122 PERSECUTION. [1637. 



the sentence. Yet it seemed impossible that they 

 should much longer escape. Brebeuf, therefore, 

 wrote a letter of farewell to his Superior, Le Jeune, 

 at Quebec, and confided it to some converts whom 

 he could trust, to be carried by them to its desti- 

 nation. 



" We are perhaps," he says, " about to give our 

 blood and our lives in the cause of our Master, 

 Jesus Christ. It seems tiiat His goodness will 

 accept this sacrifice, as regards me, in expiation of 

 my great and numberless sins, and that He will 

 thus crown the past services and ardent desires of 

 all our Fathers here. . . . Blessed be His name 

 forever, that He has chosen us, among so many 

 better than we, to aid Him to bear His cross in 

 this land ! In all things, His holy will be done ! " 

 He then acquaints Le Jeune that he has directed 

 the sacred vessels, and all else belonging to the 

 service of the altar, to be placed, in case of his 

 death, in the hands of Pierre, the convert whose 

 baptism has been described, and that especial care 

 will be taken to preserve the dictionary and other 

 writings on the Huron language. The letter closes 

 with a request for masses and prayers.^ 



1 The following is the conclusion of the letter. (Le Mercier, Relation 

 des Hurons, 1638, 43.) 



" En tout, sa sainte volonte soit faite ; s'il veut que des ceste heure 

 nous raourions, 6 la bonne heure pour nous ! s'il veut nous reseruer a 

 d'autres trauaux, qu'il soit beny ; si vous entendez que Dieu ait cou- 

 ronne nos petits trauaux, ou plustost nos desirs, benissez-le : car c'est pour 

 luy que nous desirous viure et niourir, et c'est luy qui nous en donne 

 la grace. Au reste si quelques-vns suruiuent, i'ay donne ordre de tout ce 

 qu'ils doiuent faire. I'ay este d'aduis que nos Peres et nos domestiques 

 se retirent chez ceux qu'ils croyront estre leurs mei'leurs amis ; i'ay 

 donne charge qu'on porte chez Pierre nostre premier Dhrestien tout ce 



