Lastly，becauseIfeelmylifedecay，IyieldandgivetoWisbichCOCKTHEDAY！’[70]

[70]ThepassagesleftoutintheWill，asmarkedbyasterisks，thoughwitty，arerathertoogrossformoderneyes。

ToquotefromPeggeoncemore:——WhataggravatesthereproachanddisgraceuponusEnglishmen，arethosespeciesoffightingwhicharecalled——"thebattleroyalandtheWelshmain"——knownnowhereintheworld，asIthink，buthere；neitherinChina，norinPersia，norinMalacca，noramongthesavagetribesofAmerica。

Thesearescenessobloodyasalmosttobetooshockingtorelate；andyetasmanymaynotbeacquaintedwiththehorriblenatureofthem，itmaybeproper，fortheexcitementofouraversionanddetestation，todescribetheminafewwords。

’Inthebattleroyal，anunlimitednumberoffowlsarepitted；

andaftertheyhaveslaughteredoneanother，forthediversion(diiboni！)oftheotherwisegenerousandhumaneEnglishman，thesinglesurvivingbirdistobeesteemedthevictor，andcarriesawaytheprize。TheWelshmainconsists，wewillsuppose，ofsixteenpairsofcocks；ofthesethesixteenconquerorsarepittedasecondtime；and，lastly，thetwoconquerorsofthesearepittedafifthtime；sothat(incrediblebarbarity！)

thirty-onecocksaresuretobemostinhumanlymurderedforthesportandpleasure，thenoiseandnonsense，nay，Imaysaytheprofanecursingandswearing，ofthosewhohavetheeffronterytocallthemselves，withallthesebloodydoings，andwithallthisimpietyaboutthem——Christians！’Moreover，thisungenerousdiversionwasthebaneanddestructionofthousands，whothusdissipatedtheirpatrimonialfortunes。Thatitsattractionswereirresistibleisevidentfromthedifficultyexperiencedinsuppressingthepractice。Downtoaveryrecentdatecock-

fightingwascarriedoninsecret，——thepolicenowandthenbreakingintothesecretpits，dispersingandchasingamotleycrewofnoblemen，gentlemen，and’thescumofrascaldom。’

Thepracticeisveryfarfromhavingdiedout；mainsarestillfoughtinvariouspartsofthecountry；butofcoursethegreatestprecautionsaretakentoinsuresecrecyandtopreventtheinterferenceofthepolice。

Inconnectionwithcock-fightingIrememberahorribleincidentthatoccurredintheWestIndies。Agentlemanwhowaspassionatelyfondofthesport，andpridedhimselfonthevictoriesofhiscocks，hadthemisfortunetoseeoneofhisbirdssoterriblywoundedinthefirstonsetthat，althoughnotkilled，itwasimpossibleforittocontinuethefight。Hisrageatthemishapknewnobounds，andheventeditmadlyonthepoorcreature。Heroasteditalive——standingbyandhearingitspiteouscries。Inthemidstofthehorribletorturethewretchedmanbecamesoexcitedthatafitofapoplexysupervened，andhepositivelyexpiredbeforethepoorbirdatthefire！

CHAPTERXII。

THETURF，HISTORICAL，SOCIAL，MORAL。

Itappearsthathorse-raceswerecustomaryatpublicfestivalsevenasearlyasthetimesofthepatriarchs。Theyoriginatedamongtheeasternnations，whowerethefirsttodiscoverthephysicalaptitudesofthenobleanimalandthespiritedemulationofwhichheiscapable。ThePersians，theGreeks，theRomans，insuccession，allindulgedintheexcitement；anditisacuriousfactthattheRomans，liketheEnglishjockeysofthepresentday，rodeindifferentcolours。

Horse-racingbeganveryearlyinEngland。Fitz-Stephen，whowroteinthetimeofHenryVIII。，mentionsthedelighttakenbythecitizensofLondoninthediversion。InthereignofQueenElizabethitappearstohavegreatlyflourished，andtohavebeencarriedtosuchanexcessastohaveruinedmanyofthenobility。

ThecelebratedGeorge，EarlofCumberland，issaidtohavewastedmoreofhisestatesthananyofhisancestors，andprincipallybyhisloveoftheturfandthetilt-yard。InthereignofJamesI。，CroydonintheSouth，andGarterlyintheNorth，werecelebratedcourses。Camdenalsostatesthatin1607thereweremeetingsnearYork，andtheprizewasasmallgoldenbell；hencetheoriginofthesaying’bearingoffthebell。’

LordHerbertofCherburydenouncedthepractice。’Theexercise，’

saysthisgallantphilosopher，’Idonotapproveofisrunningofhorses——therebeingmuchCHEATINGinthatkind，——neitherdoIseewhyabravemanshoulddelightinacreaturewhosechiefuseistohelphimtorunaway。’Asfarasthecheatingisconcerned，thephilosophermayberight，butmostassuredlyhisviewsofthehorsedonocredittohisLordship’sunderstanding。

Itappearsthattheturf-menofthosedayswentonbreedingforshapeandspeedalone，withoutconsidering’bottom，’untilthereignofQueenAnne；whenapublic-spiritednoblemanleftthirteenplatesorpursestoberunfor，atsuchplacesastheCrownshouldappoint，uponconditionthateveryhorseshouldcarrytwelvestoneforthebestofthreeheats——fourmiles。Bythismeansastrongerhorsewasraised，who，ifhewasnotgoodenoughupontherace-course，madeahunter。

TheMerryMonarch，CharlesII。，hadgivencupsorbowls，estimatedatonehundredguineasvalue，anduponwhichthenamesofthewinninghorses，thewinner，andjockeywereusuallyengraved。WilliamIII。addedtotheplates，asdidQueenAnne；

butin1720GeorgeI。discontinuedthisroyalencouragementtothesport，apparentlythroughsheermeanness。Sincethatperiod’King’sPlates’and’Queen’sPlates’havebeenpaidinspecie。

InthereignofCharlesI。raceswereperformedinHydePark；anduntilaveryrecentperiod’theRing’intheParkwastherendezvousofgentlemen’sservants，forthepurposeofbettingormakinguptheirbettingbooks。

NewmarketraceswereestablishedbyCharlesII。，in1667。Epsom，byMrParkhurst，in1711。Ascot，bytheDukeofCumberland，uncletoGeorgeIII。Doncaster，byColonelStLeger，in1778。

Goodwood，bytheDukeofRichmond，whodiedin1806。

TheJockeyClubbeganinthetimeofGeorgeII。Itslatestrules，bywhichracesareregulated，wereenactedin1828。

Tattersall’s，the’HighChangeofHorse-flesh，’wasestablishedbyRichardTattersall，nearHydeParkCorner——hencetermed’TheCorner’——in1766，forthesaleofhorses。Theleaseofthegroundhavingexpired，thenewpremisesatBromptonwereerected，andopenedforbusiness，in1803。

OntheaccessionofQueenVictoriatheRoyalstudwassoldforL16，476，inOct。，1837。[71]

[71]Haydon，BookofDates。

AmongthedistinguishedmenwhohavesupportedtheturfinthiscountrymaybementionedGeorgeIV。[72]andWilliamIV。；thelateDukeofYork；theDukesofRichmond，Cleveland，Grafton，Bedford，andBeaufort；MarquisesofExeterandWestminster；EarlsofGlasgow，Stradbrooke，Wilton，Chesterfield，Eglintoun，Verulam，andLonsdale；LordsGeorgeBentinck，Foley，Kinnaird，&c。；andlast，thoughnotleast，theRightHonourableCharlesJamesFox。

Astotheturf，Foxusedalwaystoanimadvertonhislosses，andrepeatedlyobserved——that’hishorseshadasmuchbottomasotherpeople’s，butthattheyweresuchslow，goodonesthattheyneverwentfastenoughtotirethemselves。’Hehad，however，thegratificationofexperiencingsomefewexceptionstothisimaginaryrule。InApril，1772，hewassoluckyatNewmarketastowinnearlyL16，000——thegreaterpartofwhichhegotbybettingagainstthecelebratedPincher，wholostthematchbyonlyhalfaneck。TheoddsatSTARTINGweretwotooneonthelosinghorse。AtthespringmeetingatNewmarket，in1789，FoxissaidtohavewonnotlessthanL50，000；andattheOctobermeeting，atthesameplace，thefollowingyear，hesoldtwoofhishorses——SeagullandChanticleer——for4400guineas。Inthecourseof1788FoxandtheDukeofBedfordwon8000guineasbetweenthemattheNewmarketspringmeeting，andduringtheseracesFoxandLordBarrymorehadaheavymatch，whichwasgivenasadeadheat，andthebetswereoff。

[72]Forsomeperiodpreviousto1790，GeorgeIV。hadpatronizedhorse-racingandpugilism；butinthatyear，havingattendedaprizefightinwhichoneoftheboxerswaskilled，heceasedtosupportthering，declaringthathewouldneverbepresentatsuchasceneofmurderagain；andin1791hedisposedofhisstud，onaccountofsomeapparentlygroundlesssuspicionbeingattachedtohisconductwithregardtoarace，intheeventofwhichhehadlittleornorealinterest。

OncomingintoofficewithLordNorth，in1783，MrFoxsoldhishorses，anderasedhisnamefromseveraloftheclubsofwhichhewasamember。Itwasnotlong，however，beforeheagainpurchasedastud，andinOctoberheattendedtheNewmarketmeeting。Theking’smessengerwasobligedtoappearonthecourse，toseekoneoftheministersofEnglandamongthesportsmenontheheath，inordertodeliverdespatchesuponwhichperhapsthefateofthecountrymighthavedepended。Themessengerontheseoccasionshadhisbadgeofoffice，thegreyhound，notlikingthattheworldshouldknowthattheking’sadviserwasamusinghimselfatNewmarket，whenheshouldhavebeenservinghiminthemetropolis。ButCharlesFoxpreferredthebettingroomstoDowningStreet。

Again，intheyear1790，hishorseSeagullwontheOatlandsstakesatAscot，of100guineas(19subscribers)，beatingthePrinceofWales’sEscape，Serpent，andseveraloftheverybesthorsesofthatyear——tothegreatmortificationofHisRoyalHighness，whoimmediatelymatchedMagpieagainsthim，torunfourdaysafterwards，twomiles，for500guineas。Thismatch，onwhichimmensesumsweredepending，waswonwitheasebySeagull。

AtthisperiodLordFoleyandMrFoxwereconfederates。InthosedaystheplatesaveragedfromL50toL100。

LordFoley，whodiedin1793，enteredupontheturfwithaclearestateofL1800ayear，andL100，000readymoney，whichwasconsiderablydiminishedbyhislossesatNewmarket，Ascot，andEpsom。

Therace-horseofthiscountryexcelsthoseofthewholeworld，notonlyforspeed，butbottom。Thereisagreatdifference，however，betweenthepresentraceandthatoffiftyorsixtyyearsago；forinthosedaysfour-mileheatswerethefashion。

Thesportingrecordsattheendofthelastcenturygivethefollowingexploitsofhorsesofthatandpreviousperiods。

Childers，knownbythenameofFlyingChilders，thepropertyoftheDukeofDevonshire，waslookeduponasthefleetesthorsethateverwasbred。Hewasneverbeaten；thesireofthiscelebratedhorsewasanArabian。

Dorimont，belongingtoLordOssory，wonprizestotheamountofL13，360。

EclipsewasallowedtobethefastesthorsethateverraninEnglandsincethetimeofChilders。Afterwinninglargelyforhisowner，hecovered，bysubscription，fortymaresat30guineaseach，or1200guineas。

Highflyer，byKingHerod，wasthebesthorseofhisday；wasneverbeaten，norpaidforfeitbutonce。HiswinningsamountedtoaboveL9000，althoughheonlyranasathree，four，andfiveyearsold。

Matchemstoodhighbothasaracerandasthesireofmanyofourmostfavouritehorses。AsastallionherealizedforhismastermorethanL12，000。Hediedin1781，attheadvancedageofthirty-three。

Sharkwonacupvalue120guineas，elevenhogsheadsofclaret，andaboveL16，000inplates，matches，andforfeits。[73]

[73]LordWilliamLennox，MerrieEngland。

AmongrecentcelebritiesmustbementionedLordStamford，whoissaidtohaveengagedJemmyGrimshaw，alight-weightedjockey，atasalaryofL1000ayear。

