Simon Paulli

“ Since, being Europeans, we ought to use the Regimen, Aliments, and Drinks, peculiar to Europe; for it is no less generally than justly observed, that the natural Produce of any Country is best suited to the Constitution of its Inhabitants. Thus Tea seems by Nature adapted to the Inhabitants of China, Coffee to those of Persia, Chocolate to those of America, and Ale and Wine to those of the different Parts of Europe. ”

“ As it is the peculiar Glory of the human Nature, to perceive Truth in its genuine Colours; so, it is a Disgrace to Reason to embrace Falshood for Truth. I do not, however, lay claim to Infallibility, since I confess that I may err, as well as other Men. ”

“ I think I have now sufficiently proved, that as Tobacco is of a narcotic Quality, and its Fumes penetrate intimately into the Brain, so, of course, Smoaking must be more prejudicial than Snuffing. But, if People will still obstinately indulge themselves in the Use of this noxious Plant, all I can do farther, is to warn them of their Danger. ”

“ Tea has indeed a Taste, though not of the grateful Kind, as is obvious from what has been said. The Taste and Smell, therefore, which the Chinese perceive in drinking Tea, do not proceed from the Tea itself, but from the Water, or earthen Vessels they use, or from both; from the Water, which by its Mineral Salt, extracts from the Vessels their Salt and Sulphur; and from the Vessels, which in return communicate these to the Water. For this peculiar Quality of the Earth, the City is called Gnihing, which, according to Martinius, signifies the Glory of the Earth. ”

“ Next Day, when I went to my Garden, and stooped to pull up a Weed, a large Quantity of a Saffron-coloured Liquor, which smelled like Tobacco, flowed from my Nose, upon which my Tooth-ach was immediately removed. During the whole of my Life, neither Blood, nor any other Liquor, except a ferous Phlegm, had flowed from my Nose, but upon this Occasion I never saw any Liquor of a deeper yellow Colour. ”

“ Leaves which appear in the Spring, and are soft and delicate: The latter is, when they are fed upon the Summer Leaves, which are coarse and hard; so great is the Difference of Work produced by these Animals only by a Change of Food." If this Account of the Nourishment of Silk-Worms is true, as we Europeans find it by Experience, so it is equally certain, that there is as great a Difference between those Leaves of the Chinese Tea, or European Chamelæagnus, which appear in the Spring, and those which are produced in the Summer, as I have all along insinuated in this Work. ”

“ For if, according to Tulpius, Tea is sold at so great a Rate in China, or, if a Pound of the best Tea is often sold at twelve Nobles in Japan, I cannot see how the Merchants of Amsterdam and Hamburg, who may reasonably be allowed a fourth of Profit, could afford a Pound for eight Nobles. Since, therefore, Tartary is a very extensive Kingdom; and since, in some Provinces of it, the Tea of the Chinese grows, I think it very probable, that the same Tea may be found in the similar, heathy, copsy, and uncultivated Places of Europe. ”

“ But Physicians may object, that I am still bewildered, and at a Loss; since the Chinese Tea, and our Chamelæagnus, produce different Effects: For, as all the Effects which the Chinese or Indians ascribe to their Tea, seem to arise from the Diversity of its Parts, some of which are moderately warm, others excessively dry, some gross, and some subtle: Hence, both Tea and the true Myrtle, prevent Intoxication; nay, an Infusion of Tea surprizingly keeps those who drink it in China, from sleeping for some Nights. ”

“ Tho' I am always willing to yield to superior and more powerful Reasons, yet I cannot help thinking, that our Chamelæagnus may be very commodiously substituted to the Chinese Tea. Thus the Scordium of Crete is generally [73] thought the best of all others, for no other Reason, but that it grows there. The Germans and Danes, however, ceased to import it from Crete and Venice, after they discovered the true Scordium, and found large Quantities of it produced in Lapland, which also yielded great Plenty, not inferior to that of Asia; so that we despise the Asiatic, in comparison of our own. ”

