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The Gaming Table-Vol.2-Part38_Andrew Steinmetz(1816-1877)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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earliest printed notice of it in this country is the following

curious story, extracted from Rowland's Judicial Astrology



Condemned:--"Cuffe, an excellent Grecian, and secretary to the

Earl of Essex, was told, twenty years before his death, that he



should come to an untimely end, at which Cuffe laughed, and in a

scornful manner entreated the soothsayer to show him in what



manner he should come to his end, who condescended to him, and

calling for cards, entreated Cuffe to draw out of the pack any



three which pleased him. He did so, and drew three knaves, and

laid them on the table by the wizard's direction, who then told



him, if he desired to see the sum of his bad fortune, to take up

those cards. Cuffe, as he was prescribed, took up the first



card, and looking on it, he saw the portraiture of himself

cap-a-pie, having men encompassing him with bills and halberds.



Then he took up the second, and there he saw the judge that sat

upon him; and taking up the last card, he saw Tyburn, the place



of his execution, and the hangman, at which he laughed heartily.

But many years after, being condemned, he remembered and declared



this prediction."

'The earliest work on cartomancy was written or compiled by one



Francesco Marcolini, and printed at Venice in 1540.'[85]

[85] The Book of Days, Feb. 21. In this work there is a somewhat



different account of cartomancy to that which I have expounded

'on the best authorities' and from practical experience with the



adepts in the art; but, in a matter of such immense importance to

ladies of all degrees, I have thought proper to give, in



foot-notes, the differing interpretations of the writer in the

Book of Days, who professes to speak with some authority, not



however, I think, superior to mine, for I have investigated the

subject to the utmost.



CHAPTER XIV.

AMUSING CARD TRICKS.[86]



[86] These tricks appeared originally in Beeton's Christmas

Annual, and are here reproduced with permission.



Although my work is a history of gambling, in all its horrors,

and with all its terrible moral warnings, I gladly conclude it



'happily,' after the manner of the most pleasing novels and

romances,--namely, by a method of contriving innocent and



interesting amusement with cards, without the 'chance' of

encountering the risks, calamities, and disgrace of gambling.



I was led to the investigation of this branch of my subject by

the following incident. Being present at a party when a



gentleman performed one of the tricks described, No. 7, the rest

of the company and myself were all much surprised at the result,



and urgently requested him to explain the method of his

performance, which, however, he stoutly refused to do, averring



that he would not take L1000 for it. This was so ridiculously

provoking that I offered to bet him L5 that I would discover the



method within 24 hours. To my astonishment he declined the bet,

not, however, without a sort of compliment, admitting that I



MIGHT do so. He was right; for, as Edgar Poe averred, no man can

invent a puzzle which some other man cannot unravel. In effect,



I called upon him the following day, and performed the trick not

only according to his method, but also by another, equally



successful. I have reason to believe that most of the tricks of

my selection had not previously appeared in print; at any rate, I



have given to all of them an exposition which may entitle them to

some claim of originality.



PRELIMINARY HINTS.

I. Shuffling, in the simple and inoffensive sense of the



expression, is an important point in all tricks with cards. For

the most part, it is only a pretence or dexterous management--



keeping a card or cards in your command whilstseeming to shuffle

them into the pack.



Every performer has his method of such shuffling. Some hold the

pack perpendicularly with the left hand, then with the right take



a portion of the pack--about one half--and make a show of

shuffling the two parts together edgeways, but, in reality,



replace them as they were. With rapidity of execution every eye

is thus deceived.



If a single card is to be held in command, place it at the bottom




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