Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, newly corrected, enlarged and amended: with such additions as are requisite, vnto euery seuerall booke: taken foorth of the most approued authors, the like heretofore not translated in English. Profitable for all estates, as well for the benefite of the mind as the bodie. 1582.

Of trauaile. Cap. 29.

TRauaile is néedefull for kéeping and sauing of kinde,* 1.1 as it is said in Pan∣tegni: Ther is double manner trauaile, of spirite and of wits, and bodely tra∣uayle. Of spirite and of wits, as studi∣eng, waking, wrath, sorrow, businesse, and such other: if they be proportionate to kinde, they helpe much the health of bodie and foule, as it shall be sayd after∣ward of the accidents of the soule, in the ende of the seauenth booke. Sometime bodely trauayle is temperate, and some∣time not temperate. Tēperate is meane betwéene féeble and strong, great and lit∣tle, swift and slow, that doth not alway increase in heate or in drinesse: Tra∣uayle that is not temperate, passeth this temperatenesse: and if it passeth much, it heateth and dryeth in the beginning and if it dure long, by dissolution and wast∣ing of strength and of vertue, and by euaporation of spirites, it cooleth & dry∣eth. Constantine sayth, that thrée man∣ner profites come of trauayle: For it exciteth kinde heate: and wasteth and destroyeth superfluitie: and maketh the members hard and sad. Sometime bo∣dely trauaile is vniuersall, and some per∣ticular. Uniuersal is, when all the mem∣bers moue, as in deluing, iournieng, and such other. In particular trauayle, some lymmes and members rest, and some moue and trauell, as in sewing, writing, and such other. These diuers trauailes, diuersly exercise the body according to the sundry offices and craftes of men.

Some trauayle heateth and dryeth the body, as Smithes crafte: for the ayre that bloweth in the forge, is hot & drye, and it heateth and dryeth the Smithes. Fishing crafte doth the contrary: for it cooleth and moysteth. Some perticular trauayle is strong, and some féeble, and some meane. In trauaile men shall take héede of qualitie and quantitie of time and place: in quantitie, that it be not too much or too little: in qualitie, that it bee not too slowe, or too swifte: but meane trauayle is good and profitable. Before meate is best time of trauayle, that su∣perfluities, that be made slipper and sli∣ding may be voyded by trauaile, y^t meate and drinke be not corrupt with such su∣perfluities. After meate trauaile helpeth the vertue of digestion, to seeth and defie

meate and drinke, so that the trauell bée temperate. For too much trauell is not good, for it heateth the inner partes and the vtter also. Men shall take heede of place, for some place is watrie, and coo∣leth and moysteth, as the place of Fish∣ers: and some is drye, & hath woode and trees, as the place of hunters: and so such a place heateth and drieth by heate that commeth of trauayle and of walk∣ing about, and so of other. Sometime men asked of a wise man, whereto tra∣uaile was néedfull. And he aunswered and sayd in this manner: Honest tra∣uayle is the true kéeping and warde of mans lyfe, pricking of his kinde that sleepeth, the fyle of heate of sléeping, wa∣sting & destroyeng of superfluities, cha∣stising of vices, death of euilles, and of sicknesse, medicine of sorrowe and woe, winning of time, debt of youth, crudition of young folke, ioye of age, helpe of soule, and enimie of idlenesse, the mother of all euills: forseeth he alone forsaketh tra∣uayle, that will misse and lacke ioye of wealth and lyking. These foresayde wordes be contained in Fulgencius ser∣mon that he made against idle men.

There that word is expounded: Hée eate not idle bread. In that Sermon, he prayseth much good businesse of trauell, but in the ende of the Sermon, hée set∣teth deuoute idlenesse of contemplation, before businesse and trauaile: and saith, That for idlenes of contemplation, Ma∣ry shall not be accounted among idle women, but rather she shall be set be∣fore all other. How shoulde she eate idle bread, that is full of bread of lyfe, and that brake bread to other, which with good prayers, with ensample of good con∣uersation, and with good wordes and teaching, sedde and nourished them that hungered and thyrsted after Iustice.

Then Mary that helpeth with good prayers, and draweth other to good lyuing, with good conuersation, and teacheth well with preaching, break∣eth bread, &c.

Notes

• * 1.1

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