arrived in the morning to see the patient, this poor woman accosted him, and thus addressed him with tears: Father, let us go to the Chapel; I wish to be confessed.” Scarcely had she arrived there, when she threw herself on the ground, shedding many tears and exclaiming aloud, her words interrupted by sobs: “I am making my son die. My sins are taking away his life; I am killing him. I am guilty, and he is innocent. I deserve death, and he deserves to live. Would I could die in his stead; for he is good, and I am wicked. I have displeased him who made all things. What shall I do to conciliate him?" And, turning to the Father, she drew from her bosom a large porcelain collar, and said to him:

That is to appease [177] him whom I have offended. Offer him this present through the poor. Pray for me, my Father, in order that my sins may not be imputed to my child, and the door of Heaven be closed against him. I was making him a fine beaverskin robe; I will bring it to thee, Father, and thou shalt hang it somewhere inside the Church. It will speak for me, and show to every one my sin and my repentance."

Finally, her poor little Estienne- for that was his name — died a holy death. The poor mother kissed him after his death, and said to him: “ Forgive me, my son; it is I who made thee die by my sins. Forgive thy mother; she has perhaps defiled thy poor [178] soul by permitting those foolish and superstitious rites to be performed over thy little body. I fear that may prevent thy entrance into Paradise.” And, wishing to bury him herself, she joined his little hands as if in prayer to God, winding his Rosary about them and placing his little Crucifix

a

Voicy vne grace bien particuliere arriuée, à vne bande de bons Chreftiens, qui voguoient fur le grand fleuue, fur la fin de l'Hyuer. Les glaces les entourans de tous coftez, & fe jettans les vnes fur les autres: en forte [179] qu'ils ne voyoient aucun moyen d'efchapper, attendans à tous momens vn debris, de leur petit vaiffeau: le Pere qui les accompagnoit; voyant bien que fans vn fecours du Ciel, c'estoit fait de leurs vies: les fit mettre en priere. Chose estrange, vous euffiés dit, que leur oraison écartoit ces grands corps de glaces, & les faifoit fuir, pour leur donner paffage: le coup fut fi foudain, qu'il les eftonna tous. Et pour marque, que c'estoit vne faueur extraordinaire, l'effet fut grand pour leurs ames, auffi bien que pour leurs corps, dautant que ce prodige, les rendit plus fermes à la Foy, & augmenta fortement leur confiance en Dieu.

Ce

Ce qui fuit n'eft pas moins [180] étonnant. Vn Chreftien malade à la mort, fut prié, follicité, & preffé, par ses parens, & par fes amis, de se laiffer penfer à la façon des Sauuages: c'est à dire, auec des cris, des hurlemens, & des tambours, dont fe feruent les Iongleurs, croyans par ce tintamarre, épouuanter le Manitou, qui ofte la vie aux hommes. bon Neophyte les rebuta, difant, qu'il aymoit mieux mourir, que de fouffrir ces badineries, & ces fuperftitions, plus propres à faire mourir vn malade, qu'à le guerir: mais comme il vid, que ces Iongleurs, fe disposoient à le foufler, mal-gré ses resistãces, il se feruit du peu de force qui luy restoit, pour fortir de la cabane, & pour fe traifner dans le bois. Chofe eftrange à mefure [181] qu'il s'éloigne de ces Sorciers, il s'approche de la fanté: en forte qu'il fut guery

between his fingers. “ There, my son," said she to him, “is the image of him who has washed away thy sins. He will give thee a place in his house, where thou canst never die any more.

The following is an instance of very special grace shown to a band of good Christians who were journeying on the great river, toward the end of Winter. They were surrounded on all sides by blocks of ice, which were dashed upon one another in such a way [179] that they saw no means of escape, but expected every moment that their little bark would be crushed. The Father who was with them, seeing plainly that without Heaven's help they would lose their lives, made them resort to prayer. Strangely enough, you would have said their prayer dispersed those great masses of ice, and put them to flight, in order to give passage to the men.

