large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_10_edwards_64kb_49
large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_10_edwards_64kb
English
8677
It was ninety six years after the settlement at Plymouth that Kingston made its first request for a separation. It was not granted for almost a decade, but from then on the ecclesiastical records furnish us with a great deal of intimate and chatty material. IT WAS NINETY SIX YEARS AFTER THE SETTLEMENT AT PLYMOUTH THAT KINGSTON MADE ITS FIRST REQUEST FOR A SEPARATION IT WAS NOT GRANTED FOR ALMOST A DECADE BUT FROM THEN ON THE ECCLESIASTICAL RECORDS FURNISH US WITH A GREAT DEAL OF INNITE AND CHATTY MATERIAL
ament over one daughter of the Puritans who took the veil in a Roman Catholic convent; sternly relate, in Rabelaisian frankness, dark sins, punished with mediæval justice. In fact, these righteous early colonists seemed to find a genuine satisfaction in devising punishments, and in putting them into practice. We read that the stocks (also called "bilbaos" because they were formerly manufactured in Bilbao, in Spain) were first occupied by the man who had made them, as the court decided that his charge for the work was excessive! There were wooden cages in which criminals were confined and exposed to public view; whipping-posts; cleft sticks for profane tongues. Drunkenness was punished by disfranchisement; the blasphemer and the heretics were branded with a hot iron. Let us look at some of these old records, not all of them as ferocious as this, but interesting for the minutiæ which they preserve and which makes it possible for us to reconstruct something of that atmosphere of the past. BROKEN AND SCATTERED LAMENT OVER ONE DAUGHTER OF THE PURITANS WHO TOOK THE VEIL IN A ROMAN CATHOLIC CONVENT STERNLY RELATE IN REBELLUSION FRANKNESS DARK SINS PUNISHED WITH MANY EVIL JUSTICE IN FACT THESE RIGHTEOUS EARLY COLONISTS SEEM TO FIND A GENUINE SATISFACTION IN DEVISING PUNISHMENTS AND IN PUTTING THEM INTO PRACTICE WE READ THAT THE STOCKS ALSO CALLED BILL BOWS BECAUSE THEY WERE FORMERLY MANUFACTURED IN BILL BOW IN SPAIN WERE FIRST OCCUPIED BY THE MAN WHO HAD MADE THEM AS THE COURT DECIDED THAT HIS CHARGE FOR THE WORK WAS EXCESSIVE THERE WERE WOODEN CAGES IN WHICH CRIMINALS WERE CONFINED AND EXPOSED TO PUBLIC VIEW WHIPPING POSTS CLEF STICKS FOR PROFANE TONGUES DRUNKENNESS WAS PUNISHED BY DISFRANCHISEMENT THE BLASPHEMER AND THE HERETICS WERE BRANDED WITH A HOT IRON LET US LOOK AT SOME OF THESE OLD RECORDS NOT ALL OF THEM AS FEROCIOUS AS THIS BUT INTERESTING FOR THE MINUTE WHICH THEY PRESERVE AND WHICH MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO RECONSTRUCT SOMETHING OF THAT ATMOSPHERE OF THE PAST
large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_10_edwards_64kb
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