HISTORY OF VERMONT. 4S5 



their political and theological prejudices and ha- 

 tred to the highest degree* nothing was wanted 

 but the cruelties and barbarities of an Indian 

 war. Both parties very justly reproached each 

 other, for the inhumanity and wickedness of 

 their proceedings ; and they well knew that the 

 Indians in one part of the country, were under 

 the management of the French ; and in anoth- 

 er, under the direction of the English. Policy 

 and disguise would of course avail themselves 

 of all the help and assistance that could be deri- 

 ved from the pretence or abuse of religion, to 

 represent the opposite party as faithless, corrupt, 

 heretical, opposers of God, and all that was 

 good. 



To carry this scene of mutual hatred, bigotry 

 and abuse, to its greatest height and extent, time 

 and experience had shown that the surest way 

 was to put it under the management of a set of 

 intolerant priests, genus irritabile vatum^ and 

 to them, the politicl leaders looked to aiford a 

 powerful assistance, by representing their ene- 

 mies, under an odious and awful character. In 

 these exploits the English and the French seem 

 to have been very successful in destroying the 

 spirit of candor, charity, aiid benevolence ; and 

 in promoting that of mutual aversion, extreme 

 bigotry, and intolerant hatred. 



While the moral tendency was thus unfor- 

 tunate and corrupting, the effect of continued 

 war on the literary and scientific character and 

 pursuits of the colonicsy was equally unfavora- » 

 ble and degrading. It was the peculiar felicity 

 of the first settlers of the English colonies that 

 ther were descended fronx the most enlightened 



