To do this, you must have the picture in your sleeve, and by a swift slight return the card, and fetch out the picture with a back bending. The manner of doing this is better learnt by frequent trials than can be taught by many words; but if you would do this feat, and yet hold your hand straight, and unmoved, then you must peel off the spots or figures of a card, as thin as you can, and just stick it on the picture with something that will make it stick a little, then having shewed the spots or figure of the card, you may draw it off, and roll it up with your thumb, into a very narrow compass, holding it undiscovered between the inside of the thumb and the ball of your fore-finger, and so produce the picture, to the admiration of the beholders.
To seem to turn a card into a live bird.
Take a card in your hand, and shew it fairly to the company, bidding them seriously observe it, then having a live bird in your sleeve, turn your hand on a sudden, drawing the card into your sleeve dexterously with your thumb and little finger, and giving a hard shake, the bird will come out or your sleeve into your hand, which you may produce, and then let fly, as you think convenient, and it will cause wonder in the spectators.
Three or four cards being laid down, to tell any one which of those cards he touched.
This feat is done by confederacy, in this manner; take and lay down, with their faces upwards, 3 cards, which may be an ace, a four, and a five, then go out of the room, but let your confederate stay and see which card was touched, then when any one has touched a card, let them call you into the room again, and if he touch the ace, let your confederate say, I will lay a penny that you cannot tell which card he touched; and if he touched the four, let him say, I will lay a groat, and if he touched the five, let him say, I will lay you a crown you cannot tell which card he touched; so by your confederate’s discourse, you will know which card he touched, nevertheless, you must pretend to find him out by smelling to them, as though the touch of his finger had left a scent on the card.
To tell one what card he took notice of.
Take any number of cards, as 10, 12, and then holding them with their backs toward you, open four or five of the uppermost, and as you hold them out to their view, let any one note a card, and tell you, whether it be the first, second, or third from the top, but you must privately know the whole number of those cards you took; then shut up your cards in your hands, and take the rest of the pack and place upon them; then knock their ends and sides upon the table; so it will seem impossible to find the noted card, yet it may easily be done thus: subtract the number of the cards you held in your hand from 52, the whole number of the cards in the pack, and to the remainder add the number of the noted card; so the same shall be the number of the noted card from the top: therefore take off the cards one by one, smelling to them, till you come to the noted card.
How to let a gentleman hold ten pieces of money in his hand, and to command them unto what number he can think on.
You must fling your money on a table, and desire any body to tell ten pieces out on the table, when they have done they will say, there is ten. Note, you must have in readiness, privately concealed in your right-hand, five pieces, then you must tell the company that you always tell your money after every person, so telling down the money with your left-hand, and taking it up with your right, convey the five pieces to the ten, then ask if any body is desirous to hold them, and there will be enough to hold them, and be sure to hold them fast; that done, bid them to call for what number they please to think on between 10 and 15, and so let them call for what number they will, you know they have it in their hand, and when they open their hand, they are struck to admiration. But be sure not to forget your terms of art to amaze the beholders.