That bewitching vegetable, tobacco
first came to England
by sir Walter Raleigh
that great ornament of the British nation
who, to his royal mistress,
could do no less
than make a present
of the brightest.
Whether that gentleman
ever made a voyage
to that part of the northern American continent
now under the dominion of the king
is uncertain.
However, thus much may be depended on:
Sir Walter invited sundry persons of distinction
to share in his charter,
obtained from queen Elizabeth
of ever-glorious memory,
and join their purses with his
in the laudable project
of fitting out a colony.
A modish frenzy
made many fond of removing
to such a paradise:
expecting their coarsest utensils
would be of massy silver.
Cento sourced from The Westover Manuscripts
Tichaona Chinyelu 