The Genii Forum

Here's an error that I have not seen in any of the lists so far. On page 179, under the heading "TRICKS WITH THE PREARRANGED DECK," he wrote the doggerel for the Eight Kings set-up as follows: "Eight Kings threatened to save Ninety-five Queens from one sick knave." I believe that should be "for one sick knave" as it fits the stack sequence and I've seen it as such in other books i.e. The Amateur Magician's Handbook, page 210, 4th ed., 1982.

In The Expositor by William F. Pinchbeck, published in 1805, which seems to be the first book in which this rosary was explained, the sentence is :

Eight Kings tried to save nine fine Ladies for one sick Jack.

You find it in Letter V of the Appendix, page 96.