34 The Soverane Her be 



out of this kingdom as good as ;^ 120,000 for tobacco 

 every year.' 



Three years later this grievance was remedied. In 

 1624 the importation of all tobacco from Spain or 

 Portugal was prohibited, and that from Virginia only 

 allowed. The British colony thus once more sup- 

 plied England with all her tobacco, and though the 

 heavy duty was retained, Virginia prospered, for 

 tobacco at all costs England must have. 



James, however, attempted to limit the supply at 

 both ends, by ordaining that no planter should ex- 

 port more than 100 pounds of tobacco a year, and by 

 creating a tobacco monopoly in England. Tobacco 

 could be sold only by persons holding royal warrants 

 of permission. These were granted for life on pay- 

 ment of £iS and an annual rent of the same amount. 

 These sums, it should be pointed out again, repre- 

 sented four times their modern value. In 1633 

 Plymouth yielded ;^ioo per annum for the monopoly. 

 It is also recorded that ' the tobacco licenses go on 

 apace ; they yield a good fine and a constant yearly 

 rent.^ One of the charges against Strafford on his 

 impeachment in 1640 was that he had created a 

 monopoly in tobacco and pipes in Ireland. 



Do what James could, he could not uproot the 

 divine plant, or crush out the affection of his people 

 for it. Cut down, tobacco sprang up with renewed 

 vigour. James held the divinity of royalty, but 

 tobacco must have been even more divine, for not 

 even the might of James, the deputy of the Deity, 

 nor the fulminations of the wisest fool in Christendom 

 could destroy the practice of smoking. 



