bassador at The Hague,
dated London, 14th November, 1618: "The Turkish Chiaus is shortly
coming for the Hagh. On Tuesday last he took leave of the king, and
thanked his majesty for healing his sonne of the kinges evill; which
his majesty performed with all solemnity at Whitehall on Thursday was
sevenight." Charles I also enjoyed the same power, notwithstanding
the public declaration by Parliament "to inform the people of the
superstition of being touched by the king for the evil." When a
prisoner he cured a man by simply saying, "God bless thee and grant
thee thy desire," the Puritans not permitting him to touch the
patient. Whereupon it is asserted by Dr. John Nicholas on his own
knowledge, the blotches and humors disappeared from the patient's body
and appeared in the bottle of medicine which he held in his hand.
Charles's blood had the same efficacy. This sovereign substituted in
some cases the giving of a piece of silver instead of the gold, which
was usually presented to the patient. Badger says that this king
"excelled all his predecessors in the divine gift; for it is manifest
beyond all contradiction, that he not only cured by his sacred touch,
both with and without gold, but likewise perfectly effected the same
cure by his prayer and benediction only." In his reign the gift was
exercised at certain seasons of the year, Easter and Michaelmas being
at first set apart for this purpose. A further regulation, which is
quite suggestive, was that the patient must present a certificate to
the effect that he had never before been touched for the disease.

The following incident is related concerning Charles I: "A young
gentlewoman of about sixteen years of age, Elizabeth Stevens, of
Winchester, came (7 October, 1648) into the presence-chamber to be
touched for the evill, which she was supposed to have; and therewith
one of her eyes (that namely on the left side) was so much indisposed,
that by her owne and her mother's testimony (who was then also
present), she had not seene with that eye of above a month before.
After prayers, read by Dr. Sanderson, the maide kneeled downe among
others, likewise to be touched. And his majestie touched her, and put
a ribbon, with a piece of money at it, in usuall manner, about her
neck. Which done, his majesty turned to the lords (viz., the duke of
Richmond, the earl of Southampton, and the earl of Lindsey) to
discourse with them. And the said young gentlewoman of her own accord
said o