Part 3
Take two little whipcords of two feet long a-piece, double them equally so as there may appear four ends; then take three button moulds, the hole of one of them must be bigger than the rest, and put one button mould upon the eye or bout of the one cord and another on the other cord, then take the button mould with the greatest hole, and let both the bouts be hidden therein; which may be the better done if you put the eye or bout of the one into the eye or bout of the other; then pull the middle button upon the same, being doubled over his fellow, so will the heads seem to be put over the two cords, you may loose them as you list, and make it seem manifest to the beholders, which may not see how they are done, but that the buttons are put upon the two cords without any fraud; then must you seem to add a more effectual binding of those buttons to the strings, and make one half of a knot with one of the ends of each side, which is for no other purpose, but that when the buttons be taken away, the cords may be seen in the case, which the beholders supposes them to be in before; for then you have made your half knots, which in any wise you may not double to make a perfect knot, you must deliver into the hands of some stander-by these two cords, namely, two cords evenly set to one hand, and two in the other, and then with a wager begin to pull off the buttons, which if you handle nimbley, and in the end cause him to pull his two ends, the two cords will shew to be placed plainly, and the buttons to have come thro’ the cords; but those things are so hard, and long to be described, that I will leave them, whereas I could shew greater variety.
READER,
I have promised you to write something of confederacy, that when you see or hear some fancy done, you shall be no stranger to it, but know how to do it as well as any juggler in England, for by confederacy mighty wonders are wrought, which seem incredible and impossible. Some will ask for what reason I do write these things and set them forth in such a manner, for they say, we know them already; my answer is, if you do, every one does not; therefore slight not simple things, for you that seem to be so cunning and so wary may be imposed on and deceived: what would an ingenious person give, or how far would he go to learn secrets? I myself would have gone twenty miles to have learnt the worst fancy in this book; I would have you take it in good part, and so I proceed to the chapter.
_To cure the tooth-ach._
This must be done by confederacy, I won many a pint of wine by it; you must pretend you are grievously troubled with the tooth-ach, making wry faces and pretending a great deal of pain; then says your confederate, I will undertake to cure you in a quarter of an hour, it is a plain but a very safe and easy way, he then takes a thimble full of salt, puts it into a piece of paper, then says he, Hold this to your cheek on that side the pain lies, and it will be gone. You shaking your head at him, asking him, if he can find none to make sport with but you that are not disposed; he then proffers you to try his receipt, which, with seeming unwillingness take and hold it to your cheek a small time, then he will ask you if you find ease, you spitting much, say, Yes, truly I find it much abated; then he will say, to perfect it, lay down your paper upon the table, step into the yard and wash your mouth with a spoonful of cold water: Now (says he to the company, in your absence) You may see what conceit does, I will take out the salt, and put in the like quantity of ashes in the paper; laying it twisted as before in its place, then he coming in, takes up the paper again, and puts it into his mouth as before, the company will be laughing and fleering as tho’ you are ignorant, then privately convey the ashes away with the paper and another paper of salt like the former, as you must have in readiness as before, hold to your cheek, your confederate asking you, Well, what think you now? Why, indeed one would not have thought to have had so soon an alteration in a little; then will one or another say in company, Why, do you think you have salt in your mouth? Yes, I saw it taken out of the box; he will lay you a wager presently, that it is not salt, when by opening the paper, his folly is discovered, with no small sport to the company.
_To know if it be a head, or woman, and the party to stand in another room._
This likewise is done by confederacy, he that lays it down, says, What is it? and that is a sign it is a head; for he says, What is it now, and that is a sign it is a woman: cross and pile in silver is done the same way. By confederacy divers strange things are done; as to make a man, by muttering some words, to pull off his cloaths, and so dance naked; thus you may throw a piece of money into a pond, and bid a boy go to such a secret place where you have hid it, and he will bring it, and make them believe it is the same that you threw into the pond, and no other.
So let a confederate take a shilling and put it under a candlestick on a table at a good distance from you, then you must say, Gentlemen, you see this shilling, then take your hand and knock it under the table, and convey it into your pocket: then say, The shilling is gone, but look under such a candlestick and you will find it.
Fortunatus’ _wishing post, or how to make any person dance naked_.
This feat is more for pastime than any thing else.
You must go and get you a post of about five or six inches long, and you must then get it turned hollow throughout, so that you may have a screw made just fit, and then put a needle at each end of the screw, and have two holes so contrived in the post that you may fasten two strings in the screw, so as when you pull one end of the string, the needle will run into your finger, and when you pull hold of the other end of the string, the needle will run into your thumb, which will cause great laughter to the campany. If these words are not sufficient for you to make one by, you may have them at my house ready made.
