Of loude and soft reading.

Reading is a thing so familiarly knowne, as there needeth no great proofe, that it exerciseth the voice, and therwith all the health, wherof the Physicians admit two kindes, into the raunge of exercises, which be furtherers to health. The one quicke, cleare, and straining, the other quiet, caulme, and staing. The cleare and straining kinde of reading, bycause it stirreth the breath, not sleightly nor superficially, but sheweth what it can do, in the verie fountaine and depth of all the entrailles, it encreaseth the naturall health, maketh the blood suttle and fine, purgeth all the veines, openeth all the arteries, suffereth not superfluous humours to thicken, neither to congeale and freese to a dreggie residence within any of those places, which do either receiue and lodge, or distribute and dispose, the meat and nurriture. Whervpon Cornelius Celsus10 an eloquent Romain Physician accounteth it one of the finest and fairest exercises. To proue that it is holesome for the head, what more credible witnesses neede we, then Coelius Aurelianus11 a diligent Physician, and AnnÆus Seneca12 a deepe Philosopher? Coelius holdeth this kinde of reading to be verie soueraine not onely in headaches, but also in frensies and troubled mindes. Seneca vsed it to stay the rewme, and distillation from the head, which troubled him sore, as a man being both of eager conceit, and earnest studie, where by the waye, Coelius giueth this note, whether ye meane to reskew the patient, from the headache, or the frantike from madnesse, by this exercise of reading, that the matter which is read, be pleasaunt and plaine, and nothing hard to vnderstand, to cause the witte to muse. For that such obiectes do no lesse trouble the weake braine, then sore shaking or hard iogging doth the wearied body. Moreouer cleare reading and loude, doth refreshe not onely the inward partes of the breast, but the stomack also: and comforteth it in feeblenesse, bycause therby phelgmatike excrementes, are without paine both thinned and consumed: whervpon it is held to be verie holesome, to mend a feeble voice, to helpe the colicke, occasioned by cold humours, and to check some consumptions. And to that ende the young Plinie writeth, that his vncle did vse it. When I haue said that it is also good for the drie cowghe, I neede not say any more good of it here. Auicen13 the Arabian and princely Physician speaking herof, sayth that in the beginning, this reading must be soft and caulme, then mount by degrees, and when the voice seemeth to be in his strength, growing, and long, that then it is hie time, to staie for that time, nor to straine till ye sticke, but to leaue with some list, and abilitie to do more. The quiet and staid kinde of reading, sauing that the working is weaker, doth the best that it can, about all this that is said: and in one pointe it hath obtained a prerogatiue aboue the loude, that it is admitted and allowed streight after meat, when the other is licensed and allowed to depart. The maister may so vse these two exercises of reading and speaking as besides the health of the bodie, whervnto they are deputed, they may proue excellent and great deliuerers of cunning, and well beseeme the schoole: as to much in either doth trouble the scholer to much, which yet boyes would defend, by the countenaunce of a commended exercise, were it not, that in boyes exercises, I do require the maisters presence, who will refourme that exercise against their will to his owne discretion. Thus much concerning this exercise, wherby the training maister may perceiue, both what the learned haue thought of it, and how much the learners are like to gaine by it.