A Counter-Blaste to Tobacco

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A Counter-Blaste to Tobacco

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Title: A Counter-Blaste to Tobacco
Author: King James I.
Editor: Edmund Goldsmid
Release Date: November 5, 2005 [EBook #17008]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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A
COVNTER-BLASTE
TO
TOBACCO.
This Edition is limited to seventy-five Large Paper copies, and two hundred and seventy-five Small Paper copies, issued only to Subscribers.

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.
Transcriber's note: Footnotes moved to end of text.

TO THE READER.
As euery humane body _(deare Countrey men) how wholesome soeuer, be notwithstanding subiect, or at least naturally inclined to some sorts of diseases, or infirmities: so is there no Common-wealth, or Body-politicke, how well gouerned, or peaceable soeuer it bee, that lackes the owne popular errors, and naturally enclined corruptions: and therefore is it no wonder, although this our Countrey and Common-wealth, though peaceable, though wealthy, though long flourishing in both, be amongst the rest, subiect to the owne naturall infirmities. We are of all Nations the people most louing and most reuerently obedient to our Prince, yet are wee (as time has often borne witnesse) too easie to be seduced to make Rebellion, vpon very slight grounds. Our fortunate and off prooued valour in warres abroad, our heartie and reuerent obedience to 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 a generall sluggishnesse, which makes vs wallow in all sorts of idle delights, and soft delicacies, The first seedes of the subuersion of all great Monarchies. Our Cleargie are become negligent and lazie, our Nobilitie and Gentrie prodigall, and solde to their priuate delights, Our Lawyers couetous, our Common-people prodigall and curious; and generally all sorts of people more carefull for their priuate ends, then for 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 those diseases, by Medicines meete for the same: as by a certaine milde, and yet iust form of gouernment, to maintaine the Publicke quietnesse, and preuent all occasions of Commotion: by the example of his owne Person and Court, to make vs all ashamed of our sluggish delicacie, and to stirre vs up to the practise againe of all honest exercises, and Martiall shadowes of VVarre; As likewise by his, and his Courts moderatenesse in Apparell, to make vs ashamed of our prodigalitie: By his quicke admonitions and carefull overseeing of the Cleargie to waken them vp againe, to be more diligent in their Offices: By the sharpe triall, and seuere punishment of the partiall, couetous and bribing Lawyers, to reforme their corruptions: And generally by the example of his owne Person, and by the due execution of good Lawes, to reform and abolish, piece and piece, these old and euill grounded abuses. For this will 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 there some sorts of abuses in Common-wealths, that though they be of so base and contemptible a condition, as they are too low for the Law to looke on, and too meane for a_ King _to interpone his authoritie, or bend his eye vpon: yet are they corruptions, as well as the greatest of them. So is 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 disease as well as the fearefull Plague is. But for these base sorts of corruption in Common-wealthes, not onely the_ King, _or any inferior Magistrate, but_ Quilibet �� populo _may serve to be a Phisician, by discouering and impugning the error, and by perswading reformation thereof._
_And surely in my opinion, there cannot be a more base, and yet hurtfull corruption in a Countrey, then is the vile vse (or other abuse) of taking_ Tobacco _in this Kingdome, which hath moued me, shortly to discouer the abuses thereof in this following little Pamphlet._
_If any thinke it a light Argument, so it is but a toy that is bestowed upon it. And since the Subiect is but of Smoke, I thinke the fume of an idle braine, may serue for a sufficient