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?
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.
