The xxiiii. Chapter.
Of conveiance of monie.
HE The monie must not be of too small nor of too large a circumference for hindering of the conveiance. conveieng of monie is not much inferior to the ball, but much easier to doo. The principall place to keepe a peece of monie is the palme of your hand, the best peece to keepe is a testor; but with exercise all will be alike, except the mony be verie small, and then it is to be kept betwixt the fingers, almost at the fingers end, whereas the ball is to be kept beelowe neere to the palme./
To conveie monie out of one of your hands into the other by legierdemaine.325.
FIrst you must hold open your right hand, & lay therin a testor, or some big peece of monie: then laie thereupon the top of your long left finger, and use words, and upon the sudden slip your right hand from your finger wherwith you held downe the testor, and bending your hand a verie little, you shall reteine the testor still therein: and suddenlie (I saie) drawing your right hand through your left, you shall seeme to have left the testor there speciallie when you shut in due time your left hand. This is prettie if it be cunninglie handled: for both the eare and the eie is deceived by this devise.Which/229. that it may more plainelie appeare to be trulie doone, you may take a knife, and seeme to knocke against it, so as it shall make a great sound: but in stead of knocking the peece in the left hand (where none is) you shall hold the point of the knife fast with the left hand, and knocke against the testor held in the other hand, and it will be thought to hit against the mony in the left hand. Then use words, and open your hand, and when nothing is seene, it will be woondered at how the testor was remooved.
To convert or transubstantiate monie into counters, or counters into monie.
ANother waie to deceive the lookers on, is to doo as before, with a testor; and keeping a counter in the palme of the left hand secretlie to seeme to put the testor thereinto; which being reteined still in the right hand, when the left hand is opened, the testor will seeme to be transubstantiated into a counter.
To put one testor into one hand, and an other into the other hand, and with words to bring them togither.
HEVarietie of trickes may be shewed in juggling with mony. that hath once atteined to the facilitie of reteining one peece of monie in his right hand, may shew a hundreth pleasant conceipts by that meanes, and may reserve two or three as well as one. And lo then may you seeme to put one peece into your left hand, and reteining it still in your right hand, you may togither therewith take up another like peece, and so with words seeme to bring both peeces togither./
326.To put one testor into a strangers hand, and another into your owne, and to conveie both into the strangers hand with words
ALso you may take two testors evenlie set togither, and put the same in stead of one testor, into a strangers hand, and then making as though you did put one testor into your left hand, with words you shall make it seeme that you conveie the testor in your hand, into the strangers hand: for when you open your said left hand, there shall be nothing seene; and he opening his hand shall find two, where he thought was but one. By this devise (I saie) a hundreth conceipts may be shewed.
How to doo the same or the like feate otherwise.
TO keepe a testor, &c: betwixt your finger, serveth speciallie for this and such like purposes. Hold out your hand, and cause one to laie a testor upon the palme thereof, then shake the same up almost to your fingers ends, and putting your thombe upon it; you shall easilie, with a little practise, conveie the edge betwixt the middle and forefinger, whilest you profferYou must take heed that you be close and slie: or else you discredit the art. to put it into your other hand (provided alwaies that the edge appeere not through the fingers on the backside) which being doone, take up/230. another testor (which you may cause a stander by to laie downe) and put them both together, either closelie instead of one into a strangers hand, or keepe them still in your owne: & (after words spoken) open your hands, and there being nothing in one, and both peeces in the other, the beholders will woonder how they came togither.
To throwe a peece of monie awaie, and to find it againe where you list.
YOu may, with the middle or ringfinger of the right hand, conveie a testor into the palme of the same hand, & seeming to cast it awaie, keepe it still:Use and exercise maketh men readie and practive. which with confederacie will seeme strange; to wit, when you find it againe, where another hath bestowed the verie like peece. But these things without exercise cannot be doone, and therefore I will proceed to shew things to be/327. brought to passe by monie, with lesse difficultie; & yet as strange as the rest: which being unknowne are marvellouslie commended, but being knowne, are derided, & nothing at all regarded.