Themostastounding’event’oflateyearswasthatof1867，whenthehorseHermit——previouslyrepresentedasbeinginanunfitconditioneventorun，wontherace——totheunspeakableruinofverymany，andinflictingonthelateMarquisofHastingstheenormouslossofaboutL100，000，which，however，inspiteofunseemlyrumoursand，itissaid，hopesofthatnobleman’sruin，washonourablypaid，tothedayandhour。

Butifruindidnotimmediatelycomeupontheyoungmarquis，stillthewoundwasdeadly，inflictedasthoughwiththeferocityofademon。Inhisbrokenhealthandrapiddecaysympathywasnotwithheldfromhim；andwhenaprematuredeathputanendtohissufferings，andwasspeedilyfollowedbythebreakingupofhisestablishmentandthedispersionofhisancestraleffects，mostmenfeltthathehad，perhaps，atonedforhiserrorsandindiscretions，whilstallunitedinconsideringhimanotherunfortunatevictimaddedtothelonglistofthosewhohavesacrificedtheirfortune，health，andhonourtotheGamblingMolochpresidingovertheTurfofEngland。[74]

[74]The’Odds’orprobabilitiesofhorseracingareexplainedinchapterVIII。，inwhichtheentire’DoctrineofChances’isdiscussed。

Sucharetheleadingfactsofhorse-racinginEngland。OnecannothelpobservingthatthesturdystrengthandmuscularexertionsofanOlympiccharioteerofoldexhibitastrikingcontrasttothespider-likeformandemaciatedfigureofaNewmarketjockey。

Quistudetoptatamcursucontingeremetam，Multatulit，fecitquepuer，SUDAVATetalsit。

’Whoinaracewouldreachthelong’d-forgoal，Mustsuffermuch，domuch，inyouth，indeed，MustSWEATandfag。’

ThisisliterallytruerespectingtheEnglishjockey，whoseattenuatedformisaccountedforinthefollowingdialogueinanoldworkentitled’Newmarket，oranEssayontheTurf，’1771。

’Stop，stop，OLDGENTLEMAN！Idesiretospeakawordtoyou；praywhichisthewayto。’

’Ibeg，sir，youwillnotinterruptme。IamaNewmarketjockey——amtorideinafewdaysamatch，uponwhichthereisagreatdealdepending，andIamnowPREPARING。’

’Oh，Iseenow，youareaYOUNGman，insteadofthatoldoneforwhomImistookyoubyyourwrappings；butpray，explain。’

’Why，yourHonourmustknowthatwejockeys，inordertobringourselvesdowntotheweightrequiredforthehorseswearetoride，sweatunderaloadofflannelwrappedaboutusbeneathcoatsandgreatcoats，andwalktwoorthreemilesintheheatofsummer，tillwearereadytofaintunderourburden。’

’Indeed！Why，yougothroughadeal！’

’Ah，sir，agreatdealindeed！Why，wesometimesliehoursandhoursbetweentwofeather-beds——tomeltawayourextraordinaryweight。’

’Butwillyougivemeleavetoexamineyourpresentdress？Hum！

Twoflannelwaistcoats，athickclothcoat，aBathsurtout！Itisavastweighttocarrythiswarmweather。Ionlyhopeyouwon’tsinkunderit。’

’Neverfear，sir，IdonotdoubtbutIshalldoverywell。’

TherewardsofvictorywereasplainandsimpleintheGreciangamesastheyweredistinguishingandhonourable。Agarlandofpalm，orlaurel，orparsley，orpineleaves，servedtoadornthebrowofthefortunatevictor，whilsthisnamestoodachanceofbeingtransmittedtoposterityinthestrainsofsomeloftyPindar。Therewardsofmoderndaysareindeedmoresubstantialandsolid，beingpaidinweightygoldoritsequivalent，nomatterwhetherobtainedbytheruinofothers，whilethefleetcoursersandtheirexultingproprietorsstandconspicuousinthelistoftheRacingCalendar。Theingeniousandironicalauthorof’Newmarket，oranEssayontheTurf，’intheyear1771，bestowedthefollowingtitlesandhonoursonthemostfamoushorseoftheday——Kelly’sEclipse:——’DukeofNewmarket，MarquisofBarnet，EarlofEpsomandYork，ViscountCanterbury，BaronEclipseofMellay；LordofLewes，Salisbury，Ipswich，andNorthampton；Comptroller-Generaloftherace-grounds，andPremierRacerofAllEngland。’Tobearcoatofarms——’APegasusargentonafieldverd；——thesupporters——twoEnglishmeninerminedrobesandducalcoronets；——thecrest——apurse，Or；——themotto——"VolatociorEuro。"’[75]

[75]’Hefliesswifterthantheeastwind。’

Again，intheexhibitionofthoseusefulandhonourableOlympicpastimesofold，thecauseofmoralitywasnotoverlooked:——therewasinthemahappyunionofutility，pleasure，andvirtue。A

spotlesslifeandunblameablemanners，apurityofdescentbybeingborninwedlockthroughseveralgenerations，andaseriesofcreditablerelations，wereindispensablequalificationsofacandidateontheOlympicturf。Itistrue，thereisatleastasmuchattentionpaidtopurityandfaultlessnessontheplainsofNewmarket；buttheapplicationistothebloodandpedigreeofthehorse，notofhisrider。

Nay，itwas，andis，notoriousthattheword’jockey’hasacquiredthemeaningof’totrick，’’tocheat，’asappearsinallourdictionariesandincommonparlance。Whatistheinferencefromthisbutthatthewinningofracesisnoabsoluteproofofthesuperiorityofthehorse——forwhoseimprovementracingissaidtobeencouraged；butrathertheresultofasecretcombinationofexpedientsorarrangements——inaword，jockeying，thatis，cheating，tricking。Theonly’moral’characterrequiredinthejockeyisthedeterminationtodowhatsoevermaybeagreeduponordeterminedbythosewhoarewillingandabletogive’aconsideration’fortheconvenientaccommodation。

Butitis，orwas，theassociations，theinevitableconcomitants，oftheturfandracingthatstampit，notonlyassomethingquestionable，butasabaneandinfamytothenation；andifthereisonespotmoreeminentlydistinguishedforageneralrendezvousoffraudandgambling，thatplaceisNewmarket。

Thediversionsoftheseplainshaveprovedadecoytomanyanobleandingenuousmind，caughtinthesnareslaidtoentrapyouthandinexperience。Newmarketwasawilylabyrinthoflossandgain，afruitfulfieldforthedisplayofgamblingabilities，theschoolofthesharpingcrew，theacademyoftheGreeks，theunfathomablegulfthatabsorbedprincelyfortunes。

Theamusementsoftheturfwereinallotherplacesintermixedwithavarietyofsocialdiversions，whichwerecalculatedtopromoteinnocentmirthandgaiety。Thebreakfastings，theconcerts，theplays，theassemblies，attractedthecircleoffemalebeauty，enlivenedthescene，engagedtheattentionofgentlemen，andthuspreventedmuchoftheevilcontagionanddestructionofmidnightplay。ButencouragementtotheGAMBLER

ofhighandlowdegreewastheverycharterofNewmarket。Everyobjectthatmettheeyewasencompassedwithgambling——fromthearistocraticRougeetNoir，Roulette，andHazard，downtoThimble-rig，Tossing，andTommyDodd。Everyhourofthedayandnightwasbesetwithgamblingdiversified；inshort，gamblingmustoccupythewholeman，orhewaslosttothesportandspiritoftheplace。Theinhumanityofthecock-pit，theiniquitousvortexoftheHazardtable，employedeachleisuremomentfromtherace，andeitherswalloweduptheemolumentsofthevictoriousfield，orsankthejockeystilldeeperinthegulfofruin。

ThecommonpeopleofEnglandhavebeenstigmatized(andperhapstoojustly)fortheirloveofbloodysportsandcrueldiversions；

cock-fighting，bull-baiting，boxing，andthecrowdedattendanceonexecutions，arebuttoomanyproofsofthissanguinaryturn。

Butwhytheimputationshouldlieatthedoorofthevulgaralonemaywellbequestioned；forwhilethestarofnobilityanddignifieddistinctionwasseentoglitteratacock-matchoronaboxing-stage，ornearthe’Ring’——whereitsproprietorwasliabletobeelbowedbytheirhighnessesofgreaseandsoot，andtobehemmedinbyknightsofthepostandcanditatesforTyburntree——

whenthismotleygroupalikewerefixedineagerattention，alikebettedonandenjoyedeachblood-drawingstrokeoftheartificialspur，orblowofthefistwelllaidin——whatdistinctionwastobemadebetweenpeerandplebeian，exceptinderogationoftheformer？

Therace-courseatNewmarketalwayspresentedarareassemblageofgrooms，gamblers，andgreatness。

’See，sidebyside，thejockeyandSirJohnDiscusstheimportantpointofsixtoone；

For，OmyMuse！thedeep-feltblisshowdear——

Howgreatthepridetogainajockey’sear！’[76]

[76]Wharton’sNewmarket。

Newmarketfamewasanobjectofambitionsoughtbythemostdistinguishedpersonages。

’Goon，braveyouths，tillinsomefutureageWhipsshallbecomethesenatorialbadge；

TillEnglandseeherthrongingsenatorsMeetallatWestminsterinbootsandspurs；

SeethewholeHousewithmutualphrensymad，Herpatriotsallinleathernbreechesclad；

Ofbetsfortaxeslearnedlydebate，Andguidewithequalreinsasteedorstate。’[77]

[77]Ibid。

Andthenatthewinning-postwhatmotleyconfusion——

’AthousandtonguesJabberharshjargonfromathousandlungs。

****

Direwasthedin——aswhenincavernspent，HoarseBoreasstormsandEurusworksforvent，Theaeolianbrethrenheavethelabouringearth，Androarwithelementalstrifeforbirth。’[78]

[78]’TheGamblers。’Horacehadsaidlongbefore——Tantocumstrepituludispectantur，’Sogreatanoiseattendsthegames！

ThefraudsandstratagemsofwilycraftwhichoncepassedcurrentatNewmarket，surpassedeverythingthatcanbeimaginedatthepresentday。Theintrudinglightofthemorningwasexecratedbythenightlygamblers。’Grantusbuttoperishinthelight，’wastheprayerofthewarlikeAjax:——’Grantusblacknightforever，’

exclaimedthegambler；andhiswisheswereconsistentwiththeplaceandthefouldeedsperpetratedtherein。[79]

[79]Theprincipalgambling-roomatNewmarketwascalledthe’LittleHell。’

Sitmihifasauditaloqui——sitnuminevestro，Pandereresaltaterraetcaliginemersas。

Theturf-eventsofeverysucceedingyearverifythelamentofthelateLordDerby:——

’Thesecessionfromtheturfofmenwhohavestationandcharacter，andtheaccessionofmenwhohaveneither，aresignsvisibletothedullestapprehension。Theoncenationalsportofhorse-racingisbeingdegradedtoatradeinwhichitisdifficulttoperceiveanythingeithersportiveornational。Theoldpretenceabouttheimprovementofthebreedofhorseshasbecomeadelusion，toostaleforjesting。’

NothingismoreincontestablethanthefactthatthebreedofEnglishhorseshasnotbeenreallyimproved，certainlynotbyracinganditsrequirements。Ithasbeentrulyobservedthat’whatiscalledtheturfismerelyanamefortheworstkindofgambling。Themenwhoengageinitareasfaraspossiblefromanyidealofsportingmen。Itisagrimjoke，infact，tospeakof"sport"atallintheirconnection。Theturftothemisbutawiderandmorevicioussortoftapisvert——theracingbuttherollingoftheballs——thehorsesbutanimateddice。Itisdifficulttonameasinglehonestormanlyinstinctwhichispropagatedbytheturfasitis，orwhichdoesnotbecomedebasedandvitiatedbytheassociation。Fromapublicrecreationthethinghasgottobeapublicscandal。Everyyearwitnessesaholocaustofgreatnamessacrificedtotheinsatiabledemonofhorse-racing——ancientfamiliesruined，oldhistoricmemoriesdefiledattheshrineofthisvulgarestandmostviciousofpopularpassions。’

AmongthosewhohavesoughttoreformtheturfisSirJosephHawley，wholastyearsucceededinprocuringtheabolitionoftwo-year-oldracesbeforethe1stofMay。Heisnowendeavouring，togomuchfurther，andhasgivennoticeofamotionfortheappointmentofacommitteeoftheJockeyClubtoconsiderthequestionofthewholeconditionoftheturf。

