60 tobacco: its use and abuse. 



that you first enter into consideration, both of the first 

 originall thereof and likewise of the reasons of the first 

 entry thereof in o this country. For certainly, as such 

 customs that have their first institution, either from a 

 godly, necessary, or honourable ground, and are first 

 brought in by the means of some worthy, vertuous, and 

 great personage, are ever and most justly holden in great 

 and reverend estimation and account, by all wise, vir- 

 tuous, and temperate spirits, so should it by the con- 

 trary, justly bring a disgrace into that sort of customs, 

 which having their originall from base corruption and 

 barbarity, do in like sort make their first entry into a 

 country, by an inconsiderate and childish afi"eetation of 

 novelty, as is the true case of the first invention of 

 Tobacco-taking, and of the first entry thereof among 

 us. For Tobacco was first found out by some of the 

 jaarbarous Indians.'' 



" Tobacco is, as you use or rather abuse it, a branch 

 of the sin of drunkenness, which is the root of all sins." 

 " To take a custom in anything that cannot be left again, 

 is most harmful to the people of any land. Mollicies 

 and delicacy were the wreck and overthrow, first of the 

 Persian and next of the Roman empire. And this very 

 custom of taking Tobacco is even at this day accounted 

 60 effeminate among the Indians themselves, as in the 

 market they will offer no price for a slave to be sold, 

 whom they find to be a great tobacco-taker." 



" Is it not a great vanity, that a man cannot heartily 

 welcome his friend now, but straight they must be in 

 band with tobacco ; no, it is become 'v^ P^^ce of a cure, a 

 point of good fellowship, and he that ^\]) 'efuse to tak» 



