Sentence:  But whenever obstinacy, which is an open defiance, appears, that cannot be <WSD>winked</WSD> at, or neglected, but must, in the first instance, be subdued and mastered; only care must be had, that we mistake not ; and we must be sure it is obstinacy, and nothing else. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  "Usually followed by" '''(at)''': to look the other way, to turn a blind eye.