ting, all the more because by lewdness, disobedience
to the Christian Church, and other irregularities, he stood in danger
of losing it. That is what had happened to King Philippe I.[1547] The
Kings of England touched for the evil; notably King Edward III worked
wondrous cures on scrofulous folk who were covered with scars. For
these reasons scrofula was called Saint Marcoul's evil or King's evil.
Virgins as well as kings could cure this royal malady.

[Footnote 1546: _Gallia Christ_: ix, pp, 239, 51 [Transcriber's Note:
so in original; does not match other citations to this work]. Le
Poulle, _Notice sur Corbeny, son prieure, et le pelerinage de
Saint-Marcoul_, Soissons, 1883, 8vo. E. de Barthelemy, _Notice
historique sur le pelerinage de Saint-Marcoul et Corbeny_, in _Ann.
Soc. Acad. de Saint-Quentin_, 1878.]

[Footnote 1547: A. Du Laurent, _De mirabili strumas sanandi vi solis
regibus Galliarum christianissimis divinitus concessa liber_, Paris,
1607, 8vo. Cerf, _Du toucher des ecrouelles par le roi de France_, in
_Trav. Acad. de Reims_, 1865-1867. Dom Marlot, _Histoire de la ville
de Reims_, vol. iii, pp. 196 _et seq._]

King Charles worshipped and presented offerings at the shrine of Saint
Marcoul, and there touched for the evil. At Corbeny he received the
submission of the town of Laon. Then, on the morrow, the 22nd, he went
off to a little stronghold in the valley of the Aisne, called Vailly,
which belonged to the Archbishop Duke of Reims. At Vailly he received
the submission of the town of Soissons.[1548] In the words of an
Armagnac prophet of the time: "the keys of the war gates knew the
hands that had forged them."[1549]

[Footnote 1548: Perceval de Cagny, p. 160. _Chronique de la Pucelle_,
pp. 323, 324. Jean Chartier, _Chronique_, vol. i, p. 98. _Journal du
siege_, p. 115. _Chronique des Cordeliers_, fol. 486 r'o. Morosini,
iii, p. 182, note 3.]

[Footnote 1549: Brehal, in _Trial_, vol. iii, p. 345.]

CHAPTER XIX

RISE OF THE LEGEND

It is always difficult to ascertain what happens in war. In those days
it was quite impossible to form any clear idea of how things came
about. At Orleans, doubtless, there were certain who were keen enough
to perceive that the numerous and ingenious engines of war, gathered
together by the magistrates, had been of great service; but folk
generally prefer to ascribe results to miraculous causes, and the
merit of their deliverance the people of Orleans attributed f