Now, that the judgments of God may be feared as much as his mercies are loved, I shall here record the death of a Frenchman, in which God has shown his justice as much as he has given us evidence of his mercy, in the death of Membertou. This man had often escaped drowning, and only recently upon the blessed day of last Pentecost. He showed but little gratitude for this favor. Not to make the story too long, the evening before St. Peter's and St. Paul's day, as they were discoursing upon the perils of the sea, and upon the vows made to the Saints in similar dangers, this wretch began impudently to laugh and to sneer, jeering at those of the company who were said to have been religious upon such occasions. He soon had his reward. The next morning a gust of wind carried him, and him only, out of the boat into the waves, and he was never seen again. Mais laissons l'eau et venons à la rive. Si la terre de cette nouvelle France avoit aucun sentiment, ainsy que les Poëtes feignent de leur deesse Tellus, sans doubte elle eust eu un ressentiment bien nouveau de liesse cette année; car, Dieu mercy, ayans eu fort heureuses moissons de ce peu qui avoit esté labouré du recueilly nous avons faict des hosties, et nous les avons offertes à Dieu. Ce sont, comme nous [58] croyons, les premieres hosties qui ayent esté faites du froment de ce terroir. Notre Seigneur par sa bonté les aye voulu recevoir en odeur de suavité, et, comme dict le Psalmiste, _veuille donner benignité, puisque la terre luy a rendu son fruict_. But let us leave the water and come on shore. If the ground of this new France had feeling, as the Poets pretend their goddess Tellus had, doubtless it would have experienced an altogether novel sensation of joy this year, for, thank God, having had very successful crops from the little that was tilled, we made from the harvest some hosts [wafers for consecration] and offered them to God. These are, as we [58] believe, the first hosts which have been made from the wheat of these lands. May Our Lord, in his goodness, have consented to receive them as fragrant offerings and in the words of the Psalmist, _may he give graciously, since the earth has yielded him its fruits_. C'est assés demeuré à la maison; sortons un peu dehors, comme nous avons promis de faire, et racontons ce qui s'est passé par le pays. We have stayed at home long enough; let us go abroad a little, as we promised to do, and relate what has taken place in the country.