HENRY VII.
It is evident, from various concurrent circumstances, that this King touched for the Evil, as the Religious Ceremonial used upon those occasions, such as Prayers, Benedictions, Suffrages, &c. during his Reign, are to be found not only in MS. in the British Museum, but were afterwards printed by order of King James II. A. D. 1686; both in Latin. Another proof arises from charges made for pieces of money delivered for this purpose in that Reign; for, in the 18th year of Henry VII. we find a disbursement of 20 shillings, made by John Heron, "for heling 3 seke folks;" and again, "13s. 4d. for heling 2 seke folks." From these sums it is evident, that the Touch-pieces given were Nobles, or 6s. 8d. in value[198]. The accounts of this John Heron are preserved, together with those of divers others, in the office of the Remembrancer of the Exchequer. The fact is further established from the testimony of Polydore Vergil, who wrote his History at the command of King Henry VII. (though it was not made public till the following Reign); wherein the Writer, after going a little into the origin of this Gift, adds, that the Kings of England, even in his time, healed persons afflicted with this disease ["Nam Reges Angliæ etiam nunc Tactu strumosos sanant.">[ He further subjoins, that the exercise of it was attended with hymns, and other devout cæremonies; meaning, no doubt, those above-mentioned: ["quibusdam hymnis non sine ceremoniis prius recitatis[199].">[ From looking over the Ceremonial, I conceive that by hymns, Polydore Vergil means the Gospel, which at that time was sung, or the suffrages, which might be chanted.
Fabian Philips, in his Treatise on Purveyance, p. 257, asserts, "that the Angels issued by the Kings of England on these occasions, amounted to a charge of three thousand pounds per annum.">[
I shall give a transcript of the service appropriated to this occasion in the Appendix, (No. I.) as the printed copies are very scarce.
I cannot dismiss this Reign without observing that the learned Editor of the Northumberland Household Book[200] is hereby proved to have been very inattentive, when he says that "this miraculous Gift was left to be claimed by the Stuarts; our ancient Plantagenets were humbly content to cure the Cramp[201]."
What part the Plantagenets took in this business, for want of information, must be left doubtful; but ample proof has been offered, that the Tudors possessed the Gift of Healing.