disposition towards the Faith. On the way we baptized two sick persons whom we believe to be now in Heaven. We remained away seven days, during which we instructed the whole family in all the important points of the Christian Religion. Louys served us in this as interpreter, as he is well acquainted with our mysteries, and explains them with enthusiasm. They all approved and enjoyed greatly the Christian truths; and, far from judging any of the commandments of God difficult, they even found them easy. Conjugal continence, and the indissolubility of marriage, seemed to them the most serious obstacles in the progress of the Gospel; and indeed this will be, among other things, a stumbling-block. However, they said that, in view of a life of eternal happiness or of eternal misery, nothing [43] ought to seem difficult. "And then," said Louys's father, "if you said that we must pass two, three, or more days without eating, we might find that a hardship; but there is none in all the rest." He said that the French who had been here had never spoken to them of God, but had been as much addicted as they to run after and dally with the women. Moreover he urged Father Pijart, who was with me, to learn the language quickly, that he might settle in their village, and be there the Superior of a house.

On this visit I noticed two or three things. Louys's father, hearing that it was necessary to learn the sign of the Cross, the Pater, the Ave, and the Apostles' Creed, said that all that was a small matter, and that he would have little intelligence if he could not learn it; that, having gone to various Nations, he had sometimes been entrusted with more than twenty different kinds of business, and that on his return he

fort à apprendre le figne de la Croix. C'est merueille combien les hommes font prompts [44] & éueillez aux affaires du monde, eftans hebetez en celles de Dieu.

I'eus du plaifir à oüir Louys expliquant nos Mysteres à fes parens, il le faifoit auec grace, & monftroit qu'il les comprenoit & poffedoit tres-bien; Ah que ie fouhaitterois parler en Huron auffi bien que luy, car il eft vray qu'en comparaifon ie ne fais que begayer, & cependant la façon de dire donne toute vne autre face. Comme i'eus mis en auant l'embrafement des cinq villes abominables, & la preferuation de Loth & de fa famille, pour monftrer comme Dieu chaftie feuerement dés cefte vie les mefchans & les vilains, & comme il fauue les bons, Louys en tira cefte confequence pour fes parents, que s'ils feruoient fidelement Dieu, leur Cabane ne bruleroit pas, quand bien tout le village feroit embrafé.

Parauanture trouuera-on ces chofes trop baffes pour eftre efcrites; mais quoy? Cùm eram paruulus, loquebar vt paruulus, fapiebam vt paruulus; cùm autem factus ero vir, euacuabo quæ erant paruuli. Quand ceste Eglife fera creuë, elle produira d'autres fruits, on escrira peut-estre vn iour les grandes aumofnes, les ieufnes, les mortifications, la patiẽce admirable, voire les martyres des Hurons [45] Chreftiens: Maintenant qu'ils ne font encor qu'au berceau, on ne doit attendre que des begayemens d'enfans; & partant ie continueray dans le recit de ces petites chofes, qui feront, Dieu aydant, la femence de plus grandes.

Expofant aux parens de Louys le commandement de ne point defrober, & difant qu'en France on faifoit mourir les larrons, fon pere demanda fi deuenant Capi

had reported them all faithfully; and consequently he could very soon learn and remember the little we asked. Yet this intelligent man had to work hard to learn the sign of the Cross. It is wonderful how prompt [44] and wide awake men are in worldly affairs, and how dull they are in Spiritual things.

I took pleasure in hearing Louys explain our Mysteries to his relatives; he did it with grace, and showed that he had understood them and made them his own. Ah! how I wish I could speak Huron as well as he does, for indeed in comparison with him I only stutter; and yet the way of saying a thing gives it an entirely different meaning. When I brought forward the burning of the five wicked cities, and the preservation of Lot and his family, to show how God chastises severely even in this life the wicked and vile, and how he saves the good, Louys drew the conclusion from it for his relatives that, if they served God faithfully, their Cabin would not be burned even if all the village were afire.

Perhaps some one will think these things too trifling to be written; but why? Cùm eram parvulus, loquebar ut parvulus, sapiebam ut parvulus; cùm autem factus ero vir, evacuabo quæ erant parvuli. When this Church shall attain its growth, it will produce other fruits. Some day, perhaps, will be told the great alms, the fasts, the mortifications, the admirable patience, even the martyrdoms of the Huron [45] Christians. Now that they are yet in their cradle, we ought to expect only the stammerings of children; and so I shall continue the recital of these little things which shall be, with God's aid, the seed of greater.

In explaining to Louys's relatives the commandment not to steal, and mentioning that in France thieves

taine il les feroit auffi mourir? Et Louys luy repartit, que le Pays feroit bien toft dépeuplé, car il faudroit tout tuer; vn Huron & vn larron eftant presque la mefme chose. Tandis que nous eftions icy nous. fifmes obferuer le premier Vendredy & le premier Samedy qui ayt esté iamais obferué par les Hurons. Dés le Ieudy ils porterent ailleurs le refte de leur fagamité, & de leur viande, & le Vendredy & Samedy ayans efté inuitez au feftin, ils difoient que fi on leur donnoit de la viande ils la garderoient pour le Dimanche; & de fait nous auons veu vne fois en noftre village le pere de Louys refuser en vn festin le Vendredy, vn morceau de chair qu'on luy presentoit, ne faisant pas neantmoins de scrupule de mãger du sagamité où on l'auoit cuit. Ce nouueau [46] profelyte n'en fçauoit pas dauantage. Nous les laissasmes en bonne difpofition & bonne volonté, & ce fut tout; le fruict n'eft pas encor meur.

- Le quinziefme d'Octobre nous allasmes au village d'enrio vifiter quelques malades, où noftre Seigneur nous ayda par le moyen d'vne ieune fille de noftre village qui s'y trouua, & desabusa si à propos vne pauure femme malade, fur la crain[d]re qu'elle auoit que le Baptefme ne luy aduançast ses iours, qu'elle fe rendit enfin, & vne autre auec elle.

Le premier de Nouembre voyant vne femme grosse aux abois de la mort, nous fifmes vn vœu à fainct Iofeph, au cas qu'elle guerift, & que l'enfant fust baptifé, auffi toft elle commença à se bien porter, & quelque temps apres accoucha d'vne fille, laquelle par le Baptefme a efté mife au rang des enfans de Dieu.

Le huictiefme de Decembre nous celebrafmes auec

were put to death, his father asked him if, when he became Captain, he would also put them to death. Louys replied that in that case the Country would very soon be depopulated, as it would be necessary to kill every one,-a Huron and a thief being almost the same. While we were here, we made them keep the first Friday and the first Saturday that had ever been observed by the Hurons. From Thursday they laid aside the remainder of their sagamité and their meat; and on Friday and Saturday, having been invited to a feast, they said that if meat were given to them they would keep it until Sunday; and, indeed, once in our village we saw Louys's father refuse, at a feast given on Friday, a piece of meat that was offered him, but not scrupling to eat some of the sagamité with which it had been cooked. This new [46] proselyte knew no better. We left them kindly disposed and well-intentioned, and that was all; the fruit is not yet ripe.

On the fifteenth of October, we went to the village of Wenrio, to visit some sick people, in which our Lord helped us by means of a young girl of our village who was there, and who so opportunely dispelled the fear of a poor sick woman that Baptism would shorten her life, that she at last gave way, and another with her.

On the first of November, seeing a woman with child at the point of death, we made a vow to saint Joseph that, in case she recovered, the child should be baptized. Immediately she began to improve, and some time afterward gave birth to a daughter, who by Baptism has been brought within the ranks of the children of God.

On the eighth of December, we celebrated with all