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Touch in the 17th century, when the disease is now so nearly worn out; but Mr. Browne

faith preponderate against his judgment; and, on the other hand, certain passages in his treatise necessarily shew a consciousness of collusion and fraudulent pretensions. It was his business, as Serjeant-surgeon, to select such afflicted objects as were proper to be presented for the Royal Touch. In the history of the disease, relating its various states and appearances, he says, Those which we present to his Majesty are chiefly such as have this kind of tumour about the musculus mastoideus, or neck, with whatever other circumstances they are accompanied ; nor are we difficult in admitting the thick-chapped upper lips, and eyes affected with a lippitudo; in other cases we give our judgment more warily.' Here is a selection of the slightest cases, and a manifest doubt expressed concerning the success in more inveterate ones. A little below, observing that the struma will often be suppurated or resolved unexpectedly from accidental ferments, he says, 'In case of the King's Touch, the resolution doth often happen where our endeavours have signified nothing; yea, the very gummata; insomuch that I am cautious of predicting concerning them (though they appear never so bad) till 14 days be over.' From this we learn, that the Touch was by no means infallible, and that the pretence of its succeeding was not given up till a fortnight had passed

tells us it raged remarkably at the period when he lived.

without any change for the better. Indeed it appears very plain, that the worst kind of cases were seldom or never offered the Touch; for in no disease does Wiseman produce more observations from his practice of difficult and dangerous chirurgical treatment, and in not one of these did he call in the assistance of the Royal Hand. It was indeed proposed in a single instance, but under such circumstances as furnish a stronger proof of imposture than any thing hitherto related. A young gentlewoman had an obstinate scrophulous tumour in the right side of the neck, under the maxilla. Wiseman applied a large caustic to it, brought it to suppuration, treated it with escharotics, and cured it. About a year after,' he says, 'I saw her again in town, and felt a small gland, of the bigness of a lupin, lying lower on that side of the neck. I would have have persuaded her to admit of a resolvent emplaster, and to be touched; but she did not, as she said, believe it to be the King's Evil,' Here, after allowing his patient to undergo a course of very severe surgery, he is willing to trust the relics. of the disease to the Royal Touch, assisted by a resolving plaster; but the complaint was now too trifling to engage her attention. Surely the greatest opponent of the Touch will not place it in a more con temptible light!"

As to the giving of a piece of Gold, Mr. Browne says, "it only shews his Majestie's Royal well-wishes towards the recovery of those who come thus to be healed." In other parts of his book, however, he tells us that "some, losing their Gold*, their diseases have seized them afresh; when, upon obtaining a second Touch, and new Gold, their diseases have been seen to vanish." Again, as to the virtue contained in the Gold, he relates a story of a father and a son, who both were afflicted with the Evil, for which the former was touched, and received a piece of Gold; but the latter never was touched, and had no Gold; upon which the son borrows the father's Gold, and received great relief from it. During this interval the father grew worse, received back his Gold, and, after wearing it a little time, became better; and this practice was pursued for several years. Mr. Browne likewise gives other examples of the operation of the Gold, on

* Sir Kenelm Digby informed Mons. Monconys, that if the person had lost the piece of gold, the complaint immediately returned.

persons who had never received the Touch. -Though we have called it Gold, which, in itself, was anciently reckoned to have a sanative quality in itself, yet Silver would do as well; for Mr. Browne does not deny but that a Silver two-pence has effectually done the business. The case was, that the King (Charles I.), who was the Operator, was then a Prisoner at Hampton Court, and perhaps had no Gold to spare; and therefore, in several instances, he used Silver, with which many were known to have been cured :-but, after all, by way of salvo, Mr. Browne adds, that such as failed of their cure-wanted Faith. From another passage in Mr. Browne's preface, one would be tempted to think that the virtue neither consisted in the Gold or the Silver, but in the Ribbon to which it was pendent; for he assures those who contended that a second piece of Gold was necessary on a second Touch, that the same Gold, newly strung upon a White Ribbon, would work as effectually as a fresh piece of Gold. Some, he tells us, have been cured with the Touch only, without Gold or Silver,

Among other salvos in case of failure of the Touch, added to the want of faith, is, that the disease was mistaken in many instances; and that the Patients did not labour under the Struma, or Evil, but some other similar disorder, over which the Royal Hand had no divine influence.

There was such sympathy between the Royal Hand and the part touched, that Mr. Browne seems to believe a case that had been sent to him, of a woman, at a distance from London, who had formerly been cured by King Charles I. and whose sores broke out afresh upon the day of the King's death, though she was so ignorant of the world as not to know that it was to take place. But she soon recovered her health.

The effect of this Divine Emanation has been said even to extend beyond the life of this unfortunate Monarch; for part of the blood of this King being preserved on a piece of linen dipped therein, was found to have the same effect as the Touch, or his Prayers, when he was living *.

* Browne, book iii. p. 109.

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