A

COVNTER-BLASTE

TO

TOBACCO.

Bibliotheca Curiosa.

A

COVNTER-BLASTE

TO

TOBACCO.

(WRITTEN BY KING JAMES I.)

EDITED BY

EDMUND GOLDSMID, F.R.H.S.

PRIVATELY PRINTED, EDINBURGH.

1884.

A Covnter-Blaste To Tobacco.

IMPRINTED AT LONDON

by R.B.

Anno 1604.

TO THE READER.

As euery humane body (deare Countrey men) how wholesome soeuer, benotwithstanding subiect, or at least naturally inclined to some sorts ofdiseases, or infirmities: so is there no Common-wealth, orBody-politicke, how well gouerned, or peaceable soeuer it bee, thatlackes the owne popular errors, and naturally enclined corruptions: andtherefore is it no wonder, although this our Countrey and Common-wealth,though peaceable, though wealthy, though long flourishing in both, beamongst the rest, subiect to the owne naturall infirmities. We are ofall Nations the people most louing and most reuerently obedient to ourPrince, yet are wee (as time has often borne witnesse) too easie to beseduced to make Rebellion, vpon very slight grounds. Our fortunate andoff prooued valour in warres abroad, our heartie and reuerent obedienceto our Princes at home, hath bred vs a long, and a thrice happy peace:Our Peace hath bred wealth: And Peace and wealth hath brought foorth agenerall sluggishnesse, which makes vs wallow in all sorts of idledelights, and soft delicacies, The first seedes of the subuersion of allgreat Monarchies. Our Cleargie are become negligent and lazie, ourNobilitie and Gentrie prodigall, and solde to their priuate delights,Our Lawyers couetous, our Common-people prodigall and curious; andgenerally all sorts of people more carefull for their priuate ends, thenfor their mother the Common-wealth. For remedie whereof, it is the Kings(as the proper Phisician of his Politicke-body) to purge it of all thosediseases, by Medicines meete for the same: as by a certaine milde, andyet iust form of gouernment, to maintaine the Publicke quietnesse, andpreuent all occasions of Commotion: by the example of his owne Personand Court, to make vs all ashamed of our sluggish delicacie, and tostirre vs up to the practise againe of all honest exercises, andMartiall shadowes of VVarre; As likewise by his, and his Courtsmoderatenesse in Apparell, to make vs ashamed of our prodigalitie: Byhis quicke admonitions and carefull overseeing of the Cleargie to wakenthem vp againe, to be more diligent in their Offices: By the sharpetriall, and seuere punishment of the partiall, couetous and bribingLawyers, to reforme their corruptions: And generally by the example ofhis owne Person, and by the due execution of good Lawes, to reform andabolish, piece and piece, these old and euill grounded abuses. For thiswill not bee Opus vnius diei, but as euery one of these diseases,must from the King receiue the owne cure proper for it, so are theresome sorts of abuses in Common-wealths, that though they be of so baseand contemptible a condition, as they are too low for the Law to lookeon, and too meane for a King to interpone his authoritie, or bend hiseye vpon: yet are they corruptions, as well as the greatest of them. Sois an Ant an Animal, as well as an Elephant: so is a VVrenne Auis,as well as a Swanne, and so is a small dint of the Toothake, a diseaseas well as the fearefull Plague is. But for these base sorts ofcorruptio