Of walking.

Among those exercises which be vsed abroade, what one deserueth to be set before walking, in the order and place of traine: what one haue they more neede to know, which minde, the preseruation and continuaunce of health? what one is there, which is more practised of all men, and at all times, then walking is? I dare saye that there is none, whether young or olde, whether man or woman, but accounteth it not onely the most excellent exercise, but almost alone worthy to beare the name of an exercise. When the weather suffereth, how emptie are the townes and streates, how full be the fieldes and meadowes, of all kindes of folke? which by flocking so abroad, protest themselues to be fauourers of that they do, and delite in for their health. If ye consider but the vse of our legges, how necessarie they be for the performaunce of all our doings, nature her selfe seemeth to haue appointed walking, as the most naturall traine, that can be, to make them discharge their duetie well. And sure if there be any exercise, which generally can preserue health, which can remedie weaknesse, which can purchace good hauiour, considering it is so generall, and neither excludeth person nor age, certainly that is walking. Herevpon Physicians when they entreat of this argument, vse alwaye to giue it, the place of preferment and birthright in this kinde. The auncient Princes, and common weales so highly esteemed of it, as in the places appointed for exercise, whether within their great buildinges, or without, they seemed to minde no one thing more: and still prouided walking roomes, to serue for all seasons and times of the yeare, some couert and close, some vncouert and open, some secret and hidden. The reason why they thus regarded walking, was great, for as it seemeth to be, so it is in verie deede wholly consecrate to the vse of health.

Is it euer red that the athlets or gamesters vsed walking for an exercise: either in sportes, or in theaters, or in the solemnising of their sacred ceremonies, whervnto they serued? did either Plato25 handling this argument, or any good writer else saye that walking was any waye to traine vp soldiars withall? Onely Vegetius26 sayeth in his discourse of warfare, that it were good for soldiars to accustome themselues to walke quickly and proportionately, for their better breathing: and Augustus Cesar, and Adrian the Emperours, did ordeine by constitution, that soldiars both horsemen and footemen should monthly be led abroad to walke and that not only in the plaine fieldes, but in all kindes of soile, to be able by that acquaintaunce with groundes, to make difficultie at none. So that walking seemeth to be onely institute both by nature and custome for the vse of health: and that in the traine of health, no one thing deserueth better place than it doth: bycause no other thing besides health layth claime vnto it.

Herof there be two kindes, the one vsed after vehement exercises, the other, which beareth the name of the exercise itselfe. Concerning the former of the two, I haue but thus much to saye: bycause the latter is my peculiar subiect. That it commeth in place, when other exercises are dismissed, and finished, after purgations ministred by counsell of Physick, after great vomiting: that it is good to refresh the wearied minde: to alter and bring in order the spirites: to loose that which is strayted, to scoure the chest: to make one fetch his breath at ease: to strengthen the instrumentes of the senses, to confirme the stomacke, to cleare and fine the bodie: and not to suffer it after trauaile to melt or decaie, but to purge and cleanse it: and that, which is of most account, to dissolue and bannish awaye all affections that procure any feeling of weariesomnes, or disturbaunce to the bodie.

The second kinde of walking hath three sortes vnder him. Wherof the first beareth his name of the kinde of motion, how: The second of the place, where: The thrid of the time, when the walking is vsed. Which three also haue particular braunches vnder eche of them, as hereafter shall appeare.

Walkinges which take their names of the motion now, be either swift or slow, vehement or gentle, much or litle, moderate, or sore, long and outright, or short and turning: now bearing vpon the whole feete, now vpon the toes, now vpon the heeles.

Of all these diuersities in walking the moderate is most profitable, which alone of all, that I rekened, hath no point either of to much, or of to litle, and yet it is both much, and strayning, which be the two properties of an healthfull walke. It is good for the head, the eyes, the throte, the chest, when they be out of frame: so the partie spit not blood. For distilling from the head, for difficultie of breath, for a moyste and pained stomacke, wherin the nurriture either groweth bitter or corrupteth: for the iaundise, costifnesse, fleeting of the meat in the stomacke, stopping of the vrine, ache of the hippes, and generally for all such, as either neede to prouoke any superfluitie from the vpper partes downward, or to send that packing, which is already in waye to depart. Now to the contrarie it is naught for agues, bycause it encreaseth heat, and so consequently the disease: for the falling euill, for hauking vp of blood: and in the time when one is making water.

