The Jesuits in North America in the Seventeenth Century Part 18

The island of Montreal belonged to Lauson, former president of the great company of the Hundred a.s.sociates; and, as we have seen, his son had a monopoly of fishing in the St. Lawrence. Dauversiere and Fancamp, after much diplomacy, succeeded in persuading the elder Lauson to transfer his t.i.tle to them; and, as there was a defect in it, they also obtained a grant of the island from the Hundred a.s.sociates, its original owners, who, however, reserved to themselves its western extremity as a site for a fort and storehouses. [ 1 ] At the same time, the younger Lauson granted them a right of fishery within two leagues of the sh.o.r.es of the island, for which they were to make a yearly acknowledgment of ten pounds of fish. A confirmation of these grants was obtained from the King. Dauversiere and his companions were now _seigneurs_ of Montreal.

They were empowered to appoint a governor, and to establish courts, from which there was to be an appeal to the Supreme Court of Quebec, supposing such to exist. They were excluded from the fur-trade, and forbidden to build castles or forts other than such as were necessary for defence against the Indians.

[ Donation et Transport de la Concession de l'Isle de Montreal par M. Jean de Lauzon aux Sieurs Chevrier de Fouancant (Fancamp) et le Royer de la Doversiere, MS.

Concession d'une Partie de l'Isle de Montreal accordee par la Compagnie de la Nouvelle France aux Sieurs Chevrier et le Royer, MS.

Lettres de Ratification, MS.

Acte qui prouve que les Sieurs Chevrier de Fancamps et Royer de la Dauversiere n'ont stipule qu'au nom de la Compagnie de Montreal, MS.

From copies of other doc.u.ments before me, it appears that in 1659 the reserved portion of the island was also ceded to the Company of Montreal.

See also Edits, Ordonnances Royaux, etc., I. 20-26 (Quebec, 1854). ]

Their t.i.tle a.s.sured, they matured their plan. First they would send out forty men to take possession of Montreal, intrench themselves, and raise crops. Then they would build a house for the priests, and two convents for the nuns. Meanwhile, Olier was toiling at Vaugirard, on the outskirts of Paris, to inaugurate the seminary of priests, and Dauversiere at La Fleche, to form the community of hospital nuns.

How the school nuns were provided for we shall see hereafter. The colony, it will be observed, was for the convents, not the convents for the colony.

The a.s.sociates needed a soldier-governor to take charge of their forty men; and, directed as they supposed by Providence, they found one wholly to their mind. This was Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, a devout and valiant gentleman, who in long service among the heretics of Holland had kept his faith intact, and had held himself resolutely aloof from the license that surrounded him. He loved his profession of arms, and wished to consecrate his sword to the Church. Past all comparison, he is the manliest figure that appears in this group of zealots. The piety of the design, the miracles that inspired it, the adventure and the peril, all combined to charm him; and he eagerly embraced the enterprise.

His father opposed his purpose; but he met him with a text of St. Mark, "There is no man that hath left house or brethren or sisters or father for my sake, but he shall receive an hundred-fold." On this the elder Maisonneuve, deceived by his own worldliness, imagined that the plan covered some hidden speculation, from which enormous profits were expected, and therefore withdrew his opposition. [ Faillon, La Colonie Francaise, I. 409. ]

Their scheme was ripening fast, when both Olier and Dauversiere were a.s.sailed by one of those revulsions of spirit, to which saints of the ecstatic school are naturally liable. Dauversiere, in particular, was a prey to the extremity of dejection, uncertainty, and misgiving.

What had he, a family man, to do with ventures beyond sea? Was it not his first duty to support his wife and children? Could he not fulfil all his obligations as a Christian by reclaiming the wicked and relieving the poor at La Fleche? Plainly, he had doubts that his vocation was genuine.

If we could raise the curtain of his domestic life, perhaps we should find him beset by wife and daughters, tearful and wrathful, inveighing against his folly, and imploring him to provide a support for them before squandering his money to plant a convent of nuns in a wilderness.

