"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. We owe it to the bishop, who is extremely
well affected to the country, and in whom we must trust." The minister
wrote to the prelate and expressed to him his entire satisfaction in his
course.

The vigilant bishop had not yet entirely recovered from the fatigue of
his journey when he decided, in spite of the infirmities which were
beginning to overwhelm him, and which were to remain the constant
companions of his latest years, to visit all the parishes and the
religious communities of his immense diocese. He had already traversed
them in the winter time in his former pastoral visits, shod with
snowshoes, braving the fogs, the snow and the bitterest weather. In the
suffocating heat of summer, travel in a bark canoe was scarcely less
fatiguing to a man of almost sixty years, worn out by the hard ministry
of a quarter of a century. However, he decided on a summer journey, and
set out on June 1st, 1681, accompanied by M. de Maizerets, one of his
grand vicars. He visited successively Lotbiniere, Batiscan, Champlain,
Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Trois Rivieres, Chambly, Sorel, St. Ours,
Contrecoeur, Vercheres, Boucherville, Repentigny, Lachesnaie, and
arrived on June 19th at Montreal. The marks of respectful affection
lavished upon him by the population compel him to receive continual
visits; but he has come especially for his b