From sticky cakes that silenced guard dogs to candle-carrying turtles used for scouting houses, medieval thieves employed some truly inventive tricks. Many of these come from The Book of Charlatans, a 13th-century guide by Jamal al-Din ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Jawbari that exposes the methods of con artists, swindlers, and burglars—along with the clever ways to catch them.
The Book of Charlatans is a highly entertaining work from the first half of the 13th century, written by Jamal al-Din ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Jawbari. Presented as a manual for unmasking swindlers, it details the scams and tricks of preachers faking miracles, impostor dentists claiming to extract “tooth worms,” and other creative con artists. It even explains how various ingredients could be used to change one’s skin colour or coat the body in a special liquid so it wouldn’t burn in fire.
While al-Jawbari warns readers about these schemes—his catchphrase is “Wise up to these things!”—he sometimes seems to admire their ingenuity. This is perhaps because he was involved in some of the cons himself, and was certainly friends with those who were. He often boasts that he knows dozens, even hundreds, of other tricks, but spares telling his audience “so as not to bore them.”
Tricks of the Medieval Thief
Parts of The Book of Charlatans deal specifically with thieves, offering vivid descriptions of their methods. Some are simple—like feeding guard dogs a sticky oil-cake so they spend the night trying to lick it off their teeth. Others are more elaborate, such as tossing an animal into a house to see whether anyone comes to chase it out; if no one does, it’s a sign the home is empty and ripe for looting.
The Child Accomplice Scam
Some thieves worked with a young partner—usually a boy or girl around seven or eight years old—whose small size and apparent innocence could get them through doors the thief couldn’t. These children roamed neighbourhoods looking for an open entrance, setting the stage for a ruse that played on sympathy.
If he finds an open door, he shoves the child through and the child enters, crying, the man in pursuit. If the man sees anyone, he says, ‘Chase the little brat out! He’s cost me a lot of money!’ Some people do as he says but others have pity on the child and say, ‘Please leave him with us for a while till he calms down. You’ve scared him to bits!’
Once inside, the child might enjoy a meal—but their real task was to seize any valuables when no one was looking. If they left empty-handed, there was a backup plan:
He stays away from them for a week, then goes back and says, ‘Swear to God! My father (or uncle) beat me and was going to hang me by my feet, so I’m running away from him.’ Then he stays with them till another opportunity to take something presents itself and he swipes it and makes off.
The scheme relied on the homeowners’ kindness, turning compassion into an opportunity for theft.
Breaking and Entering: Bread, Beans, and a Candle-Carrying Turtle
For those who needed to break into a house, al-Jawbari lists the tools of the trade: a crowbar, an iron spoke, a metal plate, a lock breaker, and “an iron hand with iron fingers” (likely a gauntlet). Making the hole itself was easy—but it had to be done quietly. Thieves would listen for movement inside, and if someone came to investigate, they had a simple diversion.
Al-Jawbari explains that “these thieves might carry with them dried bread and beans, so that if anyone comes to investigate noises, he can crunch them in his teeth, so that they think ‘the cat has caught a mouse and is eating it.’”
Another essential tool? A turtle.
The man will have a flint with him, which he strikes. He will also have a candle the size of a little finger, which he lights and sticks to the turtle’s back. Then he sends the turtle through the hole, and the turtle takes a turn around the whole house while the man observes what’s there and finds out where to go. All this is while he’s still on the outside of the hole. If anyone becomes aware of his presence, he withdraws and leaves. If not, he will have become familiar with the whole house and its contents and what route he should take, and everything about it will be familiar to him. When the candle goes out, he enters through the hole, goes where he wants, takes what he wants, and comes out unharmed. Wise up to these things!
