A trick upon the globe-box.
This is a trick not inferior to the best that is shewn with boxes; it is a box made of four pieces, and a ball so big as is imagined to be contained therein: the ball serves in the same nature, as the egg does in the egg box, only to deceive the hand and eye of the spectators. This ball, made of wood or ivory, is thrown out of the box upon the table, for everyone to see that it is substantial, then putting the ball into the box, and letting the standers-by blow on the box, taking off the upper shell with your fore-finger and thumb, there appears another, and of another colour, as red, blue, yellow, or any variety of colours upon each ball that is so imagined to be, which indeed is no more than the shell of wood ingeniously turned and fitted for the box, as you may see in the figures above.
L, the out-shell of the globe taken off the figures; M, N, an inner shell; O, the cover of the same; P, the other inner shell; Q, the cover of the same; R, the third shell; S, that which covers it. These globes may be made with more or less varieties, according to the desire of the practitioner.
To tell the names of all cards in the pack, before you see them.
Take a pack of cards, and after you have shuffled them, or let another shuffle them, lay them down upon the table before you, with their backs uppermost, then say, ‘Now I will tell you the names of all the rest of the cards in the pack, except one, before I see them;’ having said so draw off the uppermost cards, and say, ‘This is my Hocus Pocus. This is he by whose assistance I shall discover all the rest of the cards in the pack; I care not what he is, for I can make any of them serve for the same purpose.’ Then put him to your mouth, as tho’ you charmed him, and repeat some cramp words; and taking off the next card from the pack, say, Here is the —— naming your Hocus Pocus, and having seen him, lay him down.
How to hold four kings in the hand, and by words to seem to transform them into four aces, and afterwards to make them all blank cards.
You shall see a juggler take four kings in his hand, and apparently shew you them, then after some words and charms, he will throw them down upon the table, taking one of the kings away, and adding but one other card, then taking them up again, and blowing upon them, will shew you them transformed into blank cards, white on both sides, then throwing them down as before, with their faces downwards, will take them up again, and blowing upon them, will shew you four aces. This trick, in my mind, is not inferior to any of the rest, and being not known, will seem very strange to the beholders, and yet after you know it, you cannot but say the trick is pretty. Now to do this feat, you must have cards made for the purpose, half cards we may call them; that is one half kings and the other half aces, so laying the aces one over the other, nothing but kings will be seen, and then turning the kings downwards, the four aces will be seen; but you must have two whole cards, one a king, to cover one of the aces, or else it will be perceived; and the other an ace, to lay over the kings, when you mean to shew the aces; then, when you would make them all blank, lay the cards a little lower and hide the aces, and they will appear all white. The like you may make of four knaves, putting upon them the four fives; and so of the other cards.
To tell or name all the cards in the pack, and yet never see them.
To do this, you must first privately drop a drop of water or beer about the bigness of a two-pence upon the table before you, were you sit, then rest your elbows upon the table so as the cuffs of your sleeves may meet, and your hands stick up to the brims of your hat; in this posture your arms will hide the drop of water from the company; then let any one take the cards and shuffle them, and put them into your hands; also let them set a candle before you, for this trick is best done by candle light, then holding the cards in your left hand, above the brim of your hat, up close to your head, so as the light of the candle may shine upon the cards, and holding your head down; so in the drop of water, like a looking-glass, you shall see the shadow of all the cards before you; draw then the fingers of your right-hand along upon the cards, as though you felt the spots, name the cards, and then lay him down. Thus you may lay down all the cards in the pack, one by one, naming them before you lay them down, which will seem very strange to the beholders, who will think that you have felt them out.
To shew one what card he taketh notice of.
Let any man take a card out of the pack, and note him: then take part of the pack in your hand, and lay the rest down upon the table; bidding him lay his noted card upon them; then turning your back towards the company, make as though you were looking over the cards in your hand, and put any card at the fore-side; and whilst you are doing this privately, wait the cards being laid out in heaps, to find what the bottom cards are. Bid any one take four cards of the same number, viz. 4 aces, 4 duces, 4 trays, 4 fours, or any other number not exceeding 10, (for he must not take court cards) and lay them out; then take the remaining cards (if any such there be) and divide their number by 4, and the quotient shall be the number of spots of the 4 card: if 12 cards remain, then on each bottom card ware trays, and if there be no remaining cards, then the four bottom cards are four aces.