The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 5: Quebec, 1632-1633
History
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 5: Quebec, 1632-1633
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Indians of North America -- Canada; Jesuits -- Missions; Jesuits -- North America
Le 15. du mesme nostre Sauuage nous vint trouuer, & nous dit qu'vn
de ses gendres auoit songé que nous luy donnassions aussi long que
la main de petum, ou tabac; Ie luy refusay, disant que ie ne donnois
rien pour les songes, & que ce n'estoit que folie, que ie leur
expliquerois comme ils se forment quand ie scaurois leur lãgue. Il me
repart que toutes les nations auoient quelque chose de particulier,
que si nos songes n'estoient pas vrays, si bien les leurs: [83] &
qu'ils mourroient s'ils ne les mettoient en execution. A ce conte nos
vies dépendẽt des songes d'vn Sauuage, car s'ils resuoiẽt qu'il nous
faut tuer, infailliblement ils nous tueroient, s'ils pouuoient. On m'a
dit qu'autrefois l'vn d'eux ayant songé que pour estre guery d'vne
maladie qui le trauailloit, il luy falloit tuer vn certain François,
il l'enuoye appeller. Entré qu'il fut en sa cabane, il luy disoit,
approche mon frere, ie te veux parler: sa femme qui scauoit le dessein
de son mary, dit au François qu'il se donnast bien garde d'approcher:
& de fait ce malade auoit mis vne hache à son costé pour l'assommer.
Voila l'vne des risques de nostre vie; cela ne m'estonne point, on peut
mourir pour Dieu en mourant par vn songe.
On the 15th of the same [month], our Savage came to see us, and
said that one of his sons-in-law had dreamed that we would give
him a piece of petun, or tobacco, as long as his hand. I refused
him, saying that I did not give anything on account of dreams;
that they were only folly, and that, when I knew his language, I
would explain to him how they originated. He replied to me that
all nations had something especially their own; that, if our
dreams were not true, theirs were; [83] and that they would die
if they did not execute them. According to this idea, our lives
depend upon the dreams of a Savage; because, if they dream that
they have to kill us, they will surely do it if they can. I am
told that, at another time, one of them had a dream that to be
cured of a disease, from which he was suffering, he must kill a
certain Frenchman; so he sent for him. When the Frenchman entered
his cabin, he said to him: "Come nearer, my brother, I want to talk
with you." His wife, who knew the designs of her husband, told the
Frenchman to be on his guard in going near him; and, in fact, the
sick man had placed an axe at hand, with which to kill him. This
shows one of the great risks that we run here; it does not frighten
me; we may die for God in dying because of a dream.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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