leur dit, Adieu mes Camarades, Adieu mes compagnõs, il faut partir, ie vous demande pardon, ie vous crie mercy à tous, ie suis bien marry d'auoir si mal vescu; mais i'espere que Dieu me fera misericorde, mon Dieu ayez pitié de moy. Proferant ces paroles il expira. [19] Qu'on mette la maladie tant qu'on voudra au rang des mal heurs de ceste vie, ie tiens celle qui a emporté ces ieunes gens, pour l'vne des plus signalées faueurs, qu'ils ayent iamais receu de la main de Dieu. Pour conclusion la santé est maintenant par toutes nos habitations, mais non pas encore la saincteté. [15] Besides this, some of us are making an arduous and thorough study of the language, an occupation which will some day be so much the more useful as it is now difficult. We also visit the Savages, and through our stammerings try to cast into their souls some little grain of Gospel seed, which will ripen in its time, God willing. These are our more ordinary occupations, besides the observances of Religion, which must never be omitted. In regard to our French people, they are occupied in fortifying, in building, in clearing and cultivating the land. However, I do not pretend to describe all that takes place in this country, but only that which concerns the welfare of the faith and of Religion. This last winter, the land disease, or scurvy, appeared in the new settlement of the three Rivers, where Father Buteux [16] and I had gone; and this gave us a new occupation, which was mixed with joy and sadness. On the one hand, we were grieved to see almost all our poor Countrymen suffer, and to see some of them die; on the other, we rejoiced to see the altogether admirable effects of the grace of our Lord within their souls. A great many of the sick men never cared to ask God to restore their health, saying these words with great resignation: "He is our Father; he knows better than we what is good for us; leave it all to him, his holy will be done." I believe there was only one of those who passed to the other life, who did not make a general confession before his death. As I was very anxious that one of them, since he was a young man of very good morals, should be restored [17] to health, I advised him to make a vow to the glorious Patriarch St. Joseph, to grant him deliverance from the disease. "I will obey you," he replied; "but, if you leave me free to act as I please, I will merely pray the good St. Joseph to obtain for me from our Lord the grace to carry out his most holy will." Another time, a young man, very strong and robust, walking about in the room of the sick, asked them what they would give to enjoy such vigorous health as his; one of them answered, very piously, "I would not even turn my head aside to enjoy all the health in the world, so readily as I would acquiesce in the good pleasure of God." This answer showed how powerfully