Here Hocus lies with his tricks and his knocks,
Whom death hath made sure as his Juglers Box:
Who many hath cozen'd by his leiger-demain,
Is presto convey'd and here underlain:
Thus Hocus he's here, and here he is not,
While death plaid the Hocus, and brought him toth pot.
Epitaph of William Vincent aka the Juggler Hocus Pocus.
From Magic on the Early English Stage by Philip Butterworth p.23
While on the subject of death, it was an actual juggler if I recall right whose name is only one of actuall personages to be included in a dance of death (gowers version?). Forgoing that is the possible name of macabre to the genre itself.
Hocus pocus was discussed a bit on the AT thread here:
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.ph ... ight=Pocus
