e four vessels at the disposal of
David Kirke would have surely come to their assistance.

It would have been a foolish act to have resisted such a powerful enemy.
Besides, Champlain had another foe to contend against, for Nicholas
Marsolet, Etienne Brule, Pierre Reye, and others, had betrayed him, and
were leagued with Kirke. Champlain understood the difficulties of his
position, and his responsibilities, for he had in his hands the lives of
one hundred persons.

Of the eighty persons living in Quebec at this time, only two-thirds had
private interests to safeguard, and it was a matter of indifference to
them whether they remained in Canada or whether they returned to France.
The families who had nothing to gain by leaving Quebec were those who
deserved the governor's sympathy, and it was for their safety that
Champlain would not agree to offer resistance, as the result must have
proved disastrous to them. By the articles of capitulation these
families would be able to live quietly at home, awaiting the issue of
negotiations.

On the day following the preliminaries, Champlain went on board Louis
Kirke's vessel, where he was to see the commission of Charles I, which
empowered the Kirke brothers to take Quebec and the whole country by
assault. Both parties then signed the articles of capitulation, and the
English troops, conducted by Champlain, came in shallops near to the
habitation. The keys were delivered to Louis Kirke, and then they all
proceeded to the fort, which was delivered to the admiral. Quebec was
definitely put under the authority of the English, who had not fired a
single shot. Louis Kirke placed Le Baillif, who had been dismissed by
Guillaume de Caen for his bad conduct, in charge of the storehouse. This
was the first reward for his treason. Champlain asked the English
commander to protect the chapel of Quebec, the convents, and the houses
of the widow of Louis Hebert and of her son-in-law, Guillaume Couillard,
and he offered him the keys of his own room within the fort. Louis Kirke
refused to accept the latter, and left Champlain in possession of his
room. This courteous action was followed by another one, when Kirke
delivered to Champlain a certificate of all that he had found within the
fort and the habitation. This document was found useful later on, when
it was necessary to settle the value of the goods.

In the meantime the English crew robbed the convent of the Jesuits, but
they did not find th