TRICKS WITH BOXES, &c.

This is the Egg-box, put together like two beehives—one on the top of another. The following is the under-shell,

covered over artificially with the white thin skin of a real egg. The upper shell is of the same shape, but

larger, and is merely the lid of the box. The following

is the lower part of the box. Put B, which is the outward shell, upon C, and both upon D, which arrangement puts all in readiness for the performance of the trick. Now call for an egg, and bid all the bystanders look at it, to see that it is a real egg. Then take off the upper part, B C, with your fore-finger and thumb, and placing the egg in the box, say, “Ladies and Gentlemen, you see it fairly in the box;” and, uncovering it again, say, “You shall see me fairly take it out;” putting it into your pocket in their sight. Now open your box again, and say, “There’s nothing;” close your hand about the middle of the box, and, taking B by the bottom, say, “There is the egg again;” which appears to the spectators to be the same that you put in your pocket; then clapping that on again, and taking the lid of C between your fore-finger and thumb, say, “It is gone again.”

Provide a round tin box, of the size of a large snuff-box, and likewise eight other boxes, which will go easily into each other, and let the least of them be of a size to hold a guinea. Each of these boxes should shut with a hinge, and to the least of them there must be a small lock, that is fastened with a spring, but cannot be opened without a key; and observe, that all these boxes must shut so freely, that they may be all closed at once. Place these boxes in each other, with their tops open, in the drawer of the table on which you make your experiments; or, if you please, in your pocket, in such a manner that they cannot be displaced. Then ask a person to lend you a new guinea, and desire him to mark it,that it may not be changed. You take this piece in one hand, and in the other you have another of the same appearance, and, putting your hand in the drawer, you slip the piece that is marked into the least box, and, shutting them all at once, you take them out. Then showing the piece you have in your hand, and which the company suppose to be the same that was marked, you pretend to make it pass through the box, and dexterously convey it away. You then present the box, for the spectators do not yet know there are more than one, to any person in company, who, when he opens it, finds another, and another, till he comes to the last, but that he cannot open without the key, which you then give him; and, retiring to a distant part of the room, you tell him to take out the guinea himself, and see if it be that he marked.

This trick may be made more surprising by putting the key into the snuff-box of one of the company; which you may do by asking for a pinch of snuff: the key, being very small, will lie concealed among the snuff. When the person who opens the box asks for the key, tell him that one of his friends has it in his snuff-box, which will cause much amazement and merriment. This part of the trick may be done with a confederate.

There is a little figure of Mahomet within the chest, in the body of which is a spring, made of brass wire, twisted in a spiral form. By this means the little figure, though higher than the chest, can, by the accommodation of the spring, be contained within when it is shut, as the spring in the body closes and shortens. The chest is placed on levers concealed in the table, which communicate their motions by the assistance of the confederate to the bolt and lock. As soon as the staple is disengaged, the spring in the body of the figure, finding no resistance but the weight of the lid, forces it open.

The melting-box is made in the fashion of a screw, so that the lips may hang without discovery.

F is the outer part of the box; G, the first inside part;

H, the second inside part; and I, the round case, made of leather, with a button on the top, and wide enough to slip on and off, half in the bottom of the box, into which put a small quantity of quicksilver, killed or amalgamated, which may be done with the shavings of pewter. In the second part, which is H, let there be six single pence: put these in the first or outermost part, then put G to H, and the box is perfect.

When you go to show this trick, desire any in the company to lend you a sixpence, saying, “you will return it safe”; requesting, withal, that none will meddle with any thing they see, unless you desire them, lest they prejudice you and themselves. Then take the cap off your box, and bid any one see it and feel it, that there be no mistrust; so likewise take the box entire, holding your fore-finger on the bottom, and your thumb on the upper part, turning it upside-down, and say,—“You see here is nothing:” then putting in the sixpence, put the cap over the box again; as the box stands covered upon the table, put your hand under the table, using some cant words; then take off the cap with your fore-finger and thumb, so as you pinch the innermostbox with it and set it gently on the table; then put the dead quicksilver out of the lower part, into your hand, turning the box with the bottom upwards, and stirring it about with your fore-finger; then say, “Here you see it melted, now I will put it in again, and turn it into single pence;” suddenly take the cap as you took it off, and return it again; bid them blow on it; then take off the cap as you did before, only pinching the uppermost lid in it, and setting it upon the table; hold the box at the top and bottom, with your fore-finger and thumb; then put the six single pence, after they are viewed, and seen to be so, in again, and return the cap as before, saying, “Blow on it if you would have it in the same form you gave it me;” then taking the cap by the bottom, holding the box as before, put out the sixpence, and return the box into your pocket. This is a very good sleight, if well performed.

This is a trick not inferior to the best that is shown 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 way 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 every one 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 followingfigures:—

PMROQS

L is the outer 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 of more or less variety, according to the wish of the operator.

