To seem to eat knives and forks.
Desire any one of the spectators to lend you a knife, which when you get hold of, so that you may cover the whole with both hands, the end of the haft excepted, and setting the point to your eye, saying, “Some body strike it with your fist,” but nobody will, because it is so dangerous a thing; then setting your hand on the side of the table and looking about you, ask, “What will nobody strike it in?” in which time let the knife slip into your lap, then make as if you chop it hastily into your mouth, or to hold it with one hand, and to strike it in with the other nimbly, making three or four wry faces, saying, “Some drink, some drink,” or else, “Now let somebody put his finger into my mouth, and pull it out again,” some will cry, “You will bite me,” say, “I will assure you I will not:” then when he hath put his finger in, he will pull it out and cry, There is nothing; this is time sufficient to convey the knife into your pocket; then say, Why, you have your finger again: so, by this means, you may swallow knives and forks.
To put a lock upon a man’s mouth.
You must have a lock made for this purpose, according to the figure; one side of its bow must be immovable, as that marked with A, the other side is noted with B, and must be pinned to the body of the lock, as appears at E, I say it must be pinned that it may play to and fro with ease; this side of the bow must have a leg as at C, and then turn it into the lock; this leg must have two notches filled in the inner side, which must be so ordered, that one may lock or hold the two sides of the bow as close together as may be, and the other notch to hold the said part of the bow a proportionable distance asunder, that, being locked upon the cheek, it may neither pinch too hard, nor yet hold it so slight that it may be drawn off; let there be a key fixed to it, to unlock it, as you see at D, and lastly, let the bow have divers notches filled in it, so that the place of the partition, when the lock is shut home, will the least of all be suspected in the use of the lock; you must get one to hold a tester edge long between his teeth, then take another tester, and with your left hand proffer to set it edge-ways between a second man’s teeth, pretending that your intent is to turn both into which of their mouths they shall desire, by virtue of your words: which he shall no sooner consent to do, but you, by holding your lock privately in your right hand, with your fore-finger may flip it over his cheek, and lock it by pressing your fore-finger a little down, after some store of words, and the lock, having hung on a while, seem to pull the key out of his nose.
You may have those locks neatly made, at my house, near the watch-house, on little Tower-hill, Postern-row, a bookseller’s shop.
How to shew the magic bell and bushel.
This feat may well be called magical, for really it is very amazing, if it be well handled. This device was never known to the public before.
This bushel must be turned neatly like unto the egg-boxes, so that they cannot find out where it opens, and you must have a false lid to clap on and off; upon that false lid glue some bird-feed, and then you must have a true lid made to clap neatly upon the false one, now you must have your artificial bell to shew with your bushel.
You may make your bell with wood or brass, your bell must be made to unscrew at the top, that it may hold as much seed as your bushel will when it is filled, and you must have the handle of your bell made with a spring, so as to let the seed fall down at your word of command.