large/4813/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_04_edwards_64kb_33
large/4813/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_04_edwards_64kb
English
4813
This satire, appearing when the reaction against Puritanism was at its height, was accepted and solemnly deposited at the door of the good people of Boston and Plymouth! And thus it was that Morton's fabricated tale of the Weymouth hanging passed into genuine history along with the "blue laws" of Connecticut. THIS SATIRE APPEARING WHEN THE REACTION AGAINST PURITANISM WAS AT ITS HEIGHT WAS ACCEPTED AND SOLEMNLY DEPOSITED AT THE DOOR OF THE GOOD PEOPLE OF BOSTON AND PLYMOUTH AND THUS IT WAS THAT MORTON'S FABRICATED TALE OF THE WEYMOUTH HANGING PASSED INTO GENUINE HISTORY ALONG WITH THE BLUE LAWS OF CONNECTICUT
been caught stealing--this hanging in order to appease the Indians. Morton gravely states that instead of hanging the real culprit, who was young and lusty, they hanged, in his place, another, old and sick. In his quaint diction: "You all agree that one must die, and one shall die, this young man's cloathes we will take off and put upon one that is old and impotent, a sickly person that cannot escape death, such is the disease on him confirmed, that die hee must. Put the young man's cloathes on this man, and let the sick person be hanged in the other's steade. Amen sayes one, and so sayes many more." This absurd notion of vicarious atonement, spun purely from Morton's imagination, appealed to Samuel Butler as worthy of further elaboration. Morton's "New English Canaan" appeared in 1632. About thirty years later the second part of the famous English satire "Hudibras" appeared, embodying Morton's idea in altered but recognizable form, in what was the most popular English book of the day. IR OWN MEMBERS WHO HAD BEEN CAUGHT STEALING THIS HANGING IN ORDER TO APPEASE THE INDIANS MORTON GRAVELY STATES THAT INSTEAD OF HANGING THE REAL CULPRIT WHO WAS YOUNG AND LUSTY THEY HANGED IN HIS PLACE ANOTHER OLD AND SICK IN HIS QUAINT DICTION YOU ALL AGREE THAT ONE MUST DIE AND ONE SHALL DIE THIS YOUNG MAN'S CLOTHES WE WILL TAKE OFF AND PUT UPON ONE THAT IS OLD AND IMPOTENT A SICKLY PERSON THAT CANNOT ESCAPE DEATH SUCH AS THE DISEASE ON HIM CONFIRMED THAT DIE HE MUST PUT THE YOUNG MAN'S CLOTHES ON THIS MAN AND LET THE SICK PERSON BE HANGED IN THE OTHER'S STEAD AMEN SAYS ONE AND SO SAYS MANY MORE THIS ABSURD NOTION OF VICARIOUS ATONEMENT SPUN PURELY FROM MORTON'S IMAGINATION APPEALED TO SAMUEL BUTLER AS WORTHY OF FURTHER ELABORATION MORTON'S NEW ENGLISH CANAAN APPEARED IN SIXTEEN THIRTY TWO ABOUT THIRTY YEARS LATER THE SECOND PART OF THE FAMOUS ENGLISH SATIRE HOUDIBRAS APPEARED EMBODYING MORTON'S IDEA IN ALTERED BUT RECOGNIZABLE FORM IN WHAT WAS THE MOST POPULAR ENGLISH BOOK OF THE DAY
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