_To seem to cut a hole in a cloak, scarf, or handkerchief, and with words to make it whole again._
To do this you must have a piece of the same ready in your hand, the sample of that you intend to cut; then amongst other tricks by you, clap your hand upon the place you intend to cut, then drawing hollow by the false piece, cause it to be cut off, and gripping your hand, shew the hole from whence the piece came away, which is in your hand, which is done by pretending to feel in your pocket for a needle and thread to sew it up again: but drawing your hand out from your pocket, saying, I have no needle, but I have a charm will do as well; so muttering some words, bid them blow upon it, and pulling your hand from the place, does not a little satisfy the curiosity of the persons which thought they had been damnified.
_The Egg Box is looked upon to be as good a trick and as cunning a slight, as any that is done, but because it cannot be expressed in words, I have put these figures underneath to explain it._
A, signifies the egg box, made in the fashion of two bee-hives put one upon another; B, the upper shell; C, the inner shell, covered over artificially with the skin of an egg; P the lower part of the shell-box; putting B, which is the outward shell, upon C, and both upon P, as it stands, makes the box perfect. To do this trick, call for an egg, then bid all standers-by look on it, and see that it is a real egg, setting the box on the table, upon the foot C, take off the upper part, B, C, with your fore-finger and thumb, then placing the egg in the box, say, You see it fairly in, and uncovering it again, likewise say, You shall see me fairly take it out, putting it into your pocket in their sight; open your box again and say, There is nothing, close your hand about the middle of your box, and taking B, by the bottom, say, There is the egg again, which appears to the spectators to be; so clapping that in again, and take the lid of C, in your finger and thumb, say, There it is gone again.
This feat is not for a bungler to shew.
_To make a room seem to be all on fire, mighty dreadful to behold._
Take sal armoniack half an ounce, camphire one ounce, aqua vitæ two ounces, put them into an earthen pot, in the fashion of a chamber-pot, but something narrow upon the top, then set fire to it, and the room will seem to them that are in to be all on fire; nay, themselves will slap their hair and clothes thinking they are all on fire, when there is no body hurt, unless it be with fright. Have a care of shewing it to women with child in the room, for yourself would be frighted if you did not know the trick.
_How to eat fire, and to blow it up in your mouth with a pair of bellows._
Anoint your tongue with liquid-storax, and you may put a pair of tongs into your mouth red hot, without hurting yourself, and lick them till they are cold, by the help of this anointment, and by preparing your mouth thus, you may take wood coal out of the fire, and eat them as you would bread, dip them into brimstone-powder, and the fire will seem more strange, but the sulphur puts out the coal, and shutting your mouth close puts out the sulphur, and so they champ the coals and swallow them, which they may do without offending the body; but if they were bound to eat nothing else, it would be a very sickly trade; and if you put a piece of lighted charcoal into your mouths you may suffer a pair of bellows to be a blowing in your mouth continually, and receive no hurt, but your mouth must be quickly cleaned, otherwise it will cause a salivation; it is a very dangerous thing to be done, and although those that practise it, use all the means they can to prevent danger, yet I never saw any one of these fire eaters that had a good complexion, the reason I could give, but it is known to the sons of art: some put bole-armoniack into this receipt: a cold thing, and spoils the whole composition, and so leaves out hamitatis and liquid storax; but let them beware how they use it.
_How to walk on a hot iron bar, without danger of scalding or burning._
Take half an ounce of camphire, dissolve it in two ounces of aqua vitæ, add to it one ounce of quick-silver, one ounce of liquid storax, which is the droppings of myrrh, and hinders the camphire from firing, take also two ounces of hamitatis, a red stone to be had at the druggists, and when you buy it, beat it to powder in their great mortar, for it is so very hard, that it cannot be done in a small one; put this to the afore-mentioned composition, and when you intend to walk on the bar, you must anoint your feet well therewith, and you may walk over without danger: by this you may wash your hands in boiling lead.
_How to make a knife leap out of a pot._
When you are in company, and intend to make mirth, have a pot full of water standing on a table, then take a piece of whale-bone about three inches long, let it be pretty stiff, it will spring the better; take also a new stiff card, and fold it down the middle long-ways, cut a hole through both folds at each end, half an inch or more from the ends, put one end of the whale-bone in at one end of the card, bend it like a bow, then put the other end of the whale-bone into the other end of the card, set this into the pot, with two inches or more deep in water, then place the handle of your knife upon the uppermost part of the whale-bone, with the point upwards: use some words of art, as Presto vet, or Omporte.
Note, I have invented a new instrument to perform this fancy, which is to be admired by all ingenious persons.
