Tonight in Salem: Elizabeth Proctor buries her nose into her husband’s neck and inhales deeply. He smells like sweat, and dirt, and the weight of him pulls her against him. John is harsh during the day, and Elizabeth can be quarrelsome, but at night they’ve always moved together in an easy rhythm.
John and Elizabeth have heard the rumors, and they know what’s about to happen. If not tomorrow, then the next day, she will be arrested for witchcraft, then examined before the magistrates. It doesn’t matter that John says the afflicted girls are lying, or that his own servant, Mary Warren, has said the same. If anything, that could make the afflicted girls even more strident in their accusations.
Elizabeth will almost certainly be sent to jail. How long will she languish there? When will they be together again? What about the littlest children, only 3 and 6? So many questions, and so few answers. All they can do is cling together and hope.
LEARN MORE: What did the Puritans think about sex? Did they think it was a sin?
The Bible was the source of Puritan beliefs about sex. It gave them a long list of sexual activities to avoid, including self-pleasure, adultery, homosexuality, and fornication. The Puritans were not without compassion, though, and when offenses did occur, they often looked the other way. After all, men who came to America had often left their wives behind in England; but they hadn’t left their urges. Likewise indentured servants, who were frequently young men with no attachments. Women were also treated less severely, especially if they were widows or young servants with few prospects.
The Puritans fully embraced the passions of marital sex, though. The Bible says a couple owes it to one another, that they must cherish one another intimately, and solace each other with the ”signs and tokens of love and kindness” – which was often inferred to mean kissing. In fact, it’s been said that the Puritans were the founders of romance in marriage. In a time when marriage often began as a civic partnership, joyful sex helped couples bond together in an affectionate and loving relationship.
Tomorrow in Salem: ARRESTED: the quarrelsome Elizabeth Proctor and the nervous Sarah Cloyce