Book 13, Chapter 34: Desperate or dangerous juggling knacks, wherein the simple are made to thinke, that a seelie juggler with words can hurt and helpe, kill and revive anie creature at his pleasure: and first to kill anie kind of pullen, and to give it life againe
1 Take a hen, a chicke, or a capon, and thrust a nall or a fine sharpe pointed knife through the midst of the head thereof, the edge towards the bill, so as it may seeme impossible for hir to scape death: then use words, and pulling out the knife, laie otes before hir, &c: and she will eate and live, being nothing at all greeved or hurt with the wound; bicause the braine lieth so far behind in the head as it is not touched, though you thrust your knife betweene the combe and it: and after you have doone this, you may convert your speach and actions to the greevous wounding and present recovering of your owne selfe.
2 To eate a knife, and to fetch it out of anie other place.
3 Take a knife, and conteine the same within your two hands, so as no part be seene thereof but a little of the point, which you must so bite at the first, as noise may be made therewith. Then seeme to put a great part thereof into your mouth, and letting your hand slip downe, there will appeare to have beene more in your mouth than is possible to be conteined therein. Then send for drinke, or use some other delaie, untill you have let the said knife slip into your lap, holding both your fists close together as before, and then raise them so from the edge of the table where you sit (for from thence the knife may most privilie slip downe into your lap) and in steed of biting the knife, knable a little upon your naile, and then seeme to thrust the knife into your mouth, opening the hand next unto it, and thrust up the other, so as it may appeare to the standers by, that you have delivered your hands therof, and thrust it into your mouth: then call for drinke, after countenance made of pricking and danger, &c. Lastlie, put your hand into your lap, and taking that knife in your hand, you may seeme to bring it out from behind you, or from whence you list. But if you have another like knife and a confederate, you may doo twentie notable woonders hereby:
4 as to send a stander by into some garden or orchard, describing to him some tree or herbe, under which it sticketh; or else some strangers sheath or pocket, &c.
5 To thrust a bodkin into your head without hurt.
6 Take a bodkin so made, as the haft being hollowe, the blade thereof may slip thereinto as soone as you hold the point upward: and set the same to your forehead, and seeme to thrust it into your head, and so (with a little sponge in your hand) you may wring out bloud or wine, making the beholders thinke the bloud or the wine (whereof you may saie you have drunke verie much) runneth out of your forehead. Then, after countenance of paine and greefe, pull awaie your hand suddenlie, holding the point downeward; and it will fall so out, as it will seeme never to have beene thrust into the haft: but immediatlie thrust that bodkin into your lap or pocket, and pull out an other plaine bodkin like the same, saving in that conceipt.
7 To thrust a bodkin through your toong, and a knife through your arme: a pittifull sight, without hurt or danger.
8 Make a bodkin, the blade therof being sundred in the middle, so as the one part be not neere to the other almost by three quarters of an inch, each part being kept a sunder with one small bought or crooked piece of iron, of the fashion described hereafter in place convenient. Then thrust your toong betwixt the foresaid space; to wit, into the bought left it the bodkin blade, thrusting the said bought behind your teeth, and biting the same: and then shall it seeme to sticke so fast in and through your toong, as that one can hardlie pull it out. Also the verie like may be doone with a knife so made, and put upon your arme: and the wound will appeare the more terrible, if a little bloud be powred thereupon.
9 To thrust a peece of lead into one eie, and to drive it about (with a sticke) betweene the skin and flesh of the forehead, untill it be brought to the other eie, and there thrust out.
10 Put a peece of lead into one of the nether lids of your eie, as big as a tag of a point, but not so long (which you may doo without danger) and with a little juggling sticke (one end therof being hollow) seeme to thrust the like peece of lead under the other eie lid; but conveie the same in deed into the hollownes of the sticke, the stopple or peg whereof may be privilie kept in your hand untill this feate be doone. Then seeme to drive the said peece of lead, with the hollow end of the said sticke, from the same eie: and so with the end of the said sticke, being brought along upon your forhead to the other eie, you maie thrust out the peece of lead, which before you had put thereinto; to the admiration of the beholders. Some eat the lead, and then shoove it out at the eie: and some put it into both, but the first is best.
