebec; and there she was more fully instructed by the Father in charge of that Huron Church. She was so well prepared that she was fitted to receive, from Monseigneur the Bishop’s own hand, three Sacraments at the same time, — namely, those of Baptism, Marriage, and Confirmation.

The joy she felt in her heart at these happy events was great, but not complete. She desired the same blessing for her relatives, — for her aunt, among others, — and for all her family.

Accordingly, she urged her husband that they should return to their own country as soon as possible, that they might [134] admonish their friends to make the same journey, for the purpose of receiving the same favor, It was more than a hundred leagues that charity made them undertake; but God came to their relief, by a stroke of Providence. Their return journey lay by the way of Montreal; and, when they arrived there, they found, by a remarkable accident, those in quest of whom they were going a long distance. The joy on both sides was alike; but, because these new-comers were utterly unacquainted in Quebec, they with difficulty made up their minds to proceed thither. “Come with me,” our good Iroquois woman said to them; “I wish to render this favor to You complete. I will gladly bear You company; and, returning thus on my steps, I do not Page 25] believe them lest, since they are employed [135] for so good an end.” Accordingly, they all went together; and God conferred so abundant a blessing upon the zeal of this fervent Iroquois woman that, in a short time, they were thoroughly instructed by the Father, and found worthy of holy Baptism. They received it from the hands of Monseigneur the Bishop, with a joy altogether extraordinary on the part of these good Neophytes, who resolved to leave their own country, where they lived in abundance; and to remain at Quebec, where they could live only on alms, that they might the better secure their Faith, — preferring it to all the conveniences and comforts of their native country.

[136] ARTICLE II. PRECIOUS AND ADMIRABLE DEATH

OF A SAVAGE GIRL 14 YEARS OLD.

E are going to witness a death, lovely and precious indeed, — and, at the same time, the reward of a life as illustrious in virtue as can be found in the most holy state of Christianity.

It is the death of a girl who, at the age of fourteen years, had the perfection of souls consummate in sanctity, Perhaps there will be difficulty in believing that Savages can, in so short a time, reach so high a degree of perfection. Yet this is what grace wrought in that innocent heart.

She had from her infancy a rare sensitiveness for purity; and [137] she knew nothing of the amusements customary with children of her age, so greatly did she fear that she might contract some taint therein. People often saw that Child go out of her Cabin, when any one began to use language that was in the slightest degree improper; or else cast severe [Page 27] looks even upon those to whom nature obliged her to pay respect; and she imposed silence upon them by even one of her glances.

The love for this virtue constantly increased with age; and at fourteen years, on the very day when she died, a person who was not in very good repute having approached her bed, she was so distressed thereby that, dying though she was, she made her mother [138] turn her over toward the other side, so that she might not have before her eyes so disagreeable an abject. Causing herself to be placed apart from the rest, that she might spend the last moments of her life outside the noise, in converse with God, she ceased not to thank God for making her die a Virgin, and gave her Father a thousand thanks for never having spoken to her of marriage. A single thing weighed on her mind — that she had been unable to carry out, with a companion of hers of the same age, the plan they had formed together of consecrating their Virginity to Our Lord in the Monastery of the Ursuline Mothers, a grace to which she aspired, to the full extent of her desires. In default of this, seeing herself in danger of dying, she obtained her [139] Spiritual Father’s permission to take the vow of perpetual chastity, — which she did, to the very great comfort of her parents, who had never seen anything similar in any Savage.

The patience which she showed during her last illness was not less admirable. She had lingered, during more than a year, in a state of continual weakness; and was so wasted away that, as her bones pierced through her flesh, she had, of course, to suffer greatly, — lying, as she did, on the bark of a tree. Yet she maintained such equanimity and so [Page 29] great serenity of countenance amid her sufferings, which were regarded as unbearable, that she excited the admiration of those who saw her so peaceful, in a condition so miserable.

[104 i.e., 140] The only pain she felt was that of giving pain to her mother. When the latter had promised to restrain her tears, “That is not enough, my good mother,” said the daughter; “the care you are taking of me is too great, and the sorrow you receive from my illness is excessive, since it prevents you from taking your food. Live, my dear mother, and let me die in peace; and, if you have kindness enough for me to assist me until the end of my life, what I ask of you with most urgency is, to come to the aid of my weakness, which prevents me from constantly reciting my Rosary. Do it in my place; and, while you pray thus with your lips, my heart [141] will not be idle.” Indeed, she spoke truly, for she occupied herself in holy and fervent aspirations until her last sigh, so that the convulsions of approaching death could not prevent her from keeping her heart fixed on God. This she made very evident after one of those Symptoms, during which her poor parents constantly prompted to her prayers, wishing her to die with these upon her lips. She made them a sign with her hand to stop this; and, recovering the use of her voice, she told them that these external noises interrupted the communings of her heart, which she earnestly hoped to continue until she should expire.

For a long time, God had been preparing her, for so glorious a death, by [142] marks of grace which were quite extraordinary. Some of these she disclosed last winter to her mother, telling her that often in the night she was made to smell such ravishing [Page 31] odors of Paradise, and her mouth was filled with some unknown substance, so delicious, that she would experience that sweetness and pleasure during all the following day. But these favors were not sterile and without fruit, because she was wont to hear, at the same time, a voice speaking to her heart, which told her not to waste even one of her actions, but to make an Offering of it to God.

