Of the exercising time.

Time is deuided into accidentarie and naturall, and naturall againe into generall and particular. The naturall time generally construed is ment by the spring, the summer, the haruest and the wynter: particularly by the howers of the day and night. The accidentarie time chaungeth his name still, sometime faire, sometime foule, sometime hoat, sometime colde and so forth. Of this accidentary time this rule is giuen, that in exercise we chuse, as neare as we can, faire weather, cleare and lightsome to confirme the spirites, which naturally reioice in light and are refreshed thereby: not cloudy, darke and thicke, wherein grosse humours make the bodie dull and heauie: againe when there is either no great, or no verie noysome winde to pearce the open pored body, nor to much forreine heat to enflame the naturall: nor to much cold to stiffen it to sore.

For the naturall time generally taken, Aristotle47 would haue the bodie most exercised in sommer, bycause the naturall heat being then least, and the bodie therefore most burdened with superfluities, then exercise most helpes: both to encrease the inward heat, and to send out those outward dettes. Hippocrates48 againe giuing three principall rules to be kept in exercise, to auoide wearinesse, to walke in the morning, maketh this the third to vse both more and longer exercise in the winter and cold weather, and most of his fauourites hold that opinion. The reason is, bycause in sommer the heat of the time dryeth the bodie enough, so that it needeth no exercise to wither it to much, where the aire it selfe doth drie it enough. Galene49 a man of great authoritie in his profession, pronounceth thus in generall, that as temperate bodies are to be exercised in a temperate season which he countes to be spring: so cold bodies are in hoat weather: hoat in cold, moyst in drie, drie in moyst: meaning thereby that whensoeuer the bodie seemeth to yeeld towardes any distemperature, then the contrarie both time and place must be fled to for succour. Of these opinions iudgement is to chuse, which it best liketh. Me thinke vpon diuers considerations, they maye all stand well without any repugnance, seing neither Hippocrates nor Galene, deny exercise in sommer simply, and Aristotle doth shew what it worketh in sommer.

For the naturall time particularly taken, thus much is said, that it is vnwholesome to exercise after meat, bycause it hindereth digestion by dispersing the heat, which should be assembled wholly to further and helpe digestion. And yet both Aristotle and Auicene, allow some gentle walking after meat, to cause it so much the sooner setle downe in the stomacke, specially if one meane to sleepe shortly after. But for exercise before meate, that is excedingly and generally commended, bycause it maketh the naturall heat strong against digesting time, and driuing away vnprofitable humours, disperseth the better and more wholesome, thorough out the whole bodie, whereas after meate it filleth it with rawnesse, and want of digestion: bycause mouing marres concoction, and lets the boyling of the stomacke. Now in this place there be three thinges to be considered.

1. First that none venture vpon any exercise, before the bodie be purged naturally, by the nose, the mouth, the belly, the bladder, bycause the contrarie disperseth that into the bodie, which should be dismissed and sent awaie: nor before the ouernightes diet be thoroughly digested, for feare of to much superfluitie, besides crudity and cholere. Belching and vrine be argmentes of perfit or vnperfit digestion. The whiter vrine the worse and weaker digestion, the yealower, the better.

2. The second consideration is, that no exercise be medled withall the stomacke being verie emptie, and wearie hungrie, least rauening cause ouerreaching, and Hippocrates50 condemne you, for linking labour with hunger, a thing by him in his aphorismes forbid.

The third consideration is not to eate streight after the exercise, before the bodie be reasonably setled. Yet corpulent carcases, which labour to be lightened of their cariage, be allowed their vittail, though they be puffing hoat. The cause why this distance betwene mouing and meate is enioyned, is this, for that the bodie is still a clearing, while it is yet hoat: and the excrementes be but fleeting: so that neither the partie can yet be hungrie, nor the heat entend digestion. Whervpon they counsell him that is yet hoat after exercise, neither to washe himselfe in cold water: nor to drinke wine, nor cold water. Bycause washing will hurt the open body, wine will streight way steeme vp into the head, cold water will offend the belly and lyver, yea sometime gaule the sinewes, nay sometime call for death.

What houres of the daie were best for exercise, the auncient Physicians for their soile, in their time, and to their reason, appointed it thus. In the spring about noone, for the temperatenesse of the aire: in sommer in the morning, to preuent the heat of the daie: in haruest and winter towardes night: bycause the morninges be cold, the dayes short, and to be employed otherwise: and the meat before that time will lightly be well digested. But now in our time, the diet being so farre altered, and neuer a circumstance the same, no time is fitter for exercise then the Muses not to wonder and muse at it, that we be so boulde with our and their common friend, I meane the morning, seeing we seeke to haue learning and health ioyned together. Which falling both most fit in the morning, doth lend vs an argument to proue that they were ill sundred, whom the samenes of time so vniteth together. In the morning the bodie is light, being deliuered of excrementes, strong after sleepe, free from common lettes and without any perill of indigestion, all which fall out quite contrarie in the euening. If any writer allow any other houre after meate, it is in some extremitie of sicknesse, not in respect of exercise: as when the weather is most lowring, and children most heauie and dumpish, why is not then the fittest time to play, by chearing the minde, to lighthen the bodie?