Hocus Pocus Junior: The Anatomie of Legerdemain Part 3

TAke a low gla.s.se, fill it reasonable full of Beere, and take a sixpence and lay it downe upon the table, and set the gla.s.se of Beere upon it, and dipping your finger into the Beere, say, whether is the sixpence in, or under the gla.s.se. Some will say perhaps, it is under: then say, let's see, and take up at once both sixe pence and gla.s.se (hold the gla.s.se so that both your hands may quite hide it) and let the gla.s.s slip plum downe into your lap, then make as if you threw it away, looking up after it. Then seeme to blow your nose, and let fall the sixpence upon the table, saying, I am glad I have got my mony againe: but now (say) what's become of the gla.s.se? Then seeme to take it out of your pocket, saying, I am a good fellow, and would not willingly lose my liquor, then drinke it up. This is an excellent tricke if it be swiftly and neatly performed. Though you spill a part of the Beere, it is no matter, neither is it any disgrace unto it, besides you may put it off very well.

_How to seeme to cut off a mans head, it is called the decollation of =Iohn Baptist=._

YOu must have a table with two good wide holes towards one end, also a cloth on purpose to cover the table with, so that the said covering may hang to the ground round about the table; also this covering must have two holes made in it even with the holes of the table, you must also have a platter of wood for the purpose, having a hole in the bottom to fit also unto the holes of the table, and it must, as also the table, be made to take in two pieces: having these in readinesse, you must have two boyes; the one must lie along upon the table with his backe upward, and he must put his head thorow the one hole of the table, cloth and all; the other must sit under the table and put his head thorow the other hole of the table, then put the platter about his neck, to make the sight more dreadfull to behold, you may forme some loome about the neckes of them, making small holes in them as it were veins, and besmeare it over with sheepes bloud, putting some bloud also and little bits of liver into the platter, and set a chafing-dish of coales before the head, strewing some brimstone upon the coales; for this will make the head seem so pale and wan, as if in very deed it were separated from the body.

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The head may fetch a gaspe or two, and it will be better. Let no body bee present while you doe this, neither when you have given entrance, permit any to be medling, nor let them tarry long.

_How to make the face of a Childe to appeare in a pot of water._

YOu must get a ball made of wood, and upon one halfe or side of it, there must the face of a childe be artificially carued: on the backe side of this face there must bee made a hole, but not very deepe; this hole must be filled with Lead, to the end that it may (the ball being cast into the water) sway the face uppermost: then paint it livelie with oyle colours, and it is done. Note that it ought not to be full so big as a tenis ball. Call for a wine quart pot filled with faire water up to the necke, having your face in a readinesse, concealed in your right hand, take the pot in your left hand, and set it on the Table, and say, see you Gentlemen, here is nothing in the pot but water, with that clap down the pot lid with your right hand, and in clapping it down, slip the face into the pot, this you may doe without any the lest suspition. Then cause them all to stand off, and if they please, to marke you as narrowly as they can: with that put your hand into your pocket, and seeme to take out a handfull of powder, and to strew it over the pot, saying, _Surge celeriter_, by the powder of Experience, _surge_, then bid them look what is there. After the same manner may you make a Toade to appeare, which will cause no small admiration.

_Advice whereby you may drinke a Tunnell full of drink, and afterwards seeme to poure the same all out of your sleeve againe._

YOu must get a double Tunnell, that is, two Tunnels sodered one within the other, so that you may at the little end poure a quant.i.tie of wine, water, or any liquor. This Tunnell you must have readie filled before hand with whatsoever liquor you please: call for some of the same kinde: then draw your Tunnell, and setting your middle finger unto the bottome of it, bid some body, or else do you your selfe poure it full, and drinke it up before them, and turne the broad end of the Tunnell downeward, saying, Gentlemen, all is gone, and in a trice turne your selfe about, and in turning, p.r.o.nounce some tearmes of art, withdraw your finger from the narrow end, and let all the liquor out that was betweene the Tunnels, and it will be thought to be that which you drunke out of the Tunnell, and so you may perswade them that it is the very same.

_How to seeme to make a tooth drop out with a touch._

YOu must have some great tooth in a readinesse, as the tooth of a Hog, a Calfe, or of an Horse; this you must retain privately in your right hand, and with the same hand take out of your pocket a small corke bal, and having used some Rhetorick to perswade them that it is of some excellent property, incline your head, and therewith touch some one of your farther teeth, and immediately let the tooth that you held in your hand drop downe, saying, and this is the fashion of Mountebanks, Touch and take.

