The English people had to accept her as less of a woman, so that she could be their sovereign (Levin 3). In order to appear more powerful, Elizabeth called herself king (Levin 1), and she indeed liked to present herself as both king and queen of England (Levin 131). A law passed during the reign of Mary I, the Law of 1554 Concerning Royal Power, which declared the separation of the monarch's bodies (Levin 121), reinforced this image. The separation of the “natural body” and the “body politic” supported the idea of ​​a female ruler (Levin 122), giving the queen the political power of a king (Levin 121). Yet the idea of ​​a woman in charge of a nation had opponents; like John Knox, who wrote a book describing women as unfit to rule and considering it contrary to God's will (Levin 10). The fact that a monarch's power could be restricted by Parliament made female rule more acceptable to the English people (Levin 11). However, when it came to religious matters, many still characterized Elizabeth as unqualified to “feed the flock of Christ” (Levin 14). As another means of ensuring her legitimacy, Elizabeth used the medieval practice of healing