The History of the Insurrections, by George Minot

free use of foreign luxuries ; a decay of trade and manufactures, with a prevailing scarcity of money ; and, above all, individuals involved in debt to each other, are evils which leave us under no necessity of searching further for the reasons of the insurrections which took place. We ought not to be surprised to find the people, who but a few years before, upon the abolition of royal government among them, exhibited a most striking example of voluntary submission to a feeble authority, now driven into a confusion of affairs, common to all countries, but most so perhaps to those who have shewn the strongest ardour in pursuit of freedom.

The long restraints which the confusion of war had laid upon the administration of justice in private cases, occasioned a very rapid increase of civil actions, when those restraints were removed. This circumstance gave employment to the practitioners at the bar, and increased their numbers beyond what had been usual in the state. The profession naturally became an object of observation ; and, at length, was generally spoken of as an object of reform. Advantage was taken of the prevailing jealousy against lawyers ; and unfortunately, a prelude to the insurrections was framed out of it. Inflamatory [sic] writings were inserted in