How long his fit of dejection lasted does not appear; but at length [ 1 ]

he set himself again to his appointed work. Olier, too, emerging from the clouds and darkness, found faith once more, and again placed himself at the head of the great enterprise. [ 2 ]

[ 1 Faillon, Vie de Mlle Mance, Introduction, x.x.xv. ]

[ 2 Faillon (Vie de M. Olier) devotes twenty-one pages to the history of his fit of nervous depression. ]

There was imperative need of more money; and Dauversiere, under judicious guidance, was active in obtaining it. This miserable victim of illusions had a squat, uncourtly figure, and was no proficient in the graces either of manners or of speech: hence his success in commending his objects to persons of rank and wealth is set down as one of the many miracles which attended the birth of Montreal. But zeal and earnestness are in themselves a power; and the ground had been well marked out and ploughed for him in advance. That attractive, though intricate, subject of study, the female mind, has always engaged the attention of priests, more especially in countries where, as in France, women exert a strong social and political influence. The art of kindling the flames of zeal, and the more difficult art of directing and controlling them, have been themes of reflection the most diligent and profound. Accordingly we find that a large proportion of the money raised for this enterprise was contributed by devout ladies. Many of them became members of the a.s.sociation of Montreal, which was eventually increased to about forty-five persons, chosen for their devotion and their wealth.

Olier and his a.s.sociates had resolved, though not from any collapse of zeal, to postpone the establishment of the seminary and the college until after a settlement should be formed. The hospital, however, might, they thought, be begun at once; for blood and blows would be the a.s.sured portion of the first settlers. At least, a discreet woman ought to embark with the first colonists as their nurse and housekeeper. Scarcely was the need recognized when it was supplied.

Mademoiselle Jeanne Mance was born of an honorable family of Nogent-le- Roi, and in 1640 was thirty-four years of age. These Canadian heroines began their religious experiences early. Of Marie de l'Incarnation we read, that at the age of seven Christ appeared to her in a vision; [ Casgrain, Vie de Marie de l'Incarnation, 78. ] and the biographer of Mademoiselle Mance a.s.sures us, with admiring gravity, that, at the same tender age, she bound herself to G.o.d by a vow of perpetual chast.i.ty.

[ Faillon, Vie de Mlle Mance, I. 3. ] This singular infant in due time became a woman, of a delicate const.i.tution, and manners graceful, yet dignified. Though an earnest devotee, she felt no vocation for the cloister; yet, while still "in the world," she led the life of a nun.

The Jesuit Relations, and the example of Madame de la Peltrie, of whom she had heard, inoculated her with the Canadian enthusiasm, then so prevalent; and, under the pretence of visiting relatives, she made a journey to Paris, to take counsel of certain priests. Of one thing she was a.s.sured: the Divine will called her to Canada, but to what end she neither knew nor asked to know; for she abandoned herself as an atom to be borne to unknown destinies on the breath of G.o.d. At Paris, Father St. Jure, a Jesuit, a.s.sured her that her vocation to Canada was, past doubt, a call from Heaven; while Father Rapin, a Recollet, spread abroad the fame of her virtues, and introduced her to many ladies of rank, wealth, and zeal. Then, well supplied with money for any pious work to which she might be summoned, she journeyed to Roch.e.l.le, whence ships were to sail for New France. Thus far she had been kept in ignorance of the plan with regard to Montreal; but now Father La Place, a Jesuit, revealed it to her. On the day after her arrival at Roch.e.l.le, as she entered the Church of the Jesuits, she met Dauversiere coming out. "Then," says her biographer, "these two persons, who had never seen nor heard of each other, were enlightened supernaturally, whereby their most hidden thoughts were mutually made known, as had happened already with M. Olier and this same M. de la Dauversiere." [ Faillon, Vie de Mlle Mance, I. 18.

Here again the Abbe Ferland, with his usual good sense, tacitly rejects the supernaturalism. ] A long conversation ensued between them; and the delights of this interview were never effaced from the mind of Mademoiselle Mance. "She used to speak of it like a seraph," writes one of her nuns, "and far better than many a learned doctor could have done."