What was most remarkable in this kind of grace was the visit with which the Blessed Virgin honored her, three days before her death. This is the account she gave of it to her father and mother, in the presence of [143] her Director: “I was not asleep,” said she, “last night, when suddenly I saw enter our Cabin a Majestic Lady, who bore in her arms a Child. She was accompanied by another Lady who enlightened my ignorance as to who her Companion was, and these were her very words: ‘It is Mary whom thou seest here; it is only to visit, not to teach thee, that she has come to thee; thou hast the Fathers, listen to them.’ Then, after these words, everything disappeared, leaving my spirit and my heart bathed in inconceivable delights.” Her mother asked her how the Blessed Virgin was attired. “I do not know,” she replied, “what name to give to the stuff with which she was clothed. What I do know [144] is, that there issued from every part of it bright rays, like those of the Diamonds that are found around Quebec, when they are struck by the rays of the Sun.”[1]

But here is something else very wonderful. On the evening of her death she announced that her soul was beginning to detach itself from her body, and that she was soon going to die. At this news, some [Page 35] one went in haste to call her Confessor, — to whom, as soon as he had entered, she made a sign that she had something to communicate to him. He came as near to her as he could in order to receive these last words, which she uttered in a dying voice: My Father,” said she, “behold the Inhabitants of Heaven, [145] coming to take my soul, which is gradually separating from my body.” She could say no more,

Two hours later, three of our Fathers, who had met at the same time in her cabin, were of opinion that she would live through the night, as they saw her so full of strength. Therefore, one of the three said to her: “My Daughter, I am going away; and I hope to find you again tomorrow still alive.” These words of confidence, and what happened afterward, make us believe that she had had a revelation of her death; for the Father who bad remained to watch her — after prompting to her some prayers suitable to her condition, which she repeated with great earnestness — wished to leave her a little while at rest, and himself to take some also, lying down to [146] sleep. Some time after that, the father of the patient, seeing that she was fast sinking, said that the Confessor should be awakened. “Wait,” said the Dying girl; “I will tell you when it is time,” She let about an hour more pass, after which she made a sign to awaken the Father, who found her in full possession of her faculties, and in a state of heart altogether delightful. She repeated with admirable fervor, although in a half-articulate voice, the prayers which he had her say, until, her voice failing her with her strength, she made an effort to carry the Crucifix to her lips, in order to kiss it while dying. But, not having strength enough for that, [Page 35] she died while making the attempt, [147] after pronouncing these two Words: Jesus Eskitenr, “Jesus, you will have pity on me.” She died so calmly that one would have thought, at seeing her, that she had been overtaken by a peaceful sleep, rather than removed by death.

Her parents contributed not a little toward Procuring for her so happy a death. During the last two weeks of her illness, they received communion twice, — not to obtain from God by their entreaties the health of their dear daughter, but to gain for her patience in her illness, and the vigor of a Christian spirit against the terrors of death, and against the temptations of the evil one. After this, they remained so resigned to the will of God, in the loss they were about to suffer, of all that they held dearest and [148] most precious in the world, and felt themselves filled with so ardent a zeal to aid their daughter in dying piously, that it was astonishing to see them, and to bear them speak to her about the happiness that was hers in leaving the world before coming to a knowledge of its corruptions.

Some days before her death, a person appeared to her in a dream, and told her that she was not going to die, and that she would yet live in the new Village that was being prepared for them on the Sillery lands; and that she would see the plenteous harvest that would be gathered in the Fields which Were to be cultivated there. She told all this to her Mother, from whom she received this reply: “My daughter it is an illusion of the demon, who wishes [149] to hinder thee, by the hope of health, from Preparing thyself for death. No, no, my daughter, do not listen to that deceiver. Ah! a thousand times [Page 37] happy — yes, thou art a thousand times happier than I expect to be, — in dying without being tainted by the corruptions of the world, Who knows, if thou shouldst live longer, whether thou wouldst not be attacked by them? Ah, how willingly will Jesus and Mary embrace thee when thou goest to them with thy innocence!”

Those are the very words of a Mother, and of a Savage Mother, to her daughter whom she loved more than herself. As they came from a heart that was all affection, they made such an impression upon that of the Child that, from that time, she had no words more often on her lips than these: “Oh, how I long to see Jesus!”

[150] On the day preceding her death, her good Mother uttered gentle complaints to her daughter, that, in losing her, she suffered a loss that affected her very keenly in all respects, — but especially because her Child would no longer offer prayers, morning and evening, in the Cabin, as was her custom. “I shah be inconsolable after thy death,” she said to her, “unless thou wilt promise me, in order to lessen my grief, that thou wilt offer those prayers in Heaven for me.” She was soon comforted, when her good daughter assured her that she would do so.

The Father had no less tenderness and piety than the Mother. Some time before his daughter’s death, thinking she was very near it, he took her in his [151] arms, in order that, dying upon his bosom and in his embrace, she might be offered by him as a Sacrifice to God. The daughter on her part, seeing herself thus about to be offered on this living Altar, wished also to have her Father become a Sacrifice; and begged him to promise her that he would every [Page 39] day of his life, recite the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin, whom she had always loved so much, She in her turn bound herself and promised him, that she would come for him at his death, if he practiced this devotion constantly; to which he acceded very willingly. Does all that indicate the Savage?

We will conclude the account of this precious death by narrating a noble deed performed by the parents. Not only did they not [152] shed a tear, either before or after the death of so dear and lovely a daughter; but they even called together all their compatriots to a feast which they offered them, at which the father of the deceased thus addressed them: “You know, my brothers, the regrets that our Nation has always been accustomed to show at the loss of our relatives, when death snatches them from us. You know that, for several years afterward, the hearts and souls of the survivors dwell buried, as it were, in the tomb of their dead ones. But I beg you to believe that this custom has had no effect on my mind, in regard to the daughter whom God has taken back to himself: my Soul has not followed her into the grave, but rather to Heaven; for such a holy death does not permit me to doubt that she [153] is there. It is for us to secure for ourselves a like death; and that is the happiness that I wish you, and that we ought to a& from God every day of our lives.”

