MS Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, MA 4500.
Madam,
In the course of reading with much pleasure the last volume of the ‘Lives of the Queens of England’ I observe the following sentence ‘Whether the healing office formed a feature in the Common Prayer book of the Church of England service during the reigns of the Stuart Kings, we are not prepared to say, perhaps they were content with the Latin service.’ I am thus induced to believe that it may be interesting to you to learn that there is in our possession a book entitled ‘The Ceremonies for the Healing of them that be Diseased with the King’s Evil used in the time of King Henry VII. Published by his Majestie’s Command. London Printed by Henry Hills, Printer to the King’s most excellent Majesty for his Household and Chappell 1686.[‘] As far as I can judge from the account of the Latin service given in the life of Queen Anne, it seems to be an exact translation, and the rubrics are perfectly similar excepting that it is the ‘Chirugeon’ instead of the clerk of the closet who leads away the sick person. What is also remarkable is that the Gospels are not taken from the authorized translation of the Bible, as may be shewn by the following sentence. ‘He exprobated their Incredulity and hardness of Heart,’1 which would lead one to suppose that it had been translated in the time of Edward VI with the rest of the Prayer book unless it is possible that Henry VII should be a misprint for Henry VIII. That it is the service used by James II and his predecessors I should think there could be no doubt. It is in large print with red rubrics, but only occupying twenty pages many blank leaves are added and in its old red and gold binding it has much the appearance of a book supplied to some attendant in the royal chapel. It is however without the royal arms, and without any name or other writing in it, and we cannot discover how or when it came into the family although it has long been much prized as a curiosity. One or two relics of a different nature which tradition states to have been honored by belonging to Bishop Ken2 would make one hope that the most probable way of accounting for it is that it must have been in his possession as a royal chaplain.
Hoping that you will excuse the liberty I have ventured to take,
Believe me, Madam
your obedient servant
Charlotte M. Yonge