(A troublesom tempestuous air, is as bad as impure, rough and foul weather, impetuous winds, cloudy dark days, as it is commonly with us, Cœlum visu fædum, Polydor calls it a filthy sky, & in quo facile generuntur nubes; as Tullie's brother Quintus wrote to him in Rome, being then Questor in Britain. "In a thick and cloudy air (saith Lemnius) men are tetrick, sad, and peevish: And if the Western winds blow, and that there be a calm, or a fair sunshine day, there is a kinde of alacrity in men's mindes; it chears up men and beasts: but if it be a turbulent, rough, cloudy, stormy weather, men are sad, lumpish, and much dejected, angry, waspish, dull, and melancholy." This was P Virgil's experiment of old, "Verum ubi tempestas, & cœli mobilis humor But when the face of Heaven changed is 66 5 And who is not weather-wise against such and such conjunctions of Planets, