Page:The Anatomy of Tobacco.pdf/51

 haling the smoke of any substance whatsoever," thus putting the vile cabbage on an equality with our superexcellent herb. But the more reasonable of the Soporifics (as they may fairly be named) argue somewhat as follows:—

If I be, perchance, an inhabitant of some land in which tobacco is unknown, but where a herb of like properties is used in its place, then for me that herb becomes in truth necessary matter; for I know of none other, and without it smoking would be, as far as I am concerned, impossible.

Yet, admitting that in this there is some tincture of reason, we must not let ourselves be bewildered into accepting such a theory. For it is to be remarked that these divergencies arise from a denying of the scholastic definition, and the substitution of one more or less plausible. But we of the orthodox school, who pride ourselves on having kept the Divine tradition intact and unaltered from the days of Pythagoras, will not suffer one jot or tittle to be abated from the wisdom of our