It is now a-days extremely common to style the tumble-down-dick exploits or
posture masters, balancers, conjurers, &c. an art. To ridicule such an
abuse of the term by applying it to mere adroitness, skill in trifles, and
labour-in-vain performances, Quinctilian gives us this merry
instance--"Qualis illius fuit, qui grana ciceris ex spatio distante missa,
in acum continue, et sine frustratione inserebat; quem cum spectasset
Alexander, donasse eum dicitur leguminis modio--quod quidem praemium fuit
illo opere dignissimum." Translation--Of this kind of art, was his, who,
standing at a certain distance, could continually, without missing, stick a
small pea upon the point of a needle; which when Alexander had witnessed,
he ordered him a bushel of that grain for his trouble, a reward quite
adequate to such an exploit. We have a similar story related, I think, of
Charles II.: a posture master climbed up Grantham steeple, and then stood
on his head upon the weathercock. The facetious monarch, after witnessing
his ascent, told him he might forthwith have a patent that none should do
the like but himself.
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