The whole was concluded by a public prayer, which all those good Christians addressed to God, in order to obtain this favor. There is much reason to thank him for having given those poor Barbarians such pious sentiments; and to be filled with wonder, above ail, that the subject of this narrative — which is very faithful, and from which a great many remarkable [Page 41] details have been omitted — was a girl of fourteen, years, a Savage girl, of Savage parents, and brought up among Savages. But God has regard neither for Greek nor for Barbarian, when it is his will to communicate himself to a human soul; any age, any [154] Nation is qualified for that favor when there is submission to his purposes and faithful responsiveness to his grace.

LETTER FROM MONSIEUR THE BISHOP OF PETRÆA TO

MONSIEUR POITEVIN, CURÉ OF ST.

JOSSE, AT PARIS.

ONSIEUR:

The zeal that Our Lord has given you for this Infant Church, which it has pleased him to entrust to our guidance, and the care which you continue to take with so great love for all that can contribute to its increase, constrain me to send you Word, according to my custom, of the condition in which it is at present. The aid of the Ecclesiastics whom you sent us, [155] by the first Vessels, came to us very seasonably for enabling us to assist various places in this Colony that especially needed it, and that otherwise would have been destitute of all assistance.

The coming of Monsieur the Abbé de Queylus, with several good workers taken from the Seminary of St. Sulpice, brought us no less consolation.[2] We embraced them all, in visceribus Christi. That which gives us a deeper joy is the blessing of seeing our Clergy in a Holy disposition to work, all with one heart and one mind, to procure the glory of God and the salvation of the souls of both the French and the Savages. [Page 43]

The tokens of fatherly tenderness that the King [156] shows for his New France, and the considerable expenses that he incurs to render it populous and flourishing, afford all an ample harvest for the worthy employment of their zeal and the sacrifice of their lives for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, — whoin his infinite goodness gave them the first inspiration to come and consecrate their lives to him in a Church upon which he has, ever since its infancy, poured out his tenderest benedictions, and which he continues, without ceasing, to load therewith.

The humiliated condition in which our enemies are at present has not only opened the door to the conversion of the Infidels in the most distant Nations, but has also rendered these very enemies fit to share [157] this blessing. The Jesuit Fathers are constantly occupied with their conversion, with the same zeal with which they have labored during the last 40 years. I received striking proofs of it, after the return from our visits, in that which we made this Spring at Tadoussac, 30 leagues below Quebec. The Savages of that Mission were found in so excellent spiritual condition that I know of nothing which has given me more consolation since it has pleased our Lord to give us the guidance of this Christian church. We recognized there what a blessing is possible for these new Christians when they are removed from all opportunities to get intoxicating liquor, — which by reason of the weakness they have for it, Cases excesses of lawlessness [158] among them that often make us groan before God, and deplore the misfortune of those who are their cause. That Church of Tadoussac, exempt from this evil, is in a state of piety truly substantial and Christian. [Page 45] We gave Confirmation there to a hundred and forty-nine, who were very well prepared to receive the effects of this Sacrament.

If Our Lord give me as good health next year as I had this Spring, I hope to return thither; for I confess to you that, if they showed joy at seeing us there, we felt no less on our side, during that visit.

A month ago I Commissioned two very virtuous and good Workers to go to [159] an Iroquois Nation that has been settled for several years quite near us, on the North side of the great Lake called Ontario, — a Nation with whom communication is not very difficult for us. One of the men is Monsieur de Fennelon, whose name is very well known in Paris, and the other Monsieur Trouvé. We have not yet been able to learn the success of their undertaking, but we have every reason to hope for great results from it.

As the King has notified me that he desired us to attempt to bring up the little Savage children after the French manner of life, in order to civilize them, little by little, I have formed a Seminary, into which I have taken a number of children for this express purpose.[3] In order to succeed the better, I have been obliged to join with them [160] some little French children, from whom, by living with them, the Savages will learn more easily the customs and the language. This enterprise is not without difficulty, on the part of both the children and the parents; the latter have an extraordinary love for their children, and can scarcely make up their minds to be separated from them. Or, if they do Permit this, it is very difficult to effect a separation for any length of time, for the reason that ordinarily the [Page 47] families Of the savages do not have many children, as do those of our French people — in which there are generally, in this Country, 8, 10, 12, and sometimes as many as 15 and 16 children. The Savages, on the contrary, have usually only [161] two or three; and rarely do they exceed the number of four. As a result, they depend on their children, when they are somewhat advanced in years, for the support of their family. This can only be gained by the Chase, and by other labors for which the parents are no longer fit when their children have the years and ability to help them; to do so at that time, the Law of nature seems to constrain the children by necessity. Nevertheless, we shall spare no pains, on our part, to make this blessed undertaking succeed, although its success seems to us very doubtful.

[162] The Priests of our Seminary of Foreign Missions[4] have manifested to us care and vigilance in the education of the children of this Country, whom we gave over to them to fit for the Ecclesiastical life. Like tokens of their zeal they have displayed to us in the labors which are to be undergone in all places where we employ them, throughout the settlements of this Country. We have therefore considered that we could not do anything that would be more for the glory of God and the good of our Church than to entrust to them, besides, the direction of this second Seminary, — and all the more, since we have thought it proper to include it within the enclosure of [l63] our own Seminary, in which we have caused to be provided quarters suitable for this purpose. It made its beginning, thanks to God a month ago.

