George Bancroft, History of the United States from the Discovery of the American Continent, Vol. 3, 15th edition.

[23] Tynte, the governor of the southern division; and, as

Chap XIX.}

Tynte had already fallen a victim to the climate, Hyde

1710

could show no evidence of his right, except private

1711

letters from the proprietaries; and ‘the respect due to his birth could avail nothing on that mutinous people.’ Affairs grew worse than ever; for the legislature which he convened, having been elected under forms which, in the eyes of his opponents, tainted the whole action with illegality, showed no desire to heal by prudence the distractions of the country, but, blinded by zeal for revenge, made passionate enactments, ‘of which they themselves had not power to enforce the execution,’ and which, in Virginia, even royalists condemned as unjustifiably severe. At once ‘the true spirit of Quakerism appeared’ in an open disobedience to unjust laws: Cary and some of his friends took up arms; it was rumored that they were ready for an alliance with the Indians; and Spotswood, an experienced soldier, now governor of Virginia, was summoned by Hyde as an ally. The loyalty of the veteran was embarrassed. He could not esteem ‘a country safe which had in it such dangerous incendiaries.’ He believed that, unless ‘measures were taken to discourage the mutinous spirits, who had become so audacious as to take up arms, it would prove a dangerous example to the rest of her majesty's plantations.’ But ‘the difficulties of marching forces into a country so cut with rivers, were almost insuperable;’ there were no troops but the militia; the counties bordering on Carolina were ‘stocked with Quakers,’ or, at least, with ‘the articles of those people;’ and the governor of Virginia might almost as well have undertaken a military expedition against foxes and raccoons, or have attempted to enforce religious uniformity among the conies, as