Therecanbenodoubt，that，ifSirJosephHawley’spropositions，asannounced，beadopted，eveninamodifiedform，theywouldgototheveryrootoftheevil，andpurifytheturfoftheworstofthepresentscandals。

Itwouldrequireavolume，orperhapsmanyvolumes，totreatofthesubjectofthepresentchapter——theTurf，Historical，Social，Moral；butImustnowleavethistopic，ofsuchterriblenationalinterest，tosomeotherconscientiouswritercapableof’doingjustice’tothetheme，inallitsrequirements。

CHAPTERXIII。

FORTUNE-TELLINGBYCARDS(FORLADIES)。

Itmustbeadmittedthatthispractice——howeverabsurdinitsobjectandapplication——doesgreatcredittohumaningenuity。

Onceadmittingthepossibilityofsuchconjuring，itisimpossibletodenytheproprietyofthereasoningsdeducedfromtheturningup，thecollocation，orthejuxta-positionofthevariouscards，whentheformalitiesofthepeculiarshuffleandcutrequiredhavebeendulycompliedwithbytheconsulter。

Thecardsarefirstshuffledadlibitum，thencutthreedifferenttimes，andlaidonatable，faceupwards，onebyone，intheformofacircle，ormorefrequentlynineinarow。Iftheconjurerisamanhechoosesoneofthekingsashisrepresentative；ifawoman，sheselectsoneofthequeens。Thisisonthesuppositionthatpersonsareconsultingforthemselves；otherwiseitisthefortune-tellerwhoselectstherepresentativecard。Thenthequeenofthechosenking，orthekingofthechosenqueen，standsforahusbandorwife，mistressorlover，ofthepartywhosefortuneistobetold。Theknaveofthesuitrepresentsthemostintimatepersonoftheirfamily。

Theninthcardeveryway，thatis，countedfromtherepresentative，isofthegreatestconsequence，andthatintervalcomprisesthe’circle’oftheinquirer，forgoodorforevil。

Now，allthecardshavehadassignedtothemarbitrary，butplausible，characteristics。Thus，theaceofclubs(thatsuitrepresentingoriginallythe’fortunatehusbandmen’)promisesgreatwealth，muchprosperityinlife，andtranquillityofmind——

ifitturnsupwithinyourcircle，asbeforementioned。Kingofclubsannouncesamanofdarkcomplexionwhoishumane，upright，&c。，infact，justthemanforahusband。Queenofclubsisequallypropitiousastheemblemofadarkladywhowouldproveaparagonwife。Knaveofclubs，ajollygoodfriendineveryway。

Tenofclubsalwaysflurriestheheartoftheinquirer——

especiallyif’hardup’——foritdenotesrichesspeedilyforthcomingfromanunexpectedquarter——whichisusuallythecaseinsuchcircumstances；butthenitalsothreatensthelossofsomedearfriend——which，however，cannotsignifymuchifyouget’themoney。’Sevenofclubspromisesthemostbrilliantfortune，andthemostexquisiteblissthisworldcanafford；butthenyouareungallantlywarnedthatyoumust’bewareoftheoppositesex’——whichseemsacontradictioninterms——forhowcall’themostexquisiteblissthisworldcanafford’besecuredwithouttheaidof’theoppositesex’？Fiveofclubsisthemainpointofmaid-servants，younggirlsfromthecountry，governesses，inshort，ofallthefloatingwomanhoodoftheland——for’itdeclaresthatyouwillshortlybemarriedtoapersonwhowill——MENDyourCIRCUMSTANCES。’Thetreyofclubsisscarcelylessexhilarating，foritpromisesthatyouwillbemarriedthreetimes，andeachtimetoawealthyperson。Onthewholethesuitofclubsisverylucky，but，veryappropriately，thedeucethereofportendssome’unfortunateoppositiontoyourfavouriteinclination，whichwilldisturbyou。’[80]

[80]Accordingtootherauthorities，theaceofclubsmeansaletter；thenine，dangercausedbydrunkenness；theeight，dangerfromcovetousness；theseven，aprison，anddangerfromtheoppositesex；thesix，competencebyhard-workingindustry；thefive，ahappybutNOTwealthymarriage；thefour，dangerofmisfortunescausedbyinconstancyorcapricioustemper；thetrey，quarrels。

Thesuitofdiamondsisbynomeanssosatisfactoryasthegemofanamewouldseemtoindicate；butperhapswemustrememberthatthissuitrepresentedoriginallytheCOMMERCIALCLASSES，andthatprobablythisdivinationbycardswasinventedbysomeproudARISTOCRATinthosetimeswhentradesmendidnotstandsohighastheynowdoinmorality，uprightness，&c。Theaceofdiamondsputsyouonthequiviveforthepostman；itmeansaLETTER。Itisonlytobehopedthatitisnotoneofthosenastythings，yellowoutsideandbluewithin——adunfromsomeimportunatebutcher，baker，grocer，or——tailor。Thekingofdiamondsshowsarevengeful，fiery，obstinatefellowofveryfaircomplexioninyourcircle；thequeenofdiamondsisnothingbutagaycoquette，ofthesamecomplexionastheking，andnot’over-virtuous’——averyoddphraseinusefortheabsenceofvirtuealtogether；theknaveofdiamondsisaselfish，impracticablefellow；tenofdiamondsisoneofthefewexceptionstotheevilomensofthissuit，itpromisesacountryhusbandorawifewithgreatwealthandmanychildren——thenumberofthelatterbeingindicatedbythenextcardtoit；italsosignifiesapurseofgold——butwhere？Oh，where？Nineofdiamondsindicatessimplyavagabond，fullofvexationanddisappointment；eightofdiamondsshowsanenemytomarriage，whomay，however，’marrylate，’andfindhimselfinaterrible’fix；’sevenofdiamondsisworsestill，portendingallthehorrorsofthedivorcecourtandthebankruptcycourt——conjugalprofligacyandextravagance；sixofdiamondsmeansearlymarriageandprematurewidowhood，andasecondmarriage，whichwillprobablybeworse；fiveofdiamondsisthenextexceptiontothemiseryofthissuit，itpromises’goodchildren，whowillKEEPYOUFROMGRIEF’——atbest，however，onlyamakeshift；fourofdiamondsisasbadassevenofdiamonds——portendingthesameresults；thetreyofdiamondsthreatensallmannerofstrife，law-suits，&c。，promisesavixenforawife，toyourgreatdomesticmisery；thedeuceofdiamondsconcludesthecatalogueofwretchednesswiththeassurancethatyouwillfallinloveearly，thatyourparentswillnotapproveofyourchoice，andifyoumarry，notwithstanding，thattheywillhardlyeverforgiveyou。[81]

[81]Otherwisetheaceofdiamondsmeansaweddingring，theking，afierybutaplacableperson，ofveryfaircomplexion；theten，money，successinhonourablebusiness；theeight，ahappyprudentmarriage，thoughlateinlife；thefive，unexpectedandmostlikelygoodnews；thefour，afaithlessfriend，abetrayedsecret。

Thesuitofhearts，aspreviouslyexplained，representedoriginallytheecclesiasticalorder，thejollymonks，churchmenofalldegrees；howfartheindicationstallymustbelefttotheingeniousreadertodetermine。Theaceofheartsmeansfeastingandpleasure；butifattendedbyspades，itforetellsquarrelling；ifbyheartsitshowsaffectionandfriendship；ifbydiamonds，youwillhearofsomeabsentfriend；ifbyclubs，ofmerry-making:thekingofheartsdenotesanotVERYfairman，good-natured，buthotandhastyindividual，andveryamorous；thequeenofheartspromisesaladyofgoldenlocks(notnecessarily’carrots’)，faithfulandaffectionate；theknaveofheartsisaparticularfriend，andgreatattentionmustbepaidtothecardthatstandsnexttohim，asfromitaloneyoucanjudgewhetherthepersonitrepresentswillfavouryourinclinationornot，becauseheisalwaysthedearestfriendornearestrelationoftheconsultingparty；thetenofheartsshowsgoodnatureandmanychildren，andisacorrectiveofthebadtidingsofthecardsthatstandnexttoit；andifitsneighbouringcardsareofgoodimport，itascertainsandconfirmstheirvalue:nineofheartspromiseswealth，grandeur，andhighesteem；ifcardsthatareunfavourablestandnearit，youmayexpectdisappointments；

andthereverse，iffavourablecardsfollow；iftheselastbeatasmalldistance，expecttoretrieveyourlosses，whetherofpeaceorgoods:eightofheartssignifiesdrinkingandfeasting；

sevenofheartsshowsafickleandunfaithfulperson，vicious，spiteful，malicious；sixofheartspromisesagenerous，open，credulousdisposition，oftenadupe；ifthiscardcomesbeforeyourkingorqueen(asthecasemaybe)YOUwillbethedupe；ifafter，youwillgettheupperhand:fiveofheartsportendsawavering，unsteady，unreliableindividualofeithersex:fourofheartsindicateslatemarriagefrom’delicacyinmakingachoice:’treyofheartsisrathera’poser；’’itshowsthatyourownimpudencewillgreatlycontributetoyourexperiencingtheill-willofothers:’deuceofheartspromisesextraordinarysuccessandgoodfortune，though，perhaps，youmayhavetowaitlongfor’thegoodtimecoming。’[82]

[82]Or，——theaceofheartsdenotesthehouseoftheconsulter；

thequeen，aladynotVERYfair；seven，manygoodfriends；six，honourablecourtship；five，apresent；four，domestictroublescausedbyjealousy。

ThesuitofspadesoriginallyrepresentedtheNOBILITY，andthefollowingareitssignificancesinfortune-telling。Theaceofspadeswhollyrelatestolove-affairs，withoutspecifyingwhetherlawfulorunlawful——aprettygeneraloccupationofthe’nobility，’ofcourse；italsodenotesdeathwhenthecardisupsidedown:thekingofspadesshowsamanambitiousandsuccessfulatcourt，orwithsomegreatmanwhowillhaveitinhispowertoadvancehim——but，lethimbewareofthereverse！thequeenofspadesshowsthatapersonwillbecorruptedbytherichofbothsexes；ifsheishandsomegreatattemptswillbemadeonhervirtue:theknaveofspadesshowsafellowthatrequiresmuchrousing，although’quitewillingtoserveyou’withhisinfluenceandpatronage——likemanyamemberinthecaseofhisimportunateconstituents:thetenofspadesisacardofcaution，counteractingthegoodeffectofthecardnearyou:thenineofspadesispositivelytheworstcardinthewholepack；itportendsdangeroussickness，totallossoffortune，cruelcalamities，endlessdissensioninyourfamily，anddeathatlast——Ihopeyoumayneverseeitnearyou:theeightofspadesindicatesmuchoppositionfromyourFRIENDS，orthoseyouimaginetobesuch；ifthiscardcomesnearyou，leaveyourplanandadoptanother:sevenofspadesshowsthelossofamostvaluable，influentialfriend，whosedeathwillplungeyouinverygreatdistressandpoverty:thesixofspadesannouncesamediocrityoffortune，andgreatuncertaintyinyourundertakings:thefiveofspadesisratherdoubtfulastosuccessorariseinlife；butitpromisesluckinthechoiceofyourcompanionforlife，althoughitshowsthatyourowntemperisrathersullen——andsotogeta’fondcreature’totakecareofyou，withsuchatemper，isamightygreatblessing，andmorethanyoudeserve:thefourofspadesshowssicknessspeedily，andinjuryoffortunebyfriends:

thetreyofspadesshowsthatyouwillbefortunateinmarriage，butthatyourinconstanttemperwillmakeyouunhappy:

thedeuceofspadesistheUNDERTAKER，atlast；itpositivelyshowsaCOFFIN，butwhoitisformustdependentirelyonthecardsthatarenearit。[83]

[83]Or，——theaceofspadesdenotesdeath，malice，aduel，ageneralmisfortune；theking，amanofverydarkcomplexion，ambitious，andunscrupulous；thequeen，averydark-complexionedwomanofmaliciousdisposition，orawidow；theknave，alawyer，apersontobeshunned；theten，disgrace，crime，imprisonment，deathonthescaffold；theeight，greatdangerfromimprudence；

thesix，achild，totheunmarriedacardofcaution；thefive，greatdangerfromgivingwaytobadtemper；thetrey，ajourneybyland，——tears；thedeuce，aremoval。