I implore Our Lord, in the name of the Most Holy Family, in whose honor and under whose protection [Page 49] our Seminary is founded, to grant it the success and blessing that we promise ourselves will flow from it.

This, in brief, is what I have to tell you, for the present, in regard to our Spiritual concerns. Remember, I conjure you, to recommend to Our Lord, at the sacred Altar, the needs of our Flock, and [164] to implore his Divine Mercy for him whom he has been pleased to appoint as its Pastor; and believe me, with sincerity,

Monsieur,

	Your very humble and obedi-
		ent servant, François,
		Bishop of Petræa, first
At Quebec, this 8th		Bishop of New France,
of November, 1668.		designated by the King.

[Page 51]

[165] CHAPTER LAST.

OF THE MISSION OF SAINT MICHEL IN THE FIFTH

NATION OF THE IROQUOIS AT SONNONTOUAN.

SINCE this Relation was finished, we have received here at Quebec an item of good news, on the eve of the departure of the last Ship, — today, the 10th of November. It is that Ambassadors from Sonnontouan have quite recently arrived at Montreal, having come to ask for two of our Fathers to instruct them; and that they have, for that purpose, sent to Monsieur our Governor a handsome Porcelain Collar.

At the same time, we learn [166] that Father Fremin, who had been for a year at the Mission of Annié, — having been urgently requested by deputies from Sonnontouan to go among them, and begin the Mission there, — had set out from Annié, on the 10^th of October, to go to Sonnontouan, — leaving in his place Father Pierron, who had very recently returned from the journey he had made to Quebec.

Thus in the five Iroquois Nations we have, fortunately, five Missions. This last one — that of saint Michel — being alone more populous than all the others, offers a field calling for vigorous assistance. This is all the more necessary, since the prospect for a harvest is very bright there, — not only bccause [167] of the gentler and more tractable nature of the people of that Nation, who are more Husbandmen and Traders than Warriors; but because there are a great many Hurons who have taken refuge there, esPeciallY [Page 53] an entire Village where there were a goodly number of Christians, constituting a considerable Mission. This Mission, in the old Huron Country, at the time when the Iroquois war laid it waste, in the year 1649, we called saint Michel.

Some persons of piety have already begun the foundation of that Mission; we shall, with God’s help, see its fruits next year. [Page 55]

[168] Circular Letter on the death of the Reverend,

Mother Catherine de saint Augustin,

Hospital Mother of Quebec,

deceased May 8, 1668.

MY REVEREND MOTHER:

Divine providence gives me a matter to communicate to you, this year, in regard to the heaviest of the Crosses that Our Lord has placed upon me since my birth, and the most considerable loss that our Community can suffer, so far as the members composing it are concerned. I mean [169] the death of our much loved Sister de saint Augustin, — who, although only in the thirty-sixth year of her age, and the twentieth of her Profession, was found at the height of her perfection by him who puts a term to our lives solely by his will, and according to our fidelity in loving him. Her Perfect responsiveness to all of God’s designs with regard to her, and the free entrance that she had, from her earliest infancy, given to that adorable spirit, that she might herself become the tyrant over her self-love, gained for her a great facility in the practice of the most substantial virtues. Indeed, one would have said that they had been born with her, so perfectly did grace and nature act in concert in that [170] dear soul. I will tell you nothing, at present, of the details of several extraordinary graces with which Our Lord had endowed her. That will be done when our Superiors shall [Page 57] deem it best for the glory of God. But I will merely Tel you, my very dear Mother, for our common consolation, the things that I cannot suppress without injustice, — having, with all our Community, a thorough knowledge of them. Our dear departed had received very considerable prepossessions to grace, from her very infancy; and they were cultivated by the great care taken of her education by Mademoiselle her grandmother, at whose side she was brought up. You [171] know well enough, My very dear Mother, that the house of that good Lady was, for all her family, a true house of prayer; and, next, the retreat and refuge of the poor. It was a place where our dear Sister received the first impressions of the spirit of hospitality, and of a great independence of the wretched maxims of the world, for which she conceived an admirable disgust, She therefore withdrew from it in her thirteenth year, when she joined our Mothers of Bayeux. She was accompanied by her elder sister, and followed soon after by her good Grandmother, who there finished her life in all the sanctity well known to all our holy Order. Monsieur de Launey Jourdan, her maternal grandfather, — [172] a most virtuous man, given to prayer and the generous bestowal of alms, and esteemed by every one for his virtue, — seeing one day this little innocent, when she was not more than two years old, had a presentiment of her future sanctity. “See,” said he to his domestics, “that little girl will some day belong to a Religious order, and will be a great servant of God, and a saint.” In fact, when she was old enough to assume the garb of Religion, she did so with all possible joy, — not only her own, but that of the Community of our [Page 59] Mothers of Bayeux, who even then saw in her signs of a very saintly disposition. Her Novitiate was spent in all the fervor and zeal that one could have desired at a more advanced age. The [173] strong desires that she had for suffering made her form the resolution to leave everything and sacrifice everything, in order to give herself entirely to her Bridegroom. We had asked for some Nuns from France to assist us; she offered herself with an invincible courage, surmounting the opposition that confronted her on all sides, — with so much fervor that it was easy to see then that grace prevailed entirely over her, while the dictates of nature were unheeded. As she had received an excellent education from her relatives, and as she was of an affectionate disposition and very ardent, she felt for them an extreme gratitude and tenderness. It was like tearing out her own heart, [174] she sometimes said, to separate from them; and harder still to leave the Community of Nuns at Bayeux, where she was loved by every one. She had there her Grandmother and a Sister, and a Superior, — her relative, and the Foundress of that house, — all zealous servants of God, with whom she would have passed her life in holiness and peace. But the love of God obliged her not to listen to herself at this juncture.

