[187] Davies, ii. 181. On the other hand, as the French Kings possessed the faculty sooner than our Kings, so did it last longer; for King George I. had the good sense not to pretend to it; whereas the French Kings kept up the farce at least till 1775, though with some address in the words spoken by the King; _viz._ "The King touches you, and may God heal you!" ["Le Roy te touche, Dieu te guerisse."] So that, in case the Touch fails, it is known where the blame is to lie; which is to be attributed to the anger of God, or the want of faith in the party[188]. The French Kings gave alms on the occasion; but I find no mention of particular pieces, as was the custom with us. I do not find that the French Kings ever touched, except upon Coronations; though it was a repeated, if not an annual ceremony with us, performed daily for a certain season[189], attended with a Form of Prayer, compiled for the purpose, which I shall hereafter preserve at length in the Appendix, together with the Ceremonial, after having given such accounts of the Practice itself, under the respective Kings, as are recorded by Writers on the subject. [188] Louis XVI. of France went through this ceremony, as appears from the Formule of his Coronation, published at the time, A. D. 1775. Louis XV. touched no less than 2000 persons, and Louis XIV. upwards of 2500. Gemelli(the famous Traveller) gives an account of 1600 persons being presented for this purpose to Louis XIV. on Easter Sunday 1686. Every Frenchman received 15 sous, and every Foreigner 30. In "De mirabili Strumas Sanandi vi solis Galliæ Regibus Christianissimis Divinitus concessa. Authore Andreâ Laurentio, Regis Consiliario et Medico Primario, 1609," is a very curious Print, representing King Henry IV. touching for the Evil; in which are introduced many Patients and Officers of the Court. The French confined their expression to the word _Touch_, though we use the term _Heal_. [189] See Browne. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR[190]. To begin in order of time, I shall give you the narrative in Mr. Stowe's words, from the Latin account by Alfred, Abbot of Rivaulx. Thus then it is: