The sanctuarie of saluation, helmet of health, and mirrour of modestie and good maners wherein is contained an exhortation vnto the institution of Christian, vertuous, honest, and laudable life, very behoouefull, holsome and fruitfull both to highest and lowest degrees of men ... / written in Latin verie learnedly and elegantlie by Leuinus Lemnius of Zirizaa, physitian, and Englished by H.K. for the common commoditie and comfort of them which understand not the Latine tongue ...

Of exercise, wherby the wearied strength both of the mind and bodie is refreshed, recrea∣ted, and restored.

CHAP. 44.

BEcause humane nature cannot abide still and cōtinue, vnlesse it eftsoones or incon∣tinently after take breath agayne and pause a while, and be renewed with some refreshing: therefore some relaxation, or recreation, or loosing agayne from labour must be graunted and giuen thereunto, to cherish it withall, lest the strength of the bodie waxe feeble, and the liuely quicknesse of the mind be debilitated and weakened, and ouerthrowne with too much businesse and immoderate labour. And as quiet and conuenient sleepe doth recreate and refresh the members that be wearied and attenuated with labour & trauaile: so also the relaxation & intermissiion of vigilant studies and industrious contemplation doth comfort & redintegrate the mind being wearied with intentiue meditation, or the laborious ioyle of nightworks, & restoreth the spirits that be exhausted & lulled on sleepe with drousnesse. Men of old time, whensoeuer they might rest themselues, or had leisure from the functions of the Commonwealth and forren affayres, recreated and delighted themselues with the pleasantnes of husbandrie, & reaped no lesse

profite then pleasure of the exercise of tillage. For besides woods and harbours very delec∣table to behold, besides places planted, set and compassed with trees, & trimly decked with hedgerowes full of fine twigs & rods, besides the commodities and pleasant secret situation of Farmes and Manours separated from con∣course of people, they got gayn & aduantage both very iust and very plentious of their fruit∣full and well tilled soyle, by their goodly har∣uest, and yerely increase & reuenew. For pro∣fite ioyned with honestie and righteousnesse cannot be reprehended of any man. And in∣deed among all things, as Cicero saith, wherof some good is gottē, there is none better, none more plentious, none more seemely for a free man, then husbandry. Insomuch that Hesiodus iudged and deemed nothing to be so royall & magnificke, as to till the ground, and to be ex∣ercised & occupied in the facultie of countrey mans life. For which cause the Romanes in old time forsaking the citie being wearie of it, like men deliuered out of imprisonmēt, vsed to go & solace themselues in the coūtrey. For in this kind of life many things come in hand, where∣with a man may be delighted & recreated, be∣cause they happen euery one in his ordinarie time, turne, & course. For one while time and occasion serueth to prune, cleanse and cut trees: another while the fayre, milde sweete spring time entiseth and allureth men, to

graft impes or young settes and slips in ano∣ther tree: sometime the season requireth to dresse vineyards, and to ioyne the high pop∣lar trees with the well growne stocke and broadspred branches of the vine,

Sometime to catch wild beasts with snare, sometime with lime begil'd, Sometime with hounds to hunt the hare and deere through forest wilde, The birds with pretie craft to take, the brimbles eke to burne.

For hawking and hunting is a healthfull ex∣ercise, and conuenient for a young mans bo∣die that is of full age, and not vtterly to be dis∣praised, so that a man be not too much giuen thereunto, and employ all his labour and tra∣uaile in chasing renting, and tearing of wilde beasts, and in the meane time neglect his ear∣nest businesses & gouernance of his houshold. But to delight and recreate a mans selfe with tables of Geographie or description of the earth, and within the limits of his studie to goe through the whole circuite of the world stretching farre and wide, & to measure with his eyes and a paire of compasses, regions that be farre distant one from another, rather then in bodie with great daunger and losse of his goods to trauaile abroad, & iourney through many straunge countries, not without great ieopardy, this contemplation, I say, doth mar∣ueylously

refresh the minde. Amongst the Chartes or descriptions Cosmographicall I make accōpt of those pictures which be made with great cunning & arte, & liuely expressed, which bee either adorned with colours, or which haue their portraiture of one colour, that is to say, naked and bare, & not portrayed with any varietie of painting or colouring, which delight the eies with no vain spectacle, specially if it be done or beholdē without su∣perstitiō, & they minister som documēts vnto vertue & pietie, as those be which contain the sacred & holy histories. For that cause a Poesie or a Poets work is of thē in olde time proper∣ly called a dumb picture. But indeed a Poeme is a speaking & a liuely & not a dumb picture. Moreouer, the recreatiō & delight of musick is honest and principally pleasant, wherwith the mind, when it languisheth or faynteth, is very much cōforted, quickned, & reuiued. For Mu∣sick with her harmony, good concordance, & instrumēts which sound tunably, doth not on∣ly delight the eares with sweetnes of the soūds, but also by the same melodious noise piercing and passing throughout all the arteries and pipes of the body, stirreth vp and quickneth the spirites both vital and animall, and disper∣sing the darke dimnesse and mistie dulnesse of the mind, maketh the vnderstanding liuely, cheereful and actiue. This was the cause that

