A notable feat of Fast and Loose; namely, to pull three beadstones from off a Cord, while you hold fast the ends thereof, without removing of your hands.
TAke two litle whipcords of two foot long a piece, double them equally, so as there may appeare foure ends. Then take three great beadstones, the hole of the one of them being bigger than the rest; and put one beadstone upon the eye or bought of the one cord, and another on the other cord: then take the stone with the greatest hole, and let both the bowts be hidden therein: which may be the better done, if you put the eye of the one into the eye of the other. Then pull the middle bead upon the same, being doubled over his fellow, and so will the beads seeme to be put over the two cords without partition, for holding fast in each hand the two ends of the two cords, you may tosse them as you lift, and make it seeme manifest to the beholders, which may not see how you have done it, that the beadstones are put upon the cord without fraud: Then must you seeme to adde more effectuall binding of those beadstones to the string, and make one halfe of a knot with one of the ends of each side, which is for no other purpose, but that when the Bead stones be taken away, the cords may be seene in the case which the beholders suppose them to be in before. For when you have made your halfe knot (which in any wise you may not double to make a perfect knot) you must deliver into the hands of some stander by, those two cords, namely, two ends evenly set in one hand, and two in the other, and then with a wager and tearmes of Art, begin to pull off your Bead-stones, which if you handle nimbly, and in the end cause him to pull his two ends, the two cords will shew to be placed plainly, and the Bead-stones to have come thorow the cords.
To burne a threed, and to make it whole againe with the ashes thereof.
TAke two Threeds or small Laces, of one foot in length a piece: rowle up one of them round, which will be then of the quantity of a pease, bestow the same betweene your left fore-finger and your thumb. Then take the other threed and hold it forth at length, betwixt the fore-finger and thumb of each hand, holding all your fingers daintily, as yong Gentlewomen are taught to take up a morsel of meat. Then let one cut asunder the same threed in the middle; when that is done, put the tops of your two thumbs together, and so shall you with lesse suspition receive the piece of threed which you hold in your right hand unto your left, without opening your left finger and thumb, then holding these two pieces as you did the same before it was cut, let these two be cut also asunder in the midst, and they conveyed as before, untill they be cut verie short, and then rowle all those ends together, and keep that ball of short threeds before the other in your left hand, & with a knife thrust out the same into a candle, where you may hold it untill the said ball of short threeds be burnt to ashes. Then pull backe the knife with your right hand, and leave the ashes with the other ball betwixt the fore finger and thumbe of your left hand, and with the two thumbs and two fore-fingers together, seeming to take paines to rub the ashes, untill your threed be renued, and draw out that threed at length, which you kept all this while betwixt your fore-finger and thumbe. If you have Legerdemain to bestow the same ball of threed, and to change it from place to place betwixt your two fingers (as may be easily done) then will it seeme very strange.
To cut a Lace asunder in the midst, and to make it whole againe.
PRovide a piece of the Lace which you meane to cut, or at the least a patterne like the same, one inch and a halfe long, and keeping it double privily in your left hand, betwixt some of your fingers neare to the tops thereof take the other Lace which you meane to cut, which you may hang about ones necke, & draw downe your said left hand to the bought thereof: and putting your owne piece a little before the other (the end or rather the middle whereof, you must hide betwixt your fore-finger and thumb) making the eye or bought which shall be seene of your patterne, let some stander by cut the same asunder, and it will be surely thought that the other Lace is cut; which with words and rubbing and chafing it, you shall seeme to renew and make whole againe. This, if it be wel handled, will seeme miraculous.
How to seeme suddenly to melt a piece of Coyne with words.
YOu must have a boxe made of brasse or Crooked Lane plate, a double boxe, and not above five quarters of an inch deepe: in the midst must be the bottome, and both ends must have covers to come over them. This boxe might be so neatly made, that each lid might have a small bolt artificially contrived (which though I could make my selfe neither by words nor figures I can describe) whereby the lids of the boxe might be lockt fast on, that none but master Iugler himselfe knows readily to open. In one end of this boxe have alwayes in readinesse a resemblance of moulten silver which you may easily make by mixing an equall quantitie of linfoyl and quicksilver together, which you shall thus do: First put your linfoyl in a crucible or Goldsmiths melting pot, melt it, and then take it from the fire, and put in your quicksilver, and stirre both well together, and it is done. Now the one end of your box being readie furnished herewith, borrow a piece of coine of some one in the companie, willing him to give it some private marke whereby he may know it againe to be his owne, then put it into the other end of the box, in the bottome whereof you may have a little waxe to keepe it from ratling. Thus you may seeme by vertue of words to melt his monie, and afterwards to give it againe to the partie whole as you received it from him.
A device whereby you may draw sundrie liquors out of one seeming vessell, all which shall be put in at one hole, and all drawne out of another.
YOu must cause a vessell of an indifferent bignesse to be made in forme of a Tunne, having two partitions, so there will be three severall parts: A B signifieth the first, C D the second, and E F the third, upon the top of this Tunne must bee fast nailed a piece of wood turned round as G H, in the center whereof must be erected a stile, whose top must be made into a screw, in this wood must also be made three holes towards the circumpherence, each hole having a pipe inserted into it, which may extend themselues one of either into each vessell, as you may see by the figure. I K signifieth the first pipe which reacheth into the first part A B, L M, the second pipe that extendeth it selfe into the second part noted C D. N O the third pipe that extendeth it selfe into the third part E F, each part also must have his vent, else you can neither fill nor emptie it, these are marked with the letters P Q R, upon the top of the aforesaid wood must be fastned a piece of liquored leather having three holes in it answerable unto the holes of the wood, then upon the wood must be scrued another snout whereby to fill each vessell with a severall liquor, V the snouts S T a brasse plate whereunto the snout is sodered, W the scrue that scrueth this snout upon the stile in the turned wood G H.