This took place so suddenly as to astonish them all. And, in proof that it was an extraordinary favor, the effect upon their souls as well as upon their bodies was remarkable, inasmuch as this miracle rendered them stronger in the Faith, and greatly increased their trust in God.

The following is not less [180] wonderful. A Christian who was fatally ill was urged in the strongest terms, by his relatives and friends, to allow himself to be treated after the manner of the Sav. ages,—that is, with shouting, yelling, and drumming, which the Jugglers employ, thinking by this din to frighten away the Manitou who deprives men of their lives. This good Neophyte repulsed them, saying that he chose to die rather than allow these apish and superstitious ceremonies, more liable to kill than to cure a patient. But, seeing the Jugglers

quafi en vn instant, auec vne ioye de fon cœur, & vn étonnement de tous ceux qui le tenoient pour

mort.

Ce que ie vay dire, eft digne d'eftre fceu. Deux ieunes filles Chreftiennes, se voyans poursuiuies, par deux ieunes hommes, fe iettent dans les forefts, qui couurent ce grand pays: elles coururent si fort, & entrerent fi auant, dans ce pays perdu: qu'elles furent deux mois fans paroiftre. On les cherche, on les appelle, point de nouuelles, la peur les auoit si bien éloignées qu'on les tenoit pour mortes: car n'ayãt porté aucun viure, auec elles, chacun croyoit, que la faim les auroit égorgées. [182] Enfin apres auoir bien couru, & bien marché dans ces grands bois, elles se trouuerent fur les riues, de la grand' Riuiere de S. Laurens, où ayant apperceu vn vaiffeau François, qui montoit à Tadouffac, elles appellerent, & firent figne, qu'on les embarquast, ce qui fut fait.

Bref elles arriuerent en bonne fanté au logis de leurs parens: n'ayans vefcu, tout ce temps-là, que de racines, & de petits fruicts Sauuages, qu'elles trouuoient dans les bois. Non in folo pane viuit homo, ces paroles, pouuoient estre prises au pied de la lettre à leur égard.

Vne autre ieune fille, ne fe ietta pas dans ce danger, mais elle y ietta vn impudent qui la pressoit [183] auec violence: car prenant vn coufteau en main, elle luy alloit planter dans la gorge, ou dans le fein, fi fa mere accourant, n'eut retenu fon bras.

Le Pere qui a efté en Miffion dans le lac de S. Iean, dit, qu'vne fille le vint prier, de luy donner le Baptefme. Il luy demande, fi quelqu'vn de nos Peres, l'auoit inftruite; elle dit que non, & qu'elle

preparing to blow upon him despite his opposition, he made use of the little strength left him to go forth from his cabin and drag himself into the woods. Strange to relate, the farther [181] he went from those Sorcerers, the nearer he came to health, so that he was cured almost in a moment, to the delight of his heart, and the astonishment of all those who considered him as dead.

What I am about to relate is worthy of publication. Two young Christian girls, seeing themselves pursued by two young men, fled into the forests which cover this great country. They ran so hard, and penetrated so far into that wild region, that they were not seen again for two months. People searched and shouted for them, but there was no news of them. Fear had driven them so far away that they were accounted dead; for, as they had taken no food with them, all believed that hunger must have caused their death. [182] At length, after they had run and walked a long distance in those vast forests, they found themselves on the bank of the great River St. Lawrence, where, perceiving a French vessel that was on its way up to Tadoussac, they hailed it and made signs to be taken aboard, which was done.

In brief, they arrived in good health at their parents' lodge, having lived all that time on nothing but roots and small Wild fruits that they found in the woods. Non in solo pane vivit homo, these words admitted of a literal interpretation in their case.

Another young girl exposed to a like danger not herself, but an impudent fellow who was importuning her [183] with violence. Taking a knife in her hand, she was about to plant it in his throat or in his breast, had not her mother ran up and stayed her arm.