BKATHWAIT'S " SMOAKING AGE." 93 



enemies as these snioakers of our age ; they whiffe me 

 out in fume, and spend my best of houres in candle- 

 light ; their wits goe and come by pipe and pipe ; thus 

 am I taken in snuffe by every pesant. * * * Believe 

 Time's words ! it is not the swarty-chopt tobacco-drugge, 

 that will yeeld you content in the expense of your time : 

 you may smoake it long ere you better your owne dis- 

 course, or make your accounts even, which Time expects 

 at your hands. A whole ounce of tobacco will hardly 

 purchase one dram of wit ; repentance is the best fruit 

 you shall reape out of such an unsavoury herbe." He 

 ends with invectives against the three captains named 

 in the title ; a short historical account of tobacco 

 succeeds ; * and then comes the following : — 



TIME'S SONNET. 



Sweet youth, smoake not thy time, 



Too precious to abuse ; 



Th'ast fitter feats to choose : 

 What may redeeme that prime, 



Thy smoaking age doth loose ? 



Good Oldman, eye thy glasse, 



See, how those sands doe fall ! 



None can a graine recall : 

 Old houres doe quickly passe, 



Shall smoake consume them all ? 



* Two other works on tobacco are incidentally mentioned : 1. A pleasant 

 poeticall paradox in the praise of the plant, wherein is learnedly proved, 

 and by impregnable reasons convinced, that Tobacco is the only sovereign 

 expevimentall cure, not only for the Neapolitan itch, but generally for all 

 maladies incident to man's body. 2. A little Tract, entitled Tobacco, 

 published byespeciall direction of the author uponhis death-bed, dedicated 

 to Humphry King, one ivell- experienced in the use, benefit, and practise of 

 that herbe, and printed for Will Barlow (with Tobacco armes) then keeping 

 shop in Gracious streete. 



