On the other hand, Governor Bradford believed that the civil celebration was introduced by the Pilgrims directly from Holland. The first marriage in Plymouth Plantation--that of Edward Winslow and Susannah White[366]--occurred on May 12 (22), 1621. This, he declares "according to y^e laudable custome of y^e Low-Cuntries, in which they had lived, was thought most requisite to be performed by the magistrate, as being a civill thing, upon which many questions aboute inheritances doo depende, with other things most proper to their cognizans, and most consonante to y^e scriptures, Ruth 4, and no wher found in y^e gospell to be layed on y^e ministers as a part of their office. 'This decree or law about marriage was published by y^e State of y^e Low-Cuntries An^o: 1590. That those of any religion, after lawfull and open publication, coming before y^e magistrats in y^e Town or Stat-house, were to be orderly (by them) married one to another.' Petits Hist. fol: 1029. And this practiss hath continued amongst, not only them, but hath been followed by all y^e famous churches of Christ in these parts to this time,--An^o: 1646."[367] [Footnote 366: On this marriage see also GOODWIN, _Pilgrim Republic_, 181; SHIRLEY, "Early Jurisprudence of New Hampshire," _Procds. New Hamp. Hist. Soc._ (1876-84), 309; BACON, _Genesis of the New England Churches_, 339-41; YOUNG, _Chronicles of the Pilgrims_, 201.] [Footnote 367: BRADFORD, _Hist. of Plymouth_, 101. The work mentioned by Bradford, according to Mr. Deane, "is probably _La grande Chronique ancienne et moderne de Holland, Zélande, Westfrise, Utrecht_, &c., by Jean-François le Petit, 1601, and 1611."--BRADFORD, _op. cit._, 101, note by the editor.]