IESVS CHRISTVS BASILEVS BASILEON, IHS XPS MIKA, IESVS CHRISTVS VINCIT.
LEGEND is also applied to the inscription of medals, which serves to explain the figures or devices represented on them. In strictness, the legend differs from the inscription; this last properly signifying words placed on the reverse of a medal, in lieu of figures.
It seems as if the ancients had intended their medals should serve both as images and as emblems; the former for the common people, and the other for persons of taste and parts; the images to represent the faces of princes; emblems their virtues and great actions; so that the legend is to be looked on as the soul of the medal, and the figures as the body.
Every medal has properly two legends; that on the front, and that on the reverse. The first generally serves only to distinguish the person by his name, titles, offices, &c. the latter is intended to express his noble and virtuous sentiments, his good deeds, and the advantages the public has reaped by him. This, however, does not hold universally; for sometimes we find the titles shared between both sides, and sometimes also the legend.
In the medals of cities and provinces, as the head is usually the genius of the place, or at least some deity adored there, the legend is the name of the city, province, or deity, or of both together; and the reverse is some symbol of the city, &c. frequently without a legend, sometimes with that of one of its magistrates.
Legends generally commemorate the virtues of princes, their honour and consecrations, signal events, public monuments, deities, vows, privileges, &c. which are either in Latin or Greek, or a mixture of both, and are intended to eternize their names, and the benefits done by them to the empire.
A DENOMINATION given to certain deceptive performances, which either depend altogether on dexterity and address, or derive but a small degree of aid from philosophical principles. Of these we shall present our readers with a selection of the best that have been either explained in books or publicly exhibited.
The following method of exercising this simple and ingenious amusement is that practised by one Mr. Kopp a German, whose performances are deservedly preferred to those of former artists. In this, however, as in all the other branches belonging to the art of legerdemain, it is not sufficient that a person has the requisite dexterity, or sleight of hand; it is necessary also to take off the attention of the spectators by some entertaining discourse; which not only prevents discovery, but adds greatly to the amusement of the company; for which reason, such discourse is inserted in this article.
To play his part properly, the performer on cups and balls ought to provide himself with a bag about 12 inches long, and from eight to ten in depth. The inside must be furnished with a number of pockets for holding the several articles necessary in the amusement; and this bag the performer must hang before him.
The materials necessary for the performer are,
1. Three white polished tin-cups, represented by A, B, and C (fig. 1.) in the shape of a truncated cone with a double ledge D towards the base. This ledge, which is about half an inch in breadth, serves to raise the cups easily by, admitting also the hand to pass a small cork ball (see fig. 5.) The upper part E of the cup ought to be hollowed in the form of a sphere, sufficient to contain the balls without their appearing above the upper edge of the cups.
2. It is also necessary to have a small rod, called Jacob's staff; which is usually made of ebony, and neatly tipped with ivory at both ends. This is frequently used for striking on the cups; and being held in the hand where the balls are also kept, it gives the operator an oppor-