Old Sails. James I Touch Piece. Part One.

Yes, he touched it.
James I touched this thin flan of gold.
I dusted it with flour to see if his fingerprint could be revealed (an old FBI technique), but the King was not in the data base. Great swirl though.

This Old Sails has much to offer the necromancer.
   First off, it is a beautiful ship. A fully-rigged galleon on a starboard tact. The Arms of England are blazoned on a billowing burgee. The gunwales are embellished with lions and fleur-de-lis. Gun ports just above the water-line signal England's sea power.

Gold Angel minted 1619-20 and pierced for use as a King's Touch amulet.

   Secondly, this coin represents a piece of post-medieval magic. It is a touch piece that was given to folks ailing from Scrofula (a tubercular infection of the lymph nodes). The piece was pierced so that it could be strung with a white silk ribbon and hung around the neck of the sufferer. The king himself conducted the ceremony -- it was believed that the almighty worked though his hands to produce a miraculous cure.
   James I was known as a "reluctant toucher." He was concerned about the Catholic overtones, as the reformation was in full swing, and the use of "old church" magic was discouraged. Still, he held touching ceremonies twice a year on Easter and Michaelmass.
   The first "royal touch" was by Edward the Confessor (1042-66), but the ceremony was made popular and codified by Henry II (1154-1189). A new gold coin was introduced called the Angel in about 1470 -- this became the amulet for the touching ceremony (also known as the Sovereign Remedy). The legend reflects this purpose: A DOMINO FACTVM EST ISTVD ET EST MIRABILE IN OCULIS NOSTRIS; this translates to "It is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes."
   A third feature of this particular Angel is that it is a field find from Northern England. It was likely worn by a sufferer and lost. Many touch pieces were eventually melted for its gold, but some sufferers wore the piece as intended.
   I wonder who lost this one? I can imagine the poor soul enlisting his family to search and search again the rows of dirt in the planting field. I know I would have combed the ground on my hands and knees if I had lost an amulet given me by the king.
   I also muse: Is the magic in this touch piece still active?
   I will explore this magical piece further next week.