’Thenineofheartsistermedthewishcard。Afterthegeneralfortunehasbeentold，aseparateanddifferentmanipulationisperformed，tolearnifthepryerintofuturitywillobtainaparticularwish；andfromthepositionofthewishcardinthepacktherequiredanswerisdeduced。

’Theforegoingismerelythealphabetoftheart；theletters，asitwere，ofthesentencesformedbythevariouscombinationsofthecards。Ageneralideaonlycanbegivenhereofthemannerinwhichthosepropheticsentencesareformed。Asbeforestated，ifamarriedwomanconsultsthecards，thekingofherownsuit，orcomplexion，representsherhusband；butwithsinglewomen，thelover，eitherinesseorposse，isrepresentedbyhisowncolour；

andallcards，whenrepresentingpersons，losetheirownnormalsignifications。Thereareexceptions，however，tothesegeneralrules。Aman，nomatterwhathiscomplexion，ifhewearuniform，evenifhebethenegrocymbal-playerinaregimentalband，canberepresentedbythekingofdiamonds:——note，thedressofpolicemenandvolunteersisnotconsideredasuniform。Ontheotherhand，awidow，evenifshebeanalbiness，canberepresentedonlybythequeenofspades。

’Theaceofheartsalwaysdenotingthehouseofthepersonconsultingthedecreesoffate，somegeneralrulesareapplicabletoit。Thustheaceofclubssignifyingaletter，itsposition，eitherbeforeoraftertheaceofhearts，showswhethertheletteristobesenttoorfromthehouse。Theaceofdiamondswhenclosetotheaceofheartsforetellsaweddinginthehouse；

buttheaceofspadesbetokenssicknessanddeath。

’Theknavesrepresentthethoughtsoftheirrespectivekingsandqueens，andconsequentlythethoughtsofthepersonswhomthosekingsandqueensrepresent，inaccordancewiththeircomplexions。

Forinstance，ayoungladyofaratherbutnotdecidedlydarkcomplexion，representedbythequeenofclubs，whenconsultingthecards，maybeshockedtofindherfairlover(thekingofdiamonds)flirtingwithawealthywidow(thequeenofspades，attendedbythetenofdiamonds)，butshewillbereassuredbyfindinghisthoughts(theknaveofdiamonds)incombinationwithaletter(aceofclubs)，aweddingring(aceofdiamonds)，andherhouse(theaceofhearts)；clearlysignifyingthat，thoughheisactuallyflirtingwiththerichwidow，heis，nevertheless，thinkingofsendingaletter，withanofferofmarriage，totheyoungladyherself。Andlook，whereareherownthoughts，representedbytheknaveofclubs；theyarefarawaywiththeoldlover，thatdarkman(kingofspades)who，asisplainlyshownbyhisbeingattendedbythenineofdiamonds，isprosperingattheAustraliandiggingsorelsewhere。Letusshufflethecardsoncemore，andseeifthedarkman，atthedistantdiggings，everthinksofhisoldflame，theclub-

complexionedyoungladyinEngland。No！hedoesnot。Herearehisthoughts(theknaveofspades)，directedtothisfair，butrathergayandcoquettish，woman(thequeenofdiamonds)；theyareseparatedbutbyafewhearts，oneofthem，thesixth(honourablecourtship)，showingtheexcellentunderstandingthatexistsbetweenthem。Count，now，fromthesixofheartstotheninthcardfromit，andlo！itisaweddingring(theaceofdiamonds)；theywillbemarriedbeforetheexpirationofatwelvemonth。’

Suchistheschemeoffortune-tellingbycards，aspropoundedinthelearneddisquisitionsoftheadepts，andBetty，orMartha，orhermistresscanconsultthembythemselvesaccordingtotheestablishedmethod——withoutexposingthemselvestotheextortionatecunningofthewanderinggipsiesorthepermanentcroneofthecityorvillage。Theymayjustaswellbelievewhatcomesoutaccordingtotheirownmanipulationasbythatoftheheartlesscheatsinquestion。Yourordinaryfortune-tellersarenotover-particular，beingonlyanxioustotellyouexactlywhatyouwanttoknow。Soifablackcourtcardgetsinjuxta-

positionwithandlookingtowardsaredcourtcard，thefairconsulter’srepresentative，thenitisevidentthatsome’darkgentleman’is’afterher；’andviceversa；andifawife，suspectingherhusband’sfidelity，consultsthecards，theprobabilityisthatherSUSPICIONSwillreceive’confirmationstrong’fromthefactthat’somedarkwoman，’thatis，ablackqueen，’isafterherhusband；’orviceversa，ifahusbandconsultsthecard-womanrespectingthesuspicionshemayhavereasontoentertainwithregardtohis’weakerrib’orhis’intended。’

Itneedscarcelybeobservedthatfortune-tellersinanyplaceare’postedup’inallinformationorgossipintheneighbourhood；andthereforetheyreadilyturntheirknowledgetoaccountintheanswerstheygivetoanxiousinquirers。

Apartfromthis，however，theinterpretationsaresoelaboratelycomprehensivethat’something’MUSTcometrueintherevelations；

andweallknowthatinsuchmattersthatsomethingcomingtopasswillfaroutweighthenon-fulfilmentofotherfatalordinations。Ofcoursenoprofessionalfortune-tellerwouldinformanoldmanthatsomedarkorfairmanwas’after’hisoldwoman；butnothingismoreprobablethantheconverse，andmuchfamilydistractionhasfrequentlyresultedfromsuchperverserevelationof’thecards。’Inlikemanneryourcleverfortune-tellerwillneverpromisehalf-a-dozenchildrento’anoldlady，’butshewillveryprobablyholdforththatpleasantprospect——ifsuchitbe——toabuxomlassofseventeenoreighteen——especiallyinthosecountiesofEnglandwheretheladiesareremarkableforsuchprofusebountytotheirhusbands。

Asageneralproposition，itmattersverylittlewhatmaybethemeansofvaticinationorprediction——whethercards，thetea-

groundsinthecup，&c。，——allPOSSIBLEeventshaveadegreeofprobabilityofcomingtopass，whichmayvaryfrom20to1downtoaperfectequalityofchance；andthecleverfortune-teller，whomaybemindfulofherreputation，willtakecaretoregulateherpromisesorpredictionsaccordingtothatproposition。

Manyeducatedladiesgivetheirattentiontothecards，andsomehaveacquiredgreatproficiencyintheart。OnboardasteamersailingforNewYork，ononeoccasionaFrenchladyamongthesaloon-passengersundertooktoamusethepartybytellingtheirfortunes。AScotchyounggentleman，whowasgoingouttotryandgetacommissionintheFederalarmy，hadhisfortunetold。

Amongtheannouncements，asinterpretedbythelady，wastheratherunpleasantprospectthattwoconstableswouldbe’after’

him！Wealllaughedheartilyattheoddthingsthatcameoutforeverybody，andthenthethingwasforgotten；thesteamerreachedherdestination；andallthecompanionsofthepleasantvoyageseparatedandwenttheirdifferentways。

Somemonthsafter，Imettheyounggentlemanabovealludedto，andamongthevariousadventureswhichhehadhad，hementionedthefollowing。HesaidthatshortlyafterhisarrivalinNewYorkhepresentedaten-dollarnotewhichhehadreceived，atadrinking-house，thatitwasdeclaredaforgednote，andthathewasgivenintocustody；butthatthemagistrate，onbeingconclusivelyconvincedofhisrespectability，dismissedthechargewithouteventakingthetroubletoestablishtheallegedfactthatthenotewasaforgery。Sofarsogood；butonthefollowingmorning，whilstatbreakfastathishotel，anotherpolice-officerpounceduponhim，andledhimoncemoreonthesamechargetoanothermagistrate，who，however，dismissedthecaseliketheother。[84]

[84]ItappearsthatthisisallowableinNewYork。Theexplanationoftheperverseprosecutionwas，thattheyounggentlemandidnot’fee’theworthypolicemen，accordingtocustominsuchcases。

ThereuponIsaid——’Why，theFrenchlady’scard-predictiononboardcametopass！Don’tyourememberwhatshesaidabouttwoconstablesbeing"afteryou"？’

’NowIrememberit，’hesaid；’butIhadpositivelyforgottenallaboutit。Well，shewasrightthere——butIamsorrytosaythatnothingelseshePROMISEDhascometopass。’

Doubtlessallotherconsultersofthecardsandofastrologerscansaythesame，althoughallwouldnotwiselyconcludethatasystemmustbeerroneouswhichmisleadshumanhopeinthegreatmajorityofcases。Infact，likethepredictionsinourweather-

almanacks，thefortune-teller’sannouncementsareonlyrightBY

CHANCE，andwrongONPRINCIPLE。

FORTUNE-TELLINGFORTYYEARSAGO，OR，THESTORYOFMARTHACARNABY。

AcertainMarthaCarnaby，atidybutrather’unsettled’servantgirl，somefortyyearsagowenttoanoldfortune-teller，tohaveherfortunetold，andthedoingsonbothsidescameoutasfollows，beforethemagistrateattheBowStreetpolice-court。

Thefortune-tellerwas’hadup，’asusual，’forobtainingmoneyandothervaluables’fromtheformer。

MissMarthaCarnabysaidthatthiscelebratedoldfortune-tellerhadfirstgainedheracquaintancebyattendingathermaster’shouse，beforethefamilyhadrisen，andurginghertohaveherfortunetold。Atlength，aftermuchpersuasion，sheconsented；

butthefortune-tellertoldherthatbeforethesecretsofherfuturedestinywererevealed，shemustdepositinherhandssomelittletoken，TOBINDTHECHARM，whichtheoldladysaidshewouldinvokethesameevening——’ifIwouldcallatherlodgings，andalsocastmynativitybyhercards，andtellmeeveryparticularofthefutureprogressofmylife。IaccordinglygaveherwhatmoneyIhad；butthat，shetoldme，wasnotenoughtobuytheingredientswithwhichshewastocomposethecharm。I

atlengthgaveherfoursilverteaspoonsandtwotablespoons，whichsheputcarefullyinherpocket；andthenaskedmetoletherlookatmyhand，whichIshowedher。Shetoldmethereweremanylinesinitwhichclearlyindicatedgreatwealthandhappiness；and，aftertellinghermynamewasMarthaCarnaby，shetookherdeparture，andIagreedtomeetheratherlodgingsthesameevening。Agreeablytoherdirections，IdressedmyselfinasfashionableamannerasIcould，becauseIWASTOSEEMY

SWEETHEARTTHROUGHAMIRROR，ANDHEWASTOSEEME。’

Thepoordeludedcreaturethenstatedthatsheattendedpunctuallyatthehourappointed，attheoldlady’ssanctum，andseatingherselfuponanoldchair，beheldwithastonishmentquiteasmuchasshebargainedfor。’Ifeltmyself，’saidpoorMartha，’onenteringtheroom，allofatwitter。Theoldwomanwasseatedinherchairofstate，and，reachingdownfromthemantel-pieceapackofcards，began，aftermutteringafewwordsinalanguageIcouldnotunderstand，tolaythemverycarefullyinherlap；shethenforetoldthatIshouldgetmarried，butnottothepersoninourhouse，asIexpected，buttoanotheryoungman，whom，ifIcouldaffordatrifle，shewouldshowmethroughherMATRIMONIALMIRROR。TothisIconsented，andshedesiredmetoshutmyeyesandkeepmyfacecoveredwhileshemadethenecessarypreparations；andthereshekeptme，withmyfacehidinherlap，untilIwasnearlysmothered；whensuddenlyshetoldmetoturnround，andlookthroughthemirror，whichwasseenthroughaholeinacurtain，andIsawayoungmanpassquicklybeforeme，staringmeintheface，atwhichIwasmuchsurprised，sheassuringmethathewouldbemyhusband。Itwasthenagreedthatshewastocallonmethenextmorning，andreturnthesilverspoons；but，yourWorship，’saidthepoorgirl，’shenevercame；andasIwasafraidmymistresswouldsoonwantthem，I

askedtheadviceofawomaninourneighbourhood，astowhatI

hadbetterdo，andtowhomIrelatedallthecircumstancesIhavetoldyourWorship；whenthewomanaskedmehowIcouldhavebeensuchafoolastobedupedbythatoldcheatatthebar，——thatshewasanotoriousoldwoman，thatshehadinheremploysomeyoungman，whowasalwayshidintheroom，tooverheartheconversation，andtorunfromoutofthehiding-placebeforethemirror；andthatIoughttobethankfulIcameawayaswellasI

did，asmanyyounggirlshadbeenruinedthroughgoingtothisoldcreature；that，fromheracquaintancewithsomanyservantgirls，shealwayscontrivedtogetfromthemsuchintelligenceasenabledhertoanswerthosequestionsthatmightbeputtoher，astothebusiness，name，placeofabode，country，andothercircumstancesofthepartyapplying，theansweringofwhichalwaysconvincedthecredulouscreatureswhowenttoher，ofhergreatskillintheartofastrology；andwhenshewasrightinherguessing，shealwaystookcaretohaveitwellpublished。’

