766 
and what I have received acknowledg- 
ments of, by letter, not only from the 
feveral parts of this nation, but alfo 
from Ireland, Scotland, Terfey, and Ger- 
many.” Is it poflible for a teftimony to 
be more direct and pofitive, or to proceed 
from a more competent witnefs? Yet, 
probably, there is fcarceiy at prefent a 
man in England who is not convinced 
that the whole pretenfion was a falfehood 
(for tha: impofure is now worn out). 
How then are we to account forWifeman’s 
conduct? Was he himfelf deceived, or 
did he knowingly lend his aid to carry on 
a cheat? Both fuppofitions have their 
diticulties, yet both are in fome degree 
probable. His warm attachment to the 
royai tamily, and early prejudices, might 
infpire him with a faith beyond the con- 
tron: of his judgment. On the other 
bond, certain paviages in this treatife 
v a neceffary confcioufnefs of collu- 
{ aad are, indeed, the true confuta- 
ticn-of that above. quoted, which other- 
ife mignt flagger one who judged from 
jive€t evidence alone. 
é was his office, as ferjeant-furgeon, 
to feleé&t fuch affiiéted objeéts, as were 
proper. to be prefented fer the royal 
touch. In.the hiftory of the difeafe, 
when deferibing its varicus ftates and 
appearances, he tays, * Thofe which we 
refent to his majeity, are chiefly fuch as 
ae this fort of tumour about the muf- 
culus meftoideus, or neck, with what- 
ever cirtumitances they are accompanied ; 
nor are we difficult in admitting, the 
thick chapped upper lips, and eyes af- 
fliéted with a lippitudo: i cther cafes, we 
give our-judemen more warily.’ Here is 
a feleétion of the flichteft cafes, which - 
moft readily undergo a {fpontaneous alte- 
ration, and a manifeft doubt expreffed 
concerning the fuccefs in more invete- 
rate ones. A little below, obferving that 
the firumz will often {uppurate, or be 
refolved unexpeétedly from accidental 
ferments, he fays, “ In cafe of the king’s 
touch, the ‘refolution doth often happen, 
where our endeavours have fignified no- 
thing; yea, the very gummata, info- 
much, that I am cautious of predicting 
concerning them (though they appear 
never fo bad) till fourteen days be over.” 
From this paffage we may infer, that 
the touch was by no means infallible, and 
that the pretence of its fucceeding was 
not given up, till a fortnight had elapfed 
without any change for the better. 
Indeed, it appears very evident, that 
the worft kind af cafes were feldom or 
never offered to the toweh ; for in no dif- 
On the Royal Touch in the Evil... . Fews in Spain. 
[Nov. 
eafe, does Wifeman adduce mere exam-~ 
ples from his own praétice of difficult and 
tedious chirurgical treatment, nor do we 
find, that in one of thele, he called in the 
aid of the royal hand. It was propofed in 
a fingle inftance : but under circumftantes 
that furnifh a ftronger proof of impof- 
ture, than any thing yet mentioned. A 
young gentlewoman had an obftinate 
{crophuious tumour in the right fide of 
the neck, under the jaw; Wifeman 
applied a large cauftic to it, brought it 
to fuppuration, treated it with efcharo- 
tics,and curedit. ‘About a year after,” 
fays he, ‘ 1 faw her again in town, and 
felt a {mall gland of the bignefs of a lu- 
pin, lying lower on that fide of the neck, 
I would have perfuaded her to admit of 
a refolvent emplafter, and fo be touched; 
but fhe did not, as fhe faid, believe it to 
be the king’s-evil.”” Here, after allow- 
ing his patient to undergo a courfe of 
very fevere furgery, he is willing to truft 
the relics of the difeate te the royal'touch, 
afifted by a jelving. plafiers bat the 
complatfit was now toe trifling to engage 
herattention. Surely, the greateft op- 
ponent of the /evch couid not place it in 
a more contemptible light. 
Tuius do the bo:deft affertions of won- 
derful and fupernatural ' occurrences, 
fhrink into nothing before a patient and 
critical examination; and thus inconfiftent 
with itfelf is an extravagant pretenfion 
ever found to be. It was enough to re- 
fute the impudent claims of the alche- 
mifts, that thefe pretended gold-makers 
were beggars in rags; as it isa very con- 
Vincing proof, that the royal touch can- 
not cure the king’s-evil, when it becomes 
the evil of kings. 
In order fully to prove the reality of 
an extraordinary cure, three points of 
evidemce are necefiary :—that the difeafe 
exifted, that it was cured, and that the 
alledged means were what alone per- 
formed the cure. But how feldom have 
thefe concurred in an authentic form, to 
eftablifh a wonderful tale of this kind! 
Yet, men are ftill the dupes of their own 
credulity ; and who can forefce an end 
to this delufion ? 
Your’s, &e. 
irso-PsEUDES. 

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
STR, 
PRE complimentary introduttien with 
which you have ufhered in my Glean- 
ings from Tovey, &c. concerning Jews 
in England (vol. i. p.12, 102, and 98) 
an 