Pythagoras vsed, as soone as he was awaked, to moue and stir vp his mind with a harpe, to the end it might be the more prone & ready to fulfill such functions, and accomplish such publique dueties, as the day required: And when he went to sleepe, he was wont to mit∣tigate his minde againe with a lute, to the end he might make his affections more quiet. So we read that Epaminondas prince of Greece sung and played on instruments properly and trimly, and all Grece, as Cicero testifieth, re∣puted great learning to consist in sweet mo∣dulation of voyces and musical strings, and he that was vnskilfull of that arte, was accomp∣ted the lesse learned. So in the old world they were wont at their royall tables to haue the famous facts & excellent acts of noble and re∣nowmed personages, & such as were honored like Gods, sweetly sung vpō the harp. For thus Virgil writeth,

Hayrie Iopas with great sound of gilde a harpe doth sing, Those things which famous Atlas taught he playes on pleasant string. Hee telleth of the wandring moone, and trauailes of the Sunne: From whence mankind, and beasts, and rain, and fire their course begunne: The starre that stands behind the tayle of greater beare the signe, The rainy seuen stars, and the seuen

which in the north combine: Why in the winter dayes the Sunne it selfe in Ocean sea, Makes hast to dip, or what those nights doth cause so long to stay.

And besides other monuments the history of Dauid sheweth plainly, that the Hebrues also had the vse and benefite of this delitesome recreation, and that the same of famous and worthy men was trimly adorned and highly esteemed. For that princely prophet was ac∣customed to sing holy hymnes and Psalmes to the harpe, and with his sweete melodiously sounding harpe to mitigate and asswage the furious minde of Saul, when hee was vexed of the ill spirit, and troubled with melancholie, and so to bring the king to a better reformed and more quiet mind. Also the prophet Heli∣saeus being angred and molested with the im∣portunate calling of kings, desired that a min∣strell should bee brought vnto him, by whose harmonie and musicall melodie hee appea∣sed his minde, and so when all perturbati∣ons and disquietnesse was driuen away, & the troublous motions and passions brought to rest, hee being inspired with the Spirit of God, beginneth to prophesie, and to foreshewe to the three kinges those thinges which should come to passe. The holy Bible sheweth plainly euery where, that musick was wont to

bee vsed also at feasts. For the wise man taking a similitude of pearles garnished with golde, saith thus, Like as the Carbuncle stone shineth that is set in golde: so doth musick and melodie with moderate drinking of wine adorne the feast. He sayth moreouer, Like as the Smaragde, the greenenesse whereof is very bright and insa∣tiable, commonly called Amarant, commen∣deth the golde so is the sweete symphonie of fin∣gers in a mery feast. But lest any man consume too much time, or bee occupied in such enti∣sing delights and allurements more then is conuenient: he sheweth among his good pre∣cepts, what ought to be more esteemed and regarded, then this delectable recreation, with these words, Wine and minstrilsie reioyce the minde and heart, but the loue of wisdome more then they both. Esai indeede reprooueth wine bibbers, and such as are continually giuen to banquetting, and delight themselues sweetly and pleasantly with musicall instruments, but it is because they haue so great minde of their owne pleasures, that they haue no respect of the Creator, nor be thankfull to God, from whose bountifulnesse all things doe flow, for a∣ny of those things which they in their welfare doe plenteously and abundantly enioy. For thus he threatneth them. Woe to you that rise early to follow drunkennes, and to quaffe so vntill the euening, that ye are set on fire with wine. The

