HOW TO DELIVER OUT FOUR ACES, AND CONVERT THEM TO FOUR KNAVES.
Take a pack of eight cards, viz., four aces and four knaves, and let them be laid in this order: an ace and a knave, and so alternately through all the eight cards; then shuffle them, so that always at the second shuffling or at least when you have done shuffling them, one of the aces may be the lowermost card; then putting your hand with the cards to the edge of the table, let out privately a piece of the second card, which is one of the knaves: then showing to the audience the lower card, which is one of the aces, be sure to cover the piece of the knave with your fingers; then draw out the same knave, laying it down on the table; then shuffle the cards as before, and you will have two aces at bottom; therefore take off the uppermost card, and thrust it in to the middle of the pack; do the same with the lowermost card, which is one of the aces, then you may show another ace as before; and instead of that lay down another knave; proceed in the same method, till, instead of the four aces, you have laid down the four knaves.
The beholders, all the time thinking that they lay four aces on the table, are greatly deceived when the cards are turned up, and will wonder at the transformation.