Chapter 7 Part 4
SMOKING UNFASHIONABLE: EARLY GEORGIAN DAYS
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The non-smokers were the men of fashion and those who followed them in
preferring the snuff-box to the pipe. Sometimes, apparently, they
chewed. A World of 1754 pokes fun at the "pretty" young men who
"take pains to appear manly. But alas! the methods they pursue, like
most mistaken applications, rather aggravate the calamity. Their
drinking and raking only makes them look like old maids. Their
swearing is almost as shocking as it would be in the other sex. Their
chewing tobacco not only offends, but makes us apprehensive at the
same time that the poor things will be sick," as they certainly well
deserved to be. To chew might be "manly," but it will be observed that
smoking is not mentioned. No reputation for manliness could be
achieved by even the affectation of a pipe. Similarly, in Bramston's
"Man of Taste," various fashionable tastes are described, but there is
no mention of tobacco.
In Townley's well-known two-act farce "High Life Below Stairs," 1759,
the servants take their masters' and mistresses' titles and ape their
ways. The menservants—the Dukes and Sir Harrys—offer one another
snuff. "Taste this snuff, Sir Harry," says the "Duke." "'Tis good
rappee," replies "Sir Harry." "Right Strasburgh, I assure you, and of
my own importing," says the knowing ducal valet. "The city people
adulterate it so confoundedly," he continues, "that I always import my
own snuff;" and in similar vein he goes on in imitation of his master,
the genuine Duke. These servants copy the talk and style (with a
difference) of their employers; but smoking is never mentioned. The
real Dukes and Sir Harrys took snuff with a grace, but they did not do
anything so low as to smoke, and their menservants faithfully aped
their preferences and their aversions.
Negative evidence of this kind is abundant; and positive statements of
the aversion of the beaux from smoking are not lacking. Dodsley's
"Collection" contains a satirical poem called "A Pipe of Tobacco,"
which was written in imitation of six different poets. The author was
Isaac Hawkins Browne, and the poets imitated were the Laureate Cibber,
Philips, Thomson, Young, Pope, and Swift. The first imitation is
called "A New Year's Ode," and contains three recitatives, three airs
and a chorus. One of the airs will suffice as a sample:
Happy mortal! he who knows
Pleasure which a Pipe bestows;
Curling eddies climb the room
Wafting round a mild perfume.
Number two, which was intended as a burlesque of Philips's "Splendid
Shilling," is really pretty and must be given entire. It reveals
unsuspected beauties in the simple "churchwarden," or "yard of clay":
Little tube of mighty pow'r,
Charmer of an idle hour,
Object of my warm desire,
Lip of wax, and eye of fire:
And thy snowy taper waist,
With my finger gently brac'd;
And thy pretty swelling crest,
With my little stopper prest,
And the sweetest bliss of blisses,
Breathing from thy balmy kisses.
Happy thrice, and thrice agen,
Happiest he of happy men;
Who when agen the night returns,
When agen the taper burns;
When agen the cricket's gay,
(Little cricket, full of play)
Can afford his tube to feed
With the fragrant Indian weed:
Pleasure for a nose divine,
Incense of the god of wine.
Happy thrice, and thrice agen,
Happiest he of happy men.
Imitations three and five praise the leaf in less happy strains,
though number five has a line worth noting for our purpose, in which
tobacco is spoken of as
By ladies hated, hated by the beaux.
The sixth sinks to ribaldry. Number four contains evidence of the
distaste for smoking among the beaux in the lines:
Coxcombs prefer the tickling sting of snuff;
Yet all their claim to wisdom is—a puff;
Lord Foplin smokes not—for his teeth afraid:
Sir Tawdry smokes not—for he wears brocade.
Ladies, when pipes are brought, affect to swoon;
They love no smoke, except the smoke of Town;
But courtiers hate the puffing tube—no matter,
Strange if they love the breath that cannot flatter!
* * * * * * *
Yet crowds remain, who still its worth proclaim,
While some for pleasure smoke, and some for Fame.
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