to the cultivation of the people of their quarter, with whom, as we have said, each one is charged. But they did not perceive that, while they observe the mandate of charity, the mercy of God overlooks the order of their thoughts and industry, and itself advances their task which they considered so greatly retarded.

Two months or thereabout, then, after the arrival of these poor strangers, the number of their sick beginning to diminish, our laborers had more time and leisure to visit the fields that they had sown in the past. And lo! they immediately perceived, contrary to all their expectations, the greater part of it all ready for harvest, finding the minds of many of those whom they had cultivated in the past fully satisfied with and convinced of the truths of the Faith, and desiring nothing else than to be baptized as soon as possible.

[42] Their fervor went so far that we found ourselves obliged to deliberate whether we should put them off until the times that the Church seems to appoint for the Baptism of Catechumens, namely, Easter and Pentecost; but both were too far away. Upon careful consideration, it was decided to open the door, in this beginning, to all those who should present themselves, according as they were found to be qualified therefor; since it was a question of a new Church, which it was necessary to think of bringing into existence before applying ourselves to give it perfection. But nevertheless it was necessary to proceed with much reserve in this matter, and always to remember that we had to do with Savages, for whose dissimulation and fickleness there would seem to be no comparison.

C'est ce qui nous fit conclure, de n'en receuoir au commencement, que fort peu, & des Anciens & plus confiderables des Chefs de familles, & perfonnes mariées auec stabilité. Crainte que fi nous en admettions d'autres, fans vne plus grande experience, les fondemens venans à crouler, nous ne viffions bientoft tout l'edifice [43] à bas, & fa ruine totale auparauant fon establiffement, & le fepu[1]chre de ceste nouuelle Eglife dans fon berceau.

Ayant donc l'œil à toutes ces circonftances, & fur ce que la diuine Prouidence nous prefentoit, on donna iour à la fefte de S. Martin à trois chefs de famille des plus anciens, & plus confiderables du Bourg. Donc l'vn fut baptifé auec fa femme, & trois de fes enfants. Des deux autres l'vn eftoit veuf & fans enfants qui fuffent petits; l'autre ne iugea pas que fa femme fuft encore capable de ce bien, comme en effect elle ne l'eftoit pas.

Enuiron vn mois apres, fçauoir à la Fefte de la Conception de la faincte Vierge, fe firent les feconds baptefmes de feize perfonnes: entre lefquels eftoient trois ou quatre chefs de familles, auec leurs femmes & enfans; ce qui joint auec les precedens, en la famille de Iofeph Chihɣatenh8a, celuy dont a esté parlé amplement en la derniere relation, faisant vne compagnie d'vne trentaine de perfonnes, qui affifterent ensemble ce iour là à la faincte Meffe pour la premiere fois, où fe communierent tous ceux qui estoient en aage de le faire; il femble que nous auons tout [44] fubiect de recognoiftre, & de remarquer ce fainct iour, destiné à la memoire & à l'honneur de la premiere grandeur de cefte faincte Vierge; pour celuy de la Naiffance de ceste nouuelle Eglife, & du com

This made us conclude to receive at first only a very few,—some Old Men, and the more prominent Heads of families, and persons whose marriages were stable, fearing that, if we admitted others without. more experience, the foundations would begin to crumble, and we would soon see the whole edifice: [43] prostrated, its total ruin before its establishment, and the grave of this new Church in its cradle.

Having in view, then, all these circumstances, and what divine Providence offered us, we devoted a day, on the feast of St. Martin, to three heads of families, among the oldest and most prominent of the Village. One was baptized, then, with his wife and three of his children. Of the two others, the one was a widower and without small children, the other did not think his wife was yet capable of receiving this blessing, as, in fact, she was not.

About a month later, namely, on the Feast of the Conception of the blessed Virgin, occurred the second group of baptisms, of sixteen persons, among whom were three or four heads of families, with their wives and children, who, added to the previous baptisms in the family of Joseph Chihwatenhwa, of whom we spoke fully in the last relation, make a company of thirty persons, who together attended the holy Mass that day for the first time, where all those who were of an age to do so received communion. It seems that we have every [44] reason to acknowledge and to observe this holy day, devoted to the memory and to the honor of the first dignity of this holy Virgin, as that of the Birth of this new Church, and of the beginning of happiness and blessing for this country. We are certainly right in believing that she to

mencement du bon-heur & de la benediction du païs.

Nous auons bien raison de croire, que celle en l'hōneur de laquelle est consacrée ceste Feste, a mis la main à cet ouurage, & l'a conduit depuis, au point que nous dirons cy-apres, & que nous voyons de nos yeux, auec vne confolation, qui ne se peut expliquer.

Il y eut trois ans à ce mesme iour, que le vœu fut fait par nos Peres, pour obtenir la faueur de ceste grand Princeffe, en l'eftabliffement du Chriftianifme en ces contrées de ieufner la veille de ceste Feste, & de dire tous les mois vne Meffe, en l'honneur de ceste fienne premiere grandeur: & en outre que la premiere Chappelle que nous bastirions dans le païs, feroit en fon honneur, & fous le titre de fa faincte Conception. Cefte Chapelle a efté celle dans laquelle se font faits ces premiers Baptefmes, dans laquelle nous auons veu l'effect [45] que nous pretendions, deuant que d'eftre parfaictement deschargez de l'obligation de ce que nous auions promis, puis que la Chappelle n'eftoit encore acheuée iufqu'au point, qu'on y peuft dire la Meffe auec bien seance, & ne sembloit estre capable que d'y faire les Baptefmes, qui en effect y furent faits.

Que loüange donc & action de graces foient à iamais rendues à ceste grande Reyne du Ciel, & de la terre, par tous ceux qui ont & auront cy-apres interest à cét ouurage, & quant aux perfonnes qui ont vne pieuse & faincte affection pour cette entreprise, elle nous obligeront grandement de nous ayder à remercier ceste faincte Vierge de tant de graces que nous auons receu, & receuons continuellement de fa faueur & affiftance, laquelle nous fait efperer que son sacré Fils noftre tres-honoré Seigneur & Maistre, qui feul pouuoir mettre le fondement de cét edifice, aura agre

whose honor this Feast is consecrated has put her hand to this work, and has since conducted it to the point that we shall mention hereafter, and which we see with our own eyes, with a consolation which cannot be expressed.

It was three years before, on this same day, that our Fathers had made the vow, in order to obtain the favor of this great Princess in the establishment of Christianity in these countries, to fast on the eve of this Feast, and to say a Mass every month in honor of this her first dignity; and also, that the first Chapel we should build in the country should be in her honor, and under the title of her holy Conception. This Chapel is the one in which these first Baptisms took place; in this we saw the result [45] that we desired, even before we were entirely released from the obligations of our vow-since the Chapel was not yet finished so far that we could conveniently say Mass therein, and seemed fit only for the Baptisms, which were, in fact, administered there.

Let, then, praise and thanksgivings be forever rendered to this great Queen of Heaven and of earth, by all those who have and shall hereafter have an interest in this work; and as for persons who have a pious and holy affection for this enterprise, they will oblige us greatly by helping us thank this blessed Virgin for the many gifts we have received and are continually receiving through her favor and assistance, which makes us hope that her divine Son, our most honored Lord and Master, who alone can lay the foundation of this edifice, will be pleased to continue his blessing upon it and to bring it to the summit and height of its perfection.

Since that day we have continued at intervals to

.