11 To cut halfe your nose asunder, and to heale it againe presentlie without anie salve.
12 Take a knife having a round hollow gap in the middle, and laie it upon your nose, and so shall you seeme to have cut your nose halfe asunder. Provided alwaies, that in all these you have an other like knife without a gap, to be shewed upon the pulling out of the same, and words of inchantment to speake, bloud also to beeraie the wound, and nimble conveiance.
13 There is an other old knacke, which seemeth dangerous to the cheeke. For the accomplishing whereof you must have two rings, of like colour and quantitie; the one filed asunder, so as you may thrust it upon your cheeke; the other must be whole, and conveied upon a sticke, holding your hand thereupon in the middle of the sticke, delivering each end of the same sticke to be holden fast by a stander by. Then conveieng the same cleanlie into your hand, or (for lacke of good conveiance) into your lap or pocket, pull awaie your hand from the sticke: and in pulling it awaie, whirle about the ring, and so will it be thought that you have put thereon the ring which was in your cheeke.
14 To cut off ones head, and to laie it in a platter, &c: which the jugglers call the decollation of John Baptist.
15 To shew a most notable execution by this art, you must cause a boord, a cloth, and a platter to be purposelie made, and in each of them holes fit for a boies necke. The boord must be made of two planks, the longer and broader the better: there must be left within halfe a yard of the end of each planke halfe a hole; so as both planks being thrust togither, there may remaine two holes, like to the holes in a paire of stocks: there must be made likewise a hole in the tablecloth or carpet. A platter also must be set directlie over or upon one of them, having a hole in the midle thereof, of the like quantitie, and also a peece cut out of the same, so big as his necke, through which his head may be conveied into the middest of the platter: and then sitting or kneeling under the boord, let the head onlie remaine upon the boord in the same. Then (to make the sight more dredfull) put a little brimstone into a chafing dish of coles, setting it before the head of the boie, who must gaspe two or three times, so as the smoke enter a little into his nostrils and mouth (which is not unholsome) and the head presentlie will appeare starke dead; if the boie set his countenance accordinglie: and if a little bloud be sprinkled on his face, the sight will be the stranger.
16 This is commonlie practised with a boie instructed for that purpose, who being familiar and conversant with the companie, may be knowne as well by his face, as by his apparell. In the other end of the table, where the like hole is made, an other boie of the bignesse of the knowne boie must be placed, having upon him his usuall apparell: he must leane or lie upon the boord, and must put his head under the boord through the said hole, so as his bodie shall seeme to lie on the one end of the boord, and his head shall lie in a platter on the other end. There are other things which might be performed in this action, the more to astonish the beholders, which because they offer long descriptions, I omit: as to put about his necke a little dough kneded with bullocks bloud, which being cold will appeare like dead flesh; & being pricked with a sharpe round hollow quill, will bleed, and seeme verie strange, &c. Manie rules are to be observed herein, as to have the table cloth so long and wide as it may almost touch the ground. Not to suffer the companie to staie too long in the place, &c.
17 To thrust a dagger or bodkin into your guts verie strangelie, and to recover immediatlie.
18 An other miracle may be shewed touching counterfet executions; namelie, that with a bodkin or a dagger you shall seeme to kill your selfe, or at the least make an unrecoverable wound in your bellie: as (in truth) not long since a juggler caused himself to be killed at a taverne in cheapside, from whence he presentlie went into Powles churchyard and died. Which misfortune fell upon him through his owne follie, as being then drunken, and having forgotten his plate, which he should have had for his defense. The devise is this. You must prepare a paste boord, to be made according to the fashion of your bellie and brest: the same must by a painter be coloured cunninglie, not onelie like to your flesh, but with pappes, navill, haire, &c: so as the same (being handsomelie trussed unto you) may shew to be your naturall bellie. Then next to your true bellie you may put a linnen cloth, and thereupon a double plate (which the juggler that killed himselfe forgot, or wilfullie omitted) over and upon the which you may place the false bellie. Provided alwaies, that betwixt the plate & the false bellie you place a gut or bladder of bloud, which bloud must be of a calfe or of a sheepe; but in no wise of an oxe or a cow, for that will be too thicke.
19 Then thrust, or cause to be thrust into your brest a round bodkin, or the point of a dagger, so far as it may pearse through your gut or bladder: which being pulled out againe, the said bloud will spin or spirt out a good distance from you, especiallie if you straine your bodie to swell, and thrust therewith against the plate. You must ever remember to use (with words, countenance, and gesture) such a grace, as may give a grace to the action, and moove admiration in the beholders.
