A free and impartial enquiry into the antiquity and efficacy of touching for the cure of the King's Evil written some time since, in two letters: the one to Dr. Steigertahl ... the other to Sir Hans Sloane ... To which is added, a collection of records / By William Beckett.

  • William Becket
Date:
1722
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A free and impartial enquiry into the antiquity and efficacy of touching for the cure of the King's Evil written some time since, in two letters: the one to Dr. Steigertahl ... the other to Sir Hans Sloane ... To which is added, a collection of records / By William Beckett. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/98 page 10
    (1°) . that is acquainted with the Englijh Hi- ftory, knows how cuftomary a thing it was for the Monks, in thofe early times, to beflow their Miracles very liberally upon thofe Perfons who had been their Benefactors. And fuch was the Credu¬ lity of thofe early Ages, that thofe of the grofTeft Nature were impos’d upon the People for Matters of fa6t*; and little ' lels than Herefy woud it have been, for any one to have call’d in queflion or fufpedred the Truth of them. But In- terefl was the Motive, that certainly puflfd them on to the Invention of fuch monflrous Accounts as their Writings are fluffed with 5 and I doubt not but thefe Relations will gain as much Credit with the Reader, as that of the fame King’s carrying a poor Cripple upon his Back, flock’d with a whole Hofpital of Dif- eafes, to St. Veter s Church in Weftmin- {hr, where he was immediately cured of all his Maladies; or as the fame Hiflorians relate, that St. John the Apojlle appeared to him in the Habit of a Pilgrim, and received a Ring the King made him a Prefent of, which was afterwards very miraculoufly returned to him. But left there fliould be feme Perfons who are inclin’d to give more Credit to the former of thofe Relations, than
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