Swift walking doth heat sore and abateth the flesh, whervpon to ease the colicke, and to take awaie grossenesse, it is accounted a verie good meane.

Slow walking hath the same effectes, that the apotherapeutike hath. And therfore it is good for sickly weake olde men, and those which delite in, or neede walking after meate, to setle it better in the bottome of their stomacke: or that be newly awaked from sleepe, or that prepare themselues to some greater exercise, or that feele any ache in any part, or that haue drie bodies. When one hath the head ache it is good to walke first slowly, and after a while a litle faster, and stronger, strutting out the legges. Slow walking is also good against the falling sicknesse: bycause without any shaking to the head, it fetcheth the humours downward, where it thinneth and disperseth them, and warmes the whole bodie, without endammaging it. Finally in quartane agues, when the fit is past, in leprosies, for tetters, ringewormes, cankars, and to procure easie fetching of ones breath, it is verie soueraine.

Vehement or to sore and to eager walking, is best for cold folkes, and therfore good to driue away trembling or quaking, it encreaseth puffing and blowing, and yet dissolueth, and disperseth winde. But it is ill for weake heades and feete, and such as are in daunger of the gout. For both the gout and the hippe ache do oftimes come of to much and to sore walking. As to the contrarie gentle walking vpon soft straw, or grasse, or vpon euen ground is good for any gout or inward exulceration, before meat, but not after. For wearinesse is their principall enemie: which heateth and enflameth their iointes to sore: and thereby causeth them to draw stil more matter from the partes further of, to feede their continuall fluxe.

Much and oft walking is good for them that haue a distempered bulk or head: that perceiue small nurriture in their lower partes, that in their exercises neede more vehement stirring.

Litle walking is good for them, that vse no bathing or washing after exercise, which must needes walke after meate, to send it downe, to the bottom of their stomacke, and for those which finde some heauinesse in their bodies.

Long and outright walking is nothing so troublesome as the short, that maketh many turnes. It is good for the head, and yet it sucketh vp humours, and dryeth to fast.

Long and quicke walking is goode to staye the hikup or yeaxing.

Short and soone turning wearyeth sooner: and troubleth the head sorer.

Circular or walking round about maketh one disie, and hurteth the eyes.

In walking to strout the legges, and beare vpon the heeles, is verie good for an ill head, a moyst bulke, a strayned bellie, and for such of the lower partes, as prosper not, yea, though the partie feede well: and generally for all those, in whome superfluities steeme vpward.

To beare vpon the toes hath bene proued good for ill eyes, and to staye loose bellies.

Bearing vpon the whole feete is alwaye incident to some of the other kindes, and therefore ioyneth with eche of them in effectes.

Walking which taketh the name after the place, is either on hilles and high groundes, or in valleies and lowe groundes: againe the lowe ground is, either euen, or vneuen: either vnder couert, or abroad: in the sunne, or in the shade. When one walketh vp against the hill, the bodie is marueilously wearied, bycause all the sway and poize of it presseth downe those partes, which are first moued. And for all that such motions be heauie and slow, yet they cause one sweat sooner and sorer, and staye the breath more, then the walking downhill doeth: bycause heauie thinges bearing naturally downward, are forced vpward against nature. Whervpon heat which beareth the bodie vp, as in comming downe it trauelleth not of his owne nature, so preasing vpward it is burthened with the bodie, whereby it both encreaseth it selfe, prouoketh sweat, and stayeth the breath. This kinde of walke afore meate is good for the bulke, which hath not his breath at commandement. Demosthenes27 strengthened his voice by it, pronouncing his orations alowd, as he walked vp against the hill, whereby he gat the benefit of breathing, to deliuer his long periodes, without paine to himselfe, or breach to his sentence. The knees are most toiled in this kinde of walking, being forced backward contrarie to their nature, and therfore to their griefe.

Walking downhill draweth superfluity from the head more than the other doeth: but withall it is enemy to feeble thighes, bycause they both moue the legges, and support all the whole weight of the bodie aboue. The change and varietie of the motion causeth that kinde of walking to be best liked, which is sometime vphill, sometime downhill.

When ye walke vpon euen or vneuen ground, ye walke either in medowes or grassie places, or in rowgh and brambly, or in sandie and soft. If ye walke in a medow, it is without all contradiction most for pleasure, bycause nothing there anoyeth, nothing offendeth the sense, and the head is fed both with varietie of sweet odours, and with the moysture of such humour, as the medow yeeldeth.

Rough, brambly, and bushy groundes stuffe the head.

