He also formulated a general defence for religious toleration in his "Letters Concerning Toleration". Protestant dissenters were allowed freedom of worship with the Toleration Act 1688. Certain works of Erasmus laid a foundation for religious toleration and ecumenism. Laws ensuring religious toleration opened the door to Protestants. Washington was an early supporter of religious toleration and freedom of religion. Sporadic persecutions alternated with periods of unofficial toleration. Puritan rule in England was marked by limited religious toleration. He advocated numerous reforms, especially free trade, religious toleration, and parliamentary reform. In 1689 Puritans rebelled and again repealed the Maryland Toleration Act. Part of the evidence showed that he was in favour of toleration of religious dissent. However, some measure of religious toleration is granted. Milton argued for disestablishment as the only effective way of achieving broad toleration. There exist both Indian and Muslim traditions of religious toleration. The edict of Milan (313) redefined Imperial ideology as one of mutual toleration. The notion of religious toleration stems from 1609.