148 TOBACCO IN EUKOPE. 



known by her soubriquet George Sand, who often 

 indulges in a cigar between the intervals of literary 

 labour ; as the ladies of Spain and Mexico delight in 

 doing at all other intervals. 



Charles Lamb, " the gentle Elia," was once a great 

 smoker. In a letter to Wordsworth he says : " To- 

 bacco has been my evening comfort and my morning 

 curse for these five j^ears. I have had it in my head to 

 write this poem for these two years (Farewell to 

 Tobacco *) ; but tobacco stood in its own light, when it 

 gave me headaches t that prevented my singing its 

 praises." Lamb once, in the height of his smoking 

 days, was puffing coarsest weed from a long clay pipe 

 in compairy with Parr, who was careful in obtaining 

 finer sorts, and the Doctor in astonishment asked him 

 how he acquired this " prodigious power ! " Lamb 

 answered, " by toiling after it, as some men toil after 



/"virtue." Of other literary smokers in England we may 

 note Sir Walter Scott, who at one time carried the 

 habit very far. So did the Poet Bloomfield. Campbell, 

 Moore, and Byron delighted in its temperate enjoyment, 

 as does our present Laureat Tennyson, who has 



u echoed its praises with Byron in immortal verse. 



* This elegant little poem is too well known to require us to do more 

 than allude to it. It is remarkable for its vituperation as well as its 

 praise. The former is insincere ; but it is difficult to doubt the sinceritj 

 of such words as 



" For thy sake, tobacco, I 

 Would do anything but die." 



f Tobacco does not induce headache ; but beer, spirits, and wine will. 

 Lamb records that he drank freely. 



