The Art Of Iugling Or Legerdemaine Part 2

To leaue Dice and returne to Cardes, wherein is as much falsehood and cosening as in Dice: I will therefore disclose as much in one as in the other, for I would not giue a point to choose, which of them is the better, or rather the worse, for there is such a slight in shuffling and sorting of the Cardes, that play at what game you will, all is lost before hand, but if there be a confederate: either of the players or standers bie, the mischiefe can not be auoided.

Beware therefore when you play among strangers of him that seemes simple or drunken, for vnder their habit the most speciall cosoners are presented, and while you thinke by their simplicitie and imperfections to beguile them, (and thereof perchance are perswaded by their confederates) your very friends as you thinke, you your selfe will be most of all ouertaken.

Beware also of betters by, and lookers on: and namely on them that bet on your side: for whilst they looke on your game without suspition, they discouer it by signes to your aduersaries, with whome they bet, and yet are they confederates, whereof me thinkes this one aboue the rest proceedeth from a fine inuention.

A tricke by confederacy at Cardes.

A Gamester, after he had bene often times bitten by Cheators, and after much losse, grew very suspitious in his play, so that he would not suffer any of the sitters by to be priuy to his game, for this the Cheators deuised a new s.h.i.+ft, that a woman should sit close by him, and by the swift and slowe drawing of her needle, giue a token to the Cheator what was the Cosens game.

Other helpes there be, as to set the Cosen vpon the bench, with a great Looking gla.s.se behinde him on the wall, wherein the Cheator may alwaies see what Cardes hee hath in his hand, So that a few ensamples in stead of many that might be rehea.r.s.ed, this one conclusion may be gathered, that whosoeuer is giuen to play, and once sitteth amongst them, it is great ods but that he shall rise a looser.

But many there be that liue so continently, that nothing can perswade them to put a penny in aduenture, and some againe are so vnskilfull that lacke of cunning forceth them to forbeare play: but yet hard it is for any man to fall into their company, but they will make him stoope at one game or other: and for this purpose, their first drift and intent is to seeke, by al meanes possible to vnderstand his nature, and whereunto he is most inclined: if they find that he taketh pleasure in the company of women, then seek they to strike him, at the Sacking law: (as they tearme it) and take this alwaies for a rule, that all the Baudes in the country be of the Cheaters familiar acquaintance.

Therefore it is not very hard for them at all times to prouide for their amorous Cosen, a lewd lecherous Lady to keepe him louing company: then fall they to banquetting, and carrowsing and hunting of Tauernes, and much is the cost that this silly Cosen shall be at in Iewels and apparrell, otherwise he shall not once get a graunt to haue a kisse of his mistris lips: and euer in middle of their conference she layeth in this reason, for her sake to put in twenty or thirty crownes in aduenture at Cardes or Dice: you know not (quoth she) what may be a womans lucke: if he refuse it, Lord how vnkindely she takes the matter, and cannot be reconciled with lesse then a gowne or a kirtle of silke.

But now if these Cheaters perceaue that he esteemeth no bruised ware, but is enamored with virginity, they haue a fine cast within an houres warning, to make _Ione Siluerpin_ as good a maide as if she had neuer come to the stewes: but to let these things pa.s.se, for offending of chast eares, whose displeasure I would not incurre, for all the cheates these gamesters get in a whole yeare. But to our purpose.

There are two sorts of vsing the Cards, the one is in playing (with one or more) games, as _Primero, Trumpe, Saunte, Decoye, &c._

The other vse of Cardes is to shew feates of Legerdemaine.

Concerning the first, if it be vsed for recreation and not to the prophaning of G.o.ds holy name, nor hurt of our bretheren and neighbors, they are to be tollerated: but now (more is the pitty) they are not vsed in that fas.h.i.+on as they should be, but much hurt oft times ariseth thereof.

_Primero_ now as it is in great vse, so is there much deceite in it, some play vppon the p.r.i.c.k, some pinch the cardes priuily with their nailes, some turne vp the corners, some marke them with fine spots of Inck, some there be that trauell into Spaine and into Italie to learne fine tricks and quaint conueyances, at cardes and returne home, and winne much money with them here in England, but yet at the last they are still ouer-reached by some fine wittes that devise new sleights here at home.

At _Trumpe, Saunte_, and such other like games, cutting at the nick, is a great aduantage, so is cutting by _b.u.mcard_, finely vnder or ouer: stealing the stock or the discarded Cardes.