_Another conceit to procure laughter._

TAke your ball in one hand, and the tooth in the other, and stretch your hands as farre as you can one from the other, and if any will, lay a quart of wine with him that you will not withdraw your hands, and yet will make both of them come into either hand which they please: It is no more to do, than to lay one downe upon the Table, and turne your selfe round, and take it up with the other hand, and your wager is won, and it will move no small laughter to see a foole so lose his money.

_How to make two or three egges dance upon a staffe._

PRovide a good thick staffe about two yards long, three parts wherof ought to be made scoope-wise, or halfe hollow, like a basting ladle, the fourth part must serue for the handle. At the end of the scoope must be made a hole, and therein put a broad pin about the length of an egge, and it is done. Rest the handle of this staffe against your right thigh, and hold it with your right hand neere to the beginning of the scoope; lay an egge then into the scoope of the staffe, and turne your selfe round, bearing the staffe now up, and anon downe, with the scoope side of it alwayes upward, so the eg will tumble from one end of the scoop unto the other, and not fall out. After the same manner may you make two or three egges by a little practice to wamble one after another.

_A merry conceit_

DEliver one peece of money with your left hand unto one and to a second person another, and offer a third to another, for he seeing the other receive money, will not lightly refuse it: when he offereth to take it, you may rap him on the fingers with a knife, or somewhat else held in your right hand, saying that you knew by vertue of your _bonus genius_, that hee meant to have kept it from you.

_How to knit an hard knot upon a handkercher, and to seeme to undo the same with words._

MAke one plaine loose knot, with the two corner ends of a handkercher, and seeming to draw the same very hard, hold fast the body of the said handkercher (neere to the knot) with your right hand, pulling the contrary end with the left hand, which is the corner of that which you hold. Then cloze up handsomely the knot, which will bee yet somewhat loose, and pull the handkercher so with your right hand, as the left hand end may be neere to the knot: then will it seeme to be a true and firme knot. And to make it appeare more a.s.suredly to be so indeed, let a stranger pull at the end which you hold in your left hand, whilest you hold fast the other in your right hand; and then holding the knot with your fore-finger and thumbe, and the nether part of your handkercher with your other fingers, as you hold a bridle when you would with one hand slip up the knot and lengthen your reines. This done, turne your handkercher over the knot with the left hand, in doing whereof, you must suddenly slip out the end or corner, putting up the knot of your handkercher with your fore-finger and thumbe, as you would put up the foresaid knot of your bridle. Then deliver the same (covered and wrapt within the midst of your handkercher) to one to hold fast, and after the p.r.o.nunciation of some words of Art, and wagers laid, take the handkercher and shake it, and it will be loose.

_A notable feat of Fast and Loose; namely, to pull three beadstones from off a Cord, while you hold fast the ends thereof, without removing of your hands._

TAke two litle whipcords of two foot long a piece, double them equally, so as there may appeare foure ends. Then take three great beadstones, the hole of the one of them being bigger than the rest; and put one beadstone upon the eye or bought of the one cord, and another on the other cord: then take the stone with the greatest hole, and let both the bowts be hidden therein: which may be the better done, if you put the eye of the one into the eye of the other. Then pull the middle bead upon the same, being doubled over his fellow, and so will the beads seeme to be put over the two cords without part.i.tion, for holding fast in each hand the two ends of the two cords, you may tosse them as you lift, and make it seeme manifest to the beholders, which may not see how you have done it, that the beadstones are put upon the cord without fraud: Then must you seeme to adde more effectuall binding of those beadstones to the string, and make one halfe of a knot with one of the ends of each side, which is for no other purpose, but that when the Bead stones be taken away, the cords may be seene in the case which the beholders suppose them to be in before. For when you have made your halfe knot (which in any wise you may not double to make a perfect knot) you must deliver into the hands of some stander by, those two cords, namely, two ends evenly set in one hand, and two in the other, and then with a wager and tearmes of Art, begin to pull off your Bead-stones, which if you handle nimbly, and in the end cause him to pull his two ends, the two cords will shew to be placed plainly, and the Bead-stones to have come thorow the cords.

