Reading is a thing so familiarly knowne, as there needeth no great proofe, that it exerciseth the voice, and therwith all the health, wherof the Physicians admit two kindes, into the raunge of exercises, which be furtherers to health. The one quicke, cleare, and straining, the other quiet, caulme, and staing. The cleare and straining kinde of reading, bycause it stirreth the breath, not sleightly nor superficially, but sheweth what it can do, in the verie fountaine and depth of all the entrailles, it encreaseth the naturall health, maketh the blood suttle and fine, purgeth all the veines, openeth all the arteries, suffereth not superfluous humours to thicken, neither to congeale and freese to a dreggie residence within any of those places, which do either receiue and lodge, or distribute and dispose, the meat and nurriture. Whervpon Cornelius Celsus[10] an eloquent Romain Physician accounteth it one of the finest and fairest exercises. To proue that it is holesome for the head, what more credible witnesses neede we, then Cœlius Aurelianus[11] a diligent Physician, and Annæus Seneca[12] a deepe Philosopher? Cœlius holdeth this kinde of reading to be verie soueraine not onely in headaches, but also in frensies and troubled mindes. Seneca vsed it to stay the rewme, and distillation from the head, which troubled him sore, as a man being both of eager conceit, and earnest studie, where by the waye, Cœlius giueth this note, whether ye meane to reskew the patient, from the headache, or the frantike from madnesse, by this exercise of reading, that the matter which is read, be pleasaunt and plaine, and nothing hard to vnderstand, to cause the witte to muse. For that such obiectes do no lesse trouble the weake braine, then sore shaking or hard iogging doth the wearied body. Moreouer cleare reading and loude, doth refreshe not onely the inward partes of the breast, but the stomack also: and comforteth it in feeblenesse, bycause therby phelgmatike excrementes, are without paine both thinned and consumed: whervpon it is held to be verie holesome, to mend a feeble voice, to helpe the colicke, occasioned by cold humours, and to check some consumptions. And to that ende the young Plinie writeth, that his vncle did vse it. When I haue said that it is also good for the drie cowghe, I neede not say any more good of it here. Auicen[13] the Arabian and princely Physician speaking herof, sayth that in the beginning, this reading must be soft and caulme, then mount by degrees, and when the voice seemeth to be in his strength, growing, and long, that then it is hie time, to staie for that time, nor to straine till ye sticke, but to leaue with some list, and abilitie to do more. The quiet and staid kinde of reading, sauing that the working is weaker, doth the best that it can, about all this that is said: and in one pointe it hath obtained a prerogatiue aboue the loude, that it is admitted and allowed streight after meat, when the other is licensed and allowed to depart. The maister may so vse these two exercises of reading and speaking as besides the health of the bodie, whervnto they are deputed, they may proue excellent and great deliuerers of cunning, and well beseeme the schoole: as to much in either doth trouble the scholer to much, which yet boyes would defend, by the countenaunce of a commended exercise, were it not, that in boyes exercises, I do require the maisters presence, who will refourme that exercise against their will to his owne discretion. Thus much concerning this exercise, wherby the training maister may perceiue, both what the learned haue thought of it, and how much the learners are like to gaine by it.
CHAPTER 13.
Of much talking and silence.
Talking in Latin Sermo, as it is accounted an exercise for succouring some partes, so both for eagernesse, and heat, in the nature of speeche, though not of passion, it comes farre behinde others, and is therfore regestred among the meane, and weake exercises. It is thought verie fit for such, as be drousely giuen: which haue their senses daunted, either thorough dreaming melancholie, or dulling phleame. For such kinde of people by talking be cleared, their mindes awaked, their senses freed from the burden of their bodies. That talking spendes phleame there is no plainer proofe, then that they which talke much spit stil, which as it commeth partly from the head, partly from the stomacke, partly from the chest: so it declareth, that those partes delite in speeche, and receiue comfort from speeche, which makes roome for health, where reume kept residence. But as in these cases, it is counted healthfull: so hath it a force to fill the head, with somwhat more then dinne, and to make it dumpishe. And therefore in aches, and distemperatures of the head, clattering is commended to the cloakbag by Physick. It is also a poyson to the pained eyes: ill for them that voide blood either at the nose or from the bulke. Whervpon in any such bleading silence is enioyned. And as silence is a meane both to stay bleading, and to slake thirst, so talking dryes the toungue and prouockes thirst, openeth the passage, and promoteth bleading. In so much as Pline[14] writeth, that one Mecenas Messius, a noble Romain, betooke him selfe to voluntarie silence, the space of three yeares, to staie the casting of blood, which he fell into by reason of some straine. To be short, as silence remedyeth the cough and hikup: so talking pulleth downe, and paines the patient, when agues grow vpward, and be in the encrease. Herevpon I conclude, that talking hath great meane either to make or marre, not onely for the subiect, wheron the toungue walketh, but also for the obiect, wherin health resteth.
