The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 3: Acadia, 1611-1616
History
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 3: Acadia, 1611-1616
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Indians of North America -- Canada; Jesuits -- Missions; Jesuits -- North America
There were, as Your Paternity knows, only four [3] of our
society in New France in the last year, 1613. Then, too, we first
began to build in a convenient place a new settlement, a new
colony, etc. But most unexpectedly, by some hazard or other (for a
hazard it certainly was, and not a premeditated plan), some English
from Virginia were driven upon our shores, who attacked our ship
with the utmost fury, at a time when nearly all its defenders were
occupied on land. Resistance was nevertheless made for a time,
but we were soon obliged to surrender. In the struggle, two of
the French were killed, four were wounded; and, in addition, our
brother Gilbert Duthet received [4] a mortal wound. He made a most
Christian end, the following day, under my ministration.
Capta navi et rebus [=oi]bus [omnibus] direptis; multum nobis fuit,
nobis inquam sacerdotibus et jesuitis, non occidi. Verum et hoc ipsum
non occidi, si solum fuisset, omni nace [_sc._ nece] atrocius erat. Nam
quid sane ageremus in locis omnino desertis et incultis rerum omnium
nudi et egentes? Sylvatici quidem ad nos clam et de nocte ventitabant,
infortunium nostrum complorabant, quæ poterant pollicebantur et magno
certe animo et fideli. [5] Verum ea erat locorum rerumque conditio ut
nusquam nisi mors, aut calamitosior morte miseria occurreret. Et eramus
omnino triginta in his angustiis. Una res molliores reddebat Anglos,
quod videlicet una e nostris scapha ipsis nequicquam obversantibus
evaserat; hanc quia foro [_sc._ fore] testem nostræ oppressionis non
dubitabant, vitæ nostræ parcere cogebantur. Timebant enim talionem et
regem nostrum. Ergo tandem (magnum scilicet beneficium) nobis triginta
qui supereramus unam aiunt [6] sese velle scapham relinquere quo per
eam circumeamus oram maritimam si quam forte navem gallicam reperiamus
quæ nos in patriam revehat. Demonstratum est in eam scapham plures quam
quindecim ingredi non posse. Verum aliud nihil obtineri potuit, nec de
nostris quidem navigiis. Ne morere [_sc._ morer] in hac difficultate
sibi quisque ut potuit consuluit: P. Enemundus Massæus in eam quam dixi
scapham ingressus est cum aliis quatuordecim; eique favit Deus uti jam
Vestra Paternitas cognovit. [7] Ego ducem anglum adii obtinuique pro me
et P. Jacobo Quentino socio meo, itemque pro Joanne Dixon qui admissus
erat in societatem et servo item uno ut deveheremur ad insulas vicinas
in quibus Angli piscari solent, inibique ut Angli[s] illis piscatoribus
commendaremur. Quo per eos in Angliam delati inde, quod facile est,
in Galliam rediremus. Obtinui hoc quidem inquam verbis, sed verbis
fides non fuit. Nos enim una cum reliquis gallis qui restabamus in
universum quindecim detulerunt [8] ipsi recta in suam Virginiam longe
ab eo loco in quo capti fueramus leucis facile ducentis quinquaginta.
At in Virginia novum periculum. Etenim qui ibi præest suspendi nos
omnes volebat, sed in primis jesuitas. Sed restitit is qui nos ceperat
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