_To burne a threed, and to make it whole againe with the ashes thereof._

TAke two Threeds or small Laces, of one foot in length a piece: rowle up one of them round, which will be then of the quant.i.ty of a pease, bestow the same betweene your left fore-finger and your thumb. Then take the other threed and hold it forth at length, betwixt the fore-finger and thumb of each hand, holding all your fingers daintily, as yong Gentlewomen are taught to take up a morsel of meat. Then let one cut asunder the same threed in the middle; when that is done, put the tops of your two thumbs together, and so shall you with lesse suspition receive the piece of threed which you hold in your right hand unto your left, without opening your left finger and thumb, then holding these two pieces as you did the same before it was cut, let these two be cut also asunder in the midst, and they conveyed as before, untill they be cut verie short, and then rowle all those ends together, and keep that ball of short threeds before the other in your left hand, & with a knife thrust out the same into a candle, where you may hold it untill the said ball of short threeds be burnt to ashes. Then pull backe the knife with your right hand, and leave the ashes with the other ball betwixt the fore finger and thumbe of your left hand, and with the two thumbs and two fore-fingers together, seeming to take paines to rub the ashes, untill your threed be renued, and draw out that threed at length, which you kept all this while betwixt your fore-finger and thumbe. If you have Legerdemain to bestow the same ball of threed, and to change it from place to place betwixt your two fingers (as may be easily done) then will it seeme very strange.

_To cut a Lace asunder in the midst, and to make it whole againe._

PRovide a piece of the Lace which you meane to cut, or at the least a patterne like the same, one inch and a halfe long, and keeping it double privily in your left hand, betwixt some of your fingers neare to the tops thereof take the other Lace which you meane to cut, which you may hang about ones necke, & draw downe your said left hand to the bought thereof: and putting your owne piece a little before the other (the end or rather the middle whereof, you must hide betwixt your fore-finger and thumb) making the eye or bought which shall be seene of your patterne, let some stander by cut the same asunder, and it will be surely thought that the other Lace is cut; which with words and rubbing and chafing it, you shall seeme to renew and make whole againe. This, if it be wel handled, will seeme miraculous.

_How to seeme suddenly to melt a piece of Coyne with words._

YOu must have a boxe made of bra.s.se or Crooked Lane plate, a double boxe, and not above five quarters of an inch deepe: in the midst must be the bottome, and both ends must have covers to come over them. This boxe might be so neatly made, that each lid might have a small bolt artificially contrived (which though I could make my selfe neither by words nor figures I can describe) whereby the lids of the boxe might be lockt fast on, that none but master Iugler himselfe knows readily to open. In one end of this boxe have alwayes in readinesse a resemblance of moulten silver which you may easily make by mixing an equall quant.i.tie of linfoyl and quicksilver together, which you shall thus do: First put your linfoyl in a crucible or Goldsmiths melting pot, melt it, and then take it from the fire, and put in your quicksilver, and stirre both well together, and it is done. Now the one end of your box being readie furnished herewith, borrow a piece of coine of some one in the companie, willing him to give it some private marke whereby he may know it againe to be his owne, then put it into the other end of the box, in the bottome whereof you may have a little waxe to keepe it from ratling.

Thus you may seeme by vertue of words to melt his monie, and afterwards to give it againe to the partie whole as you received it from him.

_A device whereby you may draw sundrie liquors out of one seeming vessell, all which shall be put in at one hole, and all drawne out of another._

YOu must cause a vessell of an indifferent bignesse to be made in forme of a Tunne, having two part.i.tions, so there will be three severall parts: A B signifieth the first, C D the second, and E F the third, upon the top of this Tunne must bee fast nailed a piece of wood turned round as G H, in the center whereof must be erected a stile, whose top must be made into a screw, in this wood must also be made three holes towards the circ.u.mpherence, each hole having a pipe inserted into it, which may extend themselues one of either into each vessell, as you may see by the figure. I K signifieth the first pipe which reacheth into the first part A B, L M, the second pipe that extendeth it selfe into the second part noted C D. N O the third pipe that extendeth it selfe into the third part E F, each part also must have his vent, else you can neither fill nor emptie it, these are marked with the letters P Q R, upon the top of the aforesaid wood must be fastned a piece of liquored leather having three holes in it answerable unto the holes of the wood, then upon the wood must be scrued another snout whereby to fill each vessell with a severall liquor, V the snouts S T a bra.s.se plate whereunto the snout is sodered, W the scrue that scrueth this snout upon the stile in the turned wood G H.

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Lastly, each vessell must have its pipe whereout you may draw the conteined liquor which you may see in the figure, and then must there be scrued over them another plate with a taper vessell, so by turning it about from one hole to another you may deliver each liquor apart whether of them you please.

