was obliged to retrace his steps and return hither to await more favorable weather, and better news.

At the very time of his return, there happened to be here that brave Christian of the Residence of la Conception, Joseph Chihwatenhwa, whose speeches and conversations having more than ever kindled him, he redoubled his earnest requests for baptism, which was finally granted him on the 20th of December; he was named Mathias, as the one to whose lot it had fallen to be the first Christian of this village, as well as the first Catechumen baptized in good health and with solemnity. And it happened that his cabin bore the name of this holy Apostle, in accordance with the devout purpose that we have entertained to place every cabin of the Savages, in the village where we labor, [78] under the patronage and protection of some saint of Paradise.

What caused us the more readily to yield to his wishes was that he was daily upon the point of setting out on his journey, and that, four or five days before, he had protested to some Chiefs of the village that he was ready to give up all the dances and diabolical superstitions of the country, but particularly the dance of the Naked ones, of which he was the head and Master. This good man, after having answered and performed all the renunciations that are found in the ceremonies of Baptism, during Mass mentally revolving the question if there were any evil thing to which he was attached, and nothing occurring to him but Tobacco, immediately asked if tobacco were forbidden, explaining that he was quite ready to give it up and abandon it, in case it were not allowable to use it. This resolution may pass for one of the most heroic acts of which a Savage is

fées deux fiennes petites filles, lefquelles il cheriffoit vniquement, ce [79] qui n'estoit pas vne petite marque de fa foy, & de fon affection au Chriftianisme, veu l'imagination commune de tout le païs que le Baptefme fait mourir toute forte de perfonnes, mais particulierement les enfants.

L'exemple de celuy-cy fut fuiuy quelques iours apres d'onze autres perfonnes, choifies du nombre des Cathecumenes, qu'on auoit foigneufement inftruicts, & qui ne ceffoient de demander le baptefme. Ces douze ou quinze donc fe trouuãs tous ensemble à la Meffe le premier iour de l'année 1639. c'est le iour que nous remarquerons & recognoiftrons à iamais pour celuy de la naiffance de cette Nou. Eglife, comme celuy de la Conception de la Vierge, pour la naissance de celle de la Residence de la Conception.

Depuis ce temps on a continué de fois à autre de baptifer ceux & celles qui fe font trouuez disposez & capables de ce bien; de forte que le nombre des persõnes baptizées en ce Bourg, faifans profeffion du Chriftianisme, monte de prefent à pres de trente, comme nous auons dit cy-deffus.

Ie ne m'estendray point icy fur le contentement & la fatisfaction que nous donne [80] ce petit troupeau, & particulierement quelques-vns: non plus que fur les causes qui ont precedé & concouru à ce saint Ouurage, le tout estant semblable, & presque en rien different de ce que nous auons deduit au Chapitre precedent, parlant de la naiffance de la Nou. Eglife de la Residence de la Conception. Quand il n'y auroit que la refolution, & la confiance de ces Neophytes, à faire profeffion du Chriftianisme au beau milieu de leur Nation, l'vne des plus peruerfes de la terre; où ils se

capable, who, it seems, would as soon dispense with eating as with smoking.

With this good man, who was a widower, were baptized two of his granddaughters, whom he singu. larly cherished, which [79] was no small mark of his faith and of his love for Christianity, considering the idea common throughout the country that Baptism caused all classes of people to die, but especially children.

This man's example was followed a few days afterwards by eleven other persons, chosen from the number of Catechumens, who had been carefully instructed and who were continually asking for baptism. Accordingly, these twelve or fifteen being all present at Mass on the first day of the year 1639, this is the day which we shall always observe and recognize as that of the birth of this New Church, -as that of the Conception of the Virgin, as the birthday of the church at the Residence of la Conception.

Since then we have continued from time to time to baptize men and women who have been found willing and fitted to receive this blessing; so that the number of persons baptized in this Village, making profession of Christianity, at present amounts to nearly thirty, as we have said above.

I shall not enlarge here upon the comfort and satisfaction that is afforded us [80] by this little company, and especially by some of them, nor upon the causes which have preceded and contributed to this holy Work,-the whole resembling, and in scarcely any respect unlike, what we have related in the preceding Chapter, in speaking of the birth of the New Church of the Residence of la Conception. If it were only a matter of resolution and courage of these Neo

trouuent dans les attaques continuelles des railleries & calomnies, des craintes & frayeurs, des mal-heurs dont on les menace de tous coftez; en fuite de ce qu'ils fe font faits Chreftiens: Quand, dif-ie, il n'y auroit que ce poinct, nous aurions tout fuiet d'estre contens. Et cét article femble fi confiderable, qu'il merite qu'on en parle vn peu plus au long, mais cela se fera plus commodement en l'vn des Chapitres suiuants; où nous traicterons des trauerfes & difficultez qui fe font trouuées, & se rencontrêt encore tous les iours en la naiffance & establiffement de ces nouuelles Eglifes. Difons auparauant quelque chofe des

Miffions.

phytes in professing Christianity in the very midst of their Nation, one of the most perverse on earth, where they find themselves continually assailed by mockery and slander, by fears and panics, by misfortunes threatening them on all sides, in consequence of their having become Christians,-if, I say, this were the only thing, we would have every reason to be satisfied. And this feature seems so important, that it deserves to be spoken of somewhat more at length; but that will occur more conveniently in one of the following Chapters, where we shall treat of the obstacles and difficulties that still exist, and are every day encountered, in the birth and establishment of these new Churches. Let us first say something of the Missions.