Joseph Swetnam's The Arraignement of Lewd, Idle, Froward and Unconstant Women was typical of radical Puritan attacks on women, though there is a kind of grotesque playfulness in its tone. But the the very real disadvantages that women suffered under a patriarchal system in which their fathers and later their husbands virtually owned them are typified by the means by which they were controlled, such as. . .
A scold's bridle, used to punish women whose husbands thought they gossiped or complained too much. A metal plate with spikes on both sides lies between the tongue and palate, causing great pain and making speech impossible.
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