With words to make a groat or a testor to leape out of a pot, or to run alongst upon a table.
YOu This feat is the stranger if it be doone by night; a candle placed betweene the lookers on & the juggler: for by that means their eiesight is hindered from discerning the conceit. shall see a juggler take a groat or a testor, and throwe it into a pot, or laie it in the midst of a table, & with inchanting words cause the same to leape out of the pot, or run towards him, or from him ward*[* = himward] alongst the table. Which will seeme miraculous, untill you knowe that it is doone with a long blacke haire of a womans head, fastened to the brim of a groat, by meanes of a little hole driven through the same with a Spanish needle. In like sort you may use a knife, or anie other small thing: but if you would have it go from you, you must have a confederate, by which meanes all juggling is graced and amended.
To make a groat or a testor to sinke through a table, and to vanish out of a handkercher verie strangelie.
A Juggler also sometimes will borrow a groat or a testor, &c: and marke it before you, and seeme to put the same into the middest of a handkercher, and wind it so, as you may the better see and feele it. Then will he take you the handkercher, and bid you feele whether the groat be there or naie; and he will also require you to put the same under a candlesticke, or some such thing. Then will he send for a bason, and holding the same under the boord right against the candlesticke, will use certeine words of inchantments; and in short space you shall heare the groat fall into the bason. This doone, one takes off the candlesticke, and the juggler taketh the handkercher by a tassell, and shaketh it; but the monie is gone: which seemeth as strange as anie feate whatsoever, but being knowne, the miracle is turned to a bable. A discoverie of this juggling knacke.For it is nothing else, but to sowe a groat into the corner of a handkercher, finelie covered with a peece of linnen, little bigger than your groat: which corner you must conveie in steed of the groat delivered to you, into the middle of your handkercher; leaving the other either in your hand/231. or lap, which afterwards you must/328. seeme to pull through the boord, letting it fall into a bason, &c.
A notable tricke to transforme a counter to a groat.
TAke a groat, or some lesse peece of monie, and grind it verie thin at the one side; and take two counters, and grind them, the one at the one side, the other on the other side: glew the smooth side of the groat to the smooth side of one of the counters, joining them so close together as may be, speciallie at the edges, which may be so filed, as they shall seeme to be but one peece; to wit, one side a counter, and the other side a groat.The juggler must have none of his trinkets wanting: besides that, it behooveth him to be mindfull, least he mistake his trickes. Then take a verie little greene waxe (for that is softest and therefore best) and laie it so upon the smooth side of the other counter, as it doo not much discolour the groat: and so will that counter with the groat cleave togither, as though they were glewed; and being filed even with the groat and the other counter, it will seeme so like a perfect entire counter, that though a stranger handle it, he shall not bewraie it; then having a little touched your forefinger, and the thombe of your right hand with soft waxe, take therewith this counterfet counter, and laie it downe openlie upon the palme of your left hand, in such sort as an auditor laieth downe his counters, wringing the same hard, so as you may leave the glewed counter with the groat apparentlie in the palme of your left hand; and the smooth side of the waxed counter will sticke fast upon your thombe, by reason of the wax wherwith it is smeered, and so may you hide it at your pleasure. Provided alwaies, that you laie the waxed side downeward, and the glewed side upward: then close your hand, and in or after the closing thereof turne the peece, & so in stead of a counter (which they suppose to be in your hand) you shall seeme to have a groat, to the astonishment of the beholders, if it be well handled./
The xxv. Chapter.329.
An excellent feat, to make a two penie peece lie plaine in the palme of your hand, and to be passed from thence when you list.
UT a little red wax (not too thin) upon the naile of your longest finger, then let a stranger put a two penie peece into the palme of your hand, and shut your fist suddenlie, and conveie the two penie peece upon the wax, which with use you may so accomplish, as no man shall perceive it. Then and in the meane time use *words* As, Ailif, casyl, zaze, hit mel meltat: Saturnus, Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Venus, Mercurie, Luna: or such like. of course, and suddenlie open your hand, holding the tippes of your fingers rather lower than higher than the palme of your hand, and the beholders will woonder where it is become. Then shut your hand suddenlie again, & laie a wager whether it be there or no; and you may either leave it there, or take it awaie with you at your pleasure. This (if it be will†[† for well] handled) hath more admiration than any other feat of the hand. Memorandum‡[‡ Rom.] this may be best handled, by putting the wax upon the two penie peece, but then must you laie it in your hand your selfe./
To conveie a testor out of ones hand that holdeth it fast.232.
