He plow on Sunday…I think it be evidence, John. I am an official of the court, I cannot keep it.
– Arthur Miller
The Crucible, Act 2. Here John Proctor’s practice of his Christian faith is called into question. Ezekiel Cheever, the tailor turned clerk of the witch trials court, attempts to undermine Proctor’s credibility. He provides the court with "evidence" that Proctor has been seen plowing his fields on Sunday. The Puritans of Salem don’t tolerate people who disrespect the sabboth in this way. Puritan society demanded that people follow the teachings of the Bible and not work on the sabbath or Lord’s day. This passage is an allusion to God’s Fourth Commandment, from the Book of Exodus: "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."