342 ^AKCOTIC USAGES AND STJPEKSTITIONS 



witty poetic rival, Sir John Denham. The royalist — as the author 

 of the Athenje Oxoniensis relates — owed a grudge to the captive 

 poet, some of his family estates having got into "Wither' s clutches. 

 Nevertheless, he modestly prayed his Majesty not to hang him, for 

 so long as Wither lived, he (Sir John Denham) would not be ac- 

 counted the worst poet in England ! Notwithstanding this slur 

 on Wither's poetic repute, the song has evidently enjoyed great 

 and enduring popularity, as is proved by numerous variations, 

 and the gradual modernizing process it has gone through. The 

 version of it which furnishes a text for the Rev. Ralph Erskine, 

 betrays the touches of a modern hand ; but in its general form it most 

 nearly resembles the Broadside of 1672, with the antique flavour of 

 which these " tobacco fumes " may fitly exhale their concluding 

 whiff: 



The Indian weed, withered quite, 

 Green at noon, cut down at night, 



Shews thy decay ; 



All flesh is hay, 



Thus think, then drink tobacco. 



The pipe that is so lily white, 

 Shows thee to be a mortal wight ; 



Even as such, 



Gone at a touch, 



Thus think, then drink tobacco. 



.ind when the smoke ascends on high, 

 Think thou behold'st the vanity 



Of worldly stuff, 



Gone at a puff; 



Thus think, and drink tobacco. 



And when the pipe grows foul within, 

 Think on thy soul denied with sin ; 



And of the fire 



It doth require ; 



Thus think, then drink tobacco. 



The ashes that are left behind, 

 May serve to put thee still in mind. 



That unto dust 



Return thou must ; 



Thus think, then drink tobacco. 



Most of the foregoing pages were already thrown off when the 

 Gateshead Observer, of June 6th, 1857, reached me, with the follow- 

 ing notice of proceedings at a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries 