STicke a little wax upon your thombe, and take a stander by by the finger, shewing him the testor, and telling him you will put the same into his hand: then wring it downe hard with your waxed thombe, and using many words looke him in the face, & as soone as you perceive him to looke in your face, or frō your hand, suddenlie take awaie your thombe, & close his hand, and so will it seeme to him that the testor remaineth: even as if you wring a testor upon ones forehead, it will seeme to sticke, when it is taken awaie, especiallie if it be wet. Then cause him to hold his hand still, and with speed put into another mans hand (or into your owne) two testors in stead of one, and use words of course, wher/by330. you shall make not onelie the beholders, but the holders beleeve, when they open their hands, that by inchantment you have brought both togither.
To throwe a peece of monie into a deepe pond, and to fetch it againe from whence you list.
THere In these knacks of confederacie Feats had the name, whilest he lived.be a marvellous number of feats to be doone with monie, but if you will worke by private confederacie, as to marke a shilling, or anie other thing, and throwe the same into a river or deepe pond, and having hid a shilling before with like marks in some other secret place; bid some go presentlie & fetch it, making them beleeve, that it is the verie same which you threw into the river: the beholders will marvell much at it. And of such feats there may be doone a marvellous number; but manie more by publike confederacie, whereby one may tell another how much monie he hath in his pursse, and a hundreth like toies, and all with monie.
To conveie one shilling being in one hand into another, holding your armes abroad like a rood.
EVermoreA knacke more merrie than marvellous. it is necessarie to mingle some merie toies among your grave miracles, as in this case of monie, to take a shilling in each hand, and holding your armes abroad, to laie a wager that you will put them both into one hand, without bringing them anie whit neerer togither. The wager being made, hold your armes abroad like a rood, and turning about with your bodie, laie the shilling out of one of your hands upon the table, and turning to the other side take it up with the other hand: and so you shall win your wager.
How to rap a wag on the knuckles.
DEliverAnother to the same purpose read in pag. 324. one peece of monie with the left hand to one, and to a second person another, and offer him that you would rap on the fingers the third; for he (though he be ungratious and subtill) seeing the other receive monie, will not lightlie refuse it: and when he offereth to take it, you may rap him on the fingers with a knife, or somewhat else held in the right/233. hand, saieng that you knew by your familiar, that he ment to have kept it from you./
The xxvi. Chapter.331.
To transforme anie one small thing into anie other forme by folding of paper.
AKE a sheete of paper, or a handkercher, and fold or double the same, so as one side be a little longer than an other: then put a counter betweene the two sides or leaves of the paper or handkercher, up to the middle of the top of the fold, holding the same so as it be not perceived, and laie a groat on the outside thereof, right against the counter, and fold it downe to the end of the longer side: and when you unfold it againe, the groat will be where the counter was, and the counter where the groat was; so as some will suppose that you have transubstantiated the monie into a counter, and with this manie feats may be doone.
The like or rather stranger than it may be done, with two papers three inches square a peece, divided by two folds into three equall parts at either side, so as each folded paper remaine one inch square: then glew the backsides of the two papers together as they are folded, & not as they are open, & so shall both papers seeme to be but one; & which side soever you open, it shall appeare to be the same, if you hide handsomelie the bottome, as you may well doo with your middle finger, so as if you have a groat in the one and a counter in the other, you (having shewed but one) may by turning the paper seeme to transubstantiate it. This may be best performed, by putting it under a candlesticke, or a hat, &c: and with *words* Such as you shall find in pag. 323, & 329. in the marginal notes or some strange terms of your owne devising. seeme to doo the feat.