120 THE PRIESTS. [PART I. 



has for its foundation deep and grand philosophical 

 conceptions of morals and ethics. At the introduc- 

 tion of Christianity the priests were not at all into- 

 lerant towards the new doctrine; they quickly gave 

 up their own belief, and became the most successful 

 teachers of their countrymen. The priests are, at 

 the same time, among the most expert and clever in 

 the native arts ; in fact " tohunga" is often used to 

 designate a clever carpenter, carver, or physician ; 

 just as in former times the priesthood, both in Eu- 

 rope and Asia, united in itself all the learning and 

 skill of the period : and when we behold these 

 reverend-looking personages, it is difficult to believe 

 that they have ever been the ferocious cannibals that 

 almost all travellers have represented them. 



