Social Progress of Tobacco 77 



it ; for were the planting and trafficking of tobacco 

 now hindered, millions of this nation in all proba- 

 bility must perish for want of food, their whole liveli- 

 hood almost depending upon it' 



Describing Cromwell's funeral as the 'joyfullest 

 funeral ' he ever saw, Evelyn notes that the soldiers 

 forming the escort were ' drinking and taking tobacco 

 in the streets as they went.' Monk, the principal 

 factor in the restoration of the monarchy, brought 

 into fashion the chewing of tobacco. This had been 

 common in the reign of James, when gentlemen 

 carried about with them small silver basins as 

 spittoons. From France came with the Court the 

 fashion of taking snuff. As an important change in 

 the economy of smoking it must be noted that the 

 original practice of discharging the smoke through 

 the nostrils died out with James I. The fume was 

 now sensibly and plainly expired through the mouth. 

 Smoking lost its medical and fantastic aspect ; it 

 became an honest, plain, every-day pleasure and 

 practice. 



Under Charles II. tobacco increased even more in 

 popular favour. He prohibited, in order to maintain 

 the revenue from its import duties, the cultivation of 

 tobacco in England and Ireland under a fine of 

 forty shillings for every rood planted with the herb, 

 except ' in any physick garden of either University 

 or in any other private garden for physick or chi- 

 rurgery.' In 1664 this penalty was increased to 

 ;^io per rood. The last instance we have of the 

 attempt to subdue smoking is that in a letter from 

 Charles II. to the University of Cambridge forbid- 