[ La Sur Morin, Annales des Hospitalieres de Villemarie, MS., cited by Faillon. ]

She had found her destiny. The ocean, the wilderness, the solitude, the Iroquois,--nothing daunted her. She would go to Montreal with Maisonneuve and his forty men. Yet, when the vessel was about to sail, a new and sharp misgiving seized her. How could she, a woman, not yet bereft of youth or charms, live alone in the forest, among a troop of soldiers? Her scruples were relieved by two of the men, who, at the last moment, refused to embark without their wives,--and by a young woman, who, impelled by enthusiasm, escaped from her friends, and took pa.s.sage, in spite of them, in one of the vessels.

All was ready; the ships set sail; but Olier, Dauversiere, and Fancamp remained at home, as did also the other a.s.sociates, with the exception of Maisonneuve and Mademoiselle Mance. In the following February, an impressive scene took place in the Church of Notre Dame, at Paris.

The a.s.sociates, at this time numbering about forty-five, [ Dollier de Ca.s.son, A.D. 1641-42, MS. Vimont says thirty-five. ] with Olier at their head, a.s.sembled before the altar of the Virgin, and, by a solemn ceremonial, consecrated Montreal to the Holy Family. Henceforth it was to be called Villemarie de Montreal, [ Vimont Relation, 1642, 37.

Compare Le Clerc, etabliss.e.m.e.nt de la Foy, II. 49. ]--a sacred town, reared to the honor and under the patronage of Christ, St. Joseph, and the Virgin, to be typified by three persons on earth, founders respectively of the three destined communities,--Olier, Dauversiere, and a maiden of Troyes, Marguerite Bourgeoys: the seminary to be consecrated to Christ, the Hotel-Dieu to St. Joseph, and the college to the Virgin.

But we are antic.i.p.ating a little; for it was several years as yet before Marguerite Bourgeoys took an active part in the work of Montreal.

She was the daughter of a respectable tradesman, and was now twenty-two years of age. Her portrait has come down to us; and her face is a mirror of frankness, loyalty, and womanly tenderness. Her qualities were those of good sense, conscientiousness, and a warm heart. She had known no miracles, ecstasies, or trances; and though afterwards, when her religious susceptibilities had reached a fuller development, a few such are recorded of her, yet even the Abbe Faillon, with the best intentions, can credit her with but a meagre allowance of these celestial favors.

Though in the midst of visionaries, she distrusted the supernatural, and avowed her belief, that, in His government of the world, G.o.d does not often set aside its ordinary laws. Her religion was of the affections, and was manifested in an absorbing devotion to duty. She had felt no vocation to the cloister, but had taken the vow of chast.i.ty, and was attached, as an externe, to the Sisters of the Congregation of Troyes, who were fevered with eagerness to go to Canada. Marguerite, however, was content to wait until there was a prospect that she could do good by going; and it was not till the year 1653, that renouncing an inheritance, and giving all she had to the poor, she embarked for the savage scene of her labors. To this day, in crowded school-rooms of Montreal and Quebec, fit monuments of her un.o.btrusive virtue, her successors instruct the children of the poor, and embalm the pleasant memory of Marguerite Bourgeoys. In the martial figure of Maisonneuve, and the fair form of this gentle nun, we find the true heroes of Montreal. [ For Marguerite Bourgeoys, see her life by Faillon. ]

Maisonneuve, with his forty men and four women, reached Quebec too late to ascend to Montreal that season. They encountered distrust, jealousy, and opposition. The agents of the Company of the Hundred a.s.sociates looked on them askance; and the Governor of Quebec, Montmagny, saw a rival governor in Maisonneuve. Every means was used to persuade the adventurers to abandon their project, and settle at Quebec. Montmagny called a council of the princ.i.p.al persons of his colony, who gave it as their opinion that the new-comers had better exchange Montreal for the Island of Orleans, where they would be in a position to give and receive succor; while, by persisting in their first design, they would expose themselves to destruction, and be of use to n.o.body. [ Juchereau, 32; Faillon, Colonie Francaise, I. 423. ] Maisonneuve, who was present, expressed his surprise that they should a.s.sume to direct his affairs.

"I have not come here," he said, "to deliberate, but to act. It is my duty and my honor to found a colony at Montreal; and I would go, if every tree were an Iroquois!" [ La Tour, Memoire de Laval, Liv. VIII; Belmont, Histoire du Canada, 3. ]

At Quebec there was little ability and no inclination to shelter the new colonists for the winter; and they would have fared ill, but for the generosity of M. Puiseaux, who lived not far distant, at a place called St. Michel. This devout and most hospitable person made room for them all in his rough, but capacious dwelling. Their neighbors were the hospital nuns, then living at the mission of Sillery, in a substantial, but comfortless house of stone; where, amidst dest.i.tution, sickness, and irrepressible disgust at the filth of the savages whom they had in charge, they were laboring day and night with devoted a.s.siduity. Among the minor ills which beset them were the eccentricities of one of their lay sisters, crazed with religious enthusiasm, who had the care of their poultry and domestic animals, of which she was accustomed to inquire, one by one, if they loved G.o.d; when, not receiving an immediate answer in the affirmative, she would instantly put them to death, telling them that their impiety deserved no better fate. [ Juchereau, 45. A great mortification to these excellent nuns was the impossibility of keeping their white dresses clean among their Indian patients, so that they were forced to dye them with b.u.t.ternut juice. They were the _Hospitalieres_ who had come over in 1639. ]

At St. Michel, Maisonneuve employed his men in building boats to ascend to Montreal, and in various other labors for the behoof of the future colony. Thus the winter wore away; but, as celestial minds are not exempt from ire, Montmagny and Maisonneuve fell into a quarrel. The twenty-fifth of January was Maisonneuve's _fete_ day; and, as he was greatly beloved by his followers, they resolved to celebrate the occasion. Accordingly, an hour and a half before daylight, they made a general discharge of their muskets and cannon. The sound reached Quebec, two or three miles distant, startling the Governor from his morning slumbers; and his indignation was redoubled when he heard it again at night: for Maisonneuve, pleased at the attachment of his men, had feasted them and warmed their hearts with a distribution of wine. Montmagny, jealous of his authority, resented these demonstrations as an infraction of it, affirming that they had no right to fire their pieces without his consent; and, arresting the princ.i.p.al offender, one Jean Gory, he put him in irons. On being released, a few days after, his companions welcomed him with great rejoicing, and Maisonneuve gave them all a feast. He himself came in during the festivity, drank the health of the company, shook hands with the late prisoner, placed him at the head of the table, and addressed him as follows:--

"Jean Gory, you have been put in irons for me: you had the pain, and I the affront. For that, I add ten crowns to your wages." Then, turning to the others: "My boys," he said, "though Jean Gory has been misused, you must not lose heart for that, but drink, all of you, to the health of the man in irons. When we are once at Montreal, we shall be our own masters, and can fire our cannon when we please." [ Doc.u.ments Divers, MSS., now or lately in possession of G. B. Faribault, Esq.; Ferland, Notes sur les Registres de N. D. de Quebec, 25; Faillon, La Colonie Francaise, I. 433. ]

Montmagny was wroth when this was reported to him; and, on the ground that what had pa.s.sed was "contrary to the service of the King and the authority of the Governor," he summoned Gory and six others before him, and put them separately under oath. Their evidence failed to establish a case against their commander; but thenceforth there was great coldness between the powers of Quebec and Montreal.

Early in May, Maisonneuve and his followers embarked. They had gained an unexpected recruit during the winter, in the person of Madame de la Peltrie. The piety, the novelty, and the romance of their enterprise, all had their charms for the fair enthusiast; and an irresistible impulse--imputed by a slandering historian to the levity of her s.e.x [ La Tour, Memoire de Laval, Liv. VIII. ]--urged her to share their fortunes. Her zeal was more admired by the Montrealists whom she joined than by the Ursulines whom she abandoned. She carried off all the furniture she had lent them, and left them in the utmost dest.i.tution.