20 To drawe a cord through your nose, mouth or hand, so sensiblie as is woonderful to see.
21 There is an other juggling knacke, which they call the bridle, being made of two elder sticks, through the hollownes therof is placed a cord, the same being put on the nose like a paire of tongs or pinsars; and the cord, which goeth round about the same, being drawne to and fro, the beholders will thinke the cord to go through your nose verie dangerouslie. The knots at the end of the cord, which doo staie the same from being drawne out of the sticke, may not be put out at the verie top (for that must be stopped up) but halfe an inch beneath each end: and so I saie, when it is pulled, it will seeme to passe through the nose; and then may you take a knife, and seeme to cut the cord asunder, and pull the bridle from your nose.
22 The conclusion, wherin the reader is referred to certeine patterns of instruments wherewith diverse feats heere specified are to be executed.
23 Herein I might wade infinitelie, but I hope it sufficeth, that I have delivered unto you the principles, and also the principall feats belonging to this art of juggling; so as any man conceiving throughlie hereof may not onlie doo all these things, but also may devise other as strange, & varie everie of these devises into other formes as he can best conceive. And so long as the power of almightie God is not transposed to the juggler, nor offense ministred by his uncomlie speach and behaviour, but the action performed in pastime, to the delight of the beholders, so as alwaies the juggler confesse in the end that these are no supernaturall actions, but devises of men, and nimble conveiances, let all such curious conceipted men as cannot affoord their neighbors anie comfort or commoditie, but such as pleaseth their melancholike dispositions say what they list, for this will not onelie be found among indifferent actions, but such as greatlie advance the power and glorie of God, discovering their pride and falshood that take upon them to worke miracles, and to be the mightie power of God, as Jannes and Jambres and also Simon Magus did.
24 If anie man doubt of these things, as whether they be not as strange to behold as I have reported, or thinke with Bodin that these matters are performed by familiars or divels; let him go into S. Martins, and inquire for one John Cautares (a French man by birth, in conversation an honest man) and he will shew as much and as strange actions as these, who getteth not his living hereby, but laboureth for the same with the sweat of his browes, and neverthelesse hath the best hand and conveiance (I thinke) of anie man that liveth this daie.
25 Neither doo I speake (as they saie) without booke herein. For if time, place, and occasion serve, I can shew so much herein, as I am sure Bodin, Spinæus, and Vairus, would sweare I were a witch, and had a familiar divell at commandement. But truelie my studie and travell herein hath onelie beene emploied to the end I might proove them fooles, and find out the fraud of them that make them fooles, as whereby they may become wiser, and God may have that which to him belongeth.
26 And bicause the maner of these juggling conveiances are not easilie conceived by discourse of words; I have caused to be set downe diverse formes of instruments used in this art; which may serve for patternes to them that would throughlie see the secrets thereof, and make them for their owne private practises, to trie the event of such devises, as in this tract of legierdemaine are shewed. Where note, that you shall find everie instrument that is most necessarilie occupied in the working of these strange feats, to beare the just and true number of the page, where the use thereof is in ample words declared.
27 Now will I proceed with another cousening point of witchcraft, apt for the place, necessarie for the time, and in mine opinion meet to be discovered, or at the least to be defaced among deceitfull arts. And bicause manie are abused heereby to their utter undooing, for that it hath had passage under the protection of learning, wherby they pretend to accomplish their works, it hath gone freelie without generall controlment through all ages, nations & people.
28 Heere follow patternes of certeine instru ments to be used in the former juggling knacks.
29 To be instructed in the right use of the said beadstones, read page 337. and 338. As for the bridle, read page 351.
30 [These four pages of engravings are unpaged in the first and second editions. The references are to the first edition pagings.]
31 To thrust a bodkin into your head, and through your toong, &c.
32 is the bodkin with the holow haft: the further most is the plaine
33 To be instructed and taught in the right use and readie practise of these bodkins, read pag. 347.
34 To thrust a knife through your arme, and to cut halfe your nose asunder, &c.
35 To be readie in the use and perfect in the practise of these knives here portraied, see page 347. and 348.
36 To cut off ones head, and to laie it in a platter, which the jugglers call the decollation of John Baptist.
37 What order is to be observed for the practising heereof with great admiration, read page 349, 350.
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