They believed in negotiating directly with God for
the welfare of the soul without the priest or church organization.
The fear of witchcraft grew with Puritanism. Poor decrepit old
defenseless women, often deformed and feeble-minded, were thought
to be witches. Their warts and tumors were thought to be teats for
the devil to suck or the devil's mark. Cursing or ill-tempers
(probably from old age pains) or having cats were further
indications of witchery.
When the king learned in 1618 that the Puritans had prevented
certain recreations after the Sunday service, he proclaimed that
the people should not be restrained from lawful recreations and
exercise such as dancing, archery for men, leaping, vaulting, May-
games, Whitsunales, Morris-dances, and May-pole sports. Also women
could carry rushes to decorate the church as they had done in the
past. (Still unlawful on Sunday was bear and bull baitings and
bowlings.) His stated purpose was to prevent people such as
Catholics from being deterred from conversion, to promote physical
fitness for war, and to keep people from drinking and making
discontented speeches in their ale houses.
Besides the Puritans, there were other Independent sects, such as
the Congregationalists, whose churches gathered together by the
inspiration of Jesus. This sect was started by English merchants
residing in Holland who set up congregations of Englishmen under
their patronage there; they kept minister and elders well under
their control.
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