harpe, lute, timbrell, and pipe is at your feaste: & ye regarde not the worke of the Lord, neither do ye consider the workes of his hands, that is to say, ye haue not your eyes and your minde erected and lifted vp vnto him, from whose goodnes, benignitie, and liberalitie these things do pro∣ceede. The Prophet Amos in effect hath the like wordes, who with these kind of threat∣nings doth as it were pluck by the eares, and sharply rebuke them that liue lasciuiously, wantonly, and ryotously. Woe to you which are wealthy in Sion, which go pompously, which lie in yuory beds, & play the wantōs on your couches, which sing to the sound of the psalterie, and drink wine in goblets, and are annointed with the best oyntmēt, but none of you is moued to haue cōpassi∣on on the calamitie of your poore brethren, or is sory for the misery of the afflicted, ye haue no re∣gard nor respect of the needy, nor exhibite thanke∣fulnesse to God for so great benefites. Therefore the pleasant delight of musick, and therewithal the moderate vse of wine and good cheere, by which the drowsie, dull, and faynt spirits are quickned, cōforted & reuiued, by which me∣lācholike fumes are dispersed, is blamelesse, & deserueth not to be reprehended of any sowre, sad and vnpleasant Stoick, vnlesse by the abuse and vnmeasurable cōtinuance of these things men waxe forgetfull of the due seruice and worship of God, and of their owne saluation.

Amongst exercises that be milde, soft and gē∣tle, and lesse troublous or laborious, cariages are reckoned which bee done either on horse back or in a wagon, or in a shippe also, and walkings abroad in the open aire, which a man may haue in garden alleys, and in vineyards that be spread and stretched in great length, running on frames and ioyned together throughout, so that vnder such a fayre greene vault and chamberlike roufe of flourishing vine leaues, is as holesome walking as in the o∣pen pleasant field. And when a man walketh, if he happen to waxe weary, well dressed and trimmed gardens are not without prety seats made in finely wrought arbours, & vmbrages or shadowing places, vnder which a man may take the coole shade, and shield himselfe from heate. But when a man is disposed to walke in the Sunne-shine, and to take the free and open ayre, he may conueniently doe it in the wide open field or in some eminent and high place. But amongst moderate and hole∣some exercises, as cleere and lowde reading and the vse of declaiming is conueniēt and be∣seeming for studious and politique men: so for them which bee mightie and stronge, wrastling, the vse of crosse-bowes and the little ball commended of Galen in a booke thereof set foorth, the conflict or game of sword players and of running with horses,

whereby naturall heat increaseth, and the bo∣dy getteth strength, the blood passing and hauing recourse throughout all the members: which causeth them that bee so exercised to haue a flourishing colour, and their skinne all ouer spread with a delectable rednesse. But they which exercise themselues in such manner striuing for the best game, must re∣member that all things bee done moderately, lest violent mouings with forcible wresting and turning of the body, loose the members out of ioynt, or lest any part of the body start out of his stedfast roume, or be remoued from his place by winding and bowing himselfe round in compasse with too much vehemen∣cy. Moreouer as the mind must not be weari∣ed with studies immediatly after refection, but that the stomack may the more easily con∣coct and digest the meat receiued without any hinderāce, and that naturall heat happē not to be dispersed, & dissolued: euen so they which haue dined liberally, & stuffed thēselues with meat, must not sustain ouer much labor or la∣borious exercises. For violēt & intēperate mo∣uings do hurt & hinder digestion, & al immo∣derate & vehemēt agitatiōs & stirrings of the body do draw into the veins crude, raw & vn∣perfectly digested meat, which by opilatiō or stopping & putrifactiō proceding therof is the cause, & ingendring of diseases & sicknes. The

olde play that is like vnto the game at tables or casting of the dice, which was made with small sheepe bones finely smoothed, where∣with our coūtrey maids, being yong & not yet mariageable, are wont to play, and immediat∣ly after they be maried do despise the same. But young striplings haue a game amongst them∣selues with a certaine kinde of bones called huckle-bones or coytes, takē out of neats feet, wherewith they exercise themselues at a cer∣taine time of the yeare, as also with nuttes and timbrels. These childish exercises are reiected and counted despiseable of them which bee somewhat more in yeres, so that after they come to mans state, they think it not besee∣ming nor gentlemanlike to be occupied with such trifles. For after the fashion of children as Horace saith,

To build litle cottages, to tye myse to a little cart, To play at eeuen and od, to ride on a long rod If any man delight that hath a beard, Hee is not well in his wit, it is to be feard.

