Sentence:  They [Roman Catholics] had learned to hate government, and glory in the violation of law; they had become suspicious of everyone, even of their friends; they had contracted a habit of equivocation, and were <WSD>chary</WSD> of telling the truth; their manliness of character was to some extent undermined, and they had learned the attitude and the language of slaves. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Careful, cautious, shy, wary.