“ Dignity of a free-born Soul, than not, like the Cattle, implicitly to follow the Van of the Flock, going, not whither we ought to go, but whither they go before us. But nothing involves us in more terrible Misfortunes, than our judging of Things by Fame and Report, esteeming those Things best, which are most universally assented to, and approved, as we find in numberless Instances. We neither live agreeably to the Dictates of Reason, nor in a Manner that is uniform and consistent with itself: Hence it is, that such Numbers of Individuals fall, as it were, upon others. ”

“ Besides, Michael Boym, a learned Jesuit, in his Flora Sinensis, mentions various Fruits which are not produced in Europe; whereas Nature has furnished the Chinese with others, either like to, or exactly the same with, those of the Europeans. The former of these, and the other similar Delicacies of the East Indies, do, in all Probability, give rise to new Diseases in Europe. This Jesuit speaks of China in the following Manner: "The Kingdom of China is, as it were, a Compound of the whole Globe, or rather, a Gem, in which more Riches are to be found than in all the rest of the World besides. ”

“ For almost every one knows, that the Marks of the Goodness of Tobacco, whether drawn from the Colour, Smell, Taste, or Weight, vary very greatly among the Eu [27] ropeans, who, to their Disgrace be it said, have learned to hang their Tobacco, when corrupted, insipid, or light, in Houses of Office, or Vaults, in order to be rendered more acrid and ponderous by the volatile Salts of human Urine and Excrements, under a specious Pretence, that these Salts render it beneficial and salutary, by cleansing the Head; which, they say, is highly beneficial to Persons who drink much. ”

“ The common People among the Indians also receive the Smoak of Tobacco into their Mouths and Nostrils, when they want either to be transported with pleasant Dreams, or to predict the Events of their Affairs from the Occurrences which happen to them during Sleep; for as the grand Impostor, the Devil, knows the Virtues of Herbs, he has taught them the Qualities of Tobacco, in order to deceive them by means of these Dreams. ”

“ Now, though Asia furnishes the Chinese with [59] Tea, as a salutary Medicine, yet she obtrudes it upon us, at the same Time we are ignorant what it is; for which Reason I shall describe Tea, both as an Herb, and as a Kind of Copse, or small Shrub. "Tea, therefore, as an Herb, has oblong Leaves, acuminated, crenated about the Edges, and about an Inch long, and half an Inch broad. In China these Leaves are of a dark green Colour, and of a bitter Taste; whereas those produced in Japan, are of a fainter Green, and more grateful Taste, tinging any Liquor with the same Colour. ”

“ The Americans are still worse, since they feed upon human Flesh, have nothing to cover them, and pass their Time in desart Places, and lurking Holes. Since, therefore, the Climate, Soil, and Non-Naturals of the Americans, are widely different from those of the Europeans, it is highly reasonable, that we should neither admit, nor tolerate, the continual and habitual Use of Tobacco in Europe. ”

“ It is therefore far more congruous to Truth and Reason, to suppose, that the Chinese are free from the Stone, Gout, and arthritic Pains, rather by the Goodness of their Water, than by their Tea alone, which may also contribute something to their Happiness in these Respects. Besides, the Force and Virtue of Tea, must be considerably impaired and lost, by the intense Heat of the Sun, during so long a Voyage, in which the Equator must be twice crossed, before the Ships arrive at any European Ports. ”

“ It is more reasonable to argue thus: Tobacco is hot, consists of very subtle Parts, and is highly penetrating; therefore, being at the same Time narcotic, it will prove the more hurtful, the more penetrating it is; because the narcotic Quality of Tobacco, which is otherwise slow, like that of Opium, or Hemlock, is, by its other Qualities, exalted, and put in Action; [37] or, to speak my Sentiments more freely, by means of the Acrimony ascribed to its Salt, whether fixed or volatile, the narcotic Sulphur is conveyed in its full Strength to the Nerves of the Head. ”

