In reward for Clovis's faith and conversion, this Gift was bestowed upon him at his baptism, A. D. 496; and which he accordingly exercised immediately on one of his favourites[185].
How it was first discovered to be inherent in the French King we are not told; though we are assured as to our own, that the knowledge of such power in King Edward was discovered, like many other similar wonders, from a dream.
The usual date of the introduction of this miraculous Gift into France is fixed in the Reign of St. Louis [i. e. IX], a contemporary with our Henry III. about 160 years after the death of the Confessor[186].
Unfortunately for the French Kings, there is a story extant, which overthrows their healing power, in a palpable instance which happened to Louis XI. who having had an apoplexy, sent for a famous man to cure him, by name Francis of Poul. Francis, unhappily, had the Evil; but, alas! the Saint could not cure the King; and, what was worse, the King could not cure the Saint[187].
On the other hand, as the French Kings possessed the faculty sooner than our Kings, so did it last longer; for King George I. had the good sense not to pretend to it; whereas the French Kings kept up the farce at least till 1775, though with some address in the words spoken by the King; viz. "The King touches you, and may God heal you!" ["Le Roy te touche, Dieu te guerisse.">[ So that, in case the Touch fails, it is known where the blame is to lie; which is to be attributed to the anger of God, or the want of faith in the party[188]. The French Kings gave alms on the occasion; but I find no mention of particular pieces, as was the custom with us. I do not find that the French Kings ever touched, except upon Coronations; though it was a repeated, if not an annual ceremony with us, performed daily for a certain season[189], attended with a Form of Prayer, compiled for the purpose, which I shall hereafter preserve at length in the Appendix, together with the Ceremonial, after having given such accounts of the Practice itself, under the respective Kings, as are recorded by Writers on the subject.
EDWARD THE CONFESSOR[190].
To begin in order of time, I shall give you the narrative in Mr. Stowe's words, from the Latin account by Alfred, Abbot of Rivaulx. Thus then it is:
"A young woman, married, but without children, had a disease about her jawes, and under her cheeke, like unto kernels, which they termed akornes, and this disease so corrupted her face with stench, that shee coulde scarce without great shame speake to any man. This woman was admonished in her sleepe, to go to King Edwarde, and get him to washe her face with water, and shee shoulde bee whole. To the Court shee came; and the King hearing of this matter, disdained not to doe it; having a bason of water brought unto him, hee dipped his hand therein, and washed the womannes face, and touched the diseased place; and this hee did oftentimes, sometimes also signing it with the signe of the Crosse, which after hee hadde thus washed it, the hard crust or skinne was softened and dissolved; and drawing his hand by divers of the holes, out of the kernels came little wormes, whereof they were full with corrupt matter and blood, the King still pressed it with his handes to bring forth the corruption, and disdained not to suffer the stench of the disease, untill hee hadde brought forth all the corruption with pressing: this done, hee commanded her a sufficient allowance every day for all thinges necessary, untill she hadd received perfect health, which was within a weeke after; and whereas shee was ever beefore barren, within one yeere shee had a childe by her husband. And although this thing seeme strange, yet the Normans sayde that hee often did the like in his youth, when he was in Normandy[191]."
It does not appear that the King knew of this Gift before; but he continued to use it ever after, and his successors followed him in the practice.