white of egg; mix all thoroughly and with
this composition annoint your body or
hand and allow it to dry and afterwards
annoint it again, and after this you may
boldly take up hot iron without hurt.


``Such a paste,'' says the correspondent to
the Mirror, ``would indeed be very visible.''

Another early formula is given in the 1763
edition of Hocus Pocus. Examination of the
different editions of this book in my library
discloses the fact that there are no fire formulas
in the second edition, 1635, which is the
earliest I have (first editions are very rare and
there is only one record of a sale of that edition
at auction). From the fact that this formula
was published during the time that Powell was
appearing in England I gather that that
circumstance may account for its addition to the
book. It does not appear in the German or
Dutch editions.

The following is an exact copy:

HOW TO WALK ON A HOT IRON
BAR WITHOUT ANY DANGER
OF SCALDING OR BURNING.