Ofcourse，andagain，asusual，themagistrate’hopeditwouldbealessontoMartha，andtoallotherfoolishgirls，nevertohearkentothoseinfernal，wickedoldwretches，thefortune-tellers——manyagirlhavinglosthercharacterandvirtuebylisteningtotheirnonsense；’buttherehavebeenhundredsandthousandsofsuchMarthassincethen，andnodoubttherewillbeverymanymoreinfuture——inspiteoftheridiculousexposureofsuchdupeseverandanon，incourtsofjusticeandinthecolumnsofthedailypapers。

’Theartofcartomancy，ordivinationbyplaying-cards，datesfromanearlyperiodoftheirobscurehistory。InthemuseumofNantesthereisapainting，saidtobebyVanEyck，representingPhilippeleBon，ArchdukeofAustria，andsubsequentlyKingofSpain，consultingafortune-tellerbycards。Thispicturecannotbeofalaterdatethanthefifteenthcentury。ThentheartwasintroducedintoEnglandisunknown；probably，however，theearliestprintednoticeofitinthiscountryisthefollowingcuriousstory，extractedfromRowland’sJudicialAstrologyCondemned:——"Cuffe，anexcellentGrecian，andsecretarytotheEarlofEssex，wastold，twentyyearsbeforehisdeath，thatheshouldcometoanuntimelyend，atwhichCuffelaughed，andinascornfulmannerentreatedthesoothsayertoshowhiminwhatmannerheshouldcometohisend，whocondescendedtohim，andcallingforcards，entreatedCuffetodrawoutofthepackanythreewhichpleasedhim。Hedidso，anddrewthreeknaves，andlaidthemonthetablebythewizard’sdirection，whothentoldhim，ifhedesiredtoseethesumofhisbadfortune，totakeupthosecards。Cuffe，ashewasprescribed，tookupthefirstcard，andlookingonit，hesawtheportraitureofhimselfcap-a-pie，havingmenencompassinghimwithbillsandhalberds。

Thenhetookupthesecond，andtherehesawthejudgethatsatuponhim；andtakingupthelastcard，hesawTyburn，theplaceofhisexecution，andthehangman，atwhichhelaughedheartily。

Butmanyyearsafter，beingcondemned，herememberedanddeclaredthisprediction。"

’TheearliestworkoncartomancywaswrittenorcompiledbyoneFrancescoMarcolini，andprintedatVenicein1540。’[85]

[85]TheBookofDays，Feb。21。InthisworkthereisasomewhatdifferentaccountofcartomancytothatwhichIhaveexpounded’onthebestauthorities’andfrompracticalexperiencewiththeadeptsintheart；but，inamatterofsuchimmenseimportancetoladiesofalldegrees，Ihavethoughtpropertogive，infoot-notes，thedifferinginterpretationsofthewriterintheBookofDays，whoprofessestospeakwithsomeauthority，nothowever，Ithink，superiortomine，forIhaveinvestigatedthesubjecttotheutmost。

CHAPTERXIV。

AMUSINGCARDTRICKS。[86]

[86]ThesetricksappearedoriginallyinBeeton’sChristmasAnnual，andareherereproducedwithpermission。

Althoughmyworkisahistoryofgambling，inallitshorrors，andwithallitsterriblemoralwarnings，Igladlyconcludeit’happily，’afterthemannerofthemostpleasingnovelsandromances，——namely，byamethodofcontrivinginnocentandinterestingamusementwithcards，withoutthe’chance’ofencounteringtherisks，calamities，anddisgraceofgambling。

Iwasledtotheinvestigationofthisbranchofmysubjectbythefollowingincident。Beingpresentatapartywhenagentlemanperformedoneofthetricksdescribed，No。7，therestofthecompanyandmyselfwereallmuchsurprisedattheresult，andurgentlyrequestedhimtoexplainthemethodofhisperformance，which，however，hestoutlyrefusedtodo，averringthathewouldnottakeL1000forit。ThiswassoridiculouslyprovokingthatIofferedtobethimL5thatIwoulddiscoverthemethodwithin24hours。Tomyastonishmenthedeclinedthebet，not，however，withoutasortofcompliment，admittingthatI

MIGHTdoso。Hewasright；for，asEdgarPoeaverred，nomancaninventapuzzlewhichsomeothermancannotunravel。Ineffect，Icalleduponhimthefollowingday，andperformedthetricknotonlyaccordingtohismethod，butalsobyanother，equallysuccessful。Ihavereasontobelievethatmostofthetricksofmyselectionhadnotpreviouslyappearedinprint；atanyrate，I

havegiventoallofthemanexpositionwhichmayentitlethemtosomeclaimoforiginality。

PRELIMINARYHINTS。

I。Shuffling，inthesimpleandinoffensivesenseoftheexpression，isanimportantpointinalltrickswithcards。Forthemostpart，itisonlyapretenceordexterousmanagement——

keepingacardorcardsinyourcommandwhilstseemingtoshufflethemintothepack。

Everyperformerhashismethodofsuchshuffling。Someholdthepackperpendicularlywiththelefthand，thenwiththerighttakeaportionofthepack——aboutonehalf——andmakeashowofshufflingthetwopartstogetheredgeways，but，inreality，replacethemastheywere。Withrapidityofexecutioneveryeyeisthusdeceived。

Ifasinglecardistobeheldincommand，placeitatthebottomofthepack，whichyouholdinyourleft，andthen，withyourrightthumbandmiddlefinger，raiseandthrowsuccessivelyportionsofthepack，leavingthebottomcardincontactwiththefingersofthelefthand。

Withdexterity，anyportionofthepackmaybeshuffled，leavingtheremainderjustasitwas，byseparatingitduringtheprocessbyinsertingoneormorefingersofthelefthandbetweenitandtheportionsshuffled。

II。Cutting——notinthesenseofboltingatthesightof’blue，’

thoughthatisofconsequencetocard-sharpers——isofimportanceinallcardtricks。Inmanytrickscuttingthecardsisonlyapretence，asitisnecessaryforthesuccessofthetricktoreplacethemastheywere；intechnicalterms，wemust’blowupthecut。’[87]

[87]ThisisthesauterlacoupereferredtointhechapterontheGamingClubs，intheaccountofthetrialofLorddeRos。

See’Graham’sClub。’

Thereareseveralwaysofperformingthissleight-of-hand。Thecardsbeingcut，andformingtwolotsonthetable，smartlysnatchupthelotwhichshouldbeplacedontheother，withthelefthand。

Thislotbeingtakenupandthehandbeinginthepositionshowninthefigure，snatchupinlikemannertheotherlot，and，byamovementofthepalmofthehandandthetipsofthefingers，passthesecondlotunderthefirst。

Thedeceptionofthetrickdependsuponitsdexterity，andthiscanonlybeacquiredbypractice。Butreallyitmaybedispensedwith；foritisacuriousfactthat，ineverycasewhenthecardsarecut，youmayactuallyreplacethemjustastheywerewithoutbeingobservedbythespectators——forthesimplereasonthattheruseisnotsuspected，especiallyiftheirattentionisotherwiseengagedwithyourpointedobservations。

The’giftofthegab’isinthiscase，asinmanyothers，averygreatresource。Astrikingremarkorbonmotwilleasilymystifythespectators，andattracttheirattentionfromwhatyouareDOING。Henceallprestidigitatorsarealwayswellstockedwithanecdotesandfunnyobservations；indeed，theytalkincessantly:

theyspeakwell，too，andtheytakecaretotimethewordaccuratelywiththemomentwhentheirfingersactmostenergetically。

III。Toslipacard——Toslipacardistopretendtotakethebottomcardofthepack，andinrealitytotakethecardwhichprecedesit。Toperformthisfeatwithoutdetectionisaverysimpleaffair，butitrequirespractice。

Thepackofcardsbeingheldintherighthand，advancethelefthand——palmupwards——justasifyouwereseizingthelastcardwiththemiddlefinger；but，havingslightlymoistenedthisfingerwiththelips，pushbackthiscard，andmakeitslipunderthepalmoftherighthand，whilstyouseizetheprecedingcardwiththethumbandforefinger。

Inthismanneryoumaysuccessivelydrawoutseveralcardsbesidesthelast，andonlydrawthelastasthesixth，seventh，&c。，whichwillservetoeffectseveralinterestingtrickstobeexplainedinthesequel。

IV。Tofilethecard——Tofilethecardis，whenacardhasbeentakenfromthepacktopretendtoplaceitaboutthemiddleofthepack，whilst，inreality，youplaceitatthebottom。

Thepackmustbeheldinthelefthand，betweenthethumbandforefinger，sothatthethreeotherfingersbefree。Oneofthemiddlecardsshouldprojectalittle。Thentakethecardtobefiledbetweentheforefingerandthemiddlefingeroftherighthand；advancetherighthandfromtheleft，andwhilstthethreedisengagedfingersofthelefthandseizeandplacethecardunderthepack，thethumbandforefingeroftherightseizetheprojectingcardbeforementioned，sothatitseemstobethatcardwhichyouhaveslippedintothemiddleofthepack。Thesemovementsareveryeasy，and，whenrapidlyperformed，theillusioniscomplete。

TRICKS。

1。Totellacardthoughtofbyapartyafterthreedeals。

Taketwenty-onecardsofapack，anddealthemoutonebyoneinthreelots，requestingthepartytothinkofacard，andrememberinwhichlotitis。

Havingdealtoutthecards，askthepartyinwhichlotthecardis。

Takeupthelotssuccessively，andplacethelotcontainingthecardintheMIDDLE。

Dealoutthecardsagain，andaskthepartytostateinwhichlotthecardis；andproceedasbefore，placingthelotcontainingthecardinthemiddle。

Dealoutthecardsinlikemannerathirdtime，proceedingasbefore。

Thendealthemoutasusual，andtheeleventhcardwillbetheonethoughtof，infallibly。Thisistheusualwayofshowingthecardthoughtof；but，asthetrickmaybepartlydiscoveredbythecounting，itisbettertoholdthecardsinyourhand，andtakeouttheeleventhcard，countingtoyourself，ofcourse，fromthelefthand，butpretendingtobeconsideringtheguess。

Thisisapparentlyamostmysterioustrick，althoughanecessaryconsequenceofthepositionofthelotcontainingthecardinthethreedeals。

2。Thefourinseparablekings。

Takefourkings。Beneaththelastplaceanytwocards，whichyoutakecaretoconceal。Thenshowthefourkingsandreplacethesixcardsunderthepack。

Thentakeakingandplaceitinthetopofthepack，placeoneoftheTWOOTHERCARDSinthemiddle，andtheotheraboutthesameplace，andthen，turningupthepack，showthatonekingisstillatthebottom。Thenletthecardsbecut，andasthreekingswereleftbelow，allmustnecessarilygettogethersomewhereaboutthemiddleofthepack。Ofcourseinplacingthetwoothercardsyoupretendtobeplacingtwokings。

3。Thebarmaidandthethreevictimizers。

Forthisamusingtrickyouarrangethecardsthus:Holdingthepackinyourhands，findalltheknaves，placeoneofthemnexttoyourlefthand，andtheotherthreeonthetable。Thenfindaqueen，whichalsoplaceonthetable。Thensay:——

’Threescampswentintoatavern，andordereddrink。Heretheyare——thethreeknaves。"Who’stopay？Ican’t，"saidthefirst。

"Iwon’t，"saidthesecond。"Iwishshemaygetit，"saidthethird。"I’llmanageit，"saidthefirst，thegreatestrogueofthethree。"Isay，myprettygirl，haven’tyousomeveryoldwineinyourcellar？"Here’sthebarmaidthusaddressedbytherogueinquestion(showingthequeen)，andshereplied:——"Ohyes，sir，primeoldwine。""Let’shaveabottle。"[Offwentthebarmaid。Putthequeeninyourpocket。]"Nowforit，mylads，"

saidtheknaveinquestion；"’mizzle’istheword。Let’sbeoffinoppositedirections，andmeetto-night；youknowwhere。"

