To tell the number of spots on the bottom cards, laid down on several heaps.
Bid any one take the whole pack of cards in his hand, and having shuffled them, let him take off the upper card, and having taken notice of it, let him lay it down upon the table with his face downwards, and upon it let him lay so many cards, as will make up the number of the spots on the noted card, 12 e. g. If the card which the person first took notice of, were a king, queen, or knave, or a single ten, bid him lay down that card with his face downwards, calling him ten, upon that card let him lay another, calling him eleven, and upon another, calling him twelve; then bid him take off the next uppermost card, saying, what is it? Suppose it were a 9, and laying it down on another part of the table, calling him 9, upon him lay another card, calling him 10, and upon him another, calling him 11, and upon him another, calling him 12; then let him look on the next uppermost card, and so let him proceed to lay them up in heaps, in all respects as before, till he has laid out the whole pack; but if there be any odd cards at the last, I mean, if there is not enough, to make up the last noted card 12, bid him give them to you; then to tell him the numbers of all the spots contained in all the bottom cards of the heaps, do thus, from the number for heaps subtracted 4, and multiply the remainder by 12, and to the product add the numbers of those remaining cards, which he gave you, if any remain, but if there were but four heaps, then those remaining cards alone, shew the number of spots sought.
Note, That you ought not to see the bottom cards of the heaps, nor should you see them laid out, or know the number of cards in each heap, it suffices if you know the number of heaps, and the number of the remaining cards, if any such there be; and therefore you may as well perform this feat standing in another room as if you were present, you must have a whole pack.
To make any two cards come together, which any body shall name.
When any one has named what two cards he would have brought together, take the cards and say, Let us see whether they are here or not, and if they are, I will put them as far asunder as I can; then having found the two cards proposed, dispose them in the pack, and cause them to come together.
This trick would seem much more strange, when you have brought the proposed cards together, by laying them in heaps, you lay the heap wherein the proposed cards are at the bottom of the pack, and then shuffle the cards, cut them asunder somewhere in the middle, so the proposed cards will be found together in the middle of the pack, which will seem very strange to beholders.
How to make a cat draw a fellow through a pond of water.
To perform this, you must place the fellow on one side of the pond, and the cat on the other, then take a strong rope and tie about the fellow’s middle, and the other end of the rope tie to the cat, and then have the rope to reach farther behind some tree, and there let two lusty fellows have hold of the rope, and when the wager is laid, then whip the cat, whilst the two fellows behind the tree pull as hard as they can.