Of the bodies which are to be exercised.

In the bodie which is to take good of exercise, there be three pointes to be considered: 1. for either it is sickly hauing his operations tainted and weake: 2. or it is healthy and without any extraordinarie and sensible taint: 3. or it is valetudinarie, neither pure sicke nor perfit whole.

To speake first of the weake and sickish bodie, it is to be noted, as hath bene already in parte marked before, that sicknesse assaileth vs three wayes: By distemperature, when either the whole bodie, or some parte therof is anoyed with vnproportionate heat, cold, drynesse, or moysture: or by misfashioning, when either the whole bodie, or some parte therof, wanteth his due forme, his iumpe quantitie, his iust number, his naturall seat: or by diuision, when any part of the bodie being naturally vnited vpon some weaknesse is dissolued and sundred. And as diseases come by one, or all these three wayes, so health doth defend it selfe by the contrarie, good temperature, good forme, good vniting of partes. It is graunted by the best though contraried by some of the soryest Physicians, that sicke bodies may be put to exercise: so it be well considered before, what kinde of weaknesse the body is in: and what kinde of helpe may be hoped for by the exercise. As for example in sicknesse which commeth by distemperature: if a bodie be distempered with to much heat, it may not be put to any great or earnest exercise, for ouer heating. If it be to drie and withered, it must forbeare much exercise for feare of ouerdrying. If it be to hoat and dry both, or to hoat and to moyste both, it must quite abandon exercise, as in the first kinde enflaming, in the second choking. If it be cold and drie it must either neuer be exercised or verie gently. If it be cold or moyst, then exercise can do it no harme. If it be cold and moyst, it maye boldly abide exercise: which variety commeth vpon the effectes, that are wrought by exercises, either in augmenting heat, and stirring humours, or auoiding superfluities. Whervpon the generall conclusion is: that no distempered bodie may vse, any great or vehement exercise though some there be, which may venture vp on some meane and gentle kinde of stirring, whether the infirmitie concerne the whole bodie, or be so in some parte, as it shake not the whole. If the infirmitie in fashion be casuall and come by late misfortune, (for in this kinde naturall weaknesse is euer excepted) exercise maye do good, bycause it will make that streight, which was croked, that smooth, which was rugged, lay that which was swollen, raise that which was layd, emptie that which was full, fill that which was emptie, open that which was close and shut: and so forth, still working the contrarie to the defect, and thereby the amendment. If the faulte be in quantitie, great and swift exercises will abate, and pull downe the flesh, small and slow will fat and thicken it. If the fault be in number, exercise helpeth, as vehement mouing driueth the stone and grauell from the straite passages of the kidneyes to the broader, and from thence downe into the bladder. If the fault be in seat, no exercise is good, bycause till the part be restored to his place and site, there is no mouing to be vsed, nor yet long after, for feare of displacing it againe. If the fault come by disvnion, exulration, or gaule, the disvniting of the nobler partes, as the braine, the stomacke, the liuer, and such other, specially if it be ioyned with any ague excludeth all exercises. The baser partes refuse not meane stirring, as the skinne being deuided and disvnited with scabbes, which come of salt and sharp humours, by motion is freed and deliuered of them. This consideration is to be had in the exercising of sicke bodies, whether the sicknesse come by distemperature of humours, by deformitie in composition, or by disvnion of partes.

