A Counterblaste to Tobacco

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A Counterblaste to Tobacco is a treatise written by King James I of England in 1604, in which he expresses his distaste for tobacco, particularly tobacco smoking. As such, it is one of the earliest anti-tobacco publications.

Style and content

It is written in Early Modern English and refers to medical theories of the time (e.g. the four humours). In it, James blames the "Indians" for bringing tobacco in Europe, complains about passive smoking, warns of dangers to the lungs, and decries tobacco's odor as "hatefull to the nose."

Effects and legacy

James's dislike of tobacco led him to authorize Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset to levy an excise tax and tariff of six shillings and eight pence per pound of tobacco imported, a large sum of money for the time.

150 years later, British utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham would cite A Counterblaste to Tobacco as an example of antipathy run wild.

Quotation

References

External links

• Full text of A Counterblaste to Tobacco

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Last updated on Friday February 22, 2008 at 12:17:10 PST (GMT -0800)
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