Nor may any one
maintain or be present at wrestlings, shooting, bowling, ringing
of bells for pleasure or pastime, masks, wake, church-ale,
dancing, games, sport or, for those over 14, forfeit 5s., and for
those having care or education of a child under 14, 12d. Maypoles,
a "Heathenish vanity, generally abused to superstition and
wickedness", shall be taken down by officers or forfeit 5s. per
week. If any offender can't pay his fine, he shall be put in the
stocks for three hours. However meat maybe dressed in private
families, and victual sold in inns and victualling houses in a
moderate way, and milk sold before 9a.m. or after 4p.m.
Persons of the trinity, angels, or saints shall be demolished.
Altar and communion tables must not be raised but leveled. There
may be no copes, surplices, superstitious vestments, or holy water
fonts. There may be no crosses, crucifixes, pictures of the
trinity, angels or saints on plates. All organs must be taken
away.
The fine for using the Book of Common Prayer is five pounds for
the first offense, ten pounds for the second offense, and one year
imprisonment without bail for the third offense. The penalty for
writing or preaching against the Directory for Public Worship is
five to fifty pounds.
Blasphemies and heresies such as teaching or writing or printing
that there is no God, that God is not almighty, that Jesus was not
divine, that the resurrection of Jesus did not occur, that the
Bible is not the word of God, or that there is no judgment day
after death, are felony without benefit of clergy.
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