68 The Soverane Herbe 



firmly established. One author complains that the 

 patrimony of many noble young gentlemen has 

 ' vanished cleane awaie with smoky vapour and 

 hath most shamefully and beastly flyen out the 

 master's nose.' Many, he declared, spend ' whole 

 dales, months, times and yeares (for the most part) 

 in tobacco-taking, not sparing to take it even in 

 their bed.' In the delirium of the first enjoyment 

 of tobacco our ancestors seem to have practised 

 smoking to extravagant excess. 



In those days smoking was an expensive habit. 

 When tobacco was first introduced into England it 

 cost about 3s. an ounce, as befitted a herb of such 

 miraculous and wonderful virtue. In modern money 

 this is equivalent to fully i8s. Threepence was the 

 usual charge in taverns for a pipeful of tobacco. In 

 the reign of James I. the best tobacco cost i8s. per 

 pound, and an inferior article los. ; these sums multi- 

 plied by four give their equivalent in modern value. 

 In the diary of Sir Henry Oglander of Nunwell for 

 1626 there is the entry 'For eight ounces of tobacco 

 five shillings.' These prices included the duty of 

 6s. lod. per pound which James had raised to this 

 figure from 2d. a pound. In another diary for 1656 

 we have ' For two ounces of tobacco one shilling.' 

 Aubrey records that in his younger days tobacco 

 ' was then sold for its wayte in silver. I have heard 

 some of our old yeomen neighbours say that when 

 they went to Malmesbury or Chippenham market 

 they culled out their biggest shillings to lay in the 

 scale against the tobacco.' 



Its expense was one of the reasons educed by 



