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A Letter Sent into France
to the
Lord Duke of Buckingham His Grace:
of a Great Miracle wrought by a piece of a Handkerchefe,
dipped in His Majesties Bloud.
The Truth whereof, he himself saw, and is ready to depose it, and doth believe will be attested by 500. others, if occasion requires.

Imprinted in the Yeare, 1649.

Most Excellent Sir

:

That your Lordship may not bee a Stranger to those things which have come to passe here in these our days, since the death of our Gracious Soveraigne Lord, King Charles; I shall make bold to begin this my Letter unto you (most Excellent Sir) in the Words and Preface (with a little alteration) of Saint Luke to his Gospel.

Forasmuch as many have set forth, and privately discourst of those things which are most surely believed amongst us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eye and eare Witnesses of them. It semed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of those things from the very first, to write unto you in order, most Excellent Lord, that you may know the certainty of those things, which I have both heard and seen.

I Was desired by a Noble Knight, a Kinsman of mine, after he had related to mee a Miracle which hee had seene done at Dedford neare London, to goe thither to know the truth of it, and to witness it under my hand for the greater confirmation of it, that thereby it might bee the more credibly believed among Strangers; whereupon I went thither to the house of one Mistrisse Bayly, the Wife of Charles Bayly, who related it to me as it followeth, which I write down verbatim, as neare as I could, from her and her daughters owne mouth (in the presense of Mr. Thomas Bret, an Ancient Gentleman of knowne truth and integrity) and then I read it over to them, and they confessing the truth of it, the Mother set her hand unto it, her Daughter her Mark, and Mr. Bret subscribed his name as a Witness to it.

This my Daughter about a yeare and a halfe after her birth was troubled with a swelling under her Chin, and a flux of rhume in her eyes, for the removal and cure whereof I used all the meanes I could; but shee continued still in the same case: as last I procured a water from one Mrs. Arnold, which being applied to her eyes, diverted the humour from thence; so as they being pretty well, it fell into her lips, which thereupon swelled grievously, and then about a month after it returned into her eyes againe, whereupon both her eyes and lippes were extreamely ill, the swelling in her neck still continuing, and at last shee was absolutely blinde in her right eye for twelve months, and then it fell into the left eye after that manner, that she could scarce discerne the light of a Candle; some telling me that it was the Kings Evill, others doubting of it; I never sought for remedy by a touch from the hand of His Sacred Majesty while He was living; at last the Saturday after his death, I went to Mr. Francis Cole his house a Woollen Draoer at the Blacke Lyon at Pauls Chaine, whose Journey-man gave me a little piece of a Handkerchefe that was dip’t in the Kings bloud, and then returning home, it came into my minde that many Miracles had been done by Handkerchefes of Aprons, which were brought from Pauls body to the sicke, as I had read, Acts 10. v. 12. whereupon I stroaked my Daughters eyes, and the swelling under her chin with it, which presently was much better then before, and mended every day; at last through forgetfulness I neglected the application of it for a Night, and then the next day she was almost as ill as ever she was before in her eyes; whereupon I used it againe, and it hath helpt her, and she is now perfectly recovered, as you see, in her eyes, and the swelling under her chin is almost gone, the colour of her flesh is recovered, and the pain totally gone: with this mall piece of a Handkerchefe was all this done, which many have desired of me; but, although I am but a poore woman, and of mean condition, I protest I will not sell it for forty pounds.

Mary Bayly, the Mother of the Childe.

The Marke

[M] of Mary Bayly, the Child that is cured, who is about fourteene yeares of Age.

And now, Excellent Sir, I shall crave to leave to make the same profession, that Annas the high Priest, and Caiphas did when they saw what was done by Peter, Acts 4.16.

It is manifest that a notable miracle hath been done, and we cannot deny it, but must confess (as our Saviour did of the man that was borne blinde, Joh. 9.3.) the works of God are manifest in this childe by this miraculous cure: For my part therefore I cannot by acknowledge (and here I shall make bold to express my selfe almost in the same manner that Nicodemus did unto our Saviour,) that his Sacred Majesty (now with God) was a Physitian that was sent from God; for the Reliques of no man could doe such miracles, except God had been with him, John 3.2. And I hope it may be lawfull for me to say, as Saint Peter did, Acts 2.22. that he was a man approved of God by miracles, wonders, and signes, which God had done by him. As then the blind man in the Gospel, John 9.30. told the Pharisees, that it was a marvelous thing, that they should not know from whence his Physitian was, who had opened his eyes: so shall I from henceforth tell any man that doubts of our Soveraignes being with, and comming from God, that I marvel at him, since this relique (with Gods blessing) hath opened the eyes of a childe that was blinde, which ought to stop the mouths of all those rayling Rabshakah’s, Tumulo quos sensimus hostes, who have lately hindred the steps of the Lords Anointed, and endeavoured to kill him in his grave. This one miracle (not now to speake of his sanctified life, and unimitable expression of himselfe in his most divine Booke, which shews, though he was bodily here, yet his conversation was still in Heaven, may make it apparent (since it will be attested by so many hundreds of Brethren) to all good Christians, who will not willfully blindefold themselves that he is returned to God (who gave and sent him out of his especiall favour unto us) and that he is now a Saint in Heaven. And that your Lordship may also, after this painfull life is ended, raigne with him there, shall ever be the prayer of

Your Excellencies most humble servant

,

G. I.

---

Barbara Pyramidum sileat miracula Memphis.

May it please you (Excellent Sir) to know that I am informed there have been many others cured by his Majesties bloud, which will be attested by people of most eminent quality; but in regard I can only be deposed of the truth of this particular, I have onely made mention thereof; but concerning the rest, I believe that suddenly (Excellent Sir) you will have a true and certain Certificate.

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