watered with the sweat and the blood of our brethren, was promising us an abundant harvest, and was giving all of us the hope of imitating them, both in life and in death. Our only consolation was to take with us about 300 persons of a nation formerly most populous, but now almost utterly ruined, at the time when it was most faithful to God, who had drawn from it his elect, and by depopulating that Land, had peopled (127 i.e., 129] Heaven, which is enriched by our losses. These unhappy remnants from the divine scourges, did not, in the loss of their possessions, their native Country, and their kinsmen, lose the Faith,- which in this last year had been bestowed by Holy Baptism upon more than three thousand persons; these now enjoy, as we hope, the fruit of it in Paradise. We departed from the Hurons at the beginning of May; and, after 900 miles of march,amid various hardships and perils, and frequent shipwrecks,— we all finally arrived in perfect health, on the 28th of July, 1650, at Kebek,- whither, soon afterward, about 300 others followed us. Here, although the Most Illustrious Governor, a certain private citizen, and the two Convents of Nuns, burdened themselves above their strength with some few families; nevertheless the bulk of the load fell upon our shoulders; but with good courage we charged ourselves with the spiritual and temporal interests of the remnant, whom God has not hitherto allowed to die of hunger. But on this account it has been necessary to relieve the mission of some laborers,- especially as they are not, in this paucity of people, indispensable as before. Now if the Reader should ask me, “What will become of this mission?"-- whether it will be restored some day; cia Dei abyffus multa. Ma fe il furor de l' Hirochese fi reprimeffe, perche nò? difficoltà, mà quæ impoffibilia funt apud homines, possibilia funt apud Deum, apud quem non est impoffibile omne verbum. E E per altro il mondo non finirà, che l' Euangelio non fia predicato da per tutto. Hor verfo 1' Occidente degli Huroni fino al mare della China fono innumerabili nationi, quibus nondum est annunciatum Regnum Dei, bifogna dunque che vn giorno l' Euangelio c' arriui, quando bene tutte queste miffioni per vn tempo finiffero, Dio sà il come. Non eft noftrum noffe tempora, vel momenta, quæ pater pofuit in fua poteftate. Ma sì bene di fupplicarlo, che quanto prima. Adueniat regnü fuum, e che fia glorificato da ogni gente, e natione, finche fiat vnum ouile, & vnus paftor, & omnes labio vnum laudemus viuentem in fæcula fæculorum. Reftano però ancora nel Canadà circa 30. PP. per diuerfe miffioni, e stabili, e volanti; à Tadusak; verso gl' Inglesi; à gli Atticameghi &c. oltre il Collegio di Kebek, e le Refideze di Sylleri, de i tre fiumi, e di Montreale, nominate al principio, l' historia delle quali si è scritta ogn' anno in Francese. Il tutto fi farebbe più schiarito colla mappa, che sperauo qui aggiungere, ma non effendo in ordine; chi la defiderarà, la potrà di quì à poco hauer à parte con le figure de Barbari, e delle loro crudeltà. LAVS DEO. whether there is hope of a return for the Hurons and for ours,- I would answer him that Judicia Dei abyssus multa. But if the fury of the Hiroquois should moderate itself, why not? I know that there are very great difficulties, but quæ impossibilia sunt apud homines, possibilia sunt apud Deum, apud quem non est impossibile omne verbum. And, furthermore, the world will not end until the Gospel has been preached everywhere. Now Westward from the Hurons, even to the sea of China, are innumerable nations, quibus nondum est annunciatum Regnum Dei, hence it is necessary that the Gospel one day reach thither; even though all these missions should cease for a time; God knows how. Non est nostrum nosse tempora, vel momenta, quæ pater posuit in sua potestate,- but, indeed, to beseech him that Adveniat regnum suum as soon as possible; and that he be glorified by every people and nation, until fiat unum ovile, et unus pastor, et omnes labio unum laudemus viventem in sæcula sæculorum. As it is, there still remain in Canadà about 30 Fathers for various missions, both stationary and itinerant, at Tadusak, toward the English, among the Atticamegues, etc.,— besides the College of Kebek and the Residences at Sylleri, three rivers, and Montreal, mentioned at the beginning, the history of which has been written every year in French. The whole would have been made clearer with the map which I was hoping to add here, but it is not ready. Those who shall desire it can have it a little while later, in separate form, with pictures of the Barbarians and their cruelties. LAUS DEO. percossi da tutti tre i flagelli; imperoche subito, chi i ghiacci cominciorno à liquefarsi, e la terra à scoprirsi, i nostri moribõdi vscirono dall' Isola, nella quale erano assediati dalla fame, per cercarui rimedio nell'acqua cô qualche forte di pesca. Ma doue pensauano di ritrouar la vita, vi riceuerno, è la schiauitudine, o la morte, e per no morir di fame, molti morirono di fuoco, presi da nemici, che gl' inuestiuano da per tutto, maffime di notte senz' alcuna resistenza, efsēdo i nostri Huroni diuisi in varie truppe per neceffità, e carichi di donne, e fanciulli, che non feruiuan non per augumentar lo spauento, e la confusione. Venne di più nuoua di due truppe nemiche, che veniuano, vna per dar il guasto à i capi, l' altra alla gēte. Due de più antichi Capitani věnero à trouarci in segreto, e tennero al Superiore con alcuni altri Padri, questo discorso. Fratello, i tuoi occhi t' ingånano, mentre ci riguardi. Tu pens veder' huomini viui, e noi non famo altro, che spettri, & anime de morti. Questa Terra, che calchi non è ferma, s' aprirà quanto prima per ingoiarci, e metterci trà morti, trà quali perd già ci contiamo. Questa notte in un conseglio segreto s' è risoluto ď abbandonarla prima, che si apra. Gli uni si ritirano ne' boschi, stimãdo fi più scuri trà le fiere, ch' esposti all'Hirochefe; altri se ne vanno à 6. giornate verso il Settentr. sù è scogli del mar dolce in compagnia degli Algonchini; altri alla nuoua Suetra 500. miglia distâte; altri dicono publicamente, che vogliono menar le lor mogli, e figli, loro stessi al paese de' nemici, doue trouarāno vna grå parte de lor parêti prigioni, i quali gli efortano alla had been besieged by hunger, in order to seek for its relief, in the water there, certain kinds of fish. But, where they thought to recover life, they received there either slavery or death; and, instead of dying by hunger, many died by fire. These were seized by the enemies, who were surrounding them on all sides, especially at night, without any resistance, our Hurons being divided into several bands, from necessity; and burdened with women and children, who served only to augment the terror and the confusion. Moreover, there came news of two hostile bands that were on their way to make havoc, one with the fields, the other with the people. Two of the eldest Captains came to find us, in secret; and to the Superior, in company with certain other Fathers, they made the following speech: Brother, thine eyes deceive thee when thou lookest at us; Thou thinkest that thou seest living men, and we are nothing but ghosts, and souls of the dead. This Land which thou treadest is not solid; it will open very soon to swallow us, and to put us among the dead, among whom we therefore already reckon ourselves. This night, in a secret council, it has been resolved to abandon it before it opens. Some retreat to the woods, accounting themselves more secure among the wild beasts than when exposed to the Hiroquois; others are going away, 6 days' journey toward the North, upon the rocks of the fresh-water sea, in company with the Algonquins; others to new Sweden, 500 miles distant. Still others openly say that they themselves will take their wives and children to the country of the enemies, where they will find many of their captive kinsmen, who exhort them to flight unless they will utterly perish. And what wilt thou do alone, forsaken by all, in this Island ? Hast thou come here for the cultivation of |