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RELATION

OF WHAT OCCURRED

MOST REMARKABLE

IN THE MISSIONS OF THE FATHERS
of the Society of JESUS,

NEW

IN

FRANCE,

in the years one thousand six hundred and fifty-six and one thousand six hundred and fifty-seven.

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Av R. P. le P. Lovis Cellot, Provincial de la Compagnie de IESVS, de la Prouince

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De cinq ou fix vaisseaux qui ont efté ce Printemps dernier en la Nouuelle France, celuy qui en eft retourné le premier, m'a apporté des Lettres du Pere Iean de Quen Superieur de nos Missions en ces Contrées; qui m'aprennent qu'il deuoit enuoier à V. R. la Relation entiere de ce qui s'eft paffé depuis vn an dans nos Miffions, dont il m'a addreffé, par auance quelques cahiers. Or le Nauire auquel on l'auoit confiée, ayant efté pris par les Espagnols, & toutes les Lettres qui s'y font trouuées ayant efté iettées dans la Mer, i'ay efté obligé de ramaffer dans le Liuret que ie prefente à V. R. ce qu'on a pû recouurer de ces Lettres, & de quelques autres Memoires qui nous furent rendus trop tard l'année precedente. Ceux qui s'interessent pour la gloire de noftre Seigneur en la conuerfion des Infidelles, feront bien aifes de voir comme nos Peres marchant fur les pas de ceux de noftre Compagnie, qui ont efté grillés, roftis, & mangés depuis quelques années par les Iroquois, font entrés dans le païs de ces Anthropophages, auec moins de peur de leurs trahifons, & de leurs cruautés, que d'amour & de zele pour les gagner à IESVSCHRIST. Le Pere qui a dreffé ces Memoires que i'ay receus, affeure que qui voudroit agir parmi ces peuples, felon la prudence purement humaine, ne feroit iamais

To the Reverend Father, Father Louis Cellot, Provincial of the Society of JESUS in

M

the Province of France.

Y REVEREND FATHER,

Pax Christi.

Of the five or six ships which sailed to New France last Spring, the first that returned brought me Letters from Father Jean de Quen, the Superior of our Missions in those Countries, which inform me that he was to send to Your Reverence the complete Relation of what has occurred during the past year in our Missions, some sheets of which he forwarded me in advance. Now, the Ship to which it had been confided was taken by the Spaniards, and all the Letters on board were thrown into the Sea; and this has compelled me to gather together, in the little Book which I present to Your Reverence, all that could be recovered of those Letters and of some other Memoirs which reached us too late last year. Those who, for the sake of our Lord's glory, take an interest in the conversion of the Infidels, will be glad to see that our Fathers, following in the footsteps of those of our Society who for some years past have been broiled, roasted, and eaten by the Iroquois, have made their way into the country of the Cannibals, with less fear of their treachery and cruelty than love and zeal for gaining them to JESUS CHRIST. The Father who has drawn up these Memoirs which I have received asserts that he, who should attempt to be guided by purely human prudence, in whatever he does among these peoples, would never effect much for their salvation.

"It

rien de fort auantageux pour leur falut. Il faut fe mettre dans les dangers du feu de la terre, pour les deliurer des feux de l'Enfer. Il fe faut jetter dans la captiuité, pour les mettre en liberté. Il faut endurer la faim, la foif, la nudité, pour les nourrir, & pour les reueftir de IES VSCHRIST. On ne fçauroit fe figurer tout ce que nous auons fouffert dans vn voyage fort long, tres-rude, & rempli à tous momens de diuers dangers de la mort; en fuite duquel nous mifmes pied à terre au bord d'vn bois, qu'il fallut faire reculer à grands coups de haches, pour donner place à l habitation que nous voulions dreffer. Mais ces grandes forefts eftant gardées pendant l'Efté des petits Dragons volans, ie veux dire par vn million d'escadrons de Moufquittes, de Mari[n]goins ou de Coufins tres-auides d'vn fang, qu'ils n'auoient iamais goufté: nous eftions contraints de leur ceder la place pendant la nuict, & de nous aller coucher fur des roches au bord d'vn lac, expofez à l'air, au vent & fouuent à la pluye. Ces trauaux Souftenus feulement d'vn peu de bouillie faite de farine de bled d'Inde, cuite dans la belle eau claire, nous abbatirent prefque tous. Plus de quarante huict perfonnes de noftre monde, tomberent malades: Il nous fallut loger fous des roches fi à l'eftroit, que nous eftions prefque entaffez les vns fur les autres. Pendant que l'vn brufloit dans l'ardeur de la fievre, l'autre trembloit de froid: & pour nous confoler, on nous venoit fouuent dire de diuers endroits qu'on nous alloit egorger, que nous ferions bien-toft deliurez de tous nos maux. Quotidie morimur, & ecce viuimus, nous mourions tous les iours, & nous voilà encore graces Dieu tous viuans: Il est vrai que ceux qui font alterez du falut des Ames, qui ne s'opere iamais que par la croix, trouueront icy dequoy fe fatisfaire: mais il ne faut rien craindre, Dieu eft partout; c'eft icy qu'on le goufte plus

is necessary to expose oneself to the dangers of earthly fires, in order to deliver them from the fires of Hell; it is necessary to cast oneself into captivity, in order to secure their freedom; it is necessary to endure hunger, thirst, and nakedness, in order to nourish and clothe them with JESUS CHRIST. It is impossible to conceive all that we suffered on a very long and very rough journey, during which we were continually beset with dangers of death in divers ways; finally, we landed on the edge of a forest which we had to cut away by dint of many heavy blows of our axes, in order to make room for the settlement that we wished to establish. But these great forests were guarded, during the Summer, by little winged Dragons,—I mean, by innumerable legions of Mosquitoes and Gnats, all very thirsty for a blood that they had never tasted; we were compelled to give way to them during the night, and to sleep on the rocks, on the shore of a lake, exposed to the air, to the wind, and frequently to the rain. These laborsduring the performance of which our only sustenance consisted of a little meal of Indian corn, boiled in clear water prostrated nearly all of us. More than forty-eight of our people fell sick. We had to lodge under rocks, where we had so little room, that we lay almost in a heap, one upon another. While one was burning in the heat of fever, another shivered with cold; and, to console us, we were often told, by people from various places, that men were coming to kill us, and that we would soon be delivered from all our ills. Quotidie morimur, et ecce vivimus, we were dying daily, and behold, we are still alive, thanks to God! It is true that they who thirst for the salvation of Souls, which is never effected except through the cross, will find here something wherewith to satisfy themselves. But one must fear nothing; God is everywhere; here his presence is felt more clearly, with

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