[5] CHAPTER FIRST.

OF A VESSEL TAKEN BY THE ENGLISH, AND OF THE MEMOIRS REFERRED TO IN THE PRE

CEDING LETTER.

3

HE Father to whom the above memoirs had

been entrusted, was taken prisoner by the

English on the seventeenth of the month of December last. The soldiers who had taken pos

3 session of the vessel that was bearing him searched and plundered him, as well as the rest; they robbed him of his little Chapel, and, in short, pillaged him even to his Breviary, sparing neither Chalice nor Missal, nor sacerdotal ornaments, nor even a wretched blanket which he used at night, [6] the nights being rather cold and long. They opened all the packages and unfolded all the papers, hoping to find some pieces of money; but, being disappointed in their hopes, they tore up some of the papers and threw the rest into the sea or else on the ship's deck, where all the people were walking about, pell-mell, — victors and vanquished, the humbled and the Insolent. The poor Father quietly gathered up what he could of letters, papers, and memoirs, some of them being in tatters, and others as dirty as if they had been taken out of the mud. The best dressed of the French were stripped quite naked, and forced to cover themselves with old rags. They passed the nights under the deck, without any other mattress than the filth and dirt which was caused by a crowd

par vn ramas de [7] Soldats, des Mattelots, & de Paffagers: detrempées dans les eaux de la mer, qui entroient par les fabores, & qui fe couloient entre les deux ponts, pour feruir de lits, & de couuertures, a ces pauures vaincus. Enfin le nauire fut conduit à Pleymouth en Angleterre.

C'eft icy, où nos François rencontrans quelques vaiffeaux, & quelques Capitaines leurs compatriotes, tombés dans le mefme malheur, furent faifis d'vne nouuelle douleur. A peine leur nauire fut-il entré dedans le port, qu'il fe vit inuefty de tous coftés, de batteaux, & de gondoles remplis de marchands, qui monterent auffi-toft fur le tillac, pour acheter des foldats, le pillage & le vol qu'ils venoient de commettre. Le Pere vit vendre a l'Encan fon Breuiaire, celuy qui l'acheta, ne [8] demanda point s'il estoit a l'vfage de Rome, ou de quelque autre Diocese, la pieté de ces bonnes gens, eft d'auoir de largent, & d'en tirer des chofes fainctes, auffi bien que des prophanes. Nos François voyoient mettre a l'enchere leurs petis meubles, & la plus part des paffagers perdirent en vn iour, ce qu'ils auoyent gagné en plufieurs années en la Nouuelle France. Quelques-vns d'entre eux difoient que la perte de ce nauire, pouuoit monter à trois cent mille liures. Ie ne sçay fi cela eft veritable, mais ie fçay bien, qu'on voyoit dans vne miferable rencontre, beaucoup de ioye, & beaucoup de trifteffe: les vns baiffoient la teste, & les autres la leuoient auec affés de faste, se reiouïffans, Sicut exultant victores captâ præda, quando diuidunt Spolia. [9] Comme des victorieux, lors qu'ils partagent leur proye, & leur butin.

Il ny a lieu au monde, excepté l'Enfer, où il ne fe

of [7] Soldiers, Sailors, and Passengers, and was steeped in the sea-water which came in through the port-holes, and ran along between the two decks, to serve as beds and blankets to those poor vanquished souls. At last the ship was brought to Pleymouth in England.

Here our Frenchmen, meeting with some vessels and Captains from their own country, subject to the same misfortune, were seized with a fresh grief. Scarcely had their ship entered the harbor, when it was surrounded on all sides by boats and gondolas filled with merchants, who immediately came up on deck to purchase from the soldiers the fruits of the pillage and theft just committed by them. The Father saw his Breviary sold at Auction, the purchaser not [8] asking whether it was for the use of Rome or of some other Diocese. The piety of those worthy people consists in having money, and in obtaining it from things sacred, as well as from things profane. Our Frenchmen saw their little belongings put up at auction, and the greater part of the passengers lost in one day what they spent several years in gaining in New France. Some of them said that the loss of this ship might reach as high as three hundred thousand livres. I do not know whether that is true; but I do know very well that there was seen, in pitiful conjunction, much joy and great sadness, --some hanging their heads, and others raising theirs vaingloriously and rejoicing, Sicut exultant victores captà præda, quando dividunt spolia — [9] “ like victors when they divide their plunder and booty."

There is no place in the universe, except Hell, where there are not found some good people, or some persons of a good disposition. Some Englishmen treuue, des gens de bien, ou des personnes de bon naturel. Quelques Anglois, s'approchans du Pere, luy firent vne petite aumosne. Il faut confeffer que c'est vne chose bien rude, & bien facheuse, de faire, comme on dit, naufrage au port. Ce pauure Pere, & tous les passagers, & les matelots du mesme equipage, ayans souffert les fatigues de la mer, dans vn long voyage, n'estans pas loing de leur patrie, goustans par auance le repos, & la douceur, qu'ils attendoyent de la veuë, & de la communication de leurs parens & de leurs amis: se vïrent miserablement pris & enleués, par des [10] gens, qui ne portent pas le nom d'ennemis, mais qui en font toutes les actions. Dieu soit beny de tout, pour conclusion les Anglois ayans retenu quelques iours le Pere à Pleymouth, le firēt passer au Havre de Grace, à la follicitation de quelques Capitaines François, dont les vaisseaux auoyent esté pris, & conduits dans ce mesme port. Voila comme nous auons receu les fragmens des memoires, qu'on nous enuoyoit.

approached the Father and bestowed on him a small gift of charity. It must be admitted, it is a very harsh and trying experience to suffer shipwreck in port, as the saying is. This poor Father and all the passengers and sailors of the same ship, after they had endured the fatigues of the sea during a long voyage, and when they were not far from their native land,- and tasting, in anticipation, the rest and delight which they expected from seeing and conversing with their relatives and friends, - saw themselves miserably captured and carried off by [10] those who did not bear the name, although they displayed all the conduct, of enemies. Let God be blessed for all things. To conclude, after the Eng. lish had kept the Father for some days at Pleymouth, they sent him over to Havre de Grace, at the solicitation of some French Captains whose vessels had been captured and brought into this same port. It is thus that we received the fragments of the memoirs that were sent to us.