CHAPTER 14.
Of laughing, and weeping. And whether children be to be forced toward vertue and learning.
If laughing had no more wherfore to be enrouled in the catalogue of exercises, then weeping hath, they might both be crossed out. And yet as they be passions, that tende in some pointes, to the purging of some partes, so some may thinke it, a verie strange conceit, to laugh for exercise, or to weepe for wantonnesse. For as laugh one may, with an hartie good will, so weepe none can, but against their wil, to whom it is allotted in the nature of an exercise, and not quite questuarie, as to those wailing women, which wepte for the deade, whom they knew not aliue. There be manie and very easie, and much desired meanes, to make one laugh though they haue small cause, and lesse deuotion to be mery at all, but to make one weepe, is stil againe the haire. For ill newes or matter to weepe for, neither children, nor olde folkes, will thanke you at all. If you meane to make them weepe for ioye, or crye for kindenesse, that is an other matter. If the maister should beate his boye, and bring no cause why, but that he sought to haue him weepe, so to exercise him to health, and to ridde him of some humours, which made him to moist, the boye would beshrew him, and thinke his maister beate him so, to exercise himselfe, though at the verie conceit of his maisters mad reason, he might brust out in laughing streight after his stripes, and so become a patrone to the contrary exercise: a great deale more gracious and more desired in nature, whose enemie greife is, and weeping also: as a plaine argument of an vnpleasaunt guest. Howbeit seing they be both set downe, by the name of pettie, and pretie exercises, let them haue that is giuen them, seeing they are thought to stirre, and cleare some partes: laughing more and better: weeping lesse and worse. And therfore the more children laugh for exercise, the more light some they be, the more they weepe if it be not in ieast, so much the worse in very good earnest. For I can hardly beleue that much laughter can auoide a foole, if it be not for exercise, which is also somwhat rare: or that but a foole can weepe for exercise, which deserues the bat, to make him weepe in earnest.
But for laughing in the nature of an exercise and that healthful, can there be any better argument, to proue that it warmeth, then the rednesse of the face, and flush of highe colour, when one laugheth from the hart, and smiles not from the teethe? or that it stirreth the hart, and the adiacent partes, then the tickling and panting of those partes themselues? which both beare witnesse, that there is some quicke heat, that so moueth the blood. Therfore it must needs be good for them to vse laughing, which haue cold heades, and cold chestes, which are troubled with melancholie, which are light headed by reason of some cold distemperature of the braine, which thorough sadnesse, and sorrow, are subiecte to agues, which haue new dined, or supped: which are troubled with the head ache: for that a cold distemperature being the occasion of the infirmitie, laughing must needes helpe them, which moueth much aire in the breast, and sendeth the warmer spirites outward. This kinde of helpe wil be of much more efficacie, if the parties which desire it, can suffer themselues to be tickled vnder the armepittes, for in those partes there is great store of small veines, and litle arteries, which being tickled so, become warme themselues, and from thence disperse heat thorough out the whole bodie. But as moderate laughing is holesome, and maketh no too great chaunge, so to much is daungerous, and altereth to sore. For besides the immoderate powring, and pressing out of the spirites: besides to much mouing and heating, it oftimes causeth extreame resolution and faintnesse, bycause the vitall strength and naturall heat driue to much outward. Whervpon they that laugh do sweat so sore, and haue so great a colour, by the ascending of the blood. And as the naturall heat, and fire it selfe do still couet vpward, as to their naturall place, so must it needes be, that the lower roomes lie open, and emptie in their absence, wherby whether soeuer motion be marred, the naturall heat dyeth, and the vitall force faileth. Besides this, no man wil denie, but that this kinde of laughing, doth both much offende the head, and the bulke, as oftimes therewith both the papbones be loosed, and the backe it selfe perished. Nay what say ye to them that haue dyed laughing? where gladnesse of the minde to much enforcing the bodie, hath bereft it of life.