Of hunting.

Hvnting is a copious argument, for a poeticall humour to discours of, whether in verse, with Homer, or in prose, with Heliodorus. Dian would be alleged, as so auoyding Cupide. Hippolytus, would be vsed in commendation of continence, and what would not poetrie bring in to auaunce it, whose musicke being solitarie and woddishe, must needes be, nay is very well acquainted with the chace. If poets should faint, the Persians would fight, both for riding and hunting: so that if patrocinie were in question, we neede not to enquire, they would offer them selues, from all countries, and of all languages. But we need not either for praise, or for prose, to vse forraine aduocats. For hunting hath alway caried a great credit, both for exercising the bodie, and deliting the mynde, as it semes to be verie naturall, because it seeketh to maister, and to take beastes, and byrdes, which are naturally appointed for mans vse, and therefore though they be taken and killed, there is no wrong done them. The courteous Xenophon42 as delited himselfe therein, and all the auncient writers, as subscribing to a truth, commend it marueilously, and chiefly, for a proper elementarie to warlike vses, and Mars his schoole, whether for valiauntnes or for pollicy, because the resemblaunces of the chiefe warlike executions do fall out in hunting, as the qualitie or courage of the game offereth cause, either to vse force and manhoode, or to flie to deuise and sutteltie.

The Romain Emperours did exhibit publike hunting vnto the whole people in way of pastime and pleasure. The Physicians make much of it: as being an exercise, which containeth vnder it most of the other stirring exercises, for they that hunt, walke, runne, leape, shout, hallow, ride, and what may they not do, hauing the whole country for roome, and the whole day for time, to do in what they list? And though Galene43 do restraine it to men of great abilitie, as if hunting were not for euery man to vse, which is one of the markes, whereby to know the best exercises, that they be parable, and purchaceable euen to meane purses: yet we see it in common to most, where restraint by law doth not forbid it. Neither is the charge in respect of the exercise, but in respect of the game, whereon the exercise is employed. To hunt a hare, and course a hart, to chase a bucke, and chase a bore is not all one, neither for prouision, nor for perill though the exercise haue small oddes, which being compounded of those exercises that I named, must nedes haue the same effectes, that those exercises haue besides his owne. To warme the bodie very well, to disperse superfluites, to abate flesh, to lessen ouerflowing moysture, to make one sleepe soundly, to digest meat, and raw humors, to quicken both the sight and the hearing, to keepe of old age, and finally to make the body most healthfull, and the health most lasting.

Rases44 a notable Arabicke Physician, writeth that in a great plague there remained almost none aliue in a certaine towne, saue hunters only, which escaped by reason of their preseruing exercise. And Mitbridates that famous king vsed hunting so much for his healthes sake, as in seuen yeares space, it is written that he neuer came within house, neither in citie nor countrie. And yet hunting is not good for the head, when it is vsed with vehemence, as no other vehement exercise is.

There be but two kindes of Hunting to my purpose, the one on horsebacke, the other one foote.

1. They that Hunt on horsebake, for so much as they sometime gallop, sometime ride fast, sometime hallow, sometime be stil, and varie so in most actions, seeme to trauel euery part of their body, and therefore it is thought, that thereby the brest, the stomacke, the entrailes, the backe and legges be strengthened: but it is ill for them, which are troubled with any paine in their head, and daungerous for feare of breaking some veine in the breast: for the stone in the kidneyes, for those that be of hoate constitution of body: for weake bellicawles, and for feare of ruptures, because such thinges fall out oftentimes in hunting on horsebacke: not without losse sometime of life.

2. Hunting on foote, hath all the commodities, and incommodities to, that hunting on horsebacke hath, sauing the daunger whereunto it is not so much subiecte. And yet the trauell of the bodie is more, the body hoater, the legges and feete more strengthened, the appetite to meat more, to make children lesse. Neither of then is good but for strong and healthful bodies, neither can hunting be but harmefull vnto them, which vse it vnaduisedly, without consideration how they runne, by way of pleasure and ordinarie exercise, or at the suddaine of a head, for by tarying abroade all day, and feeding so vncertainely, and so vnseasonably, there come sundrie inconueniences.

But of all Hunting that is still best, wherein we exercise our selues and our owne bodies most, not our hauks of howndes, because exercises be meanes to make men healthfull, and other thinges be meanes to bring that meane about. Such a kinde of hunting was it which Chiron, Machaan, Podalyrius, Æsculapius, the parentes and patrones of physike did vse, whose delite thererin, is our warrant in choyce, bycause they being so great physicians, as physicke went then in Platoes opinion, did trie that in their owne persons, which they deliuered to posteritie for the same vse.