In seventeenth century England the Puritans were in power, and they detested the Quakers for their pacifism and belief in equality, the Puritans seeing equality as a threat to civil disorder. The Quakers had dirt clods, cow dung and sticks thrown at them during their services. In 1659 a rumor spread that Quakers were running naked through the streets, and concern erupted over morality and the safety of property.