Hereupontheydecamped，takingoppositedirections，whichIwillindicatebyplacingoneonthetopofthepack，oneatthebottom，andtheotherinthemiddle。

’Whenthepoorbarmaidreturned[takingoutthequeenfromyourpocket]withthewine，greatwasherastonishmenttofindtheroomempty。"Lor！"sheexclaimed，"why，Idodeclare——didyouever！——Oh！butI’mnotagoingtobesarvedso。I’llcatchtherogues，allofthem——thatIwill。"Andoffshewentafterthem，asshownbyplacingherON，oratanyrate，AFTERthefirst。

’Now，tocatchthethreeseemedimpossible；buttheladieshavealwayssmiledatimpossibilities，andwondersnevercease；for，ifyouhavethegoodnesstocutthesecards，youwillfindthatsheHAScaughtthethreerogues。’

Whenthecardsarecut，proceedintheUSUALWAYaftercutting——NOTasrequiredinthelasttrick；andtakingupthecards，youwillfindthequeenandthreeknavestogether，whichyoutakeoutandexhibittotheastonishedaudience。

Ofcourse，oneoftheseknavesisnotoneofthethreefirstexhibited，buttheonewhichyouslippedonyourlefthandatfirst。Thereisnochanceofdetection，however；simplyforthereasonbeforegiven——nobodysuspectsthetrick。

4。Howtonameeverycardinapacksuccessivelyturnedupbyasecondparty，andwineverytrickatahandofWhist。

Thisis，perhaps，themostastonishingofalltrickswithcards。

Althoughitmaybetruethatwhateverpuzzleonemaninvents，someothermanmayunravel，asbeforeobserved，Iamdecidedlyofopinionthatthistrickdefiesdetection。Atthefirstblushitseemsverydifficulttolearn；butitissimplicityitselfinexplanation。

Beginbylayingoutthecardsinfourrowsaccordingtothesuits，allofasuitinarowsidebyside。

Thecardsmustnowbearrangedforthetrick。Takeupthesixinthetoporbottomrow，thenthetwointhenextrow，theteninthethird，andthenineinthefourth，placingthemoneupontheotherinthelefthand。Thenbeginagainwiththerowfromwhichyoutookthesix，andtakeupthethree。Fromthenextrowtaketheking。Thesenumberswillbeeasilyrememberedwithalittlepractice，amountingaltogetherto30，madeupthus——6and2are8，8and10are18，18and9are27，27and3are30——KING。

Byrepeatingthisadditionafewtimes，itwillbefixedinthememory。

Proceedbynextbeginningwiththerownexttotheonefromwhichyoutookthelastcardortheking，andtaketheeight；fromthenextrowtakethefour；fromthenexttheace；fromthenexttheknave。Thesecardsmakeup13。Thereforesay，8and4are12

and1are13——knave。

Fromthenextrowtothatwhenceyoutooktheknave，taketheseven；fromthenextrowtakethefive；fromthenextthequeen。

Thesecardsmakeup12。Thus，7and5are12——queen。

Itthusappearsthatyouhavetakenupthirteencardsconsistingofthefoursuits，successivelytakenandbeingarrangedasfollows:——6，2，10，9，3，king；8，4，1，knave；7，5，queen。

Proceedinlikemannerwiththeremainderofthecards，beginningwiththerownexttothatfromwhichyoutookthequeen，andtakethesix，thenfromthenextrowthetwo，andsoonasbefore，makingupanotherbatchof13cards。

Repeattheprocessforathirdbatch，andfinishwiththeremainderforthefourth——alwaysrememberingtotakethecardfromthenextrowinsuccessioncontinually；inotherwords，onlyonecardmustbetakenfromeachrowatatime。

Whenthecardsarethusarranged，requestapartytocutthem。

Thisisonlypretence；foryoumusttakecaredexterouslytoreplacethecutjustasitwasbefore。Letthembecutagain，andreplacethemasbefore。Yourrusewillnotbedetected，simplybecausenobodysuspectsthepossibilityofthething。

Nowtakeupthepack，andfromtheBOTTOMtakethefirstfourcards；handingtheremaindertoaparty，sittingbeforeyou，saying——’Ishallnowcalleverycardinsuccessionfromthetopofthepackinyourhand。’

Todothis，twothingsmustberemembered；andthereisnodifficultyinit。First，thenumbers6，2，10，9，3，king，&c。，beforegiven；andnexttheSUITofthosecards。

NowyouknowtheNUMBERSbyheart，andtheSUITisshownbythefourcardswhichyouholdinyourhand，fan-like，intheusualway。Ifthefirstofthefourcardsbeaclub，thefirstcardyoucallwillbethesixofclubs；ifthenextbeaheart，thenextcardcalledwillbethetwoofhearts，andsoonthroughoutthethirteenmadeupfromeveryrow，asbeforegiven，andthesuitsofeachcardwillbeindicatedsuccessivelybythesuitofeachofyourfourindicatorcards，thus，asthecasemaybe，clubs，hearts，diamonds，spades；clubs，hearts，diamonds，spades，andsoon。

Afteralittleprivatepractice，youwillreadilyandrapidlycall，asthecasemaybe，fromthefourcardsinyourhand:——thesixofclubs，twoofhearts，tenofdiamonds，nineofspades，threeofclubs，kingofhearts，eightofdiamonds，fourofspades，aceofclubs，knaveofhearts，sevenofdiamonds，fiveofspades，queenofclubs——andsoontothelastcardinthepack。

Inthemidstoftheastonishmentproducedbythisseeminglyprodigiousdisplayofmemory，say——’Now，ifyoulike，wewillhaveahandatWhist，andIundertaketowineverytrickifIbeallowedtodeal。’

LettheWhistpartybeformed，andgetthecardscutasusual——

onlytakingcaretoREPLACEthem，asbeforeenjoined，preciselyastheywere。Dealthecards，andtheresultwillbethatyourthirteencardswillbeALLTRUMPS。Letthegameproceeduntilyouropponents’giveitup’inutterbewilderment。

Thissplendidtrickseemsdifficultindescription，butitisoneoftheeasiest；andevenwereittentimesmoredifficultthanitis，thereaderwillperhapsadmitthatitisworthmastering。

Oncecommittedtomemorythefiguresareneverforgotten，andafewrepetitions，withthecardsbeforeyou，willsufficetoenableyoutoretainthem。

5。Twopersonshavingeachdrawnacardandreplacedtheminthepack，toguessthesecards。

Makeasetofalltheclubsandspades，andanothersetofheartsanddiamonds。Shufflewelleachset，andevenletthembeshuffledbythespectators。Thenrequestapersontodrawacardfromoneofthesets，andanotherpersontodrawonefromthesecondset。

Younowtakeasetineachhand，presentingthemtothetwopersons，requestingthemtoreplacethedrawncards。Youmustpretendtopresenttoeachpersonthesetfromwhichhedrewhiscard，butinrealityyoupresenttheredsettothepersonwhodrewtheblackcard，andtheblacksettothepersonwhodrewtheredcard。

Eachpersonhavingreplacedhiscard，yougeteachsetshuffled。

Thenyoutaketheminhand，andbyrunningthemoveryoueasilyfindtheredcardamongsttheblack，andtheblackcardamongstthered。

Ofcourseyouwillhavepreparedthesetsbeforehand，andtakecaretoalterthearrangementassoonaspossibleafterthetrick。Butyoucanpreparethepackinthepresenceofotherswithouttheirdetectingit。Distributethecardsbydealingaccordingtothetwocolours；takethemup，andhavingplacedtheredsetalittleprojectingovertheblack，setthemdown，and，pretendingtocutthem，separatethesets。

6。Twentycardsbeingarrangeduponatable，apersonthinksoftwo，andyouundertaketoguessthem。

Layouttwentycardsofanykind，twobytwo，——

|c|i|c|o|s|——

|d|e|d|i|t|——

|t|u|m|u|s|——

|n|e|m|o|n|——

andrequestapartytothinkoftwoinaline；thatis，oneofthetensetsformedbythetwentycards。Thisdoneyoutakeupthesetsintheorderinwhichtheylie，andplacetheminrowsaccordingtothelettersofthewords。Youmayuseadiagramlikethepreceding，butasthewordsareeasilyretainedithadbetterbedispensedwith，distributingthecardsonthetablejustasthoughuponthediagram，whichwillmakethetrickmorepuzzlingandextraordinary。Proceedasfollows:——Placethecardstwobytwoonsimilarletters:thus，placethetwocardsofthefirstsetonthetwod’sindedit；thetwocardsofthesecondsetonthetwoi’sofcicosanddedit；thetwoofthethirdsetonthetwoc’s，andsoonwiththetensets。

Allthelettersofthewordsbeingthuscovered，askthepartywhohasthoughtofthecardstotellyouinwhichlinesthesecardsare。Ifbothareinthefirstline(cicos)，theymustbethoseonthetwoc’s；iftheyarebothinthesecondline，theycoverthed’sindedit；bothinthethirdline，theycovertheu’sintumus；bothinthefourth，theycoverthen’sinnemon。

Ifonebeinthefirstlineandtheotherinthesecond，theycoverthei’sincicosanddedit，andthusoftherest——thetwocardsthoughtofNECESSARILYcoveringtwoSIMILARLETTERS，whilsteachofthelettersoccursonlyTWICEinthediagram。

7。Totellacardthoughtofwithoutevenlookingatthecards。

Takeanynumberofcards，——saytwenty。Pretendtoshufflethemwiththefacestowardsyou，andREMEMBERTHEFIRSTCARDasyouclosethepack——supposethetenofdiamonds。TellthepartythattheonlyconditionyourequireistobetoldtheORDERinwhichthecardisdealtoutbyyou；inotherwords，hemusttellyouwhetherindealingitcomesoutfirst，second，third，&c。

Rememberingyourfirstcard，youmaythenturnyourbacktohim，anddealoutthecardsonebyone，andoneuponthetopoftheother，requestinghimtothinkofacardanditsorderasbeforesaid。

Thentakeupthecards，andshufflethemrepeatedly，bythrowingaportionofthemfromthebottomtothetop，takingcarenottomixthecardsorletanydrop，andthenletthepartycutthemasoftenashepleases。Then，takethecardsinhand。Pretendtoexaminethemmysteriously，butinrealityonlylookforYOUR

card——thefirstdealtout——thetenofdiamondsforinstance。

Now，supposehetellsyouthatthecardhethoughtofcameoutFIFTH。Then，foracertainty，itisthefourthcardontheRIGHT

ofthetenofdiamonds，inspiteofallYOURshuffling，andallregularcutting，forsuchshufflingandregularcuttingcannotaltertheorderorsequenceofthecards。Alwaysremembertocountfromyourowncardinclusivetothenumberofthecardthoughtoftowardsyourrighthand。Butshouldyourcardhappentobesoneartherighthandorthetopasnottoallowsufficientcounting，thencountasfarasitadmitstotheRIGHT

andthencontinueattheLEFT。Thus，supposethereareonlytwocardsabovethetenofdiamonds，thencounttwomoreontheleft，makingthefifth。Ifthecardyouremember，oryourfirstcard，isfirst，thencounttherequisitenumberontheleft，alwaysbeginningwithYOURcard，however。

TheREASONofthistrickissimplythatbymerelycuttingthecards，andshufflingtheminthewayindicated，youdonotaltertheSEQUENCEofthecards。WithregardtothissortofSHUFFLING，ImaysaythatitissimplyCUTTINGthecards——alwayspreservingtheirsequence——amostimportantfactforcard-players，sinceitmayleadtoaprettyaccurateconjectureofallthehandsafteradeal，fromthestudyoftheoneinhand，withreferencetothetricksturneddownafterthepreviousdeal，asalreadysuggested。Hence，inshufflingforwhistorothergames，thecardsshouldnotbeshuffledinthisway，butmorethoroughlymixedbytheedgewiseshufflingofcertainplayers。

ThisisthetrickIalludedtoatthecommencementofthechapter，themodeofperformingwhichIsucceededindiscovering。

OfcourseANYNUMBERofpersonsmaythinkofcards，rememberingtheirorder，andtheoperatorwilltellthem，inlikemanner。

