THere are many feats able to beguile the simple, as to deliver meale, pepper, ginger, or any powder out of your mouth after the eating of bread, which is done by retaining any of these things stuffed in a little paper or bladder, conveyed into your mouth, and grinding the same with your teeth. Item, a rush thorow a piece of a trencher, having three holes, and at the one side the rush appearing out in the second, at the other side in the third hole, by reason of an hollow place made betwixt them both, so as the slight consisteth in the turning of the piece of trencher.
Feats by conveyance of money:
THe best place to dispose of a piece of money, is in the palme of the hand, and the best piece for conveyance is a tester, but with practice all will be alike.
A notable tricke to transforme a Counter into a Groat.
TAke a Groat, or some lesse peece of money, and grinde it very thinne at the one side, and take two Counters and grind them, the one on the one side, the other on the other side; glew the smooth side of the Groat to the smooth side of one of the Counters, ioyning them so close together as may be, specially at the edges, which may be so filed, as they shall seeme to be but one piece; to wit, one side a counter, the other side a groat. Then take a little greene waxe, and lay it upon the smooth side of the one counter, as it do not much discolour the groat; and so will that counter with the groat cleave together, as though they were glewed, and being filed even with the groat and the other counter, it will seem so like a perfect entire counter, that though a stranger handle it, he shall not bewray it; then having a little touched your forefinger and the thumb of your right hand with soft wax, take therewith this counterfeit counter, and lay it downe openly upon the palme of your left hand, in such sort as an Auditor layeth downe his counters, wringing the same hard, so as you may leave the glewed counter with the groat apparantly in the palme of your left hand, and the smooth side of the waxed counter will sticke fast upon your thumb, by reason of the waxe wherewith it is smeared, and so may you hide it at your pleasure, provided alwayes that you lay the waxed side downward, and the glewed side upward: then close your hand, and in or after the closing thereof turn the piece, and so instead of a counter (which they suppose to bee in your hand) you shall seeme to have a groat, to the admiration of the beholders, if it be well handled.
An excellent feat to make a twopeny piece lye plaine in your hand, and to be passed from thence when you lift.
PVt a little red waxe (but not too thinne) upon the naile of your longest finger, and let a stranger put a twopeny piece into the palme of your hand, and shut your fist suddenly, and convey the twopeny piece upon the wax, which with use you may so accomplish, as no man shall perceive it. Then say, Ailif, casil, zaze, hit, mel, and suddenly open your hand, holding the tips of your fingers rather lower than higher than the palme of your hand, and the beholders will wonder where it is become. Then shut your hand suddenly againe, and lay a wager whether it be there or no; and you may either leave it there, or take it away with you at your pleasure.
How to transforme any one small thing into another forme by folding of paper.
TAke a sheet of paper and fold, or double the same, so as one side be a little longer than the other: Then put a Counter betweene the two leaves of the paper up to the middle of the top of the fold, holding the same so as it be not perceived, and lay a groat on the outside thereof, right against the Counter, and fold it downe to the end of the longer side: and when you unfold it againe, the groat will be where the Counter was, and the counter where the groat was; so as some will suppose that you have changed the money into a counter, and with this many feats may be done.