"Who durst dispraise tobacco whilst the smoke is in my nose, Or say, but fah! my pipe doth smell, I would I knew but those Durst offer such indignity to that which I prefer. For all the brood of blackamoors will swear I do not err, In taking this same worthy whif with valiant cavalier, But that will make his nostrils smoke, at cupps of wine or beer. When as my purse can not afford my stomach flesh or fish, I sop with smoke, and feed as well and fat as one can wish. Come into any company, though not a cross you have, Yet offer them tobacco, and their liquor you shall have. They say old hospitalitie kept chimnies smoking still; Now what your chimnies want of that, our smoking noses will. Much vituals serves for gluttony, to fatten men like swine, But he's a frugal man indeed that with a leaf can dine, And needs no napkins for his hands, his fingers' ends to wipe, But keeps his kitchen in a box, and roast meat in a pipe. This is the way to help down years, a meal a day's enough: Take out tobacco for the rest, by pipe, or else by snuff, And you shall find it physical; a corpulent, fat man, Within a year shall shrink so small that one his guts shall span. It's full of physic's rare effects, it worketh sundry ways, The leaf green, dried, steept, burnt to dust, have each their several praise, It makes some sober that are drunk, some drunk of sober sense. And all the moisture hurts the brain, it fetches smoking thence. All the four elements unite when you tobacco take. For earth and water, air and fire, do a conjunction make. The pipe is earth, the fire's therein, the air the breathing smoke; Good liquor must be present too, for fear I chance to choke. Here, gentlemen, a health to all, 'Tis passing good and strong. I would speak more, but for the pipe I cannot stay so long." In 1602 appeared a sweeping tirade entitled, "Work for Chimney Sweepers, or a Warning against Tobacconists." It abounds with threats against all who indulge in tobacco. The most singular work, however, appeared in 1616, bearing the following singular title: "The Smoking Age, or the Man in the Mist; with the Life and Death of Tobacco. Dedicated to Captain Whiffe, Captain Pipe, and Captain Snuffe." A frontispiece is given representing a tobacconist's shop with shelves, counters, pipes and tobacco; a carved figure of a negro stands upon the counter, which shows how soon such figures were used by dealers in pipes and tobacco. The title-page contains the following epigram: "This some affirme, yet yield I not to that, 'Twill make a fat man lean, a lean man fat; But this I'm sure (howse'ere it be they meane) That many whiffes will make a fat man lean." [Illustration: The Negro Image.] The following effusion resembles many of the verses of the day on the fruitful subject: