For _weeping_ in the nature of an exercise, there is not much to be said, but that it is accompanied with crying, sobbing groning and teares, wherby the head, and other partes are rid of some needlesse humour: though the disquieting do much more harme, then the purging can do good, and the humour were a great deale better auoided some other waye. Wherof some children seeme to be exceeding full, when feare of beating makes them straine their pipes. _Aristotle_ must beare both most blame for this exercise, if it displease any, and most praise, if it profit any, who in the last chapter[15] of the seuenth booke of his politikes writeth thus of it, and for it. That they do not well which take order, that children straine not themselues, with crying and weeping, bycause that is a meane to their growing, in the nature of an exercise. And that as holding the breath doth make one stronger to labour: so crying and weeping in children, do worke the same or the like effectes. And yet me thinke it should be no exercise, by the verie definition. For if it were vehement, yet is it not voluntarie, and though it did alter the breath, yet it bettereth not the bodie, howsoeuer it serue the soule.
But seeing the _gymnastikes_ haue it, let vs lend it them for their pleasure, though we like it not for our owne. It is generally banished by all Physicians as being the mother to manie infirmities, both in the eyes and other partes: neither if it could be auoided in schooles were it worthy the looking on: being the heauy signe of torture and trouble. And though it somtime ease the greiued minde to shedde a few teares, as some for extreme anguish cannot let fall one, yet children would be lesse greiued if they might shedde none, as some hold it a signe of a verie shrewd boye, when he deserues stripes, not to shew one trikle. Some Physicians thinke by waye of a conserue to the minde, that it ought to be vsed in schooles sometimes, though not voluntarie, yet in forme of an exercise to warme shrewd boyes, and to expell the contagious humours of negligence, and wantonnesse, the two springes of many streaming euilles: as playing would be daily, at some certaine houres, then to vse these exercises, when bookes be out of season.
