d such
strictness essential for the preservation of the saints. Josselyn
travelling in New England in 1638, observed in his _New England's
Rareties_ their customs rather keenly, criticized rather severely some
of their views, and commended just as heartily some of their virtues.
"They that are members of their churches have the sacraments
administered to them, the rest that are out of the pale as they phrase
it are denied it. Many hundred souls there be amongst them grown up to
men and women's estate that were never christened.... There are many
strange women too, (in Solomon's sense), more the pity; when a woman
hath lost her chastity she hath no more to lose. There are many sincere
and religious people amongst them.... They have store of children and
are well accommodated with servants; many hands make light work, many
hands make a full fraught, but many mouths eat up all, as some old
planters have experienced."

Approximately a century later the keen-eyed Sarah Knight visited New
Haven, and commented in her _Journal_ upon the growing laxity of rules
and customs among the people of the quaint old town:

"They are governed by the same laws as we in Boston (or little
differing), throughout this whole colony of Connecticut ... but a
little too much independent in their principles, and, as I have
been told, were formerly in their zeal very rigid in their
administrations towards such as their laws made offenders, even
to a harmless kiss or innocent merriment among young people....
They generally marry very young: the males oftener, as I am told,
under twenty than above: they generally make public weddings, and
have a way something singular (as they say) in some of them,
viz., just before joining hands the bride-groom quits the place,
who is soon followed by the bridesmen, and as it were dragged
back to duty--being the reverse to the former practice among us,
to steal mistress bride....

"They (the country women) generally stand after they come in a
great while speechless, and sometimes don't say a word till they
are asked what they want, which I impute to the awe they stand in
of the merchants, who they are constantly almost indebted to; and
must take that they bring without liberty to choose for
themselves; but they serve them as well, making the merchants
stay long enough for their pay...."

But even as late as 1780 S