_A very strange tricke whereby you may seeme to cut a piece of Tape into foure parts, and make it whole againe with words._

TAke a piece of narrow white tape about two or three yards long; first present it to view to any that may desire it, then tie both the ends of it together, and take one side of it in one hand, and the other in the other hand, so that the knot may be about the midst of one side, and using some circ.u.mstantiall words to beguile your spectators, turn one hand about towards your selfe, and the other from you, so shall you twist the tape once, then clap the ends together, and then if you slip your fore-finger and thumbe of every hand betweene the tape almost as one would hold a skeine of threed to be wound, this will make one fold or twist as may appeare in the first figure, where A signifieth the twist or fold. B the knot, then in like manner make a second fold about the line DC, as you may see by the second figure, where B signifieth the knot, C the first fold, A the second fold. Hold then your fore-finger and thumbe of your left hand upon the second twist, and upon the knot also, and the fore-finger and thumbe of your right hand upon the first fold C, and desire some one of your spectators to cut all asunder with a sharpe knife at the crosse line ED. When it is cut, hold still your left hand, and let all the ends fall you hold in your right hand, for there will be a shew of eight ends, foure aboue and foure below, and so the string will be thought to be cut into foure parts, as may be seene by the third figure; then gather up the ends that you let fall into your left hand, and deliver two of the ends (seeming to take them at randome) unto two severall persons, bidding them to hold them fast, still, keeping your left hand fingers upon the twists or folds:

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then with your right and left hand seeme to tumble and whaf all the ends together that you had in your left hand, twist out all the slips or pieces which are three, as you may see at A and B in the third figure; twist them all, I say, into a little ball, and conceale it betweene some of your fingers of your left hand, and crumble thereof on another confused heape: and after some words said, with your right hand deliver this confused heape unto one of the company, bidding him to hold it fast, saying, _Hulla pa.s.sa quicke couragious fiat coniunctio_: Then bid them looke on it, who while they are greedily looking after the event, you may with ease convey the ball or roll of ends into your pocket, so will it be thought you have made it whole by vertue of your words. An excellent tricke if it be gracefully handled and a tricke that cost mee more trouble to finde than all the rest; this I have gone purposely to obserue, but returned as wise as I went.

_A device how to multiply one face, and make it seeme to be an hundred or a thousand._

THis feate must be performed by a looking-gla.s.se made for the nonce, the figure whereof I have fully described, with the manner of making it, which is thus: First make an hoope or phillet of wood, horn, or such like, about the widenesse of an halfe-crowne piece, in the circ.u.mference; the thicknesse of this hoope or phillet let be about a quarter of an inch. In the middle of this hoope fasten a bottome of wood or bra.s.se, and bore in a decent order divers small holes about the bignesse of small pease, or phitches, then upon the one side of this bottome let in a piece of Christall gla.s.se, and fasten it in the hoope close to the bottome; then take a quant.i.tie of quicksilver, and prepare it after this manner: Take, I say, a quant.i.tie as an ounce or two of quicksilver, and put to it a little salt, and stirre them well together, then put to them some whitewine vineger, and wash or stirre all together with a woodden slice, then powre away the vineger, and wash away the salt with faire water made warme, then powre away the water, and put the quicksilver into a piece of white leather, and binde it up hard, and so twist or straine it out into an earthen panne and it will be very bright and pure, then put so much of this prepared quicksilver into the philet or foresaid hoope as will cover the bottome; then let into the hoope another piece of christal gla.s.se fitted thereto, and s.e.m.e.nt the sides, that the quicksilver may not runne out, and it is done. The figure whereof I have here under set; A representeth the one side that giveth the forme of one face to the beholders B the other side that multiplieth the beholders face, so oft as there are holes in the middle bottome, the use hereof I shall not insist upon, since he that is verst in the former feats will better conceive of himselfe to use it, then my words can either direct or a.s.sist him.

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_Of divers pretty iugling knacks._

THere are many feats able to beguile the simple, as to deliver meale, pepper, ginger, or any powder out of your mouth after the eating of bread, which is done by retaining any of these things stuffed in a little paper or bladder, conveyed into your mouth, and grinding the same with your teeth. _Item_, a rush thorow a piece of a trencher, having three holes, and at the one side the rush appearing out in the second, at the other side in the third hole, by reason of an hollow place made betwixt them both, so as the slight consisteth in the turning of the piece of trencher.

_Feats by conveyance of money:_