ough our Townes on that day. It is enacted by the Court
that a fitt man in each Towne be chosen, unto whom whosever hath
nessessity of travell on the Lord's day in case of danger of death, or
such necessitous occations shall repaire, and makeing out such occations
satisfyingly to him shall receive a Tickett from him to pas on about
such like occations;" but, "if he attende not to this," or "if it shall
appeare that his plea was falce," the hand of the law was likely to fall
upon him while he contributed twenty shillings "to the use of the
Collonie."

In the Massachusetts Bay Province it was early enacted that "no
traveller ... shall travel on the Lord's day ... except by some
adversity they are belated and forced to lodge in the woods, wilderness,
or highways the night before, and then only to the next inn," under a
penalty of twenty shillings.

In 1727 it was found that notwithstanding the many good and wholesome
laws made to prevent the "prophanation of the Lord's day," this same
"prophanation" was on the increase, and so it was enacted that the
penalty for the first offense should be thirty shillings, and for the
second, three pounds, while the offender, presumably a "foraignor," was
to be put under a bond to observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy
according to the ideas of the straight-laced Puritans.

Even this did not put an end to the good fathers' troubles, for in 1760,
"whereas, by reason of different constructions of the several laws now
in force relating to the observation of the Lord's day or Christain
Sabbath, the said laws have not been duly executed, and notwithstanding
the pious intention of the legislators, the Lord's Day hath been greatly
and frequently prophaned" all the laws relating to the observance
thereof were repealed and a new chapter enacted, one section of which,
and the only one in which we are now interested, was the same as the law
of 1727, above quoted.

Thirty-one years later all these laws were again erased from the statute
book and a new attempt was made to frame a law which should leave no
loop-holes for foraignors or others, as follows: "Whereas the observance
of the Lord's day is highly promotive of the welfare of a community by
affording necessary seasons for relaxation from labor and the cares of
business; for moral reflections and conversation on the duties of life,
and the frequent errors of human conduct; for public and private worship
of the Maker, Governor, and Judge of