64 PENTANDRIA. 



become so prevalent, that their masters correct 

 them for it, and burn the tobacco that they may not 

 use it; whereupon they go to the deserts and secret 

 places to indulge in these habits. As they are not 

 permitted to drink till they are drank with wine, they 

 are glad to make themselves drank with the smoke 

 of tobacco. I have seen them do it here, and it hap- 

 pened to them as is said. They say when they re- 

 cover from the trance or dream occasioned by the 

 fumes they find themselves very lusty, and rejoice to 

 have been after the same sort and manner, seeing 

 that thereby they do receive no hurt." 



It is remarkable that this custom of smoking, and 

 its effects among the natives of the West Indies, should 

 be found to correspond to similar habits in remote an- 

 tiquity, thus recorded by Herodotus, when speaking of 

 the inhabitants of certain islands formed by the Araxes. 



<e The river Araxes is differently spoken of, as 

 being greater, and likewise less than the Isterj writers 

 however say generally that there are numerous islands 

 in it, about equal in size to Lesbos, and that in these 

 islands live men who subsist during the summer on all 

 kinds of roots, which they dig up, but who lay up in 

 store the fruits of the trees, when ripe, and subsist on 

 them during the winter season. By these men other 

 trees have been discovered, bearing fruit of a peculiar 

 nature, which, when they assemble on the same spot 

 in companies, after kindling a fire, and seating them- 



This extract is made from an old translation of Monardus, 

 not having the original work at hand. 