[ Charlevoix, Vie de Marie de l'Incarnation, 279; Casgrain, Vie de Marie de l'Incarnation, 333. ] Nor did she remain quiet after reaching Montreal, but was presently seized with a longing to visit the Hurons, and preach the Faith in person to those benighted heathen. It needed all the eloquence of a Jesuit, lately returned from that most arduous mission, to convince her that the attempt would be as useless as rash.

[ St. Thomas, Life of Madame de la Peltrie, 98. ]

It was the eighth of May when Maisonneuve and his followers embarked at St. Michel; and as the boats, deep-laden with men, arms, and stores, moved slowly on their way, the forest, with leaves just opening in the warmth of spring, lay on their right hand and on their left, in a flattering semblance of tranquillity and peace. But behind woody islets, in tangled thickets and damp ravines, and in the shade and stillness of the columned woods, lurked everywhere a danger and a terror.

What shall we say of these adventurers of Montreal,--of these who bestowed their wealth, and, far more, of these who sacrificed their peace and risked their lives, on an enterprise at once so romantic and so devout? Surrounded as they were with illusions, false lights, and false shadows,--breathing an atmosphere of miracle,--compa.s.sed about with angels and devils,--urged with stimulants most powerful, though unreal,--their minds drugged, as it were, to preternatural excitement,-- it is very difficult to judge of them. High merit, without doubt, there was in some of their number; but one may beg to be spared the attempt to measure or define it. To estimate a virtue involved in conditions so anomalous demands, perhaps, a judgment more than human.

The Roman Church, sunk in disease and corruption when the Reformation began, was roused by that fierce trumpet-blast to purge and brace herself anew. Unable to advance, she drew back to the fresher and comparatively purer life of the past; and the fervors of mediaeval Christianity were renewed in the sixteenth century. In many of its aspects, this enterprise of Montreal belonged to the time of the first Crusades.

The spirit of G.o.dfrey de Bouillon lived again in Chomedey de Maisonneuve; and in Marguerite Bourgeoys was realized that fair ideal of Christian womanhood, a flower of Earth expanding in the rays of Heaven, which soothed with gentle influence the wildness of a barbarous age.

On the seventeenth of May, 1642, Maisonneuve's little flotilla--a pinnace, a flat-bottomed craft moved by sails, and two row-boats [ Dollier de Ca.s.son, A.D. 1641-42, MS. ]--approached Montreal; and all on board raised in unison a hymn of praise. Montmagny was with them, to deliver the island, in behalf of the Company of the Hundred a.s.sociates, to Maisonneuve, representative of the a.s.sociates of Montreal. [ Le Clerc, II. 50, 51. ] And here, too, was Father Vimont, Superior of the missions; for the Jesuits had been prudently invited to accept the spiritual charge of the young colony. On the following day, they glided along the green and solitary sh.o.r.es now thronged with the life of a busy city, and landed on the spot which Champlain, thirty-one years before, had chosen as the fit site of a settlement. [ "Pioneers of France," 333.

It was the Place Royale of Champlain. ] It was a tongue or triangle of land, formed by the junction of a rivulet with the St. Lawrence, and known afterwards as Point Calliere. The rivulet was bordered by a meadow, and beyond rose the forest with its vanguard of scattered trees. Early spring flowers were blooming in the young gra.s.s, and birds of varied plumage flitted among the boughs. [ Dollier de Ca.s.son, A.D. 1641-42, MS. ]

Maisonneuve sprang ash.o.r.e, and fell on his knees. His followers imitated his example; and all joined their voices in enthusiastic songs of thanksgiving. Tents, baggage, arms, and stores were landed. An altar was raised on a pleasant spot near at hand; and Mademoiselle Mance, with Madame de la Peltrie, aided by her servant, Charlotte Barre, decorated it with a taste which was the admiration of the beholders.

[ Morin, Annales, MS., cited by Faillon, La Colonie Francaise, I. 440; also Dollier de Ca.s.son, A.D. 1641-42, MS. ] Now all the company gathered before the shrine. Here stood Vimont, in the rich vestments of his office. Here were the two ladies, with their servant; Montmagny, no very willing spectator; and Maisonneuve, a warlike figure, erect and tall, his men cl.u.s.tering around him,--soldiers, sailors, artisans, and laborers,--all alike soldiers at need. They kneeled in reverent silence as the Host was raised aloft; and when the rite was over, the priest turned and addressed them:--

"You are a grain of mustard-seed, that shall rise and grow till its branches overshadow the earth. You are few, but your work is the work of G.o.d. His smile is on you, and your children shall fill the Land."

[ Dollier de Ca.s.son, MS., as above. Vimont, in the Relation of 1642, p. 87, briefly mentions the ceremony. ]

The afternoon waned; the sun sank behind the western forest, and twilight came on. Fireflies were twinkling over the darkened meadow. They caught them, tied them with threads into shining festoons, and hung them before the altar, where the Host remained exposed. Then they pitched their tents, lighted their bivouac fires, stationed their guards, and lay down to rest. Such was the birth-night of Montreal.

[ The a.s.sociates of Montreal published, in 1643, a thick pamphlet in quarto, ent.i.tled Les Veritables Motifs de Messieurs et Dames de la Societe de Notre-Dame de Montreal, pour la Conversion des Sauvages de la Nouvelle France. It was written as an answer to aspersions cast upon them, apparently by persons attached to the great Company of New France known as the "Hundred a.s.sociates," and affords a curious exposition of the spirit of their enterprise. It is excessively rare; but copies of the essential portions are before me. The following is a characteristic extract:--

"Vous dites que l'entreprise de Montreal est d'une depense infinie, plus convenable a un roi qu'a quelques particuliers, trop faibles pour la soutenir; & vous alleguez encore les perils de la navigation & les naufrages qui peuvent la ruiner. Vous avez mieux rencontre que vous ne pensiez, en disant que c'est une uvre de roi, puisque le Roi des rois s'en mele, lui a qui obeissent la mer & les vents. Nous ne craignons donc pas les naufrages; il n'en suscitera que lorsque nous en aurons besoin, & qu'il sera plus expedient pour sa gloire, que nous cherchons uniquement. Comment avez-vous pu mettre dans votre esprit qu'appuyes de nos propres forces, nous eussions presume de penser a un si glorieux dessein? Si Dieu n'est point dans l'affaire de Montreal, si c'est une invention humaine, ne vous en mettez point en peine, elle ne durera guere. Ce que vous predisez arrivera, & quelque chose de pire encore; mais si Dieu l'a ainsi voulu, qui etes-vous pour lui contredire? C'etait la reflexion que le docteur Gamaliel faisait aux Juifs, en faveur des Apotres; pour vous, qui ne pouvez ni croire, ni faire, laissez les autres en liberte de faire ce qu'ils croient que Dieu demande d'eux. Vous a.s.surez qu'il ne se fait plus de miracles; mais qui vous l'a dit? ou cela est-il ecrit? Jesus-Christ a.s.sure, au contraire, que ceux qui auront autant de Foi qu'un grain de seneve, feront, en son nom, des miracles plus grands que ceux qu'il a faits lui-meme. Depuis quand etes-vous les directeurs des operations divines, pour les reduire a certains temps & dans la conduite ordinaire? Tant de saints mouvements, d'inspirations & de vues interieures, qu'il lui plait de donner a quelques ames dont il se sert pour l'avancement de cette uvre, sont des marques de son bon plaisir. Jusqu'-ici, il a pourvu au necessaire; nous ne voulons point d'abondance, & nous esperons que sa Providence continuera." ]

Is this true history, or a romance of Christian chivalry? It is both.

CHAPTER XVI.

1641-1644.

ISAAC JOGUES.