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The evil eye. An account of this ancient and wide spread superstition

The evil eye. An account of this ancient and wide spread superstition

The evil eye. An account of this ancient and wide spread superstition

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38 THE EVIL EYE chap.<br />

woman's touching Him. When Naaman went to<br />

be cured <strong>of</strong> his leprosy, he expected that the prophet<br />

would touch him "as well as call upon his God."<br />

Here in our west country "the doctor" is the wellunderstood<br />

name for a seventh son, though really<br />

according to popular faith he should be also the son<br />

<strong>of</strong> a seventh son. <strong>The</strong> familiar name comes from<br />

the firm belief that his touch alone has healing power.<br />

<strong>The</strong> touch <strong>of</strong> the king for the cure <strong>of</strong> scr<strong>of</strong>ula, even<br />

within the last two centuries, has given to that<br />

particular kind the name <strong>of</strong> the King's Evil.^'<br />

Our dialectal word to bless signifies to touch by<br />

making the sign <strong>of</strong> the cross on the part affected.<br />

Here in the west, goitre is a rather common ailment,<br />

for which the best cure is believed to be the touch-<br />

ing <strong>of</strong> the swelling by the h<strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> a corpse—the<br />

sex being different from that <strong>of</strong> the person afflicted.<br />

I have known many cases <strong>of</strong> its application, but<br />

cannot testify to the effect.<br />

Whatever opinion we ourselves may hold as to<br />

the existence <strong>of</strong> a power or influence such as we are<br />

discussing, however much we may be inclined to<br />

ridicule the belief so far as concerns human beings,<br />

no one can deny that a very powerful influence does<br />

exist among animals both as regards the effect <strong>of</strong><br />

certain species upon others, <strong>and</strong> as to the power <strong>of</strong><br />

man upon the <strong>eye</strong> <strong>of</strong> savage beasts. Without admit-<br />

^'' See W. Beckett, Impartial Enquiry into the <strong>An</strong>tiquity <strong>and</strong> Efficacy<br />

<strong>of</strong> touching for the King s Evil, \T2.2.. T. Badger, Collection <strong>of</strong> Remarkable<br />

Cures <strong>of</strong> the King's Evil by the Royal Touch, 1748.<br />

It is evident that <strong>this</strong> practice was common within the time named, as we<br />

find recorded by Hone (^Everyday Book, 1830, p. 682) a notice respecting<br />

Charles H. in 1664 that " his sacred Majesty having declared it to be his royal<br />

will <strong>and</strong> purpose to continue the healing <strong>of</strong> his people for the <strong>evil</strong> during the<br />

month <strong>of</strong> May, <strong>and</strong> then give over till Michaelmas next, I am comm<strong>and</strong>ed<br />

to give notice there<strong>of</strong>, that the people may not come up to the town in the<br />

interim <strong>and</strong> lose their labour."

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