You must get a double funnel; that is, two funnels soldered one within the other, so that you may, at the least end, pour in a quantity of wine or water; this funnel you must have ready filled beforehand, with whatsoever liquor you please, and call for some of the same kind; then draw the funnel, and, setting your middle finger under the bottom of it, bid somebody (or do it yourself) pour it full, and drink it up before them, and turn the broad end of the funnel downwards, saying, “Gentlemen, all is gone;” and in a thrice turn yourself about, and, in turning, pronounce some term of art; withdraw your finger from the narrow end, and let the liquor out between the funnels, and it will be thought to be that which you drank out of the funnel, and so you may persuade them it is the same.

This bushel must be turned neatly, like the egg-boxes, so that they cannot find out where it opens; and you must have a false lid to clap on and off, and upon that false lid glue some bird-seed; and then you must have a true lid made to clap neatly upon the false one; now you must have your artificial bell to show with your bushel.

You may make your bell with wood or brass; but it must be made to unscrew at top, that it may hold as much seed as your bushel will when it is filled; and you must have the handle of your bell made with a spring, so as to let the seed fall down at your word of command.

The manner of using them is as follows:—Fill the top with bird-seed, before you begin to exhibit, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, you see I have nothing in my bell,” (which they cannot do, if you hold it by the handle,) “nor have I any thing in my bushel; therefore I will fill the bushel with bird-seed.” In filling it, clap on the false lid, and no person will be able to discover the deception.

Now ask any one of the company to hold it in their hands whilst you command all the seed to appear under the magic bell. Then clap the true lid on, and ring the bell; accordingly, the seed will be gone out of the bushel into the bell, to the great wonder of the bystanders.

First, buy two or three yards of printed calico, or linen, and make a double bag, at the mouth of which, on that side next you, make four or five little purses, in each of which put two or three eggs, and do so till you have filled that side next to you. Have a hole made at one end of the bag, that no more than two or three eggs may come out at once. Then have another bag like unto that exactly, that one must not be known from the other;put a hen into that bag, and hang it on a hook on the side you stand. The manner of performing it is thus: take the egg-bag and put both your hands in it; then turn it inside out, and say, “Ladies and gentlemen, you see here is nothing in my bag;” and in turning it again you must slip some of the eggs out of the purses, as many as you think fit: then turn your bag again, and show the company that it is empty, and in turning it command more eggs to come out. When all are come out but one, you are to take that egg and show it to the company, and then drop down the egg-bag and take up the hen-bag. Now, shake out the hen, pigeon, or other fowl. This, altogether, is a noble trick, if well executed.

You must have the figure of a man made of wood, about the bigness of your little finger, the head whereof must be made to take off and put on at pleasure, by means of a wire that is in the neck; also, you must have a cloth cap, with a little bag within, to convey the head into; the bag must be neatly made, that it may not easily be perceived; show your man to the company, and say, “Ladies and gentlemen, this I call my Bonus Genius;” then show the cap, saying, “This is his coat;” say moreover, “look now as steadfastly as you can, neverthelessI will cozen you, for therefore am I come;” then hold your cap above your face, and take your man in your right hand, and put his head through the hole of the cap, saying, “Now he is ready to go on any message I have to send him,—to Spain or Italy, or where I will, but he must have somewhat to bear his charges;” with that, pull out your right hand from under your cap, and therewith the body, but, privately putting your right hand into your pocket, as if you felt for money, where you may have the body, and take out your hand and say, “There are three crowns for you, now begone;” then turn the head, and say, “But he will look about him before he goes;” then say (setting your fore-fingers upon his crown), “Just as I thrust my fore-finger down, so he shall vanish;” and therewith, by the assistance of your left hand that is under the cap, convey his head into the little bag within the cap; then turn your cap about, and say, “See here, he is gone;” then take your cap and hold it up again, drawing the head out of the little bag, and say, “Hic mecut genius;” and in the meantime thrust the head through the hole of the cap, and, holding the head by the wire, turn it about presently, and put the head into your pocket.

Have a pot full of water standing on a table; then take a piece of whalebone, about three inches long,—let it be pretty stiff, that it may spring the better: take also a new stiff card, and fold it down the middle, longways; cut a hole through both folds at each end, half an inch, or more, from the ends; put one end of the whalebone in at one end of the card, bend it like a bow, and then put the other end of the whalebone into the other end of the card; set this in the pot, two inches deep in the water; then place the handle of the knife upon the uppermost part of the whalebone, with the point upwards, and use some words of art, asPresto, begone!when it springs out.

You must have a box made on purpose, with a false lid. It must be turned neatly, like the egg-boxes, so that it cannot be perceived where it opens. You mustlikewise have a false lid to clap on and to take off. On that lid glue some bird-seed. Before you show the box to the company, put a bird into it; put on the false lid, and then show the box to the bystanders. It will seem to be full of seeds. Now put on the true lid, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, I command all the seeds out of my box, and order a living bird to appear;” which it will do when the cover is taken off.

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