Concerning valetudinarie bodies, which be neither alwaye sicke, nor euer whole, and such as be vpon recouerie after sicknesse, and aged men, whom yeares make weake and sickish, thus I read: that exercise is verie necessarie for the two first, to strengthen their limmes, to dispatche superfluities, to stirre heat, to restore the bodie to his best habite, alwaye prouided that the exercise rise from some mediocritie and slownes by degrees to that height, which the parties may well abide. For to earnest and rash exercise will empaire their health more. Olde men, as by want of naturall heat, they grow full of superfluities, so they must haue some pleasant and gentle kinde of exercise, both to stirre the heat, and to ridde awaye those needlesse necessities, which of force inferre sicknes, if they be not enforced awaye. And as they be naturally drie, so they must vse no exercise, which dryeth to much. Wherein these foure circunstances are to be considered, 1. First their strength, which being not great, requireth but quiet and gentle exercises. For though Prodicus the warie Philosopher in Plato, Antiochus the healthy Physician in Galene, Spurina the considerate counsellour in Plinie, could do straunge thinges in their olde age, by good forsight in their former yeares, yet they be no generall presidentes. 2. Secondly the forme of their bodies. For as good constitutions, can do that meanly and pretily well in their olde age, which they did strongly and stowtly in their youth, so the weake and misfashioned are vnfit for exercise. For loude speaking will hurt to narrow bulkes, and any walking fainteth weake legges, and so forth in all imperfections of the like sorte. 3. Thirdly how they haue bene vsed: bycause they will better awaie with their acquainted exercises, then with other, wherunto they haue neuer bene vsed, the vehemencie and courage of their yong dayes onely excepted. 4. Fourthly what infirmities they be subiect vnto, as if their heades will soone be giddy, or their eyes sore, or if they be in daunger of sudden falling, then they must auoide all exercises which be offensiue to the head. And this rule is generally to be obserued in all bodies, that the partes pacient maye not be pressed to sore.

As for healthy and strong bodies, they are to be esteemed not by absolute perfitnesse in measure and rule, which will not be found, but by performing all naturall functions, without any greife or painfull let: wherof in some places there is good plentie. For as generally in so many wayes to weaknesse, our bodies neuer continuyng any one minute in the same state, perfit health in the absolutest degree is not to be hoped for: so in the second degree of perfection, where no sensible let is, no felt feeblenesse, but all ordinaries excellent, though no excellent extraordinarie, there be many bodies to be found healthfull, lustie, and lasting verie long: as the soile wherin they brede and be is of healthfulnesse, and wholesomnesse. Such a praise doth Galene giue to his owne, and Hipocrates46 his country: Nay that is the common proofe, where small diet, and much labour accompanieth necessitie in state and good constitution in body. Now these healthfull bodyes, as they dayly feede, and digest well, so to auoide superfluities, which come thereby, bycause no meat is so meete with the body, as it turneth all into nurriture, they must of necessitie pray ayde of exercise, which must be neither to violent, nor to immoderate, but sutable to their constitution, as in the priuate description the particular exercise bewrayeth it selfe, and generally the generall reason suffiseth such a trayner, as can vse the consideration of circumstance wisely. In exercising of healthy bodies, there be fiue speciall thinges to be obserued. 1. The first is how they haue bene vsed, for looke wherewith they haue bene most acquainted, and therein, or in the like they will best continew, and with most ease. 2. The second is what age they be of, for old men must haue gentle exercises, children somewhat more stirring, yong men more then they, and yet but in a meane, bycause they are subiect to more harme by violence then either children or old men, for that hauing strong and drie bodyes, thicke and stiffe flesh, fast cleauing to the bone, and the skinne stretched accordingly, they are in great daunger of strong conuulsions, and diuers ruptures, both of flesh and veines, through extremities of exercise. 3. The third is the state of their body, because fat and grosse men, may abyde much more exercise, then leane may and so in other. 4. The fourth is their kinde of liuing, for he that eateth much, and sleepeth much, must either exercise much or liue but a while. And to the contrary, the spare feeder or great waker, needeth not any such kinde of physicke. 5. The fift is the temperature of their bodyes, for small exercise satisfieth drie or hoat bodyes, in any degree of eager heat. Againe colde bodyes may away with both vehement and very much, for moyst bodyes to auoide superfluities, exercise and labour is very good, so the bodies be not hoat withall, the humor very much and very soone turned into vapour, and that also neare to the lungues for feare of choking after much stirring. Hoat and dry admit no exercise, hoat and moyste, cold and dry admit some litle. But of all constitutions none is more helpt by exercise then the colde and moyst: because heat and clearing, the two effectes of exercise haue their owne subiect whereon to worke, which must be weyed in complexions, and states of the body.