Sandie, and cheifly if it be any thing deepe, bycause the walking in it stirreth sore, confirmeth and strengtheneth all the partes of the bodie: and fetcheth superfluities mightily downward. This was one of Augustus CÆsars remedies, as Suetonius28 writeth, to helpe his haulting and weake legges. For to cleare the vpper partes of that which cloyeth them, there is nothing better then to trauell in deepe sande.

Walking in a close gallerie is not so good, bycause the ayre there is not so fresh, free, and open, but pent, close, and grosse: and therfore stuffeth the bodie, onelesse the gallerie be in the vppermost buildinges of the house, where neither any vapour from the ground can come: and the ayre that commeth is pure and cleare.

The close walkes, which were called cryptoporticus were not of choice but of necessitie, when extremitie of weather would not let them walke abroad.

Walking in an open place, and cheifly greene, is much better and more wholesome, then vnder any couert. First of all for the eyes, bycause a fine and subtile ayre comming from the greene to the bodie, which is more penetrable bycause of stirring, scourreth awaye all grosse humours from the eyes, and so leaueth the sight fine and cleare. Further, bycause the bodie in walking waxeth hoat, the aire sucketh humours out of it, and disperseth whatsoeuer is in it more then it can well beare.

Now in walking abroad there is consideration to be had to the soile. For walking by the sea side ye thinne and drie vp grosse humours, by riuers and standing waters ye moyst. Howbeit both these two last be naught, and specially standing waters. Walking not neare any water, as it is not so good as the walke by the sea, so it is much better, then walking neare any other water. Walking in the dew moystes and harmes.

If ye walke in a place where birdes haunt, it is of great efficacie to cleare by the breath, and to disburden the bodie so, as if ye did walke in some higher ground. If there be no winde where ye walke, it cleareth by breath, it disperseth excrements, it slakes and nippes not, and is good for colicks that come of a cold cause. If there be winde, the Northern causeth coughing, hurtes the bulke, and yet confirmes the strength, soundes the senses, and strengthens the weake stomacke. The Southwinde filles the head, dulles the instrumentes of sense, yet it looseth the bellie, and is good to dissolue. The Westwinde passeth all the rest, both for mildenesse and wholesomnesse. The Eastwinde is hurtefull and nippes.

It is better walking in the shade then in the sunne: as it is naught for the headache to walke either in the cold or in the heat. And yet it is beter to walke in the sunne, then to stend in it, and better to walke fast, then slowly. Of all shades, those be the best which be vnder walles or in herboures. It is verie daungerous walking neare vnto dewye trees, for feare of infection by the sappie dew: bycause dew in generall is not so wholesome, it abateth the flesh, as wymen that gather it vp with wooll or linnen clothes for some purposes do continually trye. Now if the dew come of any vnwholesome matter, what may it proue to? The best walking in shadowes simply is vnder myrtle and baye trees, or among quicke and sweet smelling herbes, as wilde basell, penyroyall, thyme, and mynt, which if they be wild and of their owne growing be better to wholesome the soile, then any that be set by hande: but if the better cannot be, the meaner must serue. Againe in this kinde of walke the faire and cleare aire lighteneth, scoureth, fineth, procureth good breathing, and easie mouing. Darke and cloudie aire heauyeth, scoureth not by breath, and stuffeth the head.

Walking which is termed after the time, is either in winter or summer: in the morning or in the euening, before meat or after. The most of these differencies will appeare then playnest, when the time for all exercises is generally appointed, in consideration of circunstance, as shall be declared vnder the title of time. In the meane while walking whether in the morning or euening, ought still to go before meat.

The morning walke looseth the belly, dispatcheth sluggishnes, which comes by sleep, thinneth the spirits, encreaseth heat, and prouoketh appetite. It is good for moyst constitutions, it nimbleth and quickneth the head, and all the partes in it.

The euening walke is a preparatiue to sleepe, it disperseth inflations, and yet it is ill for a weake head. Walking after meat is not good but only for such as are vsed vnto it. Yet euen they maye not vse it to much. It is good also for them, which otherwise cannot cause their meat go downe to the bottome of their stomacke.

And thus much for walking, both regarding the manner of the motion, the place where, and the time when. Which circunstances though they be many and diuers: yet to purchase the commodities, which walking is confessed to be very full of, they must needes be cared for: considering our whole life is so delt with, as if we hastened on death, against the which, this exercise may be rightly termed an antidote, or counterreceit.