PREVALENCE OF SMOKING. 117 



accustomed hour, every one laid aside his book to light 

 his pipe, the master smoking with them, and teaching 

 them how to hold their pipes and draw in the tobacco ; 

 thus accustoming them to it from their youths, believing 

 it absolutely necessary for a man's health. This put 

 me in mind of a Spaniard, who being accustomed to take 

 tobacco, I found him at a seaport of Calabria in Italy, 

 where we were detained by bad weather on our return 

 from Malta ; here, he not being able to procure tobacco, 

 cut off a piece of the cable, with which he filled his 

 pipe, to draw and suck down the smoke thereof, 

 instead of tobacco. I have also seen an Irishman, 

 twenty-four years old, who during his whole life had 

 smoked tobacco ; he, having fallen sick, was forbid the 

 use of that plant, as being too great a dryer of the 

 body ; this he submitted to for some time, but he 

 became so low, and so melancholy, that he could at 

 length take nothing but a little tobacco, which was at 

 last permitted him, and he in a short time recovered 

 his perfect health. I have known several who not 

 content with smoking in the day, went to bed with 

 their pipes in their mouths, others who have risen in 

 the night to light their pipes, to take tobacco with as 

 much pleasure as they would have received in drinking 

 either Alicant or Greek wine." 



M. Rochefort's mention of the prevalence of smoking 

 among females, calls to mind Tom Brown's " exhorta- 

 tory letter to an old lady that smoked tobacco," written 

 about the same period, which runs as follows : — 

 " Though the ill-natured world censures you for 



