Part 4
THere are a multitude of delightful feats which may be performed by an orderly placing, facing, shuffling, and cutting of cards usually played withall. Also a number of other strange feats may bee shewed by cards and dice, such as may be purposely made. The cards may be made halfe of one print and halfe of another; so by holding them divers wayes sundrie things may be presented each contrary to other. For example, with foure of the same Cards purposely made, and holding them accordingly, you shall present eight severall things. Now for the Dice the cunning is in forging them, and a readie retaining or throwing two among three, or one with two: they must, I say, be forged bigger towards one side than the other, so that the weight of one side may draw up the other. Other some may be made flatter being furnished with such like. And having learned to retaine them handsomely and readily, you may have the game at command, and know before-hand what will be your cast, and so vie upon it too. Moreover, for the Cards there are divers other tricks, of which those that are cheaters make continuall practice, as nipping them, turning up one corner, marking them with little spots, placing glasses behinde those that are gamesters, and in rings for the purpose, dumbe shoes of some standers by. But I will not stand on discovering these, for in this our cousening age there are too many so expert herein, that they maintaine themselves better than many an honest man with a lawfull trade and calling. Onely take this by the way, Those that have money in their purses, let them beware of Carding and Dicing, lest they wish they had when it is too late. As for my owne part, Ile never play for that I am sure of already: if any will play with mee upon other tearmes, I am sure I shall loose nothing by the bargaine.
_Of Confederacie._
SOme there are that have said I writ not sufficiently of this part in the former Edition; I rather thinke the cause was they thought they had too litle for their money. Neverthelesse I will to give every one their desired content, and deliver my minde more fully herein, and it may be which I most desire they may learne to avoid the company of roaving gamesters, cheaters, I meane that frequent the high-wayes, and principall Townes and places of resort thereabouts; for they are of the same manner though for a worser end. First therefore by this word Confederacie is meant, a kinde of Combination, or making an agreement or covenanting among sundrie persons for the accomplishment of one and the selfe same businesse: understand me aright, All these being very well knowne each to other (at least the designe as may appeare by their agreement therabout) do so estrange themselues as if they had never seene each other before. And to the end that they might performe their designe, not giving any the least suspition to any of the beholders, I will give you an instance or two whereby I shall give you sufficient information for the more ready conceiving of every particular in this nature when and wheresoever you see them performed.
_How to cast a peece of money away, and to finde it in another mans mouth, pocket, or purse._
THe Iugler cals for some one piece of coine, as a tester or a shilling of any one in the company, he willeth him to marke it with what marke he will, then he taketh it and casteth it away, and commeth to his confederate (who is furnished before-hand with the like piece of coine marked with the very same marke) and bids him deliver the money out of his pocket, purse, or if hee say the word, his mouth; for this is concluded of before-hand. Now this confederate to make the matter seeme more strange, wil begin to fume and fret, asking how he should come by it, till having found the marke, he will confesse it be none of his, wondering at his skill how he should send it hither: and all the rest be taken with a reall admiration of his extraordinarie cunning.
_How by the sound of a Counter philliped to tell what side is uppermost, whether crosse or pyle._
THe Iugler draws a Counter out of his pocket, and saith to the company, See here is a Counter, take it who please, and let them phillip it up, and I will by my cunning tell you whether crosse or pyle be uppermost by the very sound for you shall hood-winke me. Now there are three, foure, or more confederates in the place, who seeming strangers as well as the rest will be very importunate to have the philliping it, and before one of these shall have it, who by some signe of the fingers or countenance (foreknowne to the Iugler) do give him information after he is demanded. Of the same nature is that tricke formerly mentioned in the booke, and called The decollation of _Iohn Baptist_.
To make one dance naked is a tricke of the same nature, for the partie beforehand is agreed to do it, and also the manner and circumstances: So that the Iugler to blind the people pronounceth sundrie words to such a person, he then begins to rave like a madde man, and put his clothes off with a kinde of violent carelesnesse, though, God knows, the party knows as well what he doth as your selfe that reade it.
