TOBACCO. 181 



were subjected to a slight persecution. James I. king of 

 England, wrote a book, called " Miso-oapnos," against those 

 who took snuff. A few yeaxs afterward Pope Urban VIII, 

 eicommunicatGd those who used tobacco or snuff in churches. 

 The Empress Elizabeth thought fit to add to the penalty of 

 excommunication against such as crammed their noses with 

 this black powder during divine service j she authorized the 

 beadles to confiscate the snuff-boxes to their own profit. 

 Amurath IV. forbade the use of snuff under the penalty of 

 having the nose cut off. 



A useful plant, could not have resisted such attacks. 



Suppose, before this discovery or invention, a man had 

 been found who would have said, — " Let us seek for a means 

 of bringing into the coffers of the state a voluntary impost of 

 several millions of francs per annum ; this can be done by 

 selling people a thing which everybody may use, — a thing 

 which, when once enjoyed, they will not do without. There 

 is in America an essentially venomous plant; if you distil 

 an empyreumatio oil firom its leaves, a single drop would 

 ' suf&ce to make an animal expire in horrible convulsions. Let 

 us offer this plant for sale, chopped up into pieces or reduced 

 to powder : we wiU sell it very dear : we wiU. direct people to 

 cram this powder up their noses." j, 



" What ! would you force them to do so by law 1 " 



" Not at all ; I told you it was to be a voluntary tax. As 

 for that which was chopped up, we would tell them to inhale 

 it, and swallow a little of the smoke." 



" But they will die ! " 



" Oh no, they will not : they will become rather pale ; 

 they will have pains in the stomach, vertigoes, sometimes 

 cholics, vomitings of blood, and occasionally pains in the 

 chest, — that's all. Besides, look you, it has been said that 

 use is second nature; and then not enough has been said: 

 man is like this knife, which has successively had three new 

 blades and two new handles; the natural man no longer 

 exists, he is nothing but a bundle of habits. Besides, people 

 will do as Mithridates, king of Pontus, did; he accustomed 

 himself to take poison till it lost all effect upon him. 



" The first time the people smoke tobacco, they will have 

 pains of the heart, nausea, vertigoes, cholics, and cold sweats; 



