Letter 248

My very dear son,

I thought I would give you a summary of the news of this Church while you await a fuller account in the Relation. You know the Gospel workers have spread out through all the Iroquois nations where they were received as very important people. Fr. Pieron who has sole charge of the towns and villages of the Agniers has so won over the people that they regard him as the greatest genius in the world. He had great difficulty in getting through to them on account of the drink the English and Flemish give them. He took the liberty of writing fully to the English General, who has also power over the Dutch, to explain to him the damage done by this bad practice, that it offends God and destroys the Indians, body and soul. He has even invoked the authority of the King, saying that his majesty would never allow a people, subject to his authority, to be destroyed. The Governor took the advice kindly. With it came a request from the Iroquois elders, complaining that their young men were being killed and their families ruined by the drink. You can judge the extent to which the Fathers have won over the elders, that he has their support in a matter so delicate and so prejudicial to the Faith that he would not speak to the men as they were constantly drunk. If the General keeps his word as he has done so far it will remove a great obstacle to the instruction of these people.

As the Father has to fight against many vices he needs different ways of attacking them. Many people would not listen to the word of God and stopped their ears when he tried to instruct them. To overcome this obstacle he thought of a good plan to draw pictures, to let them see with their eyes what he was preaching by word. He teaches by day and at night he paints pictures as he is a rather good painter. He painted a picture of Hell, all full of horrible demons inflicting horrible punishments on Indians who were damned, all so horrible as to make you tremble. He painted an old Iroquois woman, stopping her ears in order not to hear the Jesuit who was trying to instruct her. She is surrounded by devils who are throwing fire into her ears and tormenting her body all over. Other vices are represented by suitable figures and presided over by demons who torment those guilty of such evils. He also made a picture of Heaven showing Angels carrying into Paradise the souls of those who died after baptism. These pictures are very effective. The Iroquois in this mission are so touched by them that they speak of nothing else in their councils and take good care not to stop their ears against instruction. They listen avidly to the Father and think him an extraordinary man. The neighbouring nations talk about these pictures and the other missionaries wish they had the like but everyone is not an artist. He has baptised a great number of persons. The Iroquois earnestly desire a French Colony to go and settle among them. Time will tell what will become of it. Besides the Agnier villages the other four Iroquois nations are under the care of the Jesuit Fathers. However there is a separate little town where two Sulpician Fathers spent the winter. The word of God is preached everywhere and the mission field is so vast that there aren’t half enough workers. More have been asked for from France and are expected when the ships come. All these good Fathers suffer great labours but are encouraged by the results and the fact that the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ is spreading throughout the world.

Revd. Fathers D’allouez and Nicholas have brought 600 Ottawas with a huge quantity of furs for the merchants. They are seeking to make peace with the Iroquois against whom they lately perpetrated a great act of hostility. To do this great act of charity to the nation the Fathers have travelled 500 leagues, but charity undertakes all and suffers all. They have also come to ask for missionaries because they have discovered great nations densely populated. Among them is one in particular that makes public profession of believing and embracing our Holy Faith. What makes it easy to convert these people is that they are not attached to polygamy. This nation is far beyond the Ottawas and there are others still at a greater distance. Fr. Claude Dablon has already set out to join those who are in the country and to take charge of the missions there that are going to be the most glorious in this America, both for the number of souls and the difficulty of the missions. Fr. D’Allouez visited me and I found him so changed by his great fatigue that I would hardly recognise him. With all that his fervour is so great that he has a burning desire to return to in his parish for fear that in his absence the devil would steal one of his flock. He is going back alone to this great mission and the others to theirs. Fr. Dablon, who has overall charge of the missions will stop at a place 300 leagues from here to give them the necessary help and encouragement. He is going to build here a central house where the missionaries can assemble when they need to consult together and get fresh supplies from Quebec. The Iroquois are interested in getting the work done so that the missionaries will come. A great many adults have been baptised in these missions but incomparably more children as well as the sick and dying.

At the same time as the Fathers set out, the Bishop has sent two Sulpicians from Montreal to some nations near the Ottawas. Their fervour is admirable but they need it all having to pass through dangerous places and rapids. The Abbe de Fenelon, having spent the winter with the Iroquois, visited us in Quebec. I asked him how he was able to live on sagament and water. He replied that he was so used to it and was so made that he didn’t find any difference between this diet and any other and he is about to leave and return to spend next winter with M. Trouvre whom he had left only to come to look for something to pay the Indians who had fed him. The zeal of those great servants of God is admirable. Two priests from the Bishop’s seminary have just set out to instruct all the people in the French settlements. It is a circuit of 200 leagues.

I will not end this matter of the missions without saying a word about our good Boquet who spends his time going and coming between the missions. They call him for fun, the Apostolic Courier, because since childhood he has devoted himself to the service of the missions. He does his job of courier with unparalleled generosity. He goes to the places where the Fathers are and is no sooner back than he begins his rounds again, making immense journeys amidst continual dangers. God gives him the strength for such fatigues. He takes no care of his life, always in danger of losing it by a blow of a hatchet. He is known to all the Indians who fear and esteem him because he knows their languages and is well able to answer them when they are insolent. He knows the ways perfectly, that’s why he shows the Fathers how to get to their missions, dragging their provisions and goods by a rope from his shoulders. When he reaches their destinations he doesn’t rest, he thinks of providing the Fathers with their necessities. He fishes for them, dries and smokes the fish to season their sagamite. They call him the Apostolic Courier, I name him the Evangelical Visitor because he goes from mission to mission to visit those spreading the Gospel and does as I have said. He brings us news of them and brings their news to us. He is back now for a week and tells that our Fathers are in good health, that they are gathering great fruit, each one in his own area and have baptised many Indians. Letters from the Fathers confirm this. I will write you by another sailing the rest of the news of the country.

From Quebec. 1 Sept. 1669.
p. 316-318.