To perform this recreation you must so arrange a piquet pack of cards
that you can easily remember the order in which they are placed.
Suppose, for example, that they are placed according to the words in the
following line.
Seven aces, eight kings, nine queens, and ten knaves, and that every
card be of a different suit, following each other in this order; spades,
clubs, hearts, and diamonds. Then the eight first cards will be the
seven of spades, ace of clubs, eight of hearts, king of diamonds, nine
of spades, queen of clubs, ten of hearts, and knave of diamonds; and so
on.
You show that the cards are placed promiscuously, and then offer them
with the backs upward, to any one, that he may draw what quantity he
pleases; which, when he has done, you secretly look at the card that
precedes, and that which follows those he has taken. After he has well
regarded the cards, you take them from him, and putting them into
different parts of the pack, shuffle them, or give them to him to
shuffle. During which you recollect by the foregoing line all the cards
he took out; and as you lay them down, one by one, you name each card.