After the same manner shall you know what money another hath in his purse, and casting money into a pond, and finding it under a stone or threshold in another place. Also to make a piece of money to leape out of a cup and run to another, by meanes of a small haire fastened to the money, which haire the confederate guideth, with a multitude of such like strange feats, which may seeme impossible in the iudgement of the common people to be effected without the assistance of the devill or some familiar, which for to nominate is neither needfull, nor will my occasions permit so much leisure as to do it.
_How to make a bellowing noyse like an oxe, of a dogge and cat fighting together, or of two mastiffes fighting together._
THis I saw once or twice performed, and to my knowledge not above. It was a lusty young fellow that did it with a cloth cast over his head which reached downe to his feet, all was to beguile the people, for he pretended that this sound came out of his belly; he had a full and strong voice, and had practised a good while, and another man of the like making may easily do as much. For his nostrils he stopt with his forefinger and thumbe, and closed the other part of his hand over his mouth as I saw him once uncased. Another man I saw at the same time, eate halfe a dozen quicke charcoale, but this is not to be attempted by every one: For some cannot eate their meat very hot; others there are that cannot away with meat except it be boyling hot, and they are of that disposition, I should have said rather constitution, that they will not sticke to take meat as it is boyling out of a pot with their bare hands, and yet feele no extraordinary heat.
I have here set downe, kinde Reader, not onely all usuall feates that either my selfe have seene or heard of, but divers others also which I am sure were never in print, nor as yet performed by any I could ever heare of except my selfe, and all to give thee thy full content: and take thus much from me, If thou rightly understand this, there is not a tricke that any Iugler in the world can shew thee, but thou shalt bee able to conceive after what manner it is performed, if he do it by slight of hand, and not by an unlawfull and detested means. That there are such it is not to be doubted of, that do worke by unlawfull meanes, and have besides their owne natural endowments the assistance of some familiar, whereby they many times effect such miraculous things as may well be admired by whom soever shall either behold or heare tell of them. I could give an instance in one whose father while he lived was the greatest Iugler in _England_, and used the assistance of a familiar; he lived a Tinker by trade, and used his feates as a trade by the by; he lived, as I was informed, alwayes betotterd, and dyed, for ought I could heare, in the same estate. I could here, as I have instanced in this man, so give you his name, and where he liveth, but because he hath left the bad way, and chose the better, because he hath amended his life, and betooke himselfe to an honest calling, I will rather reioyce at his good, then do him any the least disgrace by naming him to have beene such a one. If here be any aske my name, let them know I am not bound to tell them. If they aske why I have writ this pamphlet, Tis to delight them: let them excuse me for the one, and thanke me for the other: and it may be, if time will give so much leasure, I shall hereafter spend my wits upon some better subiect.
_FINIS._
Transcriber's Notes
The book from which this e-text was transcribed bears the inscription "Bequest of Harry Houdini April 1927".
The Library of Congress Online Catalog lists Harper as author of this work, however WorldCat lists the book as printed by Thomas Harper for Ralph Mab. It seems that Mab was a stationer (arguably the publisher) and Harper the printer, not the author.
Italic text is marked _thus_. Normal text denoting emphasis within italic headings and sections is marked =thus=.
Words which start with two capital letters are printed with large or ornamented initial "drop capitals" in the original.
Irregular spelling, capitalisation and hyphenation are as per the original. Spacing around punctuation has been regularised. Unclear or missing punctuation corrected without note. Long-s in the original replaced with regular s. Sidenotes and illustrations have been moved to the nearest sentence break i.e. period, colon or semi-colon. Missing letters have been restored as follows:
"The Definition, or description of the Operator" [T in "The" added]
"Then say thus, they swallow puddings" [p in "pudding" added]
"moment therefore be quick" [f in "therefore" added]
"and called The decollation of _Iohn Baptist_" [a in "Baptist" added]
Likely printer errors were noted as follows but not corrected:
"should churme for butter, and" ["churme" should be "churne"?]
"quantitie of linfoyl and quicksilver" and "put your linfoyl in a crucible" ["linfoyl" should be "tinfoyl"?]