120 TOBACCO. 



In 1576 was born one Robert Burton, who, in 

 his Anatomy of Melancholy, discriminatingly says 

 of tobacco, M A good vomit, a virtuous herb, if it 

 be well qualified, opportunely taken, and medici- 

 nally used ; but as it is commonly abused by most 

 men, which take it as tinkers do ale, 'tis a plague, 

 a mischief, a violent purger of goods, lands, health ; 

 hellish, devilish, and damned tobacco, the ruin of 

 body and soul." 



This arrogant pretender which in our advanced 

 period of civilization and culture is admitted into 

 the first society, was received, in the old days 

 of comparative barbarism, with marked disfavor. 

 Soon after its introduction into the Eastern Conti- 

 nent, it was prohibited in various countries. Phy- 

 sicians pronounced it injurious, priests denounced 

 it as sinful, and princes enacted laws against it. 



It was not, however, from mere aesthetic consider- 

 ations that it was thus, in those olden times, put 

 under the ban by physicians, priests, and poten- 

 tates, but because of its effects in deteriorating 

 and depleting the population. 



Any Turk caught smoking was conducted 

 through the streets with a pipe-stem transfixed 

 through his nose, and later, the Sultan made the 

 act a capital offence. 



In Russia, the first offence was punished with 

 the bastinado, the second with the loss of the nose, 

 and the third, with the loss of life. 



The Shah of Persia made the use of the drug a 

 capital crime, and proclaimed that " every soldier 



