new [121] Brides, whom we purpose to offer to him who has shed his divine blood to give them being and life, and who has sent us here to gather the fruits thereof. This gentle severity which we have exercised towards these poor slaves of Satan has served not a little to raise the value of our mysteries and of Christianity in the minds of all those who had any knowledge of them; and it has begun to disabuse them of the belief that many have, that, when we desire and urge them to become Christians, and to make such profession, it is our interest and our business, not theirs, and that there is no profit therein for them.

After all, I do not know whether we have more reason to complain of and deplore these disasters than to rejoice over them, and to thank God for the light and courage he has given to some of this little band,- for there is not one of these three Churches in which are not found Christians, in whose practice, it would seem, nothing purer or more complete could be desired, combined with a tenderness of conscience, and a cordial recourse to confession, which were never natural to a [122] Savage. What we have said in the preceding Chapters will suffice for this one. It is a leaven that the Holy Ghost continues to form and preserve, which will, in its time, be of service and have good results, as we hope and promise ourselves from the merciful goodness of God.

I have said nothing here, to avoid tediousness, of the difficulty these Barbarians have in abstaining from work on Sundays,-these tribes living only from hand to mouth, and finding it hard to do otherwise. Neither have I spoken of the trouble they have in observing Lent,- which always comes in the

Ie n'ay rien dit icy, pour éuiter la longueur, de la difficulté que ces Barbares ont de chommer les Dimanches: ces peuples ne viuans qu'au iour la iournée, & y ayant de la peine à le faire autrement. Ie n'ay point auffi parlé de la peine qu'il y a de garder le Carefme, qui se trouue toufiours en la saison, dans laquelle est le retour de leur chaffe; & par consequent l'vnique temps de l'année auquel ils ont quelque peu de chair; non plus que de tout plein d autres difficultez qui fe rencontrent en l'eftabliffement de ces nouuelles Eglifes; dont l'vne des plus confiderables est l'instabilité de leurs mariages; ce font difficultez qui fe conceuront aysement, & mieux peut-estre que ie ne les pourrois expliquer: Venons à la principale de toutes leurs difficultez, où pour mieux dire à la fource de tous leurs mal-heurs.

season when they return from the chase, and consequently is the only time of the year when they have a little meat,—any more than of many other difficulties which are encountered in the establishment of these new Churches, one of the most important of which is the instability of their marriages. These are difficulties which will be easily imagined, and perhaps better than I could explain them. Let us come to the chief of all their difficulties,— or, to express it better, to the source of all their misfortunes.

[123] CHAP. DERNIER.

DU REGNE DE SATAN EN CES CONTRÉES.

ET DES

DIUERSES SUPERSTITIONS QUI S'Y TROUUENT INTRODUITES & ESTABLIES, COMME PREMIERS

PRINCIPES & LOIX FONDAMENTALES

DE L'ESTAT & CONSERUA

TION DE CES PEUPLES.

E n'entreprends pas de traiter ceste affaire à fonds. Quiconque l'entreprendroit, fe trouueroit à mon iugement plus empesché que ne fust iamais Hercule à efcurer les eftables d'Augée.

Ce que ie pretends, n'eft autre chofe que de parcourir quelques actions particulieres qui se sont paffées cet hyuer au feul bourg de la Residence de la Conception, où i'ay fait ma principale demeure, dans lefquelles nous nous fommes trouuez obligez d'examiner les tenants & aboutiffants de ces miferes, en confideration de nos Chreftiens, à la confcience defquels nous estions obligez de pouruoir.

Iettans les yeux fur les couftumes & façons [124] de faire de ces peuples, elles nous auoient toufiours bien paru, comme de vieilles mares puantes, toutefois nous n'en auions quafi veu par le paffé, que le deffus. Mais depuis qu'à l'occafion de nos Chrestiens, il nous a fallu foüiller dedans, & remuer ce cloaque, il n'est pas croyable combien on y a trouué de puanteur & de mifere.

Vn vieillard de ce bourg nommé Taorhenché,

[123] CHAP. THE LAST.

OF THE REIGN OF SATAN IN THESE COUNTRIES; AND OF THE VARIOUS SUPERSTITIONS INTRODUCED AND ESTABLISHED THEREIN, AS THE FIRST PRINCIPLES AND FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF

THE CONDITION AND PRESERVA

TION OF THESE PEOPLES.

Do not undertake to treat this subject exhaustively, whoever should undertake this would, in my opinion, find himself before a greater task than ever had Hercules in cleansing the Augean stables.

What I do intend to do is merely to survey briefly some special incidents that have occurred this winter,- only in this village of the Residence of la Conception, where I have made my principal abode,—in which we have found ourselves obliged to examine the circumstances and details of these calamities, in behalf of our Christians, for whose consciences we are obliged to provide.

Casting our eyes over the customs and practices [124] of these peoples, they had always appeared to us like stagnant, ill-smelling pools; yet we had hardly seen, in the past, more than the surface. But since we have been obliged, on account of our Christians, to search within, and remove this sewer, it cannot be believed what a stench and what wretchedness we have found there.

An old man of this village, named Taorhenché,