Her Father, by whom she had always been fondly cherished, opposed her project with all his strength, and even presented a Petition in the Courts to stop her, showing himself inflexible. But our brave candidate for the sufferings [175] of Canada thought that, in winning Heaven, she would win her cause. She had recourse to God, making a vow to live and die in Canada, if God would open its door to her; [Page 61] and she was even about to sign with her own blood the vow that she had already written, had not the Mistress of the Novices come upon her unexpectedly when she was pricking herself that she might thus offer to God the first-fruits of her own blood. Soon afterward, the heart of Monsieur de Lompre, her father, happily underwent a change. Our Lord permitted this good Gentleman,’ feeling ill at ease and sorrowful, to ask to see a Relation that had recently come from Canada. Upon reading it, his heart felt deeply moved at that generous Sacrifice that [176] his daughter wished to make, and he also conceived so great a dread lest God should call him to account, at his death, for the obstinate opposition he was making to his will and to the purposes that Heaven entertained respecting his daughter, that, touched by this thought, which forcibly urged him, he granted to God what he had refused to men. Nevertheless, his sorrow was so keen that he fell into a dangerous illness therefrom. The manifestations of tenderness on the part of her Mother, for whom this dear daughter had all possible affection, served only to show the strength of her Vocation for Canada, and what power the love of God has over a heart that is already entirely his through its desire to be so. The daughter had not [177] yet reached the age of sixteen years necessary for making her Profession, and yet the time for the voyage was close at hand. This obliged the Superiors to permit her to make her profession on the way, when she should attain the required age, of which she lacked only a few days. Mother de l’Assomption, a Professed nun of Dieppe, who was going to make the voyage with her, had the necessary commissions for this [Page 63] purpose. She set out, accordingly, from Bayeux, regarding Canada as the place whither Jesus Christ called her, and where she was to be the victim of her holy Love. It was at Nantes that our brave Novice made her profession, in the Chapel of Our Lady of All Joy; they were obliged to repair immediately to la Rochelle, where they embarked. [178] She had no sooner embarked than the Cross, love for which had already made so strong an impression upon her heart, was laid upon her body, in the form of a contagious disease that nearly caused her death. It was a continued fever, the most burning and most violent in the world, with a girdle all around her body, composed of eleven pest carbuncles, and the pest itself. On the sea, in a Ship, — where, in spite of whatever care can be given to a sick person, one can say that he is in want of almost everything, — her virtue did not fail her; nor did the most Blessed Virgin, whom she had taken to be her all-benignant Mother. This Protectress appeared to her, touched her, cured her, and gave her her benediction, with the assurance that she [179] would take very special care of her — a promise which that Mother of kindness faithfully kept, up to the last breath of her protégée’s life. Their voyage lasted three months, and God gave her to us at last, with inconceivable joy on both sides. From the very first interview, we esteemed her a precious treasure for this house. Her outward bearing had a charm that was the most attractive and winning in the world: it was impossible to see her and not love her. Her nature was one of the most Perfect that could have been desired: prudent, with simplicity; keen of perception, without curiosity; sweet and gracious, without flattery; [Page 65] invincible in her patience; tireless in her Charity; amiable to [180] all, without undue attachment to any; humble, without being mean-spirited; courageous, without any haughtiness. We know that she spared no pains when an opportunity offered to win a soul to Our Lord, either by her prayers or by her mortifications — even to the point of giving herself up to Divine Justice in the quality of a victim, And, in truth, God did not spare her, but made her feel the weight of his arm, terribly punishing in her the sins of those for whom she made a sacrifice of herself. We were well aware that her bodily weaknesses were great and constant, and we saw that she bore them like a saint — always with a calm countenance, diffusing a joy full of piety in the [181] hearts of those who saw her. But we were surprised, after her death, to learn that for sixteen years God had been trying that brave Soul by periods of aridity and temptation, seasons of spiritual abandonment and extreme destitution. This reached such a point that the demons of hell seemed to arouse all her powers in revolt against God, but without ever obtaining from her the least obedience in any particular, — her heart, armed by God, being stronger than ail hell. We have also learned, on good authority, that besides her saintly practice of all the virtues, which she had acquired in an eminent degree from her very infancy, Heaven was allied with her — for often there appeared to her many saints of Paradise, the Angels, the Blessed Virgin, St. [182] Joseph, and Jesus Christ himself, to strengthen, counsel, and protect her, and fight on her side. Above ail, there appeared to her Father Jean de Brébeuf, a blessed Martyr of the Iroquois in the country of the Hurons: he had [Page 67] been given her from Heaven as her Director, but in entire subordination to her ordinary Director. This Celestial director appeared to her very often; and often, without appearing to her, made himself so present to her that she was conscious of him and received impressions from him, with as much efficacy and certainty as a blind man, when near the fire, is sure that the fire warms him, and that he is not far from it. She often received assurance of her salvation from various Saints, from the Blessed Virgin, [183] and even from Jesus Christ. At different times, too, — in order to give her courage in the sufferings offered her from Heaven, which waited for her acquiescence, — the place that was prepared for her in Heaven was shown to her, ever brighter in light and glory as she drew nearer to her death, and the end of her conflicts. Once she was transported to Hell, whether in body or in spirit she could not say. There she saw three abysses, differing so widely in the cruelty of the torments, and the rage both of the damned and of the Demons against them, that the first abyss seemed to her almost as nothing in comparison with the second, and the second as nothing compared with the third, when she saw them one after the other — although, at the sight [184] that she had of the first, she did not think there could be more terrible sufferings. The place also was shown her that would have been her hell for all eternity, had she not been faithful to the grace of God. Often souls from Purgatory appeared to her in their sufferings, asking her assistance, even some of those who had died in France, before the news of their death had reached this country — the Ships, which come from France only in the Spring, having not yet [Page 69] arrived. Often too she would see those Souls, upon leaving Purgatory, come to thank her for her Charity. But what is truly remarkable is, that her humility was so adroit in concealing itself, even from our eyes, that we knew nothing, [185] until after her death, of all these so extraordinary graces of God in her, — although her sterling virtues, which effect true Sanctity, made us recognize her as a Perfect Nun, filled with the divine spirit, and winning souls to God. Her faithfulness in repressing all the impulses of nature had gained for her such an empire over her senses that one would have said that virtue was born with her. And, although the spirit