OF EXERCISES AND TRAINING THE BODY. HOW NECESSARIE A THING EXERCISE IS. WHAT HEALTH IS, AND HOW IT IS MAINTAINED: WHAT SICKNESSE IS, HOW IT COMMETH, AND HOW IT IS PREUENTED. WHAT A PARTE EXERCISE PLAYETH IN THE MAINTENAUNCE OF HEALTH. OF THE STUDENT AND HIS HEALTH. THAT ALL EXERCISES THOUGH THEY STIRRE SOME ONE PART MOST, YET HELPE THE WHOLE BODIE.
The soule and bodie being coparteners in good and ill, in sweete and sowre, in mirth and mourning, and hauing generally a common sympathie, and a mutuall feeling in all passions: how can they be, or rather why should they be seuered in traine? the one made stronge, and well qualified, the other left feeble, and a praye to infirmitie? will ye haue the minde to obtaine those thinges, which be most proper vnto her, and most profitable vnto you, when they be obtained? Then must ye also haue a speciall care, that the bodie be well appointed, for feare it shrink, while ye be either in course to get them, or in case to vse them. For as the powers of the soule come to no proofe, or to verie small, if they be not fostered by their naturall traine, but wither and dye, like corne not reaped, but suffered to rotte by negligence of the owner, or by contention in chalenge: euen so, nay much more, the bodie being of it selfe lumpishe and earthy, must needes either dye in drowsinesse, or liue in loosenesse, if it be not stirred and trained diligently to the best. And though the soule, as the fountaine of life, and the quickner of the body, may and will beare it out for some while, thorough valiauntnesse of courage: yet weaknesse will not be alwayes dissembled, but in the ende will and must bewraie her owne want, euen then perauenture, when it were most pittie. Many notable personages for stomacke and courage, many excellent men for learning and skill, in most and best professions haue then left their liues, thorough the plaine weaknesse, of their contemned bodies, when they put their countries in most apparent and gladsome hope of rare and excellent effectes, the one of valiantnesse and manhood, the other of knowledge and skill. Seing therfore there is a good in them both, which by diligent endeuour may be auaunced to that, for which it was ordained, and by negligent ouersight, doeth either decaye quite, or proues not so well, as otherwayes it might, I maye not slightly passe ouer the bodies good, being both so neare, and so necessarie a neighbour unto the soule: considering I haue bestowed so much paines already, and must bestow much more, in the seruice of the soule: nay rather considering I deale with the bodie but once, and that onely here, wheras I entreat of the soule, and the furniture therof in what so euer I shall medle with, in my whole course hereafter. If common sense did not teach vs the necessitie of this point, and extreme feeblenes did not force men to confesse, how great feates they could do, and how actiue they would proue, if their weake limmes and failing ioyntes, would aunswere the lusty courage, and braue swinge of their fierie and fresh spirites: I would take paines to perswade them by argumentes, both of proofe in experience, and of reason in nature, that as it is easie, so it were needefull to helpe the body by some traine, not left at random to libertie, but brought in to forme of ordinarie discipline, generally in all men, bycause all men neede helpe, for necessarie health, and ready execution of their naturall actions: but particularly for those men, whose life is in leasure, whose braynes be most busied, and their wittes most wearied, in which kinde studentes be no one small part, but the greatest of all, which so vse their mindes as if they cared not for their bodies, and yet so neede their bodies, as without the strength and soundnesse wherof, they be good for nothing, but to moane themselues, and to make other maruell, why they take no more heede, how to do that long, which they do so well, being a thing within compasse of their owne care, and knowledge. For who is so grosse, as he will denie that exercise doth good, and that so great, as is without comparison, seing olde _Asclepiades_ is by _Galene_ confuted, and stawled for an asse: as _Erasitratus_ also his dissembling friend? or who is so sore tied either to studie, or to stocks, as he cannot stirre himselfe if he will, or ought not if he may? But the matter being confessed, euen by the most idle, and vnweildy to be healthfull and good, I shall neede no more reason, to procure assent, and allowaunce for exercise. My whole trauell therfore must be to finde out, and set foorth, what shalbe requisite to the perfourmaunce of this point, concerning the traine and exercising of the body, that it may proue healthy, and liue long: and be ready to assist, all the actions of the minde.