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.