The mezzotints of the Pinchbecks, father and son, herewith reproduced, are extremely rare, and when I unearthed them in Berlin I felt myself singularly favored in securing two such treasures of great value to the history of magic. S. Wohl, the antiquarian and dealer from whom they were purchased, acquired them during a tour of old book and print shops in England, and thought them portraits of one and the same person; but by studying the names of the artists and the engravers on the two pictures, it will be seen that they set forth the features of father and son, as indicated by the biographical notes quoted above. Of the early history of Fawkes, whose brilliant stage performance lent to the Pinchbeck automata a new lustre, little is known. It is practically impossible to trace his family history. His Christian name was never used on his billing nor published in papers or magazines, and after repeated failures I was about to give up the task of discovering it, when in 1904, aided by R. Bennett, the clerk of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields Parish Church, Trafalgar Square, London, England, I came upon the record of his burial. This record, which I found after many days' search among musty, faded parchments, showed that his Christian name was Isaac, and that he died May 25th or 29th, 1731, and was buried in St. Martin's-in-the-Fields Parish Church. [Illustration: Clipping from the London _Post_ during 1728, showing the oldest evidence procurable of the original "Two a Night" performance. From the Harry Houdini Collection: At FAWKES's Booth in the Upper Moorfields, will be presented the following Entertainments, First his Famous Posture-Master, that for his wonderful dexterity of Body exceeds all Europe. 2. The Musical Temple of Arts, with two moving Pictures, the one a Concert of Musick, the other the Siege and Bay of Gibraltar, being the finest Piece of Clock-work in the World. 3d. Another Machine with three moving Pictures, the first represents the Hill of Parnassus, with Apollo and the Nine Muses playing on various Instruments of Musick, with next a beautiful View of a River, with Swans and other Fowls and Fish, sporting as tho' Alive. The last gives a Prospect of the New Palace Yard, with the whole Procession of the late Coronation of their preseat Majesties marching from the Hall to the Abbey, Note, Half the Performance can't be express'd in this advertisement. Note, We show twice every Evening, the First beginning at Five, the other at Seven.] The records further show that he was buried in the church vault, the coffin being carried by six men. Prayers were said in the church, candles were used, and the great bell was tolled. As the fees amounted to £6 12s., a goodly sum for those days, all signs indicate that the funeral was on a scale more costly and impressive than the ordinary. Fawkes was worth at his death £10,000, which was considered an enormous sum in those days. Every penny of this he made performing at the fairs.