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.