of the Cross and of Penance accompanied her on all occasions, yet it was for herself alone; only toward her self-love, with which she was in continual strife, was she severe. All her kindnesses were rendered to her neighbor, and she adapted herself in a marvelous [186] way to the different dispositions of each one, — making herself all things to all men, in order to win every one to her Divine Spouse. Her obliging heart made her the refuge of all persons who had need of aid and consolation; not one did she send away without Perfect satisfaction. Her Charity and her good management, in the offices of Mistress of the Novices, Depositary, and Hospitaler, shone to the edification of every one. It was in the last-named capacity that her heart found most opportunity to satisfy her love for her neighbor, and her extinction of self. As the Providence of God often permitted sick patients to be sent her who needed health of Soul no less than of [187] body, she brought them to God so gently and effectually that many have acknowledged their indebtedness to her for their salvation. The general [Page 71] edification that each one received from her is a public testimony that not one can deny. In the house, she was foremost in labors, and one of the most zealous to mortify herself in all that regarded her own person, — choosing always for herself those things that were most disagreeable; bearing all things from others; excusing every one, without excusing herself, —but, rather, desiring her faults to be known to every one. “Good God!” she used often to say, “since we are only what we are before God, why do we seek to appear otherwise in the eyes [188] of men?” In a Word, she fulfilled in a few years the designs of divine providence regarding her dear soul The hour had come when it was necessary to reward her labors and crown her virtue by ending her life, — with all the token that can demonstrate how precious in God’s sight is the death of the saints. On the 20th of April of this present year, 1668, she was attacked with a hemorrhage, that lasted only a very short time, and made us believe that it was of no importance. A fever, however, having seized her, together with severe pains in the chest, the Physicians were of opinion that some artery had burst and was discharging into her vital parts; and an attempt was made, but in vain, to apply some remedy. On the 3rd of May, which [189] was her birthday, at the very hour of her birth, her sufferings increased greatly. It was not merely her bodily pains: we have learned that, at the same time, her spiritual sufferings increased also in proportion. Divine justice was satisfying the desires of this innocent victim, who was constantly offering herself for sinners and for Souls in Purgatory; and for them this justice [Page 73] made her suffer to a surprising extent — inconceivable to those who do not adore and love God’s ways. From the first moment of her illness, she renewed her spirit of sacrifice; and, ever refusing to give way to her own feelings, she begged one of those who were rendering her some services, not to [190] consult her as to her own wants, — and, above ail, not to give her any means of gaining any relief through her own choice. She never refused anything that was offered her, whatever distaste she might have for it. Her submission, her pain, and her humility were put to the proof in every manner; and everything met with her acquiescence, provided it did not come from herself. We were unable to remark the least shade of impatience during her entire illness; and the slight esteem in which she held herself made her receive the little services that each of our sisters tried to render her, with feelings of so deep gratitude that one would have said she deemed herself unworthy that any one should even think of her. [191] Her illness assuming increased severity, it was thought proper to give her the last Sacraments, which she received in a frame of mind altogether saintly. On the evening of Monday, the seventh of May, she was much oppressed with a palpitation of the heart that was quite unprecedented: a clicking sound was heard, going on below the heart, like that of two flints struck together, Toward midnight, she was lifted, and brought near the fire, where she fainted heavily; upon her recovery, Father Chastelin, her Confessor, was sent for. After the prayers for the dying had been finished, — for she was, in truth, at the point of death, having no longer any pulse or movement, — [Page 75] her eyes, for the space of fully a quarter of an hour, gazed [192] fixedly toward Heaven, in the mariner of a person deeply absorbed. All our Community were very attentive to watch her in this state, which we judged to be no ordinary one; and we think, with probability, that she received, in this spiritual ecstasy, a perfect knowledge of her death. For, recovering herself suddenly, and gaining the full use of her senses, she said in a voice free and intelligible, speaking to God: I adore your divine perfections, O my God; I adore your divine justice; I abandon myself to it with all my heart. Then, turning toward our Community, with a very joyful countenance and a renewal of strength that seemed to us quite extraordinary, she asked what time it was. She [193] was told that it was three o’clock in the morning. “That is well,” said she to us; “between five and six o’clock, there will be a change in our affairs. But meanwhile you see me cured; I have just been told that all my troubles are passed, that everything is done, and that there is no more suffering for me.” And, what is remarkable, she really did have no further appearance of pain, nor even the least change in her pulse. Turning toward me, she said to me, smiling brightly: “Really, Mother, I must not be ungrateful for a benefit received; pray, let some one give me our robe, that I may go before the blessed Sacrament in the choir, in order to thank God for his favors.” I told her that she should do so at some other time. “Very well, then, my Mother,” she replied; [194] “since you do not approve of it, I acquiesce. But let us sing, then, if you please, the Te Deum” — which she herself intoned with extraordinary [Page 77] strength. The whole Community followed the Hymn with her, as far as the verse, In te, Domine, speravi; non confundar in æternum, which she repeated twice. The prayer ended, she told us that it was no jesting, and that really she was cured, and did not feel any distress. “To show you that I am speaking the truth,” she added, “give me something to eat; for I have a good appetite.” We had her take some broth, which she did with much relish, telling us that it was not enough. “But, as it is not thought advisable for me to take more,” said she, “I would like to lie down to sleep. [195] Please let me take my rest, for I am worn out with the toil of last night.” All retired, with the exception of the Nurses, who took their places beside the sick-bed, — the patient herself sleeping, apparently like a little Child; her face was suffused with a slight flush, that made one believe that she was recovering her natural condition. In the space of half an hour, during which she was watched very closely, she was not once perceived to draw the slightest breath. As we feared to awake her, we did not speak to her; but the Nurse, putting her hand upon the patient’s mouth, found that she no longer breathed. In such manner did that beautiful Soul take her flight to Heaven. Her face remained like that of a person in contemplation. [196] Although during her life she was very agreeable in her manner, she possessed something incomparably more attractive, when dead. The odor of her virtue was diffused over all this new world; and we are urgently importuned by many persons, who ask for something that she has used. Although we have every sort of reason to be assured of her happiness, I do not omit to ask of you, for her, [Page 79] the suffrages of our holy institute. And I pray you not to deny me your holy prayers, as being,

