It was the office of Wiseman, as Sergeant Surgeon, to select such afflicted objects as were proper to be presented for the royal touch.—Is it possible (I. Bunnantine here exclaims) to desire a more satisfactory testimony of these miraculous cures, than that of a man of science and respectability, under whose immediate inspection they were performed, and who had “himself been a frequent eye-witness of many hundreds of cures performed by his majesty’s touch alone!”—The late judge Barrington (he further observes) relates what he heard from an old man, a witness in a cause, with regard to this miraculous power of healing.
“He had by his evidence fixed the time of a fact, by queen Anne’s having been at Oxford, and touched him, whilst a child, for the Evil. When he had finished his evidence, I had an opportunity of asking him, whether he really was cured? Upon which he observed, with a significant smile, that he believed himself never to have had a complaint that deserved to be considered as the Evil; but that his parents were poor, and had no objection to the bit of Gold.”
It seems to me (adds the judge) this piece of Gold, that was given to those who were touched, accounts for the great resort on this occasion, and the supposed afterwards miraculous cures.—Gimelli, the famous traveller, gives an account of 1600 persons offering themselves to be cured of the Evil by Lewis xiv. on Easter Sunday, 1686. Gimelli himself was present at the ceremony: every Frenchman received 15 Souce, and every foreigner 30. This power of healing assumed by the kings of France occasioned great resort to Francis I. while prisoner at Madrid, by the Spaniards, who had not such faith in their own king’s touch. It appears by a proclamation of Jas. I. Mar. 25, 1617, that the kings of England would not permit any resort to them for these miraculous cures in the summer-time. By another proclamation of June 18, 1626 it is ordered that no one shall apply for this purpose, who does not bring a proper certificate, that he has never been touched before: the same, it has been already seen, were the terms on which queen Anne granted her royal touch.—In a prayer-book printed in 1703, is a form of the Church-service for the occasion of the royal touch. After the Lord’s Prayer it is stated, “Then shall the infirm persons, one by one, be presented to the queen; while the queen is laying her hands upon them and is putting the Gold about their necks, the chaplain that officiates turning himself to her majesty shall say these words following: “God give a blessing to this work and grant that these sick persons on whom the queen lays her bands may recover through Jesus Christ our Lord!”—After some other prayers, the chaplain, standing with his face towards those come to be healed, shall say: “The Almighty God, who is a most strong tower to all them that put their trust in him, to whom all things in heaven, in earth, and under the earth, do bow and obey, be evermore your defence; and make you know and feel that there is no other name under heaven given to man, and through whom you may receives health and salvation, but only in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!”—Mo. Mag. Mar. 1810.
END OF VOLUME 1.
ERRATA. [626]
Page 2, line 3, for mumerous read numerous.—p. 9, l. 19, for its r. their.—p 19. last line but two, dele comma after least.—p. 31, l. 3. for drgree r. degree—p. 32, for Section II, r. Section I.—p. 79, l. 13, for seperated r. separated—p. 83, l. 9, for decerned r. discerned—p. 85, l. 1, for sagacions r. sagacious—p. 106, l. 5, for cansideration r. consideration—p. 107. l. 28, and 29, for acdingly r. accordingly—p. 134, Note, 1. 3, before side r. east—p. 148, l. 14, for numbers r. members—p. 192, l. 3, for compositions r. composition—p. 96, last line for heterdoxy r. heterodoxy—p. 200, l. 17, for vareigata r. variegata—p. 210. l. 9, after Britain a period instead of a comma—p. 222, l. 4, delete s in collections—p. 237, l. 10, for supremary r. supremacy—p. 312, last line but one, for way r. may—p. 317, l. 14, for loose r. lose—Same p. l. 18, for miricles r. miracles—p. 325, l. 7, for Susanna r. Joanna—p. 347 l. 11, after Silthestow a comma—and the next line, for sincc r. since—p. 353, l. 3, for Fountian r. Fountain—p. 374. l. 3, for pregressive r. progressive—p. 395, l. 6, from the bottom, after some r. of—p. 400, l. 2, and 14, for arbitary r. arbitrary—p. 402, l. 26, for directiom r. direction—p. 403, l. 2, for appelation r. appellation—p. 507. l. 3, for now r. new—p. 511, note, dele them in l. 16—same page l. 35 of the note, for they were r. it was—p. 515, l. 12. for da r. de—p. 517, l. 3, from bottom, for 1526, r. 1256—p. 592, note l. 3., member of. r. members and.
Whittingham, Printer, Lynn.
FOOTNOTES.
[1] The exact situation of Lynn, as to its Latitude and Longitude, has been ascertained with the utmost accuracy by Mr. Walker. He informs the author, that the Latitude of St. Nicholas’ Chapel, in this town, deduced from observations with a mural circle made by Mr. Troughton, is 52d. 45m. 25s to North; and its Longitude, by Chronometers, 1m. 35s. in time, East of Greenwich.
[2] The original, or British name may pretty safely be concluded to have been Wysg, or Gwysg.