At _Decoye_ they drawe twentie hands together and play all vpon a.s.surance when to winne or loose, other helpes there be as I haue before set downe, with a looking gla.s.se and confederacy: all which and such like, tende to cosoning and hurt of our brother: But we will proceed with the other vse of Cardes, which tendeth to mirth and recreation of minde and which in themselues simply is no hurt, vnles they are abused. In shewing feats & Iugling with cardes the princ.i.p.all poynt consisteth in shuffling them nimbly, and alwaies keeping one certen carde either in the bottom or in some knowne place of the stock, foure or fiue cardes from it, hereby you shall seeme to worke wonders, for it will be easie for you to see or espie one, which though you be perceiued to doe, it will not be suspected, if you shuffle them well afterwards, and this note I must giue you, That in reseruing the bottome carde, you must alwaies (whilst you shuffle) keepe him a little before, or a little behind, all the cardes lying vnderneath him, bestowing him (I say) eyther a little beyond his fellowes before right ouer the fore finger, or else behinde the rest, so as the little finger of the left hand may meete with it, which is the esier and the readier, and the better way: in the beginning of your shuffleing, shuffle as thick as you can, and in the end throw vppon the deck the nether carde, (with so many moe at the least as you would haue preserued for any purpose) a little before or behinde the rest; prouided alwaies that your fore finger if the pack be laide before, or the little finger if the pack lye behinde, creepe vp to meete with the bottome carde, and not lye betwixt the cardes, and when you feele it, you may there holde it vntill you haue shuffled ouer the cardes againe, still leauing your kept carde below being perfect herein, you may doe almost what you list with the cardes: By this meanes what pack soeuer you make, though it consist of eight, twelue, or twenty cardes, you may keepe them still together vnseuered next to the nether carde, and yet shuffle them often to satisfie the curious beholders, as for ensample, and for breuities sake, to shew you diuers feates vnder one.

How to deliuer out foure Aces, and to conuert them into foure Knaues.

Make a pack of eight cardes, to wit foure Knaues and foure Aces, and although all the eight cardes must lie imediately together, yet must ech Knaue and Ace be openly seauered, and the same eight cardes must lie also in the lowest place of the bunch, then shuffle them so, as alwaies at the second shuffling, or at least wise at the end of your shuffling the said pack, and of the pack one ace may lye nethermost or so as you may knowe where he goeth and lyeth, and alwaies I say let your foresaid pack, with three or foure cardes more, lye vnseperablely together, immediately vppon and with that ace, then vsing some speech or other deuise, and putting your hand with the cardes to the edge of the table, to hide the account, let out priuily a peece of the second card, which is one of the knaues holding forth the stock in both your hands, and shewing to the standers by the nether Card (which is the ace or kept Card) couering also the head or peece of the knaue (which is your next card) with your foure fingers: draw out the same knaue laying it down an the Table: then shuffle again keeping your packe whole, and so haue you two aces lying together in the bottome: & therefore to reforme that disordered Card, as also for a grace and countenance to that action, take off the vppermost Card of the bunch, and thrust it into the middest of the Cards, and then take away the nethermost Card, which is one of your aces, and bestow him likewise: then may you begin as before, shewing an other ace, and in stead thereof lay downe another knaue, and so forth, vntill instead of your foure aces you haue laid downe foure knaues. The beholders all this while thinking that there lye foure aces on the table, are greatly abused, and will maruell at the transformation.

How to tell one what Card he seeth in the bottome, when the same Carde is shuffled into the stock.

When you haue seene a Card priuily, or as though you marked it not, lay the same vndermost, and shuffle the Cards as before you were taught, till your Card ly againe belowe in the bottom: then shew the same to the beholders, willing them to remember it, then shuffle the Cards or let any shuffle them, for you know the Cardes already, and therefore may at any time tell them what Carde they saw, which neuerthelesse would be done with great circ.u.mstance and shew of difficultie.

A strange & excellent tricke to hold foure Kings in the hand, and by words to transform them into foure Aces, and after to make them all blancke Cardes, one after another.

You shall see a Iugler take foure Kings and no more in his hand, and apparantly shew you them, then after some words and charmes, he will throwe them downe before you vpon the table, taking one of the Kings away and adding but one other Card: then taking them vp againe and blowing vpon them, will shew you them transformed into blancke Cardes, white on both sides: after vsing charmes againe, throwing them downe as before, (with the faces downeward) will take them vp againe and shew you foure Aces, blowing still vpon them, that it may breede the more wonder, which tricke in my minde is nothing inferiour to the rest: and being not knowne, will seeme wonderfull strange to the spectators, yet after you knowe it, you can not but say the tricke is pretty. Now therefore to accomplish this feate, you must haue Cardes made for the purpose, (halfe Cardes ye may call them) that is the one halfe kings the other part aces, so that laying the aces, one ouer the other, nothing but the kings will be seene, and then turning the kings downward, the foure aces will be seene: prouided you must haue two whole, one whole king to couer one of the aces, or els it will be perceaued, and the other an ace to lay ouer the kings, when you meane to shew the aces: then when you will make them all blancke, lay the Cards a little lower, and hide the aces and they will appeare all white. The like you may make of the foure knaues, putting vppon them the foure fiues, and so of the rest of the Cardes: But this can not be well shewed you without demonstration.

Hitherto I haue intreated of the three princ.i.p.all kinds of Iugling, now it remaineth in order to speake of Iugling by confederacy, which is either priuate or publike.