My Reverend Mother,

Your very humble and obedient servant,

Marie De St. Bonnaventure De

Jesus, unworthy Superior.

At Quebec, this 4th of October, 1668.

[197] This Circular Letter was sent for the Convents which are in France, belonging to the Institute of the Hospital Nuns of Dieppe. He who was charged to have it printed, having received many authentic Memoirs on the life and death of that blessed deceased, has deemed it proper to add here the following particulars:

HAT two persons of piety have received, since her death, assurance of her eternal happiness. One of them, appealing to her to obtain from God some favor of which she had need, received from the deceased this reply: “I will do it, but it will be on condition that you thank his divine goodness for the [198] favors that he showed me in the hour of my death.”

2. She very often had knowledge of the inner life of various persons, both present and absent, and of the unhappy condition of several who were in mortal sin — and especially of sins that were most concealed, even by sacrilegious Confessions. When she gave notice of this to those to whom charity obliged her to reveal it, she was never found to have been deceived.

3. God often gave her knowledge of things future and distant, which came to pass just as she had foreseen them. [Page 81]

4. Often Saints from Paradise, who appeared to her, wished to prevail on her to give her consent to some new sufferings, — [199] either for certain hardened sinners, for whom she had great zeal, or for souls in Purgatory, or in order to obtain from God some favors that she asked. She never gave her acquiescence except by the order and permission of those who had the conduct of her soul; but, having given it, these new crosses were immediately laid upon her, with such terrible weight that she often complained of them to God, — with submission, however, and love, and the occasional exclamation, Terribiliter me crucias, — which even happened to her on the eve of her death.

5. Although it often rested only with her to see herself delivered from these states of crucifixion, through which God’s providence was leading her, she never would consent to it, [200] unless those who were her spiritual guides ordered her to do so. And when, by their order, she sometimes asked to be delivered from her sufferings, God was well pleased to yield to his servant’s wishes.

6. Those who had charge of the spiritual guidance of this truly noble sister, constantly remarked in her such a humble opinion of herself and such an utter absence of all desire for eminence, that not only did she accuse herself of her faults, with an admirable humility, — penetrating even to the inmost recesses of her heart, and not sparing herself, — but she was also well pleased to be considered guilty, and to have people believe of her, what she believed herself, that she was utterly plunged in sin, and the [201] greatest sinner in the world.

7. She was very discreet, and an excellent [Page 83] counselor; very clear-sighted, and seeing at once to the bottom of the most important matters. Yet she never depended on herself in her own conduct, and in all things had a judgment as submissive as if she had been the least enlightened person on earth.

8. Although she had great knowledge and great enlightenment, — through the extraordinary agency of Revelations, and of frequent apparitions of the Saints of Paradise, and of Jesus Christ himself, — yet she never guided herself by such means. The maxims of the Gospel, reason, and the impulse of obedience, [202] were her sole support, and the only way that she always followed, and on which those who had charge of her guidance depended.

9. The Superior of the Hospital Nuns of Bayeux, for whom she had all possible love and respect, — having heard of her constant infirmities and illness in Canada, and of divers circumstances that were calculated to cause her trouble, — not only made her offers for her return to France, giving her very easy and honorable means to do so; but also prayed her very earnestly to return, judging that she could be of very great service to our Community of Bayeux. But this noble sister refused absolutely, sending word to that dear friend [203] of her heart, that she was nailed to the Cross of Canada by 3 nails, which she would never remove. The first was the will of God; the second, the salvation of souls; and the third, her call to Canada and her vow to die there. She added that, even if all the Nuns should choose to return to France, she would remain alone in Canada, — provided she were permitted to do so, — in order to end her life there in the service of the poor Savages, and of the sick persons of the country. [Page 85]

10. When she had been bidden to put into writing what had passed within her from her tenderest youth, she said: “From the age of three and a half years, I had a very great desire to do the will of God, and that he should do his will in me absolutely. I remember that the motive which [204] had most weight with me, to make me shun sin, was that God did not wish it; and that was enough to restrain me. Indeed, when any one wished to obtain any request from me, or to prevent me from doing anything, if God’s will was alleged, with the words, ‘That is God’s will, you must do it;’ or else, ‘That is not God’s will;’ I readily acquiesced, whatever the matter might be. And, some time afterward, when it was said to me by a Jesuit Father, Father Malherbe, that we are most assured of doing God’s will when we are suffering, and especially suffering for others, I felt so vehement a desire to suffer, in order better to do God’s will, that I no longer thought of anything but asking for a great deal [205] of suffering. In order to succeed better in this, I used to pray the Blessed Virgin, with an earnestness beyond belief, to send me diseases; and this petition I made several times every day, while ordinarily my little heart was so touched thereby that my eyes spoke more than my mouth.”

