-
«king's evil» [E.];
regis morbus [L.]
le mal de roy [OF.];
cominsevel [MDu.];
[tanslation of medieval L. regis morbus, which in classical Latin denotes jaundice.]*1
- The olden name for the disease scrofula (tubercular swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck), which in England and France was believed to be curable with the touch of a king (or queen), which may have been referred to as the "king's stroke".
This belief started about the time of Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042-66)
according to the OED.
Medievalist Sabata*2 writes:
[From around the 12th century], the miraculous power of the kings, both French and English,
to cure disease was enhanced dramatically..
But that was true only in the beginning, when [their powers] worked on every manner of disease.
By the time of Philip II and Richard I, the only ones the kings could demonstrate their
miraculous ability on were patients of scrofula.. Still, the king only had to
touch the patient and make the sign of the cross to make him recover. There was tremendous excitement.
Hordes of patients descended upon the king wishing this upon themselves.
However, the king did not constantly have the power to cure scrofula.
It was most efficacious when he was being newly anointed for his coronation.
If not, for a certain limited amount of time after attending mass.
Otherwise he did unable to exhibit his miraculous power.
Again reverting to the OED, the ritual of administering the "king's touch" was continued
to the reign of Queen Anne, and even shortly after her death in 1714, the service was
being printed in the Common Book of Prayers*3.
The ritual as set down in the prayer book does not call for the monarch to repeatedly make the sign of the cross. Instead, the king puts "the gold about their necks".
This refers to a pierced gold coin (or medallion) made into a ribboned pendant, and which is given to the patients to be worn around the neck. More on this in the next section.
*1 "King's Touch" in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) provides
the source of etymology and definition here. The OED glosses "king's stroke" as being the touch
that cures king's evil, but this does not to be in widespread usage.
*2 This is a Japanes title. Toyoyuki Sabata, Yoroppa Chusei (Europe's Medieval [Period]) (Kawade Shobo 1989; Series Sekai no Rekishi 9), pp.153-4. Authorities are not given.
*3 Book of Common Prayer, &c. printed at Oxford in 1719.
The section is entitled "AT THE HEALING." Opening words are "Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings, with thy most gracious favor," to be followed by the reading of Mark 16:14, a series of prayers.
Then genuflecting patients are brought forth: "Then shall the infirm persons, one by one, be presented to the king upon their knees, and as every one is presented, and while the king is laying his hands upon them, and putting the gold about their necks, the chaplain that officiates, turning himself to his majesty, shall say these words following: God give a blessing to this work, and grant that these sick persons on whom the king lays his hands, may recover, through Jesus Christ our Lord," etc.
There is available online a Book of Common Prayer (1662):
AT THE HEALING which can be referred to. The "queen" here is Mary, whose husband and joint-ruler William refused to touch his subjects.
§ The "angel" gold coin and "touch piece"
-
angel-noble
 [currency], touch piece [medallion], [E.];
- Eventually, it came to be believed that a coin touched by the king also had the effect of
warding of "king's evil". But it had to be a specific coin, the "angel"
Modeled after the French angelot coin, the "angel" or "angel-noble" was an
English gold coin first issued by Edward IV in 1465 (at the standard noble rate of 6s. 8d. = 1/3 pound *1).
It derived its name because it showed the device of the Archangel Michael stepping on
and piercing a dragon (Lucifer).
The last angel-noble was minted by Charles I (reigned 1625~49).
There is a
specimen at Fitzwilliam Museum of Cambridge University, with punctured hole, actually given to
a sufferer of the disease.
After King Charles was executed and there was Parliamentary rule in England, there was obviously
discontinuation of the "king's evil" ritual.
The angel was not minted again as currency, but the ritual was revived.
As replacement, a small gold medallion, with the essential design of the noble were struck,
called touch piece.
As Boswell records, Dr. Samuel Johnson suffered from scrofula as an infant,
and in 1712 was touched by Queen Anne, who, as noted was the last monarch to give the service.
Dr. Johnson's touch piece is preserved at the British Museum*2.
*1 Redisigned as the Tudor "rose-noble", the noble was revalued by Henry VIII at 7s.6d. [=£ 0.375] (1509) and at 8s. [=£ 0.40](1542), and 10s. [=£ 0.50] by Edw. VI. (1552)
*2
This is on virtual display at the Brit. Mus.Compass Try keyword "king's evil".
§ The "angel" gold coin and "touch piece"
-
cramp-ring [finger ring?], king's silver [metal?], [E.];
- Probably a lesser known artefact, the OED explains the "cramp-ring" as a ring touched by a monarch, reputed to protect its wearer from cramps, falling sickness, etc.
I have not researched this much. There are a number of quotes in the OED, and I will cull some of the interesting ones ---
In the Bury Wills dated 1463 *1, 41: "My crampe ring with blak inamel and a part silver and gilt."; and in 35:"A rowund ryng of the kyingis silvir", which also is explained as a ring meant as cramp-ring."
Boorde, Introduction to Knowledge, i., (1547): "The Kynges of Englande doth halowe euery yere Crampe ryngs, the whyche rynges, worn on ones fynger, doth helpe them the whyche hath the Crampe."
Collect. Sev. Late Voy. (1694) 11.138 [proablby Narbrough, John, Sir, 1640-1688, An account of several late voyages & discoveries to the Sovth and North (1694) ]
"Morss†. or sea-horse.. having a greate semicircular Tusk.. very much v.lued for their uses in
Medicines, as to make Cramp-rings, which they make also of the bristles upon their cheeks to resist
Poison and other malignant disease."
† "morss" or "morse" is walrus, apparently cognate with Finnish and Russian.
*1 Bury Wills (Camden) is Tymms, Sammuel, 1808-1871, ed.,
Wills and inventories from the registers of the commissary of Bury St. Edmunds and the archdeacon of Sudbury, (Camden society. Publictions no. XLIX 1850)
|
| |
| | |