But if there be dice also of another sorte, for those, which I spake of before, consist of foure sides, but these haue sixe sides being eeuen foure square whereof there is so often and so much abuse in all Europe, that many often∣times by vsing them doe vnmeasurably spend, disperse, and consume their inheritance, lands and possessions, and after they haue so wasted

their wealth and substance, are brought to ex∣treame pouerty: when as the vse of playing at huckle-bones, which girles of our countrey do accustom, doth not empaire or diminish their goods. For with them they make sport to driue away tediousnesse of the time, or when they may keepe holy day, they play for something of no great value, as namely, chestnuts, fil∣birds, pinnes, buttons, clasps, laces, and such like things, as they vse to giue to their friends at the end of a feast. Furthermore, yong strip∣lings doe exercise themselues liuely and lusti∣ly with driuing of the top, and with the swift rūning roūd of the whirle-gig, so fast, that one can scarcely see or perceiue it, & this doe they in winter time to get themselues heate with∣all. Which kinde of exercise was vsed also of men in olde time, as Persius testifieth, being himselfe greatly delighted with it and with many other, as he saith,

For by good right I did desire to know that cunning feate, What winning luckie sise poynt brings: what losse and eke how great That leesing cast by hazard hath: the fraud how to eschew Practised with necke of narrow boxe, whereout the dice they threw: Or with a scourge to driue the top wrought finely of boxe tree,

That none herein should more excell or should more sleightie be.

Ʋirgil also maketh mention of this chil∣dish instrument, and in very elegant verses compareth the minde of Lauinia raging mad with the loue of Turnus, to a whirle-gigge, & saith that it is turned and tossed, like a toppe that is driuen to and fro with whips and scour∣ges, which matter he prosecuteth thus,

Then this vnhappie woman runs that huge great Citie through, Incens'd with mad and monstrous rage, not decently enough: As sometimes doth the whirling-gigge with vehement stroke of whip, Which boyes, intentiue to their play, make round about to skip Ʋoyd halles throughout in compasse great, with lashes to and fro, And crookedly at randon driue: fooles are amased so, The flocke of children meruaile how the top can turne so fast: The stripes encourage them: so she with furious course in hast Through midst of citie headlong runs, through people fierce doth passe.

Children commonly vse to bee delighted and occupied with these kind of playes; But the age that is more growne to perfection,

and beginneth to come to full ripenesse, requi∣reth more decent games. But in euery kind of exercise that is commodious and profitable for the bodie and the minde, we must alwaies haue regard of comelinesse and honestie. So Salust commendeth the towardnesse & good disposition of Iugurtha, when as yet the same was not depraued with ambition, nor corrup∣ted with the couetous desire of dominion. For he assoone as he was well and fully growne, being indued with puissant strength and com∣ly countenance, but most chiefly excelling in wit, did not giue himselfe to excesse ryot, or idlenesse to bee corrupted therewith: but as the custome of that countrey is, to ryding, to casting of the da••, to runne with his like com∣panions for wag••rs; and when he excelled them all in glorie and renowne, yet was he well loued of all men: he vsed to doe very much, but to speake very little of himselfe. As for the playes of Dice, & Cards, and all other vaine delights of idle persons, see that thou es∣chew them, as a thing most hurtfull, shameful, and ignominious. For in such games no cun∣ning skill preuaileth, but craft, deceit, guile, sleight, and subtiltie: neither doth conside∣ration, aduisement or wisedome take place, but chaunce, fortune, temeritie and rashnesse. The dice comprehendeth euery kinde of play

that is subiect to the mutabilitie of fortune, as draughts, casting of dice out of a boxe or out of the hand, chests-play, & all kind of dice ca∣sting or table-play: so that in very small things and childrens pastime it deserueth reprehen∣sion, if it be done either too oft, or deceitfully, or contentiously. So saith Martial featly and properly,

Small dice doe seeme a trifeling game, And hurt to haue none in the same: Yet boyes they make oft times to lose Euen all the poynts that tye their hose.

Wherfore seeing that in this kind of game all things for the most part vse to be done co∣uetously, lewdly, naughtily and deceitfully, such moderation must be had, that we seeke for delight some recreation, rather then to be greedie of gayne gotten by winning. For we see commonly, that they which doe not take heede nor bee circumspect, are cleane wiped and beguiled of their money, & craftily trom∣ped by fraudulent and wylie fellowes. And al∣beit some hope of winning in such exercises tickleth a mans mind, and the reward of victo∣rie comforteth the winner, yet notwithstan∣ding no man ought to do any thing vpō gree∣die hope or couetous gaping for aduantage. For exercise is ordained, and licence to play is permitted, not for the winning or the getting

of gayne thereby, but in respect of health and pleasant recreation, to the end that the wea∣ried mind may haue some rest, & so conceiue new strength to tolerate and sustaine labours agayne. But it is the nature and condition of dice-players, that assoone as once that itch and scabbe hath gotten hold on their minds, it can hardly be extinguished. For men of that habite, qualitie, and sort on euery side solici∣ting and procuring them thereunto, they run agayne to those hurtfull and noysome plea∣sures euery moment. Which vice also is euen graffed and rooted in whoremongers. There∣fore Ouid giueth wholesome counsaile,

Let winning goe: mad auarice doth vexe the mind of men, And fearefull hands oft times the dice allure to play agayne.

