Henry Dean

“ You must fling your money on a table, and desire any body to tell ten pieces out on the table, when they have done they will say, there is ten. Note, you must have in readiness, privately concealed in your right hand five pieces, then you must tell the company that you always tell your money after every person, so telling down the money with your left hand, and taking it up with your right, convey the five pieces to the ten, then ask if any body is desirous to hold them, and there will be enough to hold them, and be sure to hold them fast ”

“ Stick a little wax upon your thumb, and take a stander by, by the fingers, showing him the tester, and telling him you will put the same into his hand, then wring it down hard with your waxed thumb, and using many words, look him in the face, and as soon as you perceive him to look in your face, or on your hand, suddenly take away your thumb and close his hand, and it will seem to him that the tester remaineth; even as if you wring a tester upon one's forehead, it will seem to stick when it is taken away, especially if it be wet ”

“ If you play among strangers beware of him that seems simple or drunken, for under their habit the most spacious cozeners are presented, and while you think by their simplicity and imperfections to beguile them, and thereby perchance are persuaded by their confederates, which you take to be your friends, you will then be most of all deceived. ”

“ To do this wonderful feat, you must have two sticks made, both of one bigness, and both of a likeness; so that none can know the one from the other; one of the sticks must be made so artificially as to conceal a card in the middle, as thus; you must have one of your sticks turned hollow quite through, and then an artificial spring to throw the card in the egg at your pleasure. The operation is thus: Take and peel any card in the pack, which you please, and so roll it up, and then put it into your false stick, and there let it be till you have occasion to make use of it ”

“ But be sure not to forget your terms of art to amaze the beholders.
How to command Seven Halfpence through a Table.
This feat is one of the greatest that the jugglers have done, and is inferior to none. To do this, you must go to some tinman, or any body that knows how to make your holes room enough for a die to go in and out, and then let them clap a good halfpenny upon them all, and so makes them fast, and nobody can tell them from true ones; then you must get a cap to cover your half-pence, a cap and a die for the company to fling to amuse them ”

“ When you are in company, and intend to make mirth, have a pot full of water standing on a table, then take a piece of whale-bone about three inches long, let it be pretty stiff, it will spring the better; take also a new stiff card, and fold it down the middle long ways, cut a hole through both folds at each end, half an inch or more from the ends; put one end of the whale-bone in at one end of the card, bend it like a bow, then put the other end of the whale-bone into the other end of the card ”

“ Anoint your tongue with liquid storax, and you may put a pair of tongs into your mouth red hot, without hurting yourself, and lick them till they are cold, by the help of this ointment, and by preparing your mouth thus, you may take wood-coal out of the fire, and eat them as you would bread, dip them into brimstone powder, and the fire will seem more strange, but the sulphur puts out the coal, and shutting your mouth close puts out the sulphur, and so they chump the coals and swallow them, which they may do without offending the body ”

“ Take sal armoniack half an ounce, camphire one ounce, aquavita two ounces, put them into an earthen pot, in the fashion of a chamber-pot, put something narrow upon the top, then set fire to it. and the room will seem to them that are in to to be all on fire; nay, themselves will flap their hair and clothes, thinking they are all on fire, when there is nobody hurt, unless it be with fright. Have a care of shewing it to women with child in the room, for yourself would be frighted if you did not know the trick. ”

“ One that is skilful in making bum-cards, may undo hundreds of wealthy men, that are given to gaming, for if he hath a confederate present, either of the players or standers by, the mischief cannot be avoided. ”

“ How to walk on a Hot Iron Bar, without danger of Scalding or Burning.
Take half an ounce of camphire, dissolve it in two ounces of acquavit, add to it one ounce of quick-silver, one ounce of liquid starax, which is the droppings of myrrh, and hinders the camphire from firing; take also two ounces of hamitatis, a red stone to be had at the druggists, and when you buy it, beat it to powder in their great mortar, for it is so very hard, that it cannot be done in a small one ”

“ Make one plain loose knot with the two corner ends of a handkerchief, and seeming to draw the same very hard, hold fast the body of the said handkerchief near to the knot with your right hand, pulling the contrary end with your left hand, which is the corner of that which you hold ”

“ How to tell what Card any man thinketh on, and how to convey the same into a kernel of a nut or cherry stone, and the same again into one's pocket; and how to make him draw the same, or any card you please, and all under one device. Take a nut, or cherry stone, and burn a hole through the side of the top of the shell, and also, through the kernel, if you will, with a hot bodkin, or bore it with an awl, and with a needle pull out the kernel, so as the same may be as wide as the hole of the shell ”

“ Take little figures of glass that are made hollow of an inch and a half high representing little boys, which may be had at the glaze-blowers.-These little images have a small hole in one of their legs, and are lighter than water. ”

“ This, if it be well handled, hath more admiration than any other feat of the hand. Note, This may be best done by putting the wax upon the two-penny piece, but then you must put it into your hand yourself.
To convey a Tester out of one's hand that holds it fast. ”

“ By this feat on the cards, great wonders might be done.
How to let twenty gentlemen draw twenty Cards, and to make one Card every man's Card.
Take a pack of cards, let any gentleman draw a card, and let him put it into the pack again, but be sure that you know where to find it again, at pleasure ”