Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Laval, François de, 1623-1708
The king had the greatest desire for the future reign of harmony in the
colony; accordingly he enjoined upon M. de Meulles to use every effort
to agree with the governor-general: "If the latter should fail in his
duty to the sovereign, the commissioner should content himself with a
remonstrance and allow him to act further without disturbing him, but as
soon as possible afterwards should render an account to the king's
council of what might be prejudicial to the good of the state." Mgr. de
Laval, to whom the prince had written in the same tenor, replied at
once: "The honour which your Majesty has done me in writing to me that
M. de Meulles has orders to preserve here a perfect understanding with
me in all things, and to give me all the aid in his power, is so evident
a mark of the affection which your Majesty cherishes for this new Church
and for the bishop who governs it, that I feel obliged to assure your
Majesty of my most humble gratitude. As I do not doubt that this new
commissioner whom you have chosen will fulfil with pleasure your
commands, I may also assure your Majesty that on my part I shall
correspond with him in the fulfilment of my duty, and that I shall all
my life consider it my greatest joy to enter into the intentions of your
Majesty for the general good of this country, which constitutes a part
of your dominions." Concord thus advised could not displease a pastor
who loved nothing so much as union and harmony among all who held the
reins of power, a pastor who had succeeded in making his Church a family
so united that it was quoted once as a model in one of the pulpits of
Paris. If he sometimes strove against the powerful of this earth, it was
when it was a question of combating injustice or some abuse prejudicial
to the welfare of his flock. "Although by his superior intelligence,"
says Latour, "by his experience, his labours, his virtues, his birth
and his dignity, he was an oracle whose views the whole clergy
respected, no one ever more distrusted himself, or asked with more
humility, or followed with more docility the counsel of his inferiors
and disciples.... He was less a superior than a colleague, who sought
the right with them and sought it only for its own sake. Accordingly,
never was prelate better obeyed or better seconded than Mgr. de Laval,
because, far from having that professional jealousy which desires to do
everything itself, which dreads merit and enjoys only despotism, never
did prelate evince more appreciative confidence in his inferiors, or
seek more earnestly to give zeal and talent their dues, or have less
desire to command, or did, in fact, command less." The new governor
brought from France strong prejudices against the bishop; he lost them
very quickly, and he wrote to the minister, the Marquis de Seignelay:
"We have greatly laboured, the bishop and I, in the establishment of the
parishes of this country. I send you the arrangement which we have
arrived at concerning them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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