8。Apersonhavingthoughtofoneoffifteencardspresentedtohim，toguessthecardthoughtof。

Formthreeranksoffivecardseach，andrequestapartytothinkofoneofthesecards，andtellyouinwhichrankitis。Takeupthecardsofthethreeranks，takingcaretoplacethecardsoftheranksinwhichisthecardthoughtofbetweenthoseofthetwootherranks。

Makethreemoreranksasbefore。Askthepartyagaininwhichrankthecardis，andtakethemup，placingtherankinwhichthecardisbetweenthetwoothers。Operateinlikemannerathirdtime，andthecardthoughtofwillinfalliblybetheTHIRDoftheranknamedbytheparty。

Observe，however，youmustnotformeachrankwithfiveconsecutivecards；butyoumustplacethecardsonebyone，placingonesuccessivelyineachrank；thus，oneatthetopontheleftofthefirstrank，onebelowthatfirstforthesecondrank，onebelowthesecondforthethirdrank，thenoneinthefirst，oneinthesecond，oneinthethird，andsoon。

Thistrick，whichisveryeasy，alwaysproducesagreateffect。

Itonlyrequiresalittleattention，anditcanneverfailunlessyoumakeamistakeinarrangingthecards，which，however，istoosimpletoadmitoferror。

9。Twopersonshavingeachdrawnacardfromapack，andhavingreplacedthem，totellthesecardsafterthepackhasbeenshuffledandcutbythespectatorsasoftenastheylike。

Thecardsmaybeeasilydividedintotwonumericalparts，evenandodd:bytakingakingforfourpoints，aqueenforthree，aknavefortwo，andtheothercardsfortheirespecialpoints，wemaymakeuptwosetsofsixteencardseach，theevencomposingone，andtheoddtheother。Thesetwosetsbeingbeforetheperformer，hetakesone，shufflesitwell，andletsapartytakeacard。Hethentakestheother，shufflesit，andletsanotherpartytakeacard。Then，whilsteachpartyislookingathiscard，whichHEISREQUESTEDTODO，theperformerdexterouslychangestheplaceofthetwosets，andherequeststhepartiestoreplacethecardsinthesetwhencetheytookthem。ItfollowsthatthepartywhotookacardfromtheEVENsetplacesitintheODDset，andhewhotookitfromtheODDsetplacesitintheevenset。Consequently，alltheshufflingandcuttingintheworldwillbeuseless，fortheperformerhasonlytospreadoutthecardsofeachsettopointoutthecardsdrawn。

10。Singulararrangementofsixteencards。

Takethefourkings，thefourqueens，thefourknaves，andthefourtensofapack，andaskiftherebeanyoneinthecompanywhocanformasquarewiththeminsuchamannerthat，takeninanydirection，fromrighttoleft，fromthetoptothebottom，bythediagonal——anyhow，infact——therewillalwaysbeineachlineaking，queen，knave，andaten。Everybodywillthinkthethingeasy，butitiscertainthatnoonewillsucceedindoingit。

Whenthey’giveitup，’takethesixteencardsandarrangethemasshown，whentheking，queen，knave，andtenwillstandasrequired。

11。Theseventrick。

Makeupthefoursevensofapack，andtakesevenothercards，nomatterwhich，foranotherlot，and，presentingbothlots，yousay:——Herearetwolotstotallydissimilar；nevertheless，thereisoneofseven，andIdeclareitwillbethefirsttouchedbyanypartypresent。Ofcourse，whentouched，youatonceproveyourwordsbyexhibitingeitherthesevensorthesevencards——

takingcaretomixthecardsintothepackimmediatelytopreventdetection。

12。Infalliblemethodforguessinganynumberthatapartyhasthoughtof。

Takethefirsttencardsofapackof52cards。Setoutthesetencardsasshownbelow，sothatthepointAshouldcorrespondtotheace，andto1——thepointFtothecardrepresentingthe6——andEtothe10。

234

BCD

1A——E5

10K——F6

IHG

987

Thusprepared，yourequestapartytothinkofacard，andthenyoutellhimtotouchanynumberhepleases，requestinghimtonameitaloud。Then，addingthewholenumberofthecardstothenumbertouched，youtellhimtocountbackwardstohimself，beginningwiththecardtouched，andgivingtothatcardthenumberoftheonethoughtof。Bycountinginthisway，thepartywillatlengthcounttheentirenumberonthecardthoughtof，whichyouwillthusbeabletodesignatewithcertainty。

Example:——SupposethecardthoughtofisG，marking7；again，supposingtheonetouchedtobeD，equalto4；youaddtothisnumbertheentirenumberofcards，whichis，inthiscase，10，whichwillmake14。Then，makingthepartycountthissum，fromthenumbertouched，DtoC，B，A，andsoon，backwards，sothatincommencingtocountthenumberthoughtof，7onD，thepartywillcontinue，saying，8onC，9onB，10onA，11onK，12onI，13onH，andendwithcounting14onG；andyouwillthusdiscoverthatthenumberthoughtofis7，whichcorrespondstoG。

OfcoursethepartycountsTOhimself，andonlyspeakstodesignatethepointonwhichhestops，namely，Ginthisexample。

Thistrickmaybeperformedwithanynumberofcards——asfewassix，orasmanyasfifteen。Thenyoumustalwaysaddtothenumberthetotalofthecardsused。Thetrickwillbemuchmoreinterestingandstrikingifyouturnthecardsfacedownwards，onlytrustingtoyourmemorytoretaintheorderofthenumbers。

Ofcourse，thelettersareonlyusedtofacilitatetheexplanation。Thecardsreallyformasortofcircle，beginningat1ortheaceontheleft，andthencontinuingwiththe2，the3，the4，the5，andsoon，tothe10belowtheace；and，bynecessity，thepartymustendhiscountingwiththeverycardhethoughtof，beginningfromtheonehehappenstopointout。

13。Thecardthatcannotbefound。

Takeanynumberofcardsandspreadthemoutfan-likeinyourhand，facesfrontingthespectators。

Askoneofthemtoselectacard。Youtellhimtotakeit，andthentoplaceitatthebottomofthepack。Youholdupthepack，sothatthespectatorsmayseethatthecardisreallyatthebottom。Supposethiscardisthekingofhearts。

Then，pretendingtotakethatcard，youtakethecardprecedingit，andplaceitatapointcorrespondingtoAinthefollowingfigure。

AC

BD

Youthentakethecarddrawn，namely，thekingofhearts，andplaceitatthepointcorrespondingtoBintheabovefigure。

Finally，youtakeanytwoothercards，andplacethematCandD。

Ofcourse，thecardsareplacedfacedownwards。

Afterthislocationofthecards，youtellthepartywhohaschosenthecardthatyouwillchangethepositionofthecards，bypushingalternatelythatatthepointAtoB，andthatatDtoC，andviceversa；andyoudefyhimtofollowyouinthesegyrationsofthecard，andtofindit。

Ofcourse，seeingnodifficultyinthething，andbelievingwitheverybodythathiscardisplacedatthepointA，hewillundertaketofollowandfindhiscard。Thenperformingwhatyouundertaketodo，yourapidlychangetheplacesofthecards，andyetslowlyenoughtoenablethepartytokeepinviewthecardwhichhethinkshisown，andsothatyoumaynotlosesightoftheoneyouplacedatB。

Havingthusarrangedthecardsforafewmoments，youaskthepartytoperformhispromisebypointingouthiscard。Feelingsurethatheneverlostsightofit，heinstantlyturnsoneofthecardsandisastonishedtofindthatitisnothisown。Thenyousay:——’Itoldyouyouwouldnotbeabletofollowyourcardinitsramble。ButIhavedonewhatyoucouldn’tdo:hereisyourcard！’

Theastonishmentofthespectatorsisincreasedwhenyouactuallyshowthecard；for，havingmadethemobserveinthefirstinstance，thatyoudidnotevenlookatthedrawncard，theyareutterlyatalosstodiscoverthemeansyouemployedtofindoutandproducethecardinquestion。

14。Cardsbeingdrawnfromapack，togetthemguessedbyapersonblindfolded。

Atalltheseperformancestherearealwaysamongstthespectatorspersonsinleaguewiththeprestidigitator。Inthepresentcaseawomanistheassistant，withwhomhehasenteredintoanarrangementbywhicheachcardisrepresentedbyaletterofthealphabet；andthefollowingarethecardsselectedforthetrickwiththeirrepresentativeletters。

Theperformertakesahandkerchiefandblindfoldstheladyinquestion，andplacesherinthecentreofthecircleofspectators。Thenspreadingoutthecards，herequestseachofthespectatorstodrawacard。

Herequeststhefirsttogivehimthecardhehasdrawn；helooksatit，andplacingitonthetablefacedownwards，heaskstheladytonamethecard，whichshedoesinstantlyandwithouthesitation。

Ofcoursethisappearswonderfultothespectators，andtheirastonishmentgoesonincreasingwhilsttheladynameseverycardinsuccessiontothelast。

Itis，however，averysimpleaffair。Eachcardrepresentsaletterofthealphabet，asweseebythefigure，andalltheperformerhastodoistobegineveryquestionwiththelettercorrespondingtothecard。

Supposethepartyhasdrawnthekingofhearts。ItsletterisA。

Theperformerexclaims——’Ah！I’msureyouknowthis！’TheAatoncesuggeststhecardinquestion。Supposeitistheaceofclubs。Hesays——’Jumpatconclusionsifyoulike，butbesureinhittingthiscardonthenail。’Jbeginsthephrase，andrepresentsthecardinquestion。Supposeitisthetenofspades，hecriesout——’Zounds！ifyoumistakethisyouarenotsocleveramediumasItookyoufor。’Theaceofdiamonds——’Quiteeasy，mydearsir，’or’mydearma’am，’asthecasemaybe。Q

representstheaceofdiamonds。Thequeenofdiamonds——’Oh，thebeauty！’Theaceofhearts——’Dearme！whatisthis？’Theaceofspades——’Youarealwaysright，nameit。’Thenineofdiamonds——

’So！so！well，I’msuresheknowsit。’

Doubtlessthesespecimenswillsufficetosuggestphrasesforeveryothercard。Suchphrasesmaybewrittenoutandgotbyheart——onlytwenty-threebeingrequired；butthisseemsuseless，foritdoesnotrequiremuchtactatimprovisationtohituponaphrasecommencingwithanyletter。However，itwillbebettertotakeeveryprecautionratherthanruntheriskofstoppingintheperformance，whosesuccessmainlydependsupontheapparentlyinspiredrapidityoftheanswers。Theperformermightconcealinthehollowofhishandasmalltableexactlylikethefigure，tofacilitatehisquestions。Asforthemedium，he，orshe，mustrelyentirelyonmemory。Ofcoursethespectatorsmaybeallowedtoseethatthemediumiscompletelyblindfolded。Thismoderntrickhasalwayspuzzledthekeenestspectators15。Themysteryofdoublesight。

Allthecardsofapack，orindeedanycommonobjecttouchedbyaspectator，maybenamedbyanassistantinthefollowingway——

whilstinanotherapartment，orblindfolded。

Take32cardsandarrangetheminfourlines，oneundertheother。Youarrangewithyourassistanttonamethefirstlineafterthedaysoftheweek；thesecondwillrepresenttheweeks，thethirdthemonths，thefourththeyears。Theassistantisenjoinedtocountthedaysaloud，andthefirstcardbytheleft。

Thefollowingistheentirescheme:——

Days12345678*

Weeks12345678

Months123**45678

Years1234567***8

Thecardsbeingthusarranged，thepartywhohastoguessthemretiresfromtheroom。Whenheisrecalled，whetherblindfoldedornot，hepretendstocounttohimselfforaconsiderabletime，soastoallowhisassociatetimetosaytohim，withoutaffectationorexcitingsuspicionofcollusion——’Igiveyou，’or’IgivehimSOMUCHTIMEtoguesswhatisrequired；’foritisinthisphrasethatthewholesecretofthetrickiscontained，asI

shallproceedtodemonstrate。

Supposethecardtouchedbeoneofthosemarkedwiththeasterisks******；ifitbethefirst，theassociatesays，；I

givehimeightdaystoguessit。’Thenthemedium，beginningwiththeupperline，thatofthedays，willatoncebeabletosaythatthecardtouchedistheeighthofthefirsthorizontalline，orthefirstoftheeighthverticalline。