11. The feelings of love that she had at this early age for the most Blessed Virgin, and the kindnesses that she received from her and from little Jesus, are inconceivable.

12. At the age of eight years, she made her first Communion, with an admirable devotion.

13. When she was between nine and ten years old, she had in a dream a vision that deserves mention. [Page 87] She saw, while asleep, a tall, frightful man, with a cutlass in his hand, [206] approaching her to maltreat her. It seemed to her then that she fled toward a tower. That wretch, pursuing her, struck her, but not dangerously; and as she was invoking the Blessed Virgin to her succor, a Nun in a surplice presented herself to her in that tower. Upon seeing the Nun, she entreated her aid, and saw herself protected by her; and immediately she awoke. What is most remarkable in this is, that, without ever having seen a Hospital Nun, she recognized, upon entering the Order, at their Convent in Bayeux, that Nun by her face; and the latter was her first Superior.

14. When she was between ten and twelve years old, she signed with her own blood an admirable deed of gift, which she made of herself [207] to the most Blessed Virgin.

15. The Holy Ghost, wishing to prepare her for becoming a Nun, caused her to make the three following vows: first, to take the Blessed Virgin for her Mother, rendering her the respect, obedience, and love that a good daughter owes to a Mother better than herself; second, never to commit any mortal sin; third, to live in perpetual continence.

16. “At the age of twelve and a half years,” said she, “I entered the Convent of the Nuns of Bayeux. But, as I had told the Nuns themselves that I came only to remain, that cost me many good mortifications; for they put me to a double test, fearing that my vocation was founded on human considerations. Notwithstanding [208] all that was said to me and done to me, I remained firm in the purpose that I would certainly become a Nun; and I said to the [Page 89] Mother of the Novices: ’ Do to me whatever you will, you shall not take away from me the dress of the order: I shall be a Nun, and shall not go out from here, except to go to Canada. ’ The Blessed Virgin,” she added, “had given me this hope, in so strong a degree that nothing could make me lose it, or have the least lack of confidence.”

17. At the age of fourteen and a half years, she assumed the garb of Religion. At sixteen years, she made her profession, and crossed the sea to Canada, at which time God changed his manner of treating her, and made her enter paths of internal sufferings, [209] which constantly increased until her death.

18. The more these trials of crosses and internal sufferings increased, the more abundantly also the graces of Heaven were bestowed upon her. Our Lord appeared to her very often; and, still oftener, the Blessed Virgin and many Saints, who encouraged her in her sufferings.

19. St. Michael had promised her his succor and special assistance during the rest of her days, and, above all, at the hour of her death. It was on her Feast-day, May 8, that she died, — having made a vow, several years before, to do all that she should know to be to the greater glory of God, or in accordance with what should be said to her by those who directed her.

20. [210] Of all the apparitions that presented themselves to her, and that she had received orders to commit to writing, I will report here only a single one, word for Word, as she wrote it. In order to understand it, let it be stated that Monsieur de Bernay, of whom mention is made, was a very virtuous Ecclesiastic, who was Superior of the Hospital Nuns [Page 91] of Bayeux, where he lived and died in the odor of sanctity. She had been visited by him, after his death, and before the news of it had reached Canada, See, then, how she relates a second visit: “On the 28th of January, 1662, while I was reciting Matins with the Community, I felt the presence of Monsieur de Bernay near me; and, although I [211] saw nothing, yet I could not have any doubt of the presence of this good servant of God. He made me remember again the conversation I had had with him three days before my departure from Bayeux; and this remembrance has since aided me. He exhorted me to have great confidence in God, and to expect that he would sustain me in the needs which I felt; to tell Monseigneur our Bishop, or cause him to be told, that he was not to be distressed in my behalf; and that the cause of the present condition was not what he thought it was. He added that there was reason to hope that God would not fail me in my necessities, and that I must not fear, but expect that his protection would be continued over me. He bade me have great confidence in God’s [212] goodness and an entire submission to his holy decrees, saying that one ought not to falter, but offer himself with courage to all that providence should ordain; that the Blessed Virgin would always be my good Mother, that I should surrender myself to her care, and never lose the remembrance of what she had been to me, or the confidence that I had always had in her; and that I must take good heed not to lose this confidence, or let it abate. He said that this was the time of a very great need, and, therefore, that I should feel assured that she would aid me ‘For,’ said he to me, ‘just as a good Mother could [Page 93] not abandon her Child, upon Seeing it at the brink of a precipice, — but would hold it, lest it should fall [213] and would not leave it a moment without being at its side, — so the Blessed Virgin, who loves you a thousand times more than your own mother, will not leave you, provided you have entire confidence in her. Has she ever failed you in your need?’ Saying this, he put me in mind of several rather dangerous situations in which I had thoroughly proved her protection. He also bade me read the 6th Chapter of the 2nd Epistle to the Corinthians, and not to forget the resolution I had formed to surrender myself to all that God should desire of me, upon my arrival in Canad