to the lungs, and
the black stinking fume thereof, nearest resembling the
horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless."[45]

[Footnote 45: Another writer in the same censorious
manner says of the use of tobacco, "Smoking is the
jovial repast of Cannibals or Man-eaters, and the grand
entertainment of idolatrous Pagan Festivals. Masters
will not permit the use of it to their servants or
slaves and such as use it can hardly find masters or
buyers."]

Quaint old Burton in his "Anatomy of Melancholy," recognizes the
virtues of the plant while he anathematizes its abuse. He says:--

"Tobacco, divine, rare, superexcellent tobacco, which goes
far beyond all their panacetas, potable gold, and
philosophers' stones, a soveraign remedy to all diseases. A
good vomit, I confesse, a vertuous herb, if it be well
qualified, opportunely taken, and medicinally used; but, as
it is commonly abused by most men, which take it as tinkers
do ale, 'tis a plague, a mischief, a violent purger of
goods, lands, health, hellish, divelish and damned tobacco,
the ruine and overthrow of body and soul."

The duty on importation had been only twopence per pound, a moderate
sum in view of the prices realized by the sale of it.

The King now increased it to the enormous sum of two shilling and ten
pence. James termed the custom of using tobacco an "evil vanitie"
impairing "the health of a great number of people their bodies
weakened and made unfit for labor, and the estates of many mean
persons so decayed and consumed, as they are thereby driven to
unthriftie shifts only to maintain their gluttonous exercise
thereof."[46] Brodigan says of the "Counterblast:"

[Footnote 46: "King James' violent prejudices against
all use of tobacco arose from his aversion to Sir Walter
Raleigh, its first importer into England whom he
intended a sacrifice to the gratification of the King of
Spain."]

"However absurd his reasoning may appear, it unfortunately
happened that he possessed the power to reduce his aversion
to practice, and he may be considered as the author of that
unwarrantable persecution of the tobacco plant, which under
varying circumstances, has been injudiciously continued to
the present tim