_The melting-box._
This melting box is another artificial slight, which is shewn as above, made in the fashion of a screw, that so the lips may hang without discovery; as thus, F is the out-part of the box; G the first in-part. H the second in-part; I a round case made of plush or leather, with a button on the top, and wide enough to slip on and off, half in the bottom of the box, F put a small quantity of quick-silver killed, which may be done with the shavings of pewter, or fasting spittle; in the second part, which is H, let there be six single pence, put these in the first or out-most part, then put G to H, and the box is perfect.
When you go to shew this trick, desire any in the company to lend you a sixpence, and you will return it safe again; but requesting withal, that none will meddle with any thing they see, unless you desire them, lest they prejudice you and themselves; then take the cup off the box, and bid any one see it and feel it, that there may be no mistrust, so likewise take the box entire, holding your fore-finger on the bottom, and your thumb on the upper part, turning it upside down, say, You see here is nothing; then putting in the sixpence, put the cup over the box again; as the box stands covered upon the table, put your hand under the table, using some canting words, then take off the cup with your fore-finger and thumb, so as you pinch the innermost box with it, and set it gently on the table; then put the killed quicksilver out of lower part into your hand, turning the box with the bottom upward and stirring it about with your finger, ‘Here you see it melted, now I will put it in again and turn it into six single pence;’ suddenly take the cap as you took it off, returning it again, bid them blow on it; then take off the cap as you did before, only pinching the uppermost lid in it, and setting it upon the table, hold the box at the top and bottom with your fore-finger and thumb, then put the six single pence, after they are viewed and seem to be so, in again, and return the cap as before, saying, Blow on it if you would have it in the same form you gave it me, then taking the cup by the button, holding the box as before, put out the six-pence and return the box into your pocket. This is a very good slight, if well performed, which is done by often use.
_How to light a candle by a glass of cold water, or other liquor, without the help of fire._
You must take a little piece of phosphorus, about the bigness of a pin’s head, and with a piece of tallow, stick it on the edge of the drinking-glass, and then take the candle lighted and blow it out; and apply it to the glass, it will immediately light. This is the preparation that Cromwell used to fire off his cannon withal, very amazing to behold; you may write with it on a paper, some horrible words or other, and it will appear frightful to the beholders: also, you may take a piece as big as a pin’s head, and rub it on a piece of paper, and it will be soon all on a flame.
_A trick upon the globe-box._
This is a trick not inferior to the best that is shewn with boxes; it is a box made of four pieces, and a ball so big as is imagined to be contained therein: the ball serves in the same nature, as the egg does in the egg box, only to deceive the hand and eye of the spectators. This ball, made of wood or ivory, is thrown out of the box upon the table, for everyone to see that it is substantial, then putting the ball into the box, and letting the standers-by blow on the box, taking off the upper shell with your fore-finger and thumb, there appears another, and of another colour, as red, blue, yellow, or any variety of colours upon each ball that is so imagined to be, which indeed is no more than the shell of wood ingeniously turned and fitted for the box, as you may see in the figures above.
L, the out-shell of the globe taken off the figures; M, N, an inner shell; O, the cover of the same; P, the other inner shell; Q, the cover of the same; R, the third shell; S, that which covers it. These globes may be made with more or less varieties, according to the desire of the practitioner.
_To tell the names of all cards in the pack, before you see them._
Take a pack of cards, and after you have shuffled them, or let another shuffle them, lay them down upon the table before you, with their backs uppermost, then say, ‘Now I will tell you the names of all the rest of the cards in the pack, except one, before I see them;’ having said so draw off the uppermost cards, and say, ‘This is my Hocus Pocus. This is he by whose assistance I shall discover all the rest of the cards in the pack; I care not what he is, for I can make any of them serve for the same purpose.’ Then put him to your mouth, as tho’ you charmed him, and repeat some cramp words; and taking off the next card from the pack, say, Here is the —— naming your Hocus Pocus, and having seen him, lay him down.
_How to hold four kings in the hand, and by words to seem to transform them into four aces, and afterwards to make them all blank cards._
You shall see a juggler take four kings in his hand, and apparently shew you them, then after some words and charms, he will throw them down upon the table, taking one of the kings away, and adding but one other card, then taking them up again, and blowing upon them, will shew you them transformed into blank cards, white on both sides, then throwing them down as before, with their faces downwards, will take them up again, and blowing upon them, will shew you four aces. This trick, in my mind, is not inferior to any of the rest, and being not known, will seem very strange to the beholders, and yet after you know it, you cannot but say the trick is pretty. Now to do this feat, you must have cards made for the purpose, half cards we may call them; that is one half kings and the other half aces, so laying the aces one over the other, nothing but kings will be seen, and then turning the kings downwards, the four aces will be seen; but you must have two whole cards, one a king, to cover one of the aces, or else it will be perceived; and the other an ace, to lay over the kings, when you mean to shew the aces; then, when you would make them all blank, lay the cards a little lower and hide the aces, and they will appear all white. The like you may make of four knaves, putting upon them the four fives; and so of the other cards.
