nd 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 e 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