Sir John Fortesque, the learned legal writer of the time of Edward IV.,
spoke of the gift of healing by touch as a "time immemorial privilege of
the kings of England." He very seriously attributed the virtue to the
unction imparted to the hands in the coronation. Elizabeth was not
superior to this superstition, and she frequently appeared before the
people in the character of a miraculous healer. There was formerly a
regular office in the English Book of Common Prayer for the performance of
this ceremony. The curious reader is referred to Macbeth, Scene III. of
Act IV. for further particulars.
With the rise of Valentine Greatrakes, the "royal prerogative" received a
staggering blow. The marvellous cures of this man, living in Ireland,
reached England, and the king invited him to come to London; and along his
journey, whither he was preceded by the returning messenger, we are told
that the magistrates of the towns and cities waited upon Valentine, and
begged him to remain and heal their sick.
On his arrival, the king, "though not fully persuaded of his wonderful
gift, recommended him to the care of his physician, and permitted him to
practise his power as much as he pleased in London."
Greatrakes had no medical education, nor claimed aught beyond a gift of
healing most diseases by "stroking the parts with his hand." He is
described as being a man of "commanding address, frank and pleasing,
having a brilliant eye, gallant bearing, fine figure, and a remarkably
handsome face. With a hearty and musical voice, and a natural stock of
high _animal_ spirits, he was the delight of all festive assemblies. Yet
he was a devout man."
Daily there assembled a great number of people, invalids from all parts of
the kingdom, to be healed, and to see the wonderful miracles performed by
a _man_! Here congregated the dropsical, those afflicted by unsightly
sores, tumors, and swellings, the lame, the halt, and the blind. "Some he
could not affect, but the most of them he cured." The only visible means
he took was to stroke, or at times violently rub, the part affected. Lord
Conway wrote in his praise, but added, "After all, I am far from thinking
his cures miraculous. I believe it is by a _sanative virtue_ and a
_natural efficiency_, which extend not to all diseases." The Viscountess
Conway was afflicted by an inveterate headache, which he could not remove.
This lady was a positive character. The failure was attributed to the
_peculiar_ disease, when it should have been assigned to the peculiarity
of the person. Sir Evremond, then at court, wrote a sarcastic novel on the
subject of "The Irish Prophet." The Royal Society held a meeting on the
subject, and, unable to refute the facts of his cures, accounted for them
as being "produced by a sanative contagion in Mr. Greatrakes' body, which
had an antipathy to some peculiar diseases, and not to others." They
demanded (particularly Dr. Loyd, in a "severe pamphlet") how he cured, and
why he cured some, and could not others. Greatrakes replied that he was
not able to tell. And "let them," he said, "tell me what substance that is
which removes and goes out with such expedition, and it will be more easy
to resolve their questions."
To the scandalous reports respecting his operations upon female patients,
without referring directly to such report, he says, attributing the
diseases to evil spirits, "which kind of pains cannot endure my hand, nay,
not with gloves, but fly immediately, though six or eight coats or cloaks
be between the person and my hand, as at the Lady Ranelagh's," etc.
The clergy had previously taken alarm, and cited Valentine before the
Bishop's Court to account for his proceedings, and when he took a
scriptural view of his cures, he was forbidden to practise more; which was
as preposterous as the decree of Louis XIV., which commanded that no more
miracles should be performed at the tomb of the Abbé Paris.
Neither the clergy nor the faculty could prevent him, and daily the crowd
of representatives of heterogeneous diseases made pilgrimages to the
Squire of Affam. The scene was said to be ludicrously painful. They came
in crowds from everywhere; on foot and in carriages; the young and the
aged; some hobbling upon crutches, others literally crawling along; the
blind carrying the cripple upon his back, while the latter directed the
way, and the deaf and dumb followed in their wake.
[Illustration: NO LACK OF PATIENTS.]
While the lord mayor and the chief justice, with great physicians, were
among his vehement supporters of the sterner sex, the majority of his real
admirers were the ladies. The lovely Countess of Devonshire entertained
him in her palace, and other high ladies lionized him nightly in their
parlors, where he "performed his pleasant operations, with wonderful
results, on the prettiest and most hysterical ladies present." "But his
triumph was of short duration. His professions were made the butts of
ridicule, to which his presence of mind and volubility were unable to
effectually respond. His tone of conversation was represented by his
enemies as compounded of the blasphemy of the religious enthusiast and the
obscene profligate. His boast that he never received a fee for remedial
services was met by a square contradiction, and a statement that he
received five hundred dollars at once." Finally, the tide of opposition
and slander became too strong for him, and he returned to his native land,
and to oblivion.
We are indebted to several authorities for the foregoing sketch of
Greatrakes, particularly Chambers' Miscellany, Lord Conway, E. Rich, and
Jeaffreson.