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 Hippocrates[50] 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.
Houres.
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?
CHAPTER 33.
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.