Garlic, Roosters, and the Art of Smoking Out a Thief
Al-Jawbari also includes clever ruses designed to expose a thief. These involve gathering the suspects and tricking the guilty party into revealing themselves—sometimes with a little help from a chicken. In one example, the charlatan is looking for the person who stole a piece of cloth:
Take a rooster and write something meaningless on a piece of paper and place it around its neck. Then they put the rooster underneath a large bowl in a dark room, having first, without anyone noticing, smeared the back of the bowl with a bit of garlic. They leave the room and stand at the door and say to the suspects, ‘You must each go in one at a time and place your hand on the back of the bowl. When the thief places his hand on it, the rooster will crow, beat its wings, and then crow three more times.’ When he says this, the thief thinks he’ll be caught and so he doesn’t dare put his hand on the bowl.
After each suspect emerges, the charlatan says, “Open your palm!” and sniffs it.
If he’s innocent, he pushes the man’s hand aside as a smell of garlic on his hand will be noticeable. If the thief hasn’t dared to place his hand on the bowl, the charlatan finds nothing when he sniffs it and he knows he’s the thief. He tells everyone, ‘Wait until tomorrow and the cloth will appear.’
Once the public performance is over, the charlatan confronts the thief in private:
“I know it was you and nobody else who took the cloth. I personally have no desire to expose you, and the best option is for you to put back what you took without anyone noticing. I will not, I swear, tell a single creature. If you don’t, though, I will inform on you and bear witness against you and there’s an end to it.”
The thief usually returns what was stolen. Al-Jawbari notes other variations on this trick, including one of his own invention involving a hollowed-out egg, milk used as ink, and the pretence of conjuring spirits.
Why The Book of Charlatans Still Hooks Us Today
Whether describing a child sneaking valuables from a kitchen, a turtle scouting out a house, or a rooster helping to unmask a thief, al-Jawbari captures the ingenuity and audacity of medieval crime—and the equally creative responses it provoked. His work is more than a catalogue of tricks; it’s a lively window into the street life, wit, and survival skills of the 13th century.
The Book of Charlatans, translated by Humphrey Davies is part of the Library of Arabic Literature series from New York University Press, offers modern readers both a manual of mischief and a reminder that the battle between thief and pursuer is as old—and as inventive—as history itself.
From sticky cakes that silenced guard dogs to candle-carrying turtles used for scouting houses, medieval thieves employed some truly inventive tricks. Many of these come from The Book of Charlatans, a 13th-century guide by Jamal al-Din ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Jawbari that exposes the methods of con artists, swindlers, and burglars—along with the clever ways to catch them.
The Book of Charlatans is a highly entertaining work from the first half of the 13th century, written by Jamal al-Din ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Jawbari. Presented as a manual for unmasking swindlers, it details the scams and tricks of preachers faking miracles, impostor dentists claiming to extract “tooth worms,” and other creative con artists. It even explains how various ingredients could be used to change one’s skin colour or coat the body in a special liquid so it wouldn’t burn in fire.
While al-Jawbari warns readers about these schemes—his catchphrase is “Wise up to these things!”—he sometimes seems to admire their ingenuity. This is perhaps because he was involved in some of the cons himself, and was certainly friends with those who were. He often boasts that he knows dozens, even hundreds, of other tricks, but spares telling his audience “so as not to bore them.”
Tricks of the Medieval Thief
Parts of The Book of Charlatans deal specifically with thieves, offering vivid descriptions of their methods. Some are simple—like feeding guard dogs a sticky oil-cake so they spend the night trying to lick it off their teeth. Others are more elaborate, such as tossing an animal into a house to see whether anyone comes to chase it out; if no one does, it’s a sign the home is empty and ripe for looting.
The Child Accomplice Scam
Some thieves worked with a young partner—usually a boy or girl around seven or eight years old—whose small size and apparent innocence could get them through doors the thief couldn’t. These children roamed neighbourhoods looking for an open entrance, setting the stage for a ruse that played on sympathy.
If he finds an open door, he shoves the child through and the child enters, crying, the man in pursuit. If the man sees anyone, he says, ‘Chase the little brat out! He’s cost me a lot of money!’ Some people do as he says but others have pity on the child and say, ‘Please leave him with us for a while till he calms down. You’ve scared him to bits!’
