( go ) 



We may alfo juftly reproach them with the Way 

 in which they bring up their children : they do 

 not fo much as know what it is to correct them. 

 Whilft they are little, they fay they have no reafon-, 

 and it never enters into the head of an Indian, to 

 think that the judgment is improved by punim- 

 ment ; when they are come to years of difcretion, 

 they pretend to be mailers of their own actions, 

 and therefore accountable to none. They carry 

 thefe maxims to fuch a height, as to fuffer them- 

 felves to be maltreated by intoxicated perfons, with- 

 out fo much as defending themfelves for fear of 

 hurting them. Why fhould we do them any evil, 

 fay they, when you talk to them of the ridicu- 

 loufnefs of this behaviour ; they know not what 

 they do ? 



In a word, thefe Indians are perfectly convinced, 

 that man is born free, and that no power on earth 

 has a right to infringe his liberty, and that nothing 

 can compenfate the lofs of it : and it has been 

 found a very difficult matter to undeceive even the 

 Chriftians among them, and to make them under- 

 Hand how, by a natural confequence of the corrup- 

 tion of our nature, which is the effect of fin, an un- 

 bridled liberty of doing mifchief differs very little 

 from obliging them to commit it, becaufe of the 

 ftrength of the byafs which draws us to it ; and 

 that the law which reftrains us, caufes us to ap- 

 proach nearer to our original flate of liberty, whilft 

 it appears to take it from us. Happy for them, 

 experience has not made them feel in many things 

 all the power of this tendency which produces fo 

 many crimes elfewhere. Their underflandings be- 

 ing narrower than ours, their defires are ftill more 

 fo : reduced to defire what is neceffafy only, 

 for which providence has fufficiently provided, they 



have 



