By the late 17th and 18th centuries, the meaning and acceptability of profanity began to shift. As the Enlightenment approached and public piety slowly declined, religious oaths lost some of their intensity. Swearing became more associated with rudeness than heresy.

Ironically, as religious swearing declined, sexual and bodily obscenity gained prominence. In the 18th century, novels like Fanny Hill and Tom Jones included risqué content that earlier writers would not have dared.

However, many of the euphemisms and expressions born in Early Modern England survived and evolved:

• “Zounds” appears in Victorian novels and even modern fantasy.
   

• “Bloody,” which likely began as “by our Lady,” became a major taboo in 19th-century Britain.
   

Today, modern English profanity is largely secular, but the roots of many of its expressions lie in Early Modern oaths, curses, and taboos. The fears, reverence, and repression of that era continue to shape the emotional power of swearing even now.

Conclusion

Profanity in Early Modern England was more than vulgar speech—it was a mirror of society's deepest anxieties. Oaths reflected the sacred and the forbidden, revealing a world where words had literal power and the tongue could lead one to damnation or the stocks.

From “zounds” to “swive,” from the pulpit to the public tavern, the history of swearing in this era tells us how language enforces moral codes, reflects social boundaries, and resists authority. As we curse today—often without considering the historical weight behind our words—we are heirs to a centuries-old tradition of speaking the unspeakable.

Let us then remember that in Early Modern England, to say “a curse upon your blood” wasn’t just a dramatic flourish—it was a dangerous, potent, and perhaps even holy sin. shutdown123