[35] CHAPTER VI.

OF THE EXCELLENT INCLINATIONS OF AN ALGONQUIN

I

CATECHUMEN.

AM not pleased with those who have believed that in the mind of the Savages one did not observe any little ray of light or knowledge touching the Divinity. I have previously written against this error; behold two examples which oppose it. A woman told us not long ago that, being sick, the thought occurred to her that there must be some one who could cure her; she invokes him, she recovers her health. "Some time after that," said she, "I went down to Kebec; I heard you speak of God and of his Omnipotence; I immediately began to say in my heart, 'This is he to whom I have prayed, and who has cured me.' I did not know his name, I did not understand him; I must listen to what is said of him, in order to believe in him."

This young man of whom I am about to speak, having been delivered from a sickness that had taken off many others, philosophized in this way: "There must certainly be in the Universe some powerful spirit which has preserved me; for I have done nothing for my recovery more than the others, and yet my body is not made of a different material. I would gladly know this benefactor."

Another time, being alone and contemplating his hand, he said: "It is not I who have formed this hand, or who stretched out these fingers; nor can

main, ny estědu ces doigts, cela ne peut estre [36] non plus attribué à mon pere ny à ma mere; car outre qu'ils n'auoient point de cognoiffance quãd ma main fe formoit, ils ne fçauroient donner aucun mouuement à leur ouurage: ils ne fçauroient faire ny auiron, ny canot, ny autre manufacture qui s'ouure & fe ferme par vn mouuement fecret comme font mes doigts: fans doute il y a quelque grand ouurier qui fait ces merueilles: fuft-il ainfi que quelqu'vn m'en donnast la cognoiffance. Ie prie V. R. de croire que ie n'adioufte rien aux penfées de ce Sauuage. Nous fommes dignes de reproche d'en auoir perdu plusieurs femblables, pour ne les auoir marquées fur le papier.

Ce bon ieune homme estant dans cette difpofition, defcedit par cas fortuit vers nos demeures: car il est de l'Isle, nation fort efloignée des Francois. Nous ayant entendu parler du grand Architecte de l'Vniuers, fon cœur prend feu, il nous vient auffi-toft trouuer en particulier; le voila touché, plus on luy parle de Dieu, & plus il en veut oüir parler, il gouste à longs traicts cette eau facrée qui altere en rassasiant, il deuient importun, mais d'vne importunité qui nous eftoit fort agreable, on l'enseigne tous les iours deux fois, & apres vne groffe heure d'inftruction, il demandoit permiffion d'aller à la Chappelle, pour demander à Dieu la grace de retenir ce qu'on luy auoit enfeigné; au fortir de là, il fe retiroit pour l'ordinaire à l'efcart dans le bois pour ruminer à part foy ce qu'il auoit appris: retournant en fa cabane, il en faisoit part aux fiens auec vne ardente affection, accompagnée d'vne ancienne modeftie.

Quand il fe fentit fortifié dans la Foy, il fit vn [37]

this be [36] also attributed to my father or mother,for, besides that they did not know when my hand was formed, they cannot give any motion to their work; they cannot make a paddle, or a canoe, or any other piece of work which opens and closes itself by a secret impulse, as my fingers do. Without doubt there is some great workman who performs these wonders; if it be so, would that some one would give me a knowledge of him!" I beg Your Reverence to believe that I add nothing to the ideas of this Savage. We deserve to be reproached for having lost many others like these, because we did not note them down on paper.

This good young man, being in this state of mind, came down, by mere chance, to our dwellings; for he belongs to the Island Savages, a nation far distant from the French. Having heard us speak of the great Architect of the Universe, his heart takes fire, he comes to see us immediately in private; lo, he is touched. The more we talk to him of God, the more he wishes to hear about him; he drinks in long draughts this sacred water, which produces thirst in quenching it; he becomes importunate, but with an importunity that was very agreeable to us. Twice a day, he was taught; and after a long hour of instruction he asked permission to go to the Chapel, to ask God for the grace to retain what had been taught him. On leaving there, he usually retired to a lonely place in the woods, in order to meditate by himself upon what he had learned; returning to his cabin, he communicated it to his people with glowing enthusiasm, accompanied by a quaint modesty.

When he felt himself fortified in the Faith, he made a [37] feast to all the Savages who were in the

festin à tous les Sauuages qui estoiēt dans les cabanes voifines, pour leur décharger fon cœur: estant afsēblés, il leur dit: Mes chers cōpatriotes, ie vous ay fait venir pour vous declarer publiquemēt que dés ce moment ie quitte toutes les fottes couftumes de noftre nation, & pour preuue de mon dire, ie ne chanteray point, ie ne feray point les cris & les bruits que nous faifons à nos banquets, mais ie prieray Dieu & le beniray de ce qu'il nous a dõné ce que ie vous presēte à mãger de bõ cœur; Voiés si vous le voulés prier auec moy. A ces paroles les voila bien estōnés, ils baiffent les yeux, le fuiuent mot à mot dans les prieres qu'il prefenta à Dieu.

Voici vne autre preuue de fa foy; come nous luy faifions quelque prefent pour gagner plus fortement fon amitié, il le refusa, disant, qu'il ne croioit point pour tirer aucune vtilité des François; tous vos biens ne fauueront pas mon ame; c'eft la Foy feule que i'attends de vous; fi ie prenois quelque autre chose, ceux de ma nation s'imagineroiêt que ie ne croirois pas en Dieu, mais en vous autres. Ie fouhaitterois vne feule faueur, c'eft qu'on m'aidast à deuenir sedentaire, afin d'eftre aupres de vous pour entendre la parole de Dieu. On parle icy qu'on a desia bâty vne maiso prés de Kebec pour ce fujet. Mãdés, s'il vous plaist, au Pere qui en a la conduitte, qu'il me fera plaifir de m'accorder la mesme courtoifie qu'il pretend faire aux autres: mais faites luy bien entědre, qu'encore qu'il m'efconduise, ie ne laifferay pas de croire en Dieu. Ce n'eft pas luy qui a fait mon ame, & qui luy doit pardonner mes pechés: quãd il n'y auroit plus aucun de vous autres fur le païs, ie ne pourrois pas [38] quitter Dieu. Il nous a dit iuf

neighboring cabins, that he might unburden his heart to them. Being assembled, he said to them: "My dear countrymen, I have summoned you to declare to you publicly that from this moment I give up all the foolish customs of our nation; and, as a proof of what I say, I will sing no more, I will engage no more in those cries and noises that we make at our banquets, but I will pray to God and will bless him because he has given us what I freely present to you to eat; see if you wish to pray to him with me. At these words, behold them indeed astonished! They lower their eyes, and follow him word for word in the prayers he offered to God.

Here is another proof of his faith: Once when we gave him a present, to more completely gain his friendship, he refused it, saying that he did not believe in order to derive some benefit from the French. "All your possessions will not save my soul; it is the Faith alone that I expect from you; if I took anything else, the people of my nation would imagine that I did not believe in God, but in you people. I could desire only one favor; and that is that I might be aided to become sedentary, that I might dwell near you to hear the word of God. They are saying here that a house has already been built near Kebec for this purpose. Send word, if you please, to the Father who has charge of it, to do me the favor to grant me the same courtesy that he intends to show the others; but make him understand clearly that, although he refuse me, I will not cease to believe in God. It is not he who created my soul, and who must pardon my sins; if there were no longer any of you people in the country, I could not [38] abandon God." He even went so far as to say to us, "If all