Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and CommerceBillings, E. R.
History
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce
Billings, E. R.
Tobacco -- History; Tobacco industry -- History; Tobacco use
"The 'Return from Parnassus' was published anonymously, and
the copy I have used is dateless. It was 'publicly acted by
the students of St. John's College in Cambridge.' In Act I.,
Scene 2d, characters are given of Spenser, Ben Jonson,
Marlow, Drayton, Marston and Shakespeare, together with some
other of the known poets and dramatists of the Elizabethan
age. It contains many references to tobacco. In 'Act IV.,
Scene 1st,' the characters are thus placed: 'Sir Rodericke
and Prodigo at one corner of the stage, Recorder and
Amaretto at the other. Two pages scouring of Tobacco pipes.'
Actual smoking from tobacco-pipes was introduced on the
stage afterwards; and instances from the early dramas have
been given by the writers on tobacco history. In the second
scene of Act III. smoking is alluded to as one of the marks
of the current man of fashion, and is coupled with that of
wearing love-locks, which was to prove such a scandal to the
Puritans. 'He gins to follow fashions. He wore thin
sireduelt in a smooky roofe, must take tobacco and must
weare a locke.' 'Work for Chimney Sweepers, or a Warning
against Tobacconists, by J. H.,' was published in quarto in
the year 1602.
"It was answered in the same year by the anonymous 'Defence
of Tobacco,' a quarto of seventy pages. The author of the
attack followed the line of King James, or, I should rather
say, showed him the line to take, for the King's
'Counterblast' did not appear until he had been King of
England for some years. The book is divided into sections,
each section being called 'A Reason.' The seventh 'Reason'
against the use of tobacco is, that the devil is the
discoverer and suggester of smoking. 'It was first used and
practised,' says J. H., 'by devils, priests, and, therefore,
not to be used by us Christians. That the devil was the
first author hereof. Monardus, in his 'Treatise of Tabaco,'
dooth sufficiently witnesse, saying: The Indian priests,
who, no doubt, were instruments of the devil, whom they
serve, even before they answer to questions propounded to
them by their princes, drinke of this tobacco-fume, with the
vigour and strength whereof they fall suddenly to the ground
as dead men, remaining so according to the quantity of smoke
that they had taken. And when the hearbe hath done his
worke, they revive and wake, giving answers according to the
vissions and illusions which they saw while they were wrapt
in that order.' It is not unlikely that J. H.'s authority
had confused opium with tobacco.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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