FIrst, you must hold open your right hand, and lay therein a Tester, or some big piece of money, then lay thereupon the top of your long left finger, and use some words of Art, & upon the sudden, slip your right hand from your finger, wherewith you held downe the Tester, and bending your hand a very little, you shall retain the Tester still therein, and suddenly drawing your right hand thorow your left, you shall seeme to have left the Tester there, specially when you shut in due time your left hand. Which that it may more plainly appeare to be truly done, you may take a knife, and seeme to knocke against it, so as it shall make a great sound: but instead of knocking the piece in the left hand (where none is) you shall hold the point of the knife fast with the left hand, and knocke against the tester held in the other hand, and it wil be thought to hit against the money in the left hand. Then after some words of Art pronounced, open your hand, and when nothing is seene, it will be wondered at how the Tester was removed.
How to make a six pence seeme to fall thorow a Table.
YOu must have an Handkercher about you, having a Counter neatly sewed in one of the corners of it: take it out of your pocket, and desire some bodie to lend you a tester, and seeme to wrap it up in the midst of the Handkercher, but retaine it in your hand, and in stead of so doing, wrap the corner in the middest that hath the counter sewed in it, and then bid them feele if it be not there, which they will imagine to bee no other than the tester that they lent you. Then bid them lay it under a hat upon the Table, and call for a Basin of water, hold it under the Table, and knocke, saying, Vade, come quicke, and then let the sixpence fall out of your hand into the water. Then take up the hat, and take the handkercher and shake it, saying, that's gone, then shew them the money in the Basin of water.
How to seeme to blow sixpence out of another mans hand.
TAke a sixpence, blow on it, and clap it presently into one of your spectators hands, bidding them to hold it fast: Then aske of him if he be sure he have it, then to be certaine, he will open his hand and look. Then say to him nay, but if you let my breath go off, I cannot do it. Then take it out of his hand againe, and blow on it, and staring him in the face, clap a piece of horne in his hand, and retaine the sixpence, shutting his hand your selfe. Bid him hold his hand downe, and slip the tester betweene one of his cuffes. Then take the stone that you shew feats with, and hold it unto his hand, saying, By vertue hereof, I will and command the money to vanish you hold in your hand, vade, now see: when they have looked, then will they thinke that it is changed by the vertue of your stone. Then take the horne againe, and seeme to cast it from you, retaining it, and say, vade, and anon, say you have your money againe: He then will begin to marvell, and say, I have not, say then to him again, you have, and I am sure you have it: Is't not in your hands? if it be not there, turne downe one of your sleeves, for it is in one I am sure, where when he findeth it, he will not a little wonder.
How to deliver to one man one sixpence, and to another another sixpence, and to make both the testers come into one mans hand.
Your finger must be rubd with waxe, so you may delude him without any suspition.
The hard pressing of the money in the hand, will seeme that the money is in the hand when it is not, for a moment therefore be quick.
DEliver into one mans hand two testers even set instead of one, shutting his hand immediatly: then take another tester, and have in readinesse a piece of horne cut even with it. Clap the said tester into his right hand with the horne under it, staying the tops of your two middlemost fingers stiffe upon the tester; so bending his hand a little downward, draw your fingers toward you, and they will slip the tester out of his hand, and shut his hand presently, who feeling the piece of horne, will imagine it is the tester: then say, he that kissed a pretty wench last in a corner, shal have both Testers in his hand, & the other shall have none. This may also be performed without a peece of horne, wringing one tester in the palme of the hand, and taking it away with your thumbe being waxed; for the hard wringing the money in the hand will make the partie beleeve he hath it, when he hath it not.
Conveyance of Cards and Dice.
THere are a multitude of delightful feats which may be performed by an orderly placing, facing, shuffling, and cutting of cards usually played withall. Also a number of other strange feats may bee shewed by cards and dice, such as may be purposely made. The cards may be made halfe of one print and halfe of another; so by holding them divers wayes sundrie things may be presented each contrary to other. For example, with foure of the same Cards purposely made, and holding them accordingly, you shall present eight severall things. Now for the Dice the cunning is in forging them, and a readie retaining or throwing two among three, or one with two: they must, I say, be forged bigger towards one side than the other, so that the weight of one side may draw up the other. Other some may be made flatter being furnished with such like. And having learned to retaine them handsomely and readily, you may have the game at command, and know before-hand what will be your cast, and so vie upon it too. Moreover, for the Cards there are divers other tricks, of which those that are cheaters make continuall practice, as nipping them, turning up one corner, marking them with little spots, placing glasses behinde those that are gamesters, and in rings for the purpose, dumbe shoes of some standers by. But I will not stand on discovering these, for in this our cousening age there are too many so expert herein, that they maintaine themselves better than many an honest man with a lawfull trade and calling. Onely take this by the way, Those that have money in their purses, let them beware of Carding and Dicing, lest they wish they had when it is too late. As for my owne part, Ile never play for that I am sure of already: if any will play with mee upon other tearmes, I am sure I shall loose nothing by the bargaine.