Of the quantitie that is to be kept in exercise.

All they which vse exercises vse them either not so much as they should, and that doeth small good, or more then they should, and that doeth much harme, or so as they should, and that doeth much good. Wherupon he that hath skill to crie ho, when he is at the height of his exercise, wherwith nature feeleth her selfe to be best content, knoweth best wherein the best measure consisteth. But how may one know the verie pitche in exercise, and when it were best for one to crie ho? principally by these two generall limittes. 1. Wherof the first is, when a vapour mingled with sweat is sensibly perceiued to proceede from the bodie: when the vaines begin to swell, and the breathing to alter. For wheras the ende of exercise is to strengthen the bodie, and to encrease the naturall heat, whereby the wholesome iuyce is digested, and distributed to the nurriture of the other partes: and vnprofitable residences discharged: if the exercise come not to these degrees of sweat, swelling, and breathing, it is to weake to worke those effectes, which it doth vndertake. 2. The second generall limit is, to continue the exercise so long, as the face and bodie shall haue a fresh colour, the motion shalbe quicke and in proportion, and no wearynesse worth the speaking shalbe felt. For if the colour begin to faint, or the bodie to be gaunt, or wearynesse to wring, or the motion to shrinke, or the sweat to alter in qualitie from hoat to cold, in quantitie from more to lesse, which should naturally encrease with the exercise, then crie ho, for feare of thinning the bodye to much, of consuming the good and ill iuyces together, of weakning the naturall heat, of destroying in steade of strengthning: bycause these be euident shewes, that the bodie wasteth, cooleth and dryeth more then it should.

Now as these be generall staies not to proceede further, but to rest when we are well: so there be other more particuler, wherein there is regard to be had, to the strength or weakenes of the partie, to the age, to the time of the yeare, to the temperature of the body, to the kinde of life. For in all these measure is a mery meane, and immoderatenes a remeadilesse harme.

They that be of good strength may continue longer in exercise, then any other, without some great occasion to the contrary: though they faint, and feele some litle lassitude and wearines, bycause they will quickly recouer themselues. Those that be but weake must exercise but a while, bycause any small taint in them, is long and hard to be recouered, and therefore their limit is to be warme, and to be ware of sweating.

2. As touching the difference in age. Olde men, yea though they vse the same exercises, wherewith they were acquainted when they were yong, yet must leaue ear they either sweat or begin to be wearie, bycause they are drye and wythered. Men of middle age must of necessitie keepe the meane lymit, bycause too much offendes them, to litle doth them litle good, both hinder the state of their bodies. Youth from seuen till one and twenty, will abyde much exercising, very well: wherefore they are allowed without daunger to be hoat and chafe, to puffe and blow, to sweat, to be wearie also to some degree of lassitude: for being full of excrementes by reason of ther reacheles diet, they finde great ease in labour and sweat: and being strong withall, a litle wearines makes them litle worse. And yet there must be great eye had to them, that they keepe within compasse, and so much the more, the lesse they be aboue seuen yeare old. For too much exercise in those yeares marres their growing, and alters the constitution of their bodies to the worse.

3. For the time of the yeare. In Winter the exercise may be great, till the body be hotte: but yet sweat not, lest the cold do harme. In the Spring more euen till it sweat, in the Haruest lesse, in the Sommer least: because the ayre which enuironeth the body, doth then of it selfe so wearie and weaken it, as it needeth neither sweating, nor heating, nor wearying with exercise, wherein Hippocrates and his Phisicke will preuaile against Aristotle and his Philosophie.

4. For the temperature of the body: Moyst bodies may abide much exercise, by much stirring to drie vp much moisture, so that they may sweat, and yet they must take heede of wearynes. Dry bodies may very ill away with any exercise, and if with any, it must be such as will neither cause heat nor sweat. Could bodies may moue till they be throughly warme. Hoat bodies must be deintily dealt withall. For heat, sweat, and great chaunge of their breathing be enemies to their complexion. Hoat and dry for feare of encreasing their qualities to much must be content with either no exercise at all, or with verie litle. Cold and dry may abyde stirring in respect of their coldnes, till they be warme: but for feare of ouerdrying they must not venture vpon sweat. Hoat and moyst must vse moderate exercise, bycause to litle dyminisheth not their superfluous moysture: to much melteth to fast, and warmth to much. Whereupon daungerous flixes ensue: so that they must needes auoid great alteration of breath, and to much warmeth. Cold and moyst may exercise them selues till they blow, till they be hoat, and till they sweat. To be short, of any constitution this may best abide exercise, to emptie it of needlesse humors, to stirre the natural heat, and to procure perfit digestion. Sicke-men may not dreame of any definite quantitie in their exercises, bycause according to the variety of their infirmities, both their exercises, and the quantities thereof must be proportionally applyed: so that there can be no certaine rule set for them.

Such as be newly recouered from sicknes, or that be on the mending hand, bycause their strength is feeble, their heat weake, their lymes dried vp, must content themselues with small and competent exercise, for feare of no small inconuenience. Their limit therefore must be to stirre, but not to change breath, to warme, but not to heat, to labour, but not to be wearie: yet as their health growes, their exercise may encrease.

5. For the kinde of life. Such as liue moderately and with great continencie, though they be not full of superfluities, and therefore neede not exercise much: yet they must not abandon it quite, least their bodies for want therof, becomming vnweildie, lease both the benefit of naturall heat, and good constitution, and auoid not such residence, as of force breedes in them, and in the ende will cause some sicknes crepe on, which comes without warning, bycause Iupiter, as both Hesiode sayeth, and Plutarch subscribeth, hath cut her tongue out, least she tell, when she comes, for that he would haue her come stealing, eare she be perceiued, as Galene also maketh the litle vnperceiued, or for the smallnesse contemned to be mother to all illes both of bodie and soule. Incontinence breedes much matter for exercise: and therefore requireth much, cheifly to procure sound sleepe, the captaine cause of good digestion. Such as haue not vsed exercises before, and be nouices in the trade, must first be purged, then by meane and moderate ascents, day by day be well applyed, till they come to that degree, wherein those are, which haue bene acquainted therewith before. But in all those degrees and mediocrities, immoderate exercise must alway be eschewed, as a very capitall enemie to health causing children not to prosper nor grow: lustie men to fall into vnequall distemperatures, and oftimes agues: oldmen to become dry and ouerwearied. To conclude who is it, to whom it doth not some harme, and from whom it keepeth not some great good. These be the tokens, whereby immoderate exercises be discerned, if ye feele your ioyntes to be very hoat: if you perceiue your body to be drie and vnequall: if in your trauell you feele some pricking in your flesh, as if it were of some angrie push: if after sweating your colour become pale: if you finde your selfe faint and wearie more than ordinary, which wearines, fayntnesse and pricking, occupy the credit of a great circumstance in physicke, of Galene,51 and greeke physicianes called ??p?? of the latines and our Linacer lassitudines, and come vpon dissolution and thinning of grosse humours, being to many at that time to cleare the body of, and pricking as they passe like some angrie bile within the body, whereby the body is both forced to make an end of exercise, and withall is verie wearysome, and stif oftymes after.