The Literature of Tobacco 225 



Virginia, and Juno in her jealousy turned this rival 

 into the tobacco-plant, ^sculapius discovered it, 



' And did devise a pipe which should asswage 

 The wounds which sorrow in our hearts did fix.' 



This poem produced another from the pen of 

 Joshua Sylvester, a favourite of the King. James, 

 indeed, was surpassed almost in his abuse of ' so 

 loathsome a vanitie ' by ' this volley of holy shot ' 

 discharged under the title of ' Tobacco Battered and 

 the Pipes Shattered.' Sylvester dedicated his verses 

 to the Duke of Buckingham, calling upon that tyrant 

 and libertine to aid him 



' Against the proud oppression 

 Of th' infidel, usurping faith's possession, 

 That Indian tyrant, England's only shame ' 



— Tobacco ! 



The poet ascribes the invention of tobacco and 

 firearms to Satan, and holds that of the two the 

 former is the worse. With that imitation which is 

 the highest form of flattery, he follows his Royal 

 patron's example, and consigns all users of the herb 



to Hades : 



' For hell hath smoke 

 Impenitent tobaccanists to choake.' 



From 'the sign of Teare-Nose' came in 1617 

 another fabulous condemnation of tobacco, entitled 

 ' The Smoking Age,' with the rashly prophetic 

 subtitle of ' The Life and Death of Tobacco,' by 

 Richard Braithwait. 



At a great feast given by Pluto Bacchus is 

 present, and after intoxicating his host makes love 



15 



