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Show : ! By JOHN BAUER 1 General Manager, Yalley Music Hall I In the year 1749, the Duke of Montague was re sponsible for a hoax so re- ' markable that it has ever j since been referred to as a ' proof of human credulity, j Discussing public curiosity ; ! with some friends, this ' nobleman said that if a person advertized that he would creep into a quart bottle, he would procure an audience. He was challenged chal-lenged and a wager was the result. To decide, he had the ! following advertisement i placed in all the London newspapers: 1 "At the New Theatre in 1 the Hay-Market, on Mon-j Mon-j day next, the 16th instant, to be seen, a person who performs the several most surprising things following, viz. first, he takes a common com-mon walking-cane from any of the spectators, and thereon there-on plays the music of every , instrument now in use, and likewise sings to surprising j perfection. I "Secondly, he presents you with a common wine bottle, which any of the spectators may first examine; exam-ine; this bottle is placed on a table in the middle of i the stage, and he (without j any equivocation) goes into . it in sight of all the spec tators, and sings in it; dur-j dur-j ing his stay in the bottle i any person may handle it, j and see plainly that it does not exceed a common tavern tav-ern bottle. "Those on the stage or in the boxes may come in masked habits (if agre?able : to them) ; and the nerform- ( er (if desired) will inform j them who they are. "Stage 7s, 6d., boxes 5s., i : i I i pit 3s., gallery 2s. To begin at half an hour after six o'clock. "Tickets to be had at the theatre. "The performance continues about two hours and a half." The following advertisement advertise-ment was also published at the same time, which one would have thought sufficient suffi-cient to prevent the other having any effect: "Lately arrived from Italy. "Signor Capisello Jum-pedo, Jum-pedo, a surprising dwarf, no taller than a common tavern tobacco pipe; who can perform many wonderful wonder-ful equilibres on the slack or tight rope; likewise he'll transform his body in above ten thousand shapes, and postures; and after he has diverted the spectators two hours and a half, he will open his mouth wide and jump down his own throat. "He being the most won-derfullest won-derfullest wonder of wonders won-ders as ever the world wondered won-dered at, would be willing to join in performance with that wonderful musician on Monday next in the Hay-market. Hay-market. "He is to be spoke with at the Black Raven, on Golden Lane, every day, from seven to twelve, and from twelve all day long." The bait took even better than expected. The playhouse play-house was crowded with Dukes, Duchesses, Lords, Ladies, and all ranks and degrees to witness the bottle bot-tle conjurer. The results, quoted from the newspapers of the times, will be reprinted re-printed next week. |