150 The Soverane Herbe 



the Dutch style with the advent of William III, 

 The Irish and Scotch, however, remained true to the 

 smaller, shorter dudeen and cutty. Long clays with 

 straight stems tipped with sealing-wax were intro- 

 duced by the Dutch about 1700. These * aldermen,' 

 as they were called, held much larger quantities of 

 tobacco than the old ones, proving that under the 

 tuition of the Dutch past-masters in the art of 

 drinking tobacco, the smoker's appetite was grow- 

 ing bigger. 



These long clays were those from which the wits 

 of Queen Anne's reign inspired the fragrant fume, 

 and for which Sir Roger de Coverley and Addison 

 called at the Club. Only the best pipes were waxed 

 at the end, while smokers prevented the cheaper 

 ones sticking to the lips by steeping the stems for 

 some minutes in a tankard of ale. Pipes were 

 valuable, and their destruction a serious matter. 

 When the smoker of to-day breaks his clay, he 

 promptly buys another, nor does he ever dream 

 of cleaning a blackened pipe by burning out the 

 nicotine in the fire. But many smokers can recall 

 the time when clays were so valuable that when 

 smoked foul they were thrust into the grate until 

 red-hot, and purified for subsequent reblackening 

 instead of purchasing new ones. Inns, clubs, and 

 coffee-houses provided pipes for their customers as 

 they now provide seats, tables, and pots. Corpora- 

 tions likewise purchased pipes by the gross for the 

 inspiration of the City Fathers. At these smoking 

 resorts all fouled pipes were carefully collected and 

 sent periodically to the bakehouse to be rekilned. 



