he command and authority of the blessed God, such
person therein despising and reproaching the Lord shall he
put to death. (1656.)

If any man shall kiss his wife or wife kiss her husband on
the Lord's day, the party in fault shall be punished at the
discretion of the Court of Magistrates.

Tradition says that a man of New Haven reached home on Sunday, after an
absence of several months, and, meeting his wife at the door, kissed her.
For thus violating the law he was arraigned before the court and fined.

Children were given excellent reason to mind their parents, as witness the
following laws:

If any child above sixteen years old shall curse, or smite
his, her or their parents, such child or children shall be
put to death (Exod. xxi:17; Lev. xx:9; Exod. xxi:15), unless
it be proved that the parents have been very unchristianly
negligent in the education of such child, etc. (Eaton.)

If any man have a stubborn, rebellious son of sixteen years
old, who will not obey the voice of his father or mother,
and being chastened will not hearken unto them, then shall
his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him to
the magistrates assembled in court, and testify unto them
that their son is stubborn and rebellious, and will not obey
their voice, but lives in sundry crimes: such a son shall be
put to death. (Enacted 1656.)

Puritan notions of propriety, as enforced by the laws, seem odd to modern
minds. Thus we learn on authority of Barber, as well as from Peters, that
"every male shall have his hair cut round according to a cap." Sometimes
half a pumpkin was used instead of a cap, to guide the hair-cutting of
these "Round-heads." Other unique laws follow:

No minister shall keep a school. (Barber.)

A debtor in prison, swearing he has no estate, shall be led
out and sold to make satisfaction. (Altered in 1656.)

Whoever brings cards or dice into this Dominion shall pay a
fine of five pounds. (Barber.)

No one shall read common prayer, keep Christmas or Saints'
days, make minced pies, dance, play cards, or play on any
instrument of music except the drum, trumpet, and
jew's-harp. (Barber.)

Whoever wears clothes trimmed with gold, silver, or bone
lace, above two shillings by the yard, shall be presented
by the grand jurors, and the selectmen shall tax the
offender at three hundred poun