Ifitbethecardholdingtheplaceofthenumbermarkedwithtwoasterisks**theassociatesays’threemonths，’and’sevenyears’

fortheonemarkedwiththreeasterisks***。

Thus，whatevercardistouched，itwillbeeasytoindicateit，bybeginningwiththelineofdaysatthetop，countingonefromtheleftoftheassociateandmedium。

Suchisthesimpleprocess；andthefollowingistheconventionalcatechismadoptedbyalltheoperatorsindoublesight，withafewvariationsadaptedtocircumstances。

Withthiscollectionofwordsandphrases，everyexistingobjectcanbeguessed，providedcarebetakentoclassifythemaccordingtothefollowingindications。

Tooperate，twopersonsmustestablishaperfectunderstandingbetweenthem。Oneundertakesthequestions，theothertheanswers，thelatterhavinghiseyesperfectlyblindfolded。Bothofthemmustthoroughlyknowthefollowingnumberswiththeircorrespondences:——

1。Now。9。Quick。

2。Answerorreply。10。Say。

3。Name。20。Tellme。

4。Whatistheobject，orthing。30。Irequestyou。

5。Try。40。Willyou。

6。Again。50。Willyou(to)me。

7。Instantly。60。Willyou(to)us。

8。Which？

Example:——Addthequestionofthesimplenumbertothequestionofthedecadeorten。Thus，inpronouncingthewords’Saynow，’

11——forsayis10，andnowis1，total11。This，therefore，formsquestion11。

Again——’Tellmewhichnumber，’28——for’tellme’is20，and’which’is8，total28。

Thirdly:——’Irequestyouinstantly，’37；for’Irequestyou’is30，and’instantly’is7，total37。

Alltheexpressionsorwordsthatfollowaretotallyindependentoftheanswer，andareonlyadaptedtoembellishormystifythequestionasfarastheaudienceisconcerned。Forinstance:

Question7。Instantly，whatIhaveinmyhand？Answer，Awatch。

Question9。Quick，thehour？Answer，nineo’clock。

Question30，Irequestyou(2)reply——theminutes。Answer，32

minutes，thatis30and2，equalto32。

Itwouldbeuselesstogivetheentirecorrespondenceinventedforthisapparentlymysteriousrevelation，asafewspecimenswillsufficetoshowtheprinciple。

SaywhatIhold？Ahandkerchief。

SaynowwhatIhold？Asnuff-box。

Say，reply，whatIhold？Apairofspectacles。

SayandnamewhatIhold？Abox。

SayandtrytosaywhatIhold？Ahat。

SayquicklywhatIhold？Anumbrella。

Tellme，reply，whatIhold？Aknife。

TellmewhatIhold？Apurse。

TellmenowwhatIhold？Apipe。

TellmeandtrytosaywhatIhold？Aneedle。

TellmequicklywhatIhold？Acane。

IrequestyoutosaywhatIhold？Aportfolio。

IrequestyoutosaynowwhatIhold？Paper。

Irequestyoutosay，reply，whatIhold？Abook。

IrequestyoutosayquicklywhatIhold？Acoin。

Willyousay，reply，whatIhold？——Acigar。

Willyousay，namewhatIhold？——Acane。

Willyousay，again，whatIhold？——Anewspaper。

Now，whatIhold？——Abottle。

Reply，whatIhold？——Ajug。

NamewhatIhold？——Aglass。

Again，whatcontainsthisvessel？——Wine。

Instantly，whatthisvesselcontains？——Beer。

Nowtheform？——Triangular。

Reply，theform？——Round。

Nametheform？——Square。

Theform？——Oval。

Trytoindicatetheform？——Pointed。

Again，indicatetheform？——Flat。

Now，thecolour？——White。

Reply，thecolour？——Blue。

Namethecolour？——Red。

Thecolourofthisobject？——Black。

Trytotellthecolour？——Green。

Again，thecolour？——Yellow。

Now，themetal？——Gold。

Reply，themetal？——Silver。

Themetalofthething？——Copper。

Again，themetal？——Iron。

Instantly，themetal？——Lead。

Ah！thefigureorhour？——1。

Well？——2。’Tisgood？——3。

’Tiswell？——4。

Good？——5。

But？——6。

Let’ssee？——7。

That’sit？——8。

&c。

Nownamethesuitofthiscard？——Clubs。

Reply，thesuitofthiscard？——Hearts。

Namethesuitofthiscard？——Spades。

Thesuitofthiscard？——Diamonds。

Itisobvious，fromtheprecedingspecimen，thataconventionalcatechisminvolvingeveryobjectcanbecontrivedbytwopersons，andadaptedtoeverycircumstance。Thestrikingperformancesofthemostnotoriousmesmeric’patients’inthislineprovethepossibilityoftheachievement。The’agent’whoreceivesthequestionsinwritingorinawhisperthuscommunicatestheanswertothepatient，whoislaboriouslytrainedintheentireencyclopaediaof’commonthings’andthingsgenerallyknown；butitMAYhappenthatthequestionproposedbythespectatorhasbeenomittedinthescheme。

Ononeoccasion，whenthefamousPrudencewasthe’patient，’andwastellingthetasteofallmannerofliquidsfromaglassofwater，Iproposed’Blood’tothe’agent。’Heshookhishead，saidhewouldtry；butitwasuseless。Shesaidshe’couldn’tdoit，’andtheagentfranklyadmittedthatitwasafailure。

Now，ifthemesmericconsciousnesswerereally，aspretended，theresultofmentalintercommunicationbetweentheagentandpatient，itisobviousthatthewell-knowntasteofbloodcouldbecommunicatedaswellasanyothertaste。Thisexperimentsufficestoprovethattherevelationsarecommunicatedinthematter-of-factwaywhichIhavesufficientlydescribed。

Shouldithappenthataspectatorhasdiscoveredthemethod，theperformerseasilyturnthetablesagainsthim。Theyhavealwaysreadyaconventionallistofcommonthings；andtheagentundertakesthathismesmericpatientwillindicatethemwithouthearingawordfromhim，eveninanotherapartment。Theagentthenmerelytouchestheobject，andthepatientbeginswiththefirstnameinhislist。Thepatienttakescaretogivetheagentsufficienttime，lestheshouldnametheobjectnexttobetouchedbeforetheagentapplieshisfinger，andthus，asitwere，callforitratherthannameitwhentouched，asrequiredbythecase。

1。Guessing。

Fivepersonshavingeachthoughtofadifferentcard，toguessfivecards。

Taketwenty-fivecards，showfiveofthemtoaparty，requestinghimtothinkofone，thenplacethemoneupontheother。Proceedinlikemannerwithfivemoretoasecondparty，andsoon，fivepartiesinall，placingthefivesonthetopofeachother。

Then，beginningwiththetopcards，makefivelots，placingonecardsuccessivelyineachlot；andaskthefiveparties，oneaftertheother，inwhichlottheircardis。Asthefirstfivecardsarethefirstofeachlot，itisevidentthatthecardthoughtofbythefirstpartyisthefirstofthelothepointsto；thatofthesecond，isthesecondofthelothepointsto；

thatofthethird，thethirdofthethirdlot；thatofthefourth，thefourthofthefourthlot；thatofthefifth，thefifthofthefifthlot。

Ofcoursefivepersonsarenotnecessary。Iftherebebutoneperson，thecardmustbethefirstofthelothepointsto。

Itwouldbemoreartistic，perhaps，ifyoudispensewithseeingthecards，makingthelotsupwithyoureyesturnedawayfromthetable。Thenrequestthepartiestoobserveinwhichlottheirrespectivecardis，and，takingthelotssuccessivelyinhand，presenttoeachthecardthoughtofwithoutlookingatityourself。

17。TheArithmeticalPuzzle。

Thiscardtrick，towhichIhavealludedinapreviouspage，cannotfailtoproduceastonishment；anditisoneofthemostdifficulttounravel。

Handapackofcardstoaparty，requestinghimtomakeupparcelsofcards，inthefollowingmanner。Heistocountthenumberofpipsonthefirstcardthatturnsup，sayafive，andthenaddasmanycardsasarerequiredtomakeupthenumber12；

inthecaseheresupposed，havingafivebeforehim，hewillplacesevencardsuponit，turningdowntheparcel。Allthecourtcardscountas10pips；consequently，onlytwocardswillbeplacedonsuchtomakeup12。Theacecountsasonlyonepip。

Hewillthenturnupanother，countthepipsuponit，addingcardsasbeforetomakeupthenumber12；andsoon，untilnomoresuchparcelscanbemade，theremainder，ifany，tobesetaside，allbeingturneddown。

Duringthisoperation，theperformerofthetrickmaybeoutoftheroom，atanyrate，atsuchadistancethatitwillbeimpossibleforhimtoseethefirstcardsoftheparcelswhichhavebeenturneddown；andyetheisabletoannouncethenumberofpipsmadeupbyallthefirstcardslaiddown，providedheisonlyinformedofthenumberofparcelsmadeupandthenumberoftheremainder，ifany。

Thesecretisverysimple。Itconsistsmerelyinmultiplyingthenumberofparcelsoverfourby13(orratherviceversa)，andaddingtheremainingcards，ifany，totheproduct。

Thus，therehavejustbeenmadeupsevenpackets，withfivecardsover。Deducting4from7，3remain；andIsaytomyself13times3(orrather3times13)are39，andaddingtothisthefivecardsover，Iatoncedeclarethenumberofpipsmadeupbythefirstcardsturneddowntobe44。

Thereisanotherwayofperformingthisstrikingtrick。Directsixparcelsofcardstobemadeupinthemanneraforesaid，andthen，onbeinginformedofthenumberofcardsremainingover，addthatnumberto26，andthesumwillbethenumberofpipsmadeupbythefirstcardsofthesixparcels。

Sucharethemethodsprescribedforperformingthistrick；butI

havediscoveredanother，whichalthough，perhaps，alittlemorecomplicated，hasthedesirableadvantageofexplainingtheseemingmystery。

Findthenumberofcardsintheparcels，bysubtractingtheremainder，ifany，from52。Subtractthenumberofpipcardstherefrom，deductthislastfromthenumbermadeupofthenumberofparcelsmultipliedby12，andtheremainderwillbethenumberofpipsonthefirstcards。

Todemonstratethistakethecasejustgiven。Therearesevenparcelsandfivecardsover。First，thisprovesthatthereare47cardsinthesevenparcelsmadeupofpipsandcards。

Secondly，subtractthenumberofpipcards——sevenfromthenumberofcardsintheparcels；then，7from47，40remain(cards)。

Thirdly，now，asthesevenparcelsaremadeupbothofthepipcardsandcards，itisevidentthatwehaveonlytofindthenumberofcardsgotatasabove，togetthenumberofpipsrequired。Thus，therebeingsevenpackets，7times12make84；

take40，asabovefound(thenumberofcards)，andtheremainderis44，thenumberofpipsasfoundbythefirstmethodexplained，——theprocessbeingasfollows:——

52-5=47-7=40。

Then，7X12=84-40=44。

Ingeneral，however，thefirstmethod，beingtheeasiestofperformance，shouldbeadopted。Thesecondisinmanyrespectsveryobjectionable。

18。Togetacardintoapackfirmlyheldbyaparty。

Thistrickstrikinglyshowshoweasilywemayallbedeceivedbyappearances。

Selectthefiveorsevenofanysuit，saythesevenofhearts，andhandingtheremainderofthepacktoaparty，showhimthecard，withyourthumbontheseventhpip，soastoconcealit，saying:——’Now，holdthepackasfirmlyasyoucan，andkeepyoureyeuponittoseethatthereisnotrickery，andyetIundertaketogetintoitthissixofhearts。’Thisinjunctionrivetshisattention，anddoubtless，likeotherwisepeopledestinedtobedeceived，hefeelsquitesurethatnobodycan’takehimin。’Inthissatisfactoryconditionfortheoperationonbothsides，youflourishthecardsoasjusttoreachthelevelofthetopofyourhat(ifyouwearanAlpinescolloped，somuchthebetter)，andthen，bringingdownthecard，rapidlystrikeitonthepacktwice，utteringthewordsone，two，ateachstroke；but，onthethirdraisingofthecard，leaveitonthetopofyourhat，strikingthepackwithyourhand——withthewordthree。Thenrequestthepartytolookforthesixofheartsinthepack，andhewillsurelyfindit，tohisamazement。

Thistrickmaybeperformedinadrawing-room，iftheoperatorbeseated，droppingthecardbehindhisback，especiallyinaneasy-

chair。

EndofVolume2