The _Romain Emperours_ did exhibit publike hunting vnto the whole people in way of pastime and pleasure. The _Physicians_ make much of it: as being an exercise, which containeth vnder it most of the other stirring exercises, for they that hunt, walke, runne, leape, shout, hallow, ride, and what may they not do, hauing the whole country for roome, and the whole day for time, to do in what they list? And though _Galene_[43] do restraine it to men of great abilitie, as if hunting were not for euery man to vse, which is one of the markes, whereby to know the best exercises, that they be parable, and purchaceable euen to meane purses: yet we see it in common to most, where restraint by law doth not forbid it. Neither is the charge in respect of the exercise, but in respect of the game, whereon the exercise is employed. To hunt a hare, and course a hart, to chase a bucke, and chase a bore is not all one, neither for prouision, nor for perill though the exercise haue small oddes, which being compounded of those exercises that I named, must nedes haue the same effectes, that those exercises haue besides his owne. To warme the bodie very well, to disperse superfluites, to abate flesh, to lessen ouerflowing moysture, to make one sleepe soundly, to digest meat, and raw humors, to quicken both the sight and the hearing, to keepe of old age, and finally to make the body most healthfull, and the health most lasting.
_Rases_[44] a notable Arabicke Physician, writeth that in a great plague there remained almost none aliue in a certaine towne, saue hunters only, which escaped by reason of their preseruing exercise. And _Mitbridates_ that famous king vsed hunting so much for his healthes sake, as in seuen yeares space, it is written that he neuer came within house, neither in citie nor countrie. And yet hunting is not good for the head, when it is vsed with vehemence, as no other vehement exercise is.
There be but two kindes of _Hunting_ to my purpose, the one on horsebacke, the other one foote.
1. They that _Hunt_ on horsebake, for so much as they sometime gallop, sometime ride fast, sometime hallow, sometime be stil, and varie so in most actions, seeme to trauel euery part of their body, and therefore it is thought, that thereby the brest, the stomacke, the entrailes, the backe and legges be strengthened: but it is ill for them, which are troubled with any paine in their head, and daungerous for feare of breaking some veine in the breast: for the stone in the kidneyes, for those that be of hoate constitution of body: for weake bellicawles, and for feare of ruptures, because such thinges fall out oftentimes in hunting on horsebacke: not without losse sometime of life.