_To tell or name all the cards in the pack, and yet never see them._
To do this, you must first privately drop a drop of water or beer about the bigness of a two-pence upon the table before you, were you sit, then rest your elbows upon the table so as the cuffs of your sleeves may meet, and your hands stick up to the brims of your hat; in this posture your arms will hide the drop of water from the company; then let any one take the cards and shuffle them, and put them into your hands; also let them set a candle before you, for this trick is best done by candle light, then holding the cards in your left hand, above the brim of your hat, up close to your head, so as the light of the candle may shine upon the cards, and holding your head down; so in the drop of water, like a looking-glass, you shall see the shadow of all the cards before you; draw then the fingers of your right-hand along upon the cards, as though you felt the spots, name the cards, and then lay him down. Thus you may lay down all the cards in the pack, one by one, naming them before you lay them down, which will seem very strange to the beholders, who will think that you have felt them out.
_To shew one what card he taketh notice of._
Let any man take a card out of the pack, and note him: then take part of the pack in your hand, and lay the rest down upon the table; bidding him lay his noted card upon them; then turning your back towards the company, make as though you were looking over the cards in your hand, and put any card at the fore-side; and whilst you are doing this privately, wait the cards being laid out in heaps, to find what the bottom cards are. Bid any one take four cards of the same number, viz. 4 aces, 4 duces, 4 trays, 4 fours, or any other number not exceeding 10, (for he must not take court cards) and lay them out; then take the remaining cards (if any such there be) and divide their number by 4, and the quotient shall be the number of spots of the 4 card: if 12 cards remain, then on each bottom card ware trays, and if there be no remaining cards, then the four bottom cards are four aces.
_To tell the number of spots on the bottom cards, laid down on several heaps._
Bid any one take the whole pack of cards in his hand, and having shuffled them, let him take off the upper card, and having taken notice of it, let him lay it down upon the table with his face downwards, and upon it let him lay so many cards, as will make up the number of the spots on the noted card, 12 e. g. If the card which the person first took notice of, were a king, queen, or knave, or a single ten, bid him lay down that card with his face downwards, calling him ten, upon that card let him lay another, calling him eleven, and upon another, calling him twelve; then bid him take off the next uppermost card, saying, what is it? Suppose it were a 9, and laying it down on another part of the table, calling him 9, upon him lay another card, calling him 10, and upon him another, calling him 11, and upon him another, calling him 12; then let him look on the next uppermost card, and so let him proceed to lay them up in heaps, in all respects as before, till he has laid out the whole pack; but if there be any odd cards at the last, I mean, if there is not enough, to make up the last noted card 12, bid him give them to you; then to tell him the numbers of all the spots contained in all the bottom cards of the heaps, do thus, from the number for heaps subtracted 4, and multiply the remainder by 12, and to the product add the numbers of those remaining cards, which he gave you, if any remain, but if there were but four heaps, then those remaining cards alone, shew the number of spots sought.
Note, That you ought not to see the bottom cards of the heaps, nor should you see them laid out, or know the number of cards in each heap, it suffices if you know the number of heaps, and the number of the remaining cards, if any such there be; and therefore you may as well perform this feat standing in another room as if you were present, you must have a whole pack.
_To make any two cards come together, which any body shall name._
When any one has named what two cards he would have brought together, take the cards and say, Let us see whether they are here or not, and if they are, I will put them as far asunder as I can; then having found the two cards proposed, dispose them in the pack, and cause them to come together.
This trick would seem much more strange, when you have brought the proposed cards together, by laying them in heaps, you lay the heap wherein the proposed cards are at the bottom of the pack, and then shuffle the cards, cut them asunder somewhere in the middle, so the proposed cards will be found together in the middle of the pack, which will seem very strange to beholders.
_How to make a cat draw a fellow through a pond of water._
To perform this, you must place the fellow on one side of the pond, and the cat on the other, then take a strong rope and tie about the fellow’s middle, and the other end of the rope tie to the cat, and then have the rope to reach farther behind some tree, and there let two lusty fellows have hold of the rope, and when the wager is laid, then whip the cat, whilst the two fellows behind the tree pull as hard as they can.
_How to burn a thread, and to make it whole again with the ashes._