On touching for the king's evil / by Henry Barnes.

  • Barnes, Henry
Date:
1895
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On touching for the king's evil / by Henry Barnes. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Nicolson's Journal, for which I am indebted to Chancellor Ferguson, will be of interest as referring to the service: July 14, 1684. In ye morning King's* musick at ye bed chamber, as usuall on Mundays. Touching for ye Evill in ye guard chamber.} Dr. Montague held ye gold. Water brought to ye King by the Vice Chamberlain. It does not appear that there was any regular form of religious service used before the time of Henry VII. and the new ritual introduced by that monarch was in Latin, the rubric being in English. It was taken from two forms in use in the Roman Catholic Church, The Blessing for Sore Eyes and the Exorcismus Adversus Spiritus Immundos. The Rev. W. Sparrow Simpson, F.S.A., has collected a series of services used at the Healing by different monarchs. It is published in the British Archaeological Journal, vol. xxvii, 1871. In it a copy is given of the office used by Queen Mary. In this reign when the sick were presented the sore on the patient's neck was crossed with an angel noble, which was then hanged about the neck to be worn (in the words of the rubric) till they were full hoole. The use of the sign of the Cross in giving the gold gave rise to some jealousies, as if some mysterious operation were imputed to it. James I. discontinued the use of the Cross, but it was revived by James II. In the time of Charles I. the office was first published in English, and in the time of Queen Anne the service was materially shortened. The following is a list of the services used At the Healing. In 1686 a small volume was published which purports to contain the office used by Henry VII. (See below James II.) * Charles II. t At Windsor.
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