Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A71147
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A True and wonderful account of a cure of the Kings-evil by Mrs. Fanshaw, sister to His Grace the Duke of Monmouth
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1681
(1681)
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Wing T2584; ESTC R16755
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2,957
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2
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A good ingenious shamm story to ridicule that of the cure done by the Duke in the west A true and wonderful Account of a CURE of the KINGS-EVIL by Mrs. Fanshaw Sister to his Grace the Duke of Monmouth 22. Jan. 1681 0 THE extraordinary Cure of the Kings-Evil lately perform'd by his Grace the Duke of Monmouth in his Western Progress has no doubt alarm'd many people and open'd the eyes of the most unbelieving to see Heaven by this Miracle proclaim his Legitimacy and God Almighty himself declare for The Black Box. Neither has there been wanting a second Testimony to this Illustrious Duke's Family in an instance of a Cure both as strange and as true as the former that so according to the Apostle Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be established Mrs. Fanshaw Sister to this most Excellent Prince formerly a Roman Catholick but since by the convincing Arguments and exemplary Piety of her Husband Mr. Fanshaw Master of the Requests brought over to his Religion I mean the true sincere Protestant Faith has been as remarkable in a wonderful Cure of the same malignant distemper as the Duke her Brother the Truth of which whole matter of Fact we whose Names are underwritten engage our selves to be responsible for Now the matter of Fact is thus One Janathan Trott was born of poor but virtuous Parents his Father was dead but his Mother that surviv'd by the blessing of God accompanying her honest endeavours had got together a sum of Money very considerable for the Trade she drove her chief vocation being selling of Apples and Pears and Oranges and other Fruit not far from Covent-Garden Church-door the intervals of which Calling she still employ'd in being very busie with her Needle in footing Stockins mending Breeches and such like honest labours But her greatest affliction was the sad spectacle of the poor wretch her only Son and Heir the aforementioned Jonathan Trott who had for many years been sore afflicted with a continual Running of a most noysom Matter in his Neck and many other parts of his Body accompanied often with so great Tumours and Swellings about his Throat as almost choak'd him Upon this Son of hers now about the age of 19. she had spent the greatest part of her Livelihood to pitiful quacking ignorant Physicians such as her Purse could best procure and such as kill the Poor at the most easie and conscionable rates These her Doctors could never rightly inform her what was her Son's true distemper till at last she her self suspecting it was the Kings-Evil had the advice of some able Physicians two whereof were Dr. Lower and Dr. Minshell who all agreed that it was the Kings-Evil and that he was in very great danger unless he were very speedily Touch'd This happen'd to be when His Majesty was last at Windsor whither she good woman was designing her Journey with her Son But the Night before she resolv'd on her progress she dreamt that she heard a Voice that commanded her Son to be Touch'd by Mrs. Fanshaw The poor woman you may imagine was infinitely surpriz'd at this command never having so much as heard of such a woman as Mrs. Fanshaw in her life but she was much more astonish'd when her Son came to her and told her that he was resolv'd not to take any Journey to Windsor for that he had heard a Voice that Night three times successively which by the description he gave of it was the very same that his Mother had heard and commanded the same thing telling him that one Touch of Mrs. Fanshaw would make him whole Upon this the poor woman acquainted several of her Neighbours with the unusual circumstances of her Dream so exactly concurring with her Son 's and by them was inform'd that there was such a Lady Sister to his Grace the Duke of Monmouth whom they therefore all concluded to be the person intended in the Dream by reason of her near Relation to his Grace and the Crown The youth Jonathan hearing this was extreme glad and shew'd violent signs of it in urging and pressing his Mother as vigorously as ever he could to procure her leave who at first was very unwilling to let him go upon this Adventure He still insisted upon one Argument which even in affliction made the poor woman smile That having heard of the Duke of Monmouth's Cure which was known long before it was publish'd he did not know why Mrs. Fanshaw might not receive from her Mother the curing of the ills of young men by a touch of her Naked flesh as well as the Duke her Brother had from his Father the curing of young women by a touch of his However his Mother having check'd him for this saying was resolv'd to send him Accordingly he went to Mrs. Fanshaws House near St. James's and having desir'd admission as soon as ever Mrs. Fanshaw appear'd falls down upon his knees before her begging pardon for his boldness the occasion whereof he told her in the relation which he made of all that had happen'd to his Mother and himself Then grasping her hands with all the violence and passion imaginable kiss'd them a thousand times and directed 'em for the Lady was not so uncharitable as to deny it upon such an account to his Neck and his Throat and all the other parts of his Body wherein he was afflicted which she vouchsafed to stroke wishing withall that it might do him as much good as he believed it would This done she left him and the Youth went home very well satisfy'd with the hopes of his being speedily cur'd as accordingly it succeeded For within three days time his Running ceased and in a weeks time the Swelling in his Throat was not only abated but perfectly and entirely cur'd And Mrs. Fanshaw by many of this persons Neighbours and Acquaintance and most of the Apple-women is to this day call'd Princess Fanshaw Now it is well known that this Gift of Healing was first imparted to King Edward the Confessor a good King tho'a Popish Saint to descend upon his legitimate Successors And if none of them ever exercis'd it before they came to the Crown till now we must either say that they had it but forbore the use of it or else we must admire the excellency of the Advantages that Protestant Princes and Princesses have above those formerly that were Papists since Protestants tho' two or three removes from the Crown can do as much with a touch as Edward the Confessor when he was not only a King but a Saint And now who is there that can question the Legitimacy of our excellent Prince James Duke of Monmouth when this remarkable Witness that Heaven hath given him and his Sister of curing the Kings-Evil pleads so loudly in his behalf There is but one other natural Argument to prove the Legitimacy of a Prince and his being the true and right Successor and that is the Instinct by which Lions are taught to reverence and to do them homage without ever hurting them And this too I am told his Grace does design to shew the World in his own behalf for it is credibly reported that on Saturday next the Duke of Monmouth designs to be shut up with one of the greatest Lions in the Tower of London there to be seen to the satisfaction of all that behold how secure he must-needs be of his Legitimacy that dares put it to so dangerous a tryal Sir Tho. Armstrong and John Howe Esq have proffer'd their service to attend in the next empty Den in quality of Bed-chamber-men to his Grace and the Lord Shaftsbury Lord Essex Lord Grey and several other noble Peers have engag'd to accompany him to the place of Tryal For my part I wish for the day not at all doubting but to see old Charles the King's Lion give him his blessing by laying his imperial Paw upon his Head in which all Lions have we know by nature stampt the Image of a Crown This I will answer for the Lion that if he don't declare a true Successor yet he will shew another sort of Royalty and remove one of the worst sorts of the Kings-Evil The persons abovementioned for witnesses of this extraordinary Cure are we whose Names are subscribed Brandon Lord Gerard. Sir Gilbert Gerard. Colonel Langley Thomas Vernon Esq Mr. Rowe Mrs. Needham LONDON Printed for Ben. Harris at the Stationers Arms in Cornhil 1681