Indeed the industrie of getting goods, and the increasing and enlarging of household wealth, in my iudgement, ought not to be dis∣praised nor reproued: but it is meete and de∣cent to seeke to get such gayne as is profitable and honest, & such as may be acquired with∣out the iniurie, displeasure and dāmage of any man. A proper wittie prouerbe is that of Plau∣tus, It is right and reason that euery man for his owne gayne bee more diligent then frau∣dulent. For goods wrongfully and wickedly gotten doe not onely bring infamie and re∣proach,

but also hauing no certaintie nor sure continuance, are very soone spent, and quick∣ly consumed and gone: such is the end of ri∣ches lewdly gotten with deceit, craft, false re∣porting and accusing, sleight, fraude, subtiltie, and finally with vsurie, with table play, with dicing and carding. Wherefore see that thou ceasse not by all meanes possible to with∣drawe them which bee thy companions in studies and exercises, from such lewdnesse and vnthriftinesse, and to solicite and exhort them vnto honestie, vnto commendable com∣linesse, vnto vertue. For this duetie and me∣rite of humanitie doth not only deserue praise amongst wise men, but also it is well pleasing and acceptable to God: which the Lord af∣firmeth plainlie by the Prophet Ieremie in these words, He that separateth the thing that is precious from the vile, shallbe euen as myne owne mouth. Whereby he giueth vs to vnder∣stand, that the man which withdraweth ey∣ther himselfe or his neighbour (for GOD lo∣ueth or esteemeth nothing better then man) from things that bee most vile, from a fil∣thie, polluted, and defiled life, from erring and going astray, and bee his principall leader and chiefe onsetter vnto integritie of life and vnblameable conuersation, such a man that so dooth is worthie of excellent praise, and draweth neerest vnto God, and

deserueth diuine honour. And hereunto be∣longeth and accordeth that saying of Saint Iames the Apostle, Brethren, if any man a∣mongst you erre from the trueth, and some man conuert him, let him, that so doth, knowe, that he hath reuiued a sinner from death, and saued his soule.

Notes

• Rest from labour is good.
• The delec∣t••ble recrea∣tion of hus∣bandrie.
• Cic. lib. 1. Offic.
• The hus∣bandma•• is neuer idle.
• Horat. in Od.
• Virgil. 1. Georg.
• Many kinds of exercises.
• A picture delight•…•… and recrea∣teth the eies
• Musick re∣fresheth the minde.
• Fab. lib. 1. cap. 7.
• Cii. 1. Tus∣cul.
• Louers of musick in old time.
• Virgil. lib. 1 Aeneid.
• The He∣brues refu∣sed not the pleasant re∣creation & delight of musick.
• 1. King. 16.
• Dauid ho∣noureth God with instrumēts of musick.
• 4. King. 3.
• Helisaeus is delighted with mu∣sick.
• Eccle. 32. Similitudes of musick & pearles.
• Eccle. 40. Esai repro∣ueth great wine drin∣kers.
• Esai. 5.
• Amos rebu¦keth drun∣kards and wine bib∣bers.
• Amos. 6.
• Exercise lesse labo∣rious.
• The pleasāt¦nes of gar∣dens refre∣sheth the minde.
• To take the coole shade in summer.
• To walk in the Sun∣shine in winter is very pleasāt.
• Exercise meate for students.
• Vehement & violent mouing hindereth digestion.
• Play at huckle bones or with coytes
• Many kind of childish games and exercises.
• Horat. lib. Serm. 2. Sat. 3.
• The dice play vndo∣eth many men.
• Driuing of tops.
• Pers. Sat. 3.
• Virg. lib. 7. Aeneid.
• Virgil ma∣keth an elegant de∣scription.
• The good towardnes of Iugur∣tha.
• The exer∣cise of youth.
• Infamous games.
• What dice is.
• Martial. lib. 14.
• Winning without wylie deceit
• The condi∣tiō of dice-players.
• Deceitfully gotten quickly spent.
• Ieremy. 15.
• A place of Ieremy de∣clared.
• Iames. 5.