420 CUKE BY Y E TOUCH. 



feature, there might have been less of that baneful scepticism 

 concerning the divinity of kings. Such outward sign of phy- 

 sical superiority not having been always vouchsafed to kings 

 and queens, it behoved them to illustrate the divinity of their 

 appointment by the display of moral and spiritual qualities, 

 amongst which the assumed power of curing diseases by the 

 touch must be numbered. Some pretension of this sort has 

 been pretty common amongst rulers, temporal as well as spi- 

 ritual, in most countries and at most times ; but it is wholly 

 in respect of the healings performed by kings and queens of 

 England that we have now to concern ourselves. 



Nothing like a consistent account of curing by the touch, 

 as possessed by British sovereigns, can be found prior to the 

 reign of Henry VII. ; nor is this wonderful, when we remem- 

 ber that printing had only then just come to be substituted 

 for the tedious process of hand-copying. It was remarked 

 by Lord Bacon, that Henry always showed great partiality 

 for the observance of forms and ceremonies. This monarch's 

 title to the English crown was none of the best : to speak 

 plainly, he may be called a usurper. Desirous (so runs the 

 argument of such as revile the divinity of kings) of some 

 token whereby he might assure his subjects that the divine 

 blessing was upon him, Henry laid his royal hand, with doubt 

 and trembling, upon a scrofula-stricken patient, whereupon 

 the latter was cured. This discovery made, Richmond began 

 to hold up his kingly head right royally, like any other legi- 

 timate heaven-appointed king. Grateful at the manifestation 

 of such healing power through strokings by the royal hand, 

 Henry (thus do evil-disposed traducers allege) began to scan 

 the chronicles of his predecessors for examples of previous 

 cures effected. He studied the ceremonials that had been 

 adopted on these occasions, retaining several, and adding 

 others. All that had hitherto in the matter of royal healing 

 been conducted arbitrarily, was now codified into a system. 

 This monarch was the first amongst English sovereigns who 



