drug, the operations of which would occupy a certain space of time; thus prepared and released, the bird naturally flew to the next place, where it could obtain rest, and remaining there, through the progress of poison, the artful exhibitor stabbed the picture, and muttered in confidence, well knowing the fate of his victim. "If this or the like feat should be done by an old woman, every body would cry out for fire and faggot to burn the witch."

This author mentions two persons, named Jannes and Jambres, as very expert and ready at puzzling and astonishing their spectators; and from him we also learn, that equivocation was in use as a species of diversion: thus the watermen of the Thames were in the habit of shewing the church of Stone in Kent to the persons in their. boats, saying, it was as light at midnight as at noon day.

"Whereupon," says Mr. S., "some credulous person is made believe, and will not stick to affirm and swear, that in the same church is such continual light, that any man may see to read there at all times of the night without a candle."

The following list of wonders performed by jugglers form the heads of Master Scott's chapters, under the article Hartumim; and is given to furnish a comparison with those of the present day.

Of

Of the ball, and the manner of legerdemain therewith; also, notable feats with one or divers balls; to make a little ball swell in your hand till it be very great; to consume, or rather to convey, one or more balls into nothing; how to rap a wag upon the knuckles; of conveyance of money; to convey money out of one of your hands into the other by legerdemain; to convert money into counters, or counters into money; to put one tester into one hand, and another into the other hand, and with words to bring them together; to put one tester into a stranger's hand, and another into your own, and to convey both into the stranger's hand with words; to throw a piece of money away, and to find it again where you list; with words to make a groat or tester to leap out of a pot, or to run along upon a table; to make a groat or a tester to sink through a table, and to vanish out of a handkerchief very strangely; a notable trick to transform a counter to a groat; an excellent feat to make a two-penny piece lie plain in the palm of your hand, and to be passed from thence when you list; to convey a tester out of one's hand that holdeth it fast; to throw a piece of money into a deep pond, and to fetch it again from whence you list; to convey one shilling, being in one hand, into another, holding your hands abroad like a rood; to trans

form

form any one small thing into any other form by folding of paper.

The tricks with cards are so well known that a repetition of them is unnecessary. How to knit a hard knot upon a handkerchief, and to undo the same with words; to pull three beadstones from off a cord, while you hold fast the ends thereof without removing of your hand; to make a shoal of goslings draw a timber log; to make a pot standing fast on the cupboard to fall down thence by virtue of words; to make one dance naked; to transform the colour of one's cap or hat; how to convey with words or charms the corn contained in one box into another; to convert wheat into flour with words; to burn a thread, and to make it whole again with the ashes thereof; to cut a lace asunder in the midst, and to make it whole again; how to pull laces innumerable out of your mouth, of what colour or length you list, and never any thing seen to be therein; how to make a book, wherein you shall shew every leaf therein to be white, black, blue, red, yellow, green, &c.; to eat a knife, and to fetch it out of any other place; to thrust a bodkin into your head without hurt; to thrust a bodkin through your tongue, and a knife through your arm; to thrust a piece of lead into one eye, and to drive it about with a stick between the skin and flesh of the forehead until it be brought to the

other

other eye, and there thrust out; to cut half your nose asunder, and to heal it again presently without any salve; to put a ring through your cheek; to cut off one's head, and to lay it in a platter, which the jugglers call the decollation of John Baptist.

A curious engraving accompanies this feat, which I beg leave to present a copy of, that will explain it to the reader without description.

The same plate contains, besides, three representations of knifes used in the reign of Elizabeth for cutting noses, arms, &c.: the plain one is that used for shew; the others perform the trick by means of the joint in one and the semicircle in

the other.

To thrust a dagger or bodkin in your guts very strangely, and to recover immediately; to draw a cord through your nose, mouth, or hand, so sensible as is wonderful to see, &c. &c.

Fearful that himself should be supposed to deal with the devil in discovering the methods by which jugglers performed all the preceding amusing feats, Mr. Scot gravely recommended his readers to visit John Cantares, a Frenchman, who resided in St. Martin's, " 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 brow, and nevertheless hath the best

hand

hand and conveyance of any man that liveth this day."

The Nosce Teipsum' of John Davys, published in 1602, leads us to suppose, that music was a favourite amusement with Queen Elizabeth, and that she excelled on different instruments; concluding several complimentary stanzas, he adds:

"Her harmonies are sweet, and full of skill,
When on the bodie's instruments she plays;
But the proportions of the wit and will,
Those sweet accords are even the angel's lays.
These tunes of Reason are Amphion's lyre,
Wherewith he did the Theban city found;
These are the notes wherewith the heavenly
choir

The praise of Him who spreads the heaven's doth sound."

James I. seems to have wished to render his subjects contented and happy, if we may rely upon his Book of Sports as a proof of it.

Returning from Scotland in 1618, he observed, that certain persons of Lancashire, whom he called Papists, Puritans, and precise people, had interfered in prohibiting such "lawful recreations and honest exercises upon Sundays and other holidays after the afternoon sermon or service," as the peasantry had been accustomed to indulge in; he therefore issued a declaration, setting forth, "that