The later Puritans who came directly from England, on the other hand, were not "separatists," hence they brought with them the psalm-book of Sternhold and Hopkins, which was the version of the Psaltery approved at that time by the Established Church. The wretched paraphrases of the Psalms in both the Ainsworth and the "orthodox" version of Sternhold and Hopkins eventually led to an insistent demand among the New England Puritans for an entirely new psalm-book which should also adhere more closely to the Hebrew original. The result was the famous "Bay Psalmist" of 1640, which was the first book printed in British America. The Puritan editors of this first attempt at American psalmody cared no more for poetic effect than did their brother versifiers across the waters. This they made quite plain in the concluding words of the Preface to the "Bay Psalmist": "If therefore the verses are not always so smooth and elegant as some may desire or expect; let them consider that God's Altar needs not our pollishings: Ex. 20, for wee have respected rather a plaine translation, than to smooth our verses with the sweetness of any paraphrase, and soe have attended to Conscience rather than Elegance, fidelity rather than poetry, in translating the hebrew words into english language, and David's poetry into english meetre: that soe wee may sing in Sion the Lords songs of praise according to his own will; untill hee take us from hence, and wipe away all our tears, & bid us enter into our masters joye to sing eternall Halleluiahs." The editors scarcely needed to apprise the worshiper that he should not look for artistic verses, for a glimpse within its pages was sufficient to disillusion any one who expected to find sacred poetry. The metrical form given the 137th Psalm is an example of the Puritan theologians' contempt for polished language: The rivers on of Babilon there when wee did sit downe: yea even then wee mourned, when wee remembred Sion. Our Harps wee did hang it amid, upon the willow tree. Because there they that us away led in captivitee, Required of us a song, & thus askt mirth: us waste who laid, sing us among a Sions song, unto us then they said. The lords song sing can wee? being in strangers land. Then let loose her skill my right hand, if I Jerusalem forget. Let cleave my tongue my pallate on, if minde thee doe not I: if chiefe joyes o'er I prize not more Jerusalem my joye.