Priuate conspiracy is, when one (by a speciall plot laid by himselfe, without any compact made with others) perswadeth the beholders, that he will suddenly and in their presence, doe some miraculous feate, which he hath already accomplished priuately: as for ensample, he will shew you a carde or any other like thing, and will say further unto you, behold and see what a marke it hath, and then burneth it, and neuertheles fetcheth another like Card, so marked out of some bodies pocket, or out of some corner, where he himselfe before had placed it, to the wonder and astonishment of simple beholders, which conceaue not that kinde of illusion, but expect miracles and strange workes.

I haue read of a notable exploit done before a King by a Iugler, who painted on a wall the picture of a doue, and seeing a pigeon sitting vpon the top of an house, said to the King, looke now your grace shall see what a Iugler can doe, if he be his craftes master, & then p.r.i.c.ked the picture with a knife, so hard and so often, and with so effectuall words, as the pigeon fell downe from the top of the house starke dead, you may imagine how the matter was taken, what wondring was thereat, how he was prohibited to vse that feat any further, least he should imploy it in any other kinde of murder. This story is held yet of diuers as canonicall, but when you are taught the feat or slight, you will thinke it a mockery and a simple illusion.

To vnfold you the mistery heereof, so it is that the poore pigeon was before in the hands of the Iugler, into whom he had thrust a dramme of _Nux vomica_, or some other such poyson, which to the nature of the Bird was so extreame a poyson, as after the receit thereof, it could not liue aboue the s.p.a.ce of halfe an houre, and being let loose after the medicine ministred, she alwaies resorteth to the top of the next house, which she will the rather doe, if there be any pigeons already sitting there, and after a short s.p.a.ce falleth downe, either starke dead, or greatly astonished: but in the meane time, the Iugler vseth words of art, partly to protract time, and partly to gaine credit, and admiration of the beholders.

As with Cardes you may shew feates by priuate confederacy, so of the other two, that is to wit, with the b.a.l.l.s and the mony, as to marke a s.h.i.+lling or any other thing, and throwe the same into a riuer or deepe pond, & hauing hid the s.h.i.+lling before, with like markes, in some other secret place, bid some goe presently and fetch it, making them beleeue that it is the very same which you threwe into the riuer the beholders will maruell much at it: and of such feates there may be many done, but more by publike confederacy, whereby one may tell another how much money he hath in his purse and an hundred like toyes.

Of publike confederacie and whereof it consisteth.

Publike confederacy is, when there is before hand a compacte made betwixt diuers persons: the one to be princ.i.p.all, the other to be a.s.sistant in working of miracles, or rather in cosoning and abusing the beholders, as when I tell you in the presence of a mult.i.tude, what you haue thought or done, or shall doe or thinke, when you and I were thereupon agreed before: and if this be cunningly and closely handled, it will induce great admiration to the beholders, especially when they are before amased and abused, by some experiment of art, magicke or legerdemaine. I will in briefe set you downe some pretty conclusions, and so I will proceede with other feates in other kindes.

To tell you how to know whether one caste Crosse or Pile; by the ringing

Lay a wager with your confederate (who must seeme simple or obstinate opposed against you) that standing behinde a dore, you will (by the sounding or ringing of the mony) tell him whether he cast crosse or pile, so as when you are gone, and he hath phillepped the money before the witnesses who are to be cosoned, he must say _What is it_ if it be crosse, or _What i'st_ if it be pile, or some other such signe, as you are agreed vpon; and so you neede not faile to gesse rightly. By this meanes if you haue any inuention, you may seeme to doe an hundred miracles, & to discouer a mans thought, or words spoken a far off.

How to tell where a stolne horse is become.

By meanes of confederacy _Cuthbert Conycatcher_, and one _Swart Rutter_, two that haue taken degrees in _Whittington_ Colledge, abused notably the country people: for _Cuthbert_ would hide away his neighbours horses, kine, colts, &c: and send them to _Swart Rutter_, (whom he before had told where they were) promising to send the parties vnto him, whome he described, and made knowne by diuers signes: so as this _Swart_ would tell them at their first entrance vnto the dore, wherefore they came, and would say that their horses kine &c. were stolne, but the theefe should be forced to bring them backe againe, and leaue them within one mile (south and by west, &c.) of his house: euen as the plot was laid, and the pack made before by Cuthbert & him. This Cuthbert is esteemed of some, & thought to be a witch of others, he is accounted a coniurer, but commonly called a wise man, and are able of themselues, to tell you where any thing that is stolne is, as to build Pauls steeple vp againe.

To make one daunce naked.

It hath bene reported of such fellowes, and such, that they can doe rare feates, as to make one daunce naked. To the effecting of this, make a poore boy confederate with you: so as after charmes and words spoken by you, he vnclothe himselfe and stand naked: seeming (whilst he vndresseth him) to shake, stampe, and crie, still hastening to be vnclothed, till he be starke naked: or if you can procure none to goe so farre, let him only begin to stamp and shake &c. and to vnclothe him, and then you may (for reuerence of the company) seeme to release him.