Once inside, the child might enjoy a meal—but their real task was to seize any valuables when no one was looking. If they left empty-handed, there was a backup plan:
He stays away from them for a week, then goes back and says, ‘Swear to God! My father (or uncle) beat me and was going to hang me by my feet, so I’m running away from him.’ Then he stays with them till another opportunity to take something presents itself and he swipes it and makes off.
The scheme relied on the homeowners’ kindness, turning compassion into an opportunity for theft.
Breaking and Entering: Bread, Beans, and a Candle-Carrying Turtle
For those who needed to break into a house, al-Jawbari lists the tools of the trade: a crowbar, an iron spoke, a metal plate, a lock breaker, and “an iron hand with iron fingers” (likely a gauntlet). Making the hole itself was easy—but it had to be done quietly. Thieves would listen for movement inside, and if someone came to investigate, they had a simple diversion.
Al-Jawbari explains that “these thieves might carry with them dried bread and beans, so that if anyone comes to investigate noises, he can crunch them in his teeth, so that they think ‘the cat has caught a mouse and is eating it.’”
Another essential tool? A turtle.
The man will have a flint with him, which he strikes. He will also have a candle the size of a little finger, which he lights and sticks to the turtle’s back. Then he sends the turtle through the hole, and the turtle takes a turn around the whole house while the man observes what’s there and finds out where to go. All this is while he’s still on the outside of the hole. If anyone becomes aware of his presence, he withdraws and leaves. If not, he will have become familiar with the whole house and its contents and what route he should take, and everything about it will be familiar to him. When the candle goes out, he enters through the hole, goes where he wants, takes what he wants, and comes out unharmed. Wise up to these things!
Garlic, Roosters, and the Art of Smoking Out a Thief
Al-Jawbari also includes clever ruses designed to expose a thief. These involve gathering the suspects and tricking the guilty party into revealing themselves—sometimes with a little help from a chicken. In one example, the charlatan is looking for the person who stole a piece of cloth:
Take a rooster and write something meaningless on a piece of paper and place it around its neck. Then they put the rooster underneath a large bowl in a dark room, having first, without anyone noticing, smeared the back of the bowl with a bit of garlic. They leave the room and stand at the door and say to the suspects, ‘You must each go in one at a time and place your hand on the back of the bowl. When the thief places his hand on it, the rooster will crow, beat its wings, and then crow three more times.’ When he says this, the thief thinks he’ll be caught and so he doesn’t dare put his hand on the bowl.
After each suspect emerges, the charlatan says, “Open your palm!” and sniffs it.
If he’s innocent, he pushes the man’s hand aside as a smell of garlic on his hand will be noticeable. If the thief hasn’t dared to place his hand on the bowl, the charlatan finds nothing when he sniffs it and he knows he’s the thief. He tells everyone, ‘Wait until tomorrow and the cloth will appear.’
Once the public performance is over, the charlatan confronts the thief in private:
“I know it was you and nobody else who took the cloth. I personally have no desire to expose you, and the best option is for you to put back what you took without anyone noticing. I will not, I swear, tell a single creature. If you don’t, though, I will inform on you and bear witness against you and there’s an end to it.”
The thief usually returns what was stolen. Al-Jawbari notes other variations on this trick, including one of his own invention involving a hollowed-out egg, milk used as ink, and the pretence of conjuring spirits.
Why The Book of Charlatans Still Hooks Us Today
Whether describing a child sneaking valuables from a kitchen, a turtle scouting out a house, or a rooster helping to unmask a thief, al-Jawbari captures the ingenuity and audacity of medieval crime—and the equally creative responses it provoked. His work is more than a catalogue of tricks; it’s a lively window into the street life, wit, and survival skills of the 13th century.
The Book of Charlatans, translated by Humphrey Davies is part of the Library of Arabic Literature series from New York University Press, offers modern readers both a manual of mischief and a reminder that the battle between thief and pursuer is as old—and as inventive—as history itself.
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