“ The Effeminacy and Impotence then produced by drinking Coffee, and smoaking Tobacco, are sufficiently obvious. And to these two, if I am not mistaken, good Judges will join Tea, because according to Martinius, the Chinese by the last not only extinguish Thirst, but also dissipate their Humours to such a Degree, that they hardly ever spit. It is also by a drying Quality, that the Agnus Castus, Rue, Mint, and Camphire, render Men impotent. ”

“ In each of these Nations, this Herb is highly esteemed; the Persians boil it with Spring-Water, Anise and Fennel: Some of them also add a small Quantity of Cloves to it. The Persians, Chinese, Japonese, and Indians, ascribe uncommon Virtue and Efficacy to this Water, affirming, that it produces the most salutary Effects on the Stomach, Lungs, Liver, Mass of Blood, and all the Viscera, which it deterges and corroborates. It also expels the Stone, removes the Head-ach, and dissipates that superfluous Humidity, which produces Lassitude and Drowsiness. ”

“ The Chinese are also Strangers to the Stone, and [53] their Tea not only preserves the Body in good Health, but also removes Intoxication. It prevents Sleep, and renders Persons alert and chearful in the Dispatch of Business. The Water prepared of this Herb, is to be drank in a Morning fasting, with preserved Ginger, as also after Dinner, between Meals, after Supper, or at any Time, since the frequent Use of it is not hurtful. They boil a Pint of Water in a Pot, then put a Spoonful of Tea into it, and cover it close up for a Quarter of an Hour, during which Time they shake it frequently. ”

“ The Seeds of the Agnus Castus, according to Hoffman, "do not convey Flatulences to the Head, except when they affect it by the Subtilty of their Parts (which I call their sulphureous Quality) just as Wine, whose Taste and Smell they have, according to Pliny, affects the Head, and procures Sleep." All these Properties of Wine, as well as of our Chamelæagnus, proceed from their Sulphur, which is grateful to the Nerves: But these Effects could never be produced, only by Galen's Subtilty of the Parts. ”

“ As the Person who, for his Crimes, has lost his Ears, is looked upon with Infamy; what better Treatment does he deserve, who, either through a Contempt of Medicine, or an obstinate Fondness to gratify his own Inclinations, either impairs or destroys those Senses, which indulgent Heaven has bestowed upon him for so noble Purposes! ”

“ But, as the Plague is imported from Africa, it is probable, that the Salubrity of the Atmosphere, in those Countries which escaped, checked the sulphureous, saline, and pestilential Atoms, which first contaminated the Air of Amsterdam, and then that of Hambourg. But all Countries differ so widely, with respect to Air, Water, and Situation, that none of them, even the most contiguous, are exactly alike, and conspire in producing the same Effects. ”

“ Whereas, the European Tea, or Chamelæagnus, renders the Country People, as it were, intoxicated, and disposed to Sleep. But these different Effects are not owing to any occult Qualities of the Chinese and European Teas, but manifestly to the sulphureous Parts, of which the Chinese has a far smaller Quantity than our Chamelæagnus. Thus, it is certain, that prepared Vipers may be safely eaten, and that Dioscorides roasted Vipers for Food; so vast a Difference there is between artificial Preparations, and natural Productions. ”

“ Johannes Albertus von Mandelslo informs us, that the Water impregnated with Tea, is not only much admired by the Indians, but also highly esteemed by the Dutch, who frequently use it for evacuating Phlegm, corroborating the Stomach, heating and strengthening all the Viscera; and that he was convinced, that by drinking three Times a-day, large Quantities of Tea, which is of an astringent Quality, he was freed from a violent Uneasiness and Diarrhœa at Surat. ”

“ So happy a Tendency have a clement Air, and a proper Regimen, if not to protract Life, yet, at least, to preserve Health, and prevent Diseases. Not only Tea, which we have from the East, but also Chocolate, which is imported from the West Indies, begins to be famous: With respect to this latter Commodity, the Reader may consult Antonius Colmerus de Ledesma, whose Work is translated from Spanish into Latin, by Marcus Aurelius Severinus. ”