154 ST NICOTINE 



Mr. Solly referred to the text-book left by the royal founder 

 of his faith, he would have learned the right use and value 

 of trenchant utterance, and as a physiologist, would have 

 gained knowledge never imparted in St. Thomas's Hospital. 

 The royal Counterblaste proclaims that 'smoke becomes 

 a kitchen far better than a dining-chamber ; and yet it 

 makes a kitchen oftentimes in the inward parts of men, 

 soyling and infecting with an unctuous and oyly kind of soote, 

 as hath been found in some great tobacco takers, that after 

 death were opened.' ' Have you not reason then to be 

 ashamed and to forbear this filthie noveltie, so basely 

 grounded, so foolishly received, and so grossly mistaken in 

 the right use thereof? In your abuse thereof sinning against 

 God, harming yourselves both in person and in goods, and 

 raking also thereby the marks and notes of vanitie upon 

 you ; by the custom thereof making yourselves to be won- 

 dered at by all forraine civil nations, and all strangers that 

 come among you, to be scorned and contemned.' King 

 James clinches his argument with a logical acumen there is 

 no resisting. ' Why,' he asks, ' since we imitate the beastly 

 and slavish Indians in taking tobacco, do we not imitate 

 them in ivalking naked} as they do' — an extraordinary idea 

 to occur to one accustomed to wear dagger-proof quilted 

 drees — ' preferring glass beads and feathers to gold and 

 precious stones ? as they do ; yea, why do we not deny God 

 and adore the devil ? as they do.' Then comes his famous 

 climax : ' A custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the 

 nose, harmful to the orgain (brain), dangerous to the lungs, 

 and in the black stinking fume thereof nearest resembling the 

 horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless.* If, after 

 this display of royal indignation, stiff-necked ones still cast 

 fond looks at the ' emblem of hell,' let them turn their at- 

 tention to the King's words of wisdom stored up in a Col- 



