A Little While After The Kettles
Are Filled, There Is Feasting Every Where, Comedies Acted, And Whatsoever
Is Rare Is There To Be Seene; There Is Dancing Every Where.
Now remaines
nothing but to provide that poor soule of a companion, which she does
presently, for she has the choice of very beautifull women, and may take as
many as she pleases, which makes her felicity immortall.
By this you may see the silly beleefe of these poor People. I have seen
right-minded Jesuites weep bitterly hearing me speake of so many Nations
that perish for want of Instruction; but most of them are like the wildmen,
that thinke they offend if they reserve any thing for the next day. I have
seen also some of the same company say, "Alas, what pity 'tis to loose so
many Castors. Is there no way to goe there? The fish and the sauce invite
us to it; is there no meanes to catch it? Oh, how happy should I be to go
in those countreys as an Envoye, being it is so good a countrey." That is
the relation that was made me severall times by those wildmen, for I
thought they would never have done. But let us come to our arrivall againe.
The Governour, seeing us come back with a considerable summe for our own
particular, and seeing that his time was expired and that he was to goe
away, made use of that excuse to doe us wrong & to enrich himselfe with the
goods that wee had so dearly bought, and by our meanes wee made the country
to subsist, that without us had beene, I beleeve, oftentimes quite undone
and ruined, and the better to say at his last beeding, no castors, no ship,
& what to doe without necessary commodities. He made also my brother
prisoner for not having observed his orders, and to be gone without his
leave, although one of his letters made him blush for shame, not knowing
what to say, but that he would have some of them at what price soever, that
he might the better maintain his coach & horses at Paris. He fines us four
thousand pounds to make a Fort at the three Rivers, telling us for all
manner of satisfaction that he would give us leave to put our coat of armes
upon it, and moreover 6,000 pounds for the country, saying that wee should
not take it so strangely and so bad, being wee were inhabitants and did
intend to finish our days in the same country with our Relations and
Friends. But the Bougre did grease his chopps with it, and more, made us
pay a custome which was the 4th part, which came to 14,000 pounds, so that
wee had left but 46,000 pounds, and took away L. 24,000. Was not he a
Tyrant to deal so with us, after wee had so hazarded our lives, & having
brought in lesse then 2 years by that voyage, as the Factors of the said
country said, between 40 and 50,000 pistolls?
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 148 of 223
Words from 76150 to 76667
of 117345