"'Tis a friend to the distress'd,
'Tis a comforter in need;
It is social, soothing, blest;
It has fragrance, force, and zest;
Then hail the kingly weed!"
While Raleigh[51] and many of Elizabeth's courtiers indulged frequently in a pipe, some have imagined that even Queen Bess herself tested the rare virtues of tobacco. This is hardly based upon sufficient proof to warrant a very strong belief in it; but the following account of "How to weigh smoke" taken from Tinsley's Magazine shows that the Queen was acquainted at least with Raleigh's use of the weed:
"One day it happened that Queen Elizabeth, wandering about the grounds and alleys at Hampton with a single maid of honour, came upon Sir Walter Raleigh indulging in a pipe. Smoking now is as common as eating and drinking, and to smoke amongst ladies is a vulgarity. But not so then: it was an accomplishment, it was a distinction; and one of the feathers in Sir Walter's towering cap was his introduction of tobacco. The all-accomplished hero rose and saluted the Queen in his grand manner, and the Queen, who was in her daintiest humour, gave him her white hand to kiss, and took the seat he had left.
"Now, Sir Walter, I can puzzle you at last." "I suppose I must not be so rude as to doubt your Majesty." "You are bold enough for that, but your boldness will not help you, Sir Walter, this time. You cannot tell me how much the smoke from your pipe weighs." "Your Majesty is mistaken. I can tell you to a nicety. Will your Majesty allow me to call yonder page, and send for a pair of scales and weights?" "By my honour," said the Queen, "were any other subject in our realm to make request so absurd, we should very positively deny it. But you are the wisest of our fools, and, though we expect to see but little use made of these weights when brought, your request shall be granted. And, supposing you fail to weigh the smoke, what penalty will you pay?" "I will be content," said Sir Walter, "to lose my head." "You may chance to lose it on a graver count than this;" answered the Queen. "If the head shall have done some slight service to your Majesty and the realm," replied the courteous knight, "thee will be well content nevertheless."
Weighing Smoke.
"But your Majesty will soon see that I fail not. First, madam, I place this empty pipe in the scales, and I find that it weighs exactly 2 ounces. I now fill it with tobacco, and the weight is increased to 2-1/10th ounce. I must now ask your Majesty to allow me to smoke the pipe out. I shall then turn out the ashes, and place them together with the pipe in the scale once more. The difference between the weight of the pipe with the unsmoked tobacco, and weight of the pipe with the ashes, will be the weight of the smoke." "You are too clever for us, Sir Walter. We shall expect you to-night at supper, and if the conversation grow dull, you shall tell our courtiers the story of the pipe."
Many other anecdotes have been told of the adventures of Raleigh with his pipe. One is that while taking a quiet smoke his servant entered and becoming alarmed on seeing the smoke coming from his nose threw a mug of ale in his face.
The same anecdote is also related of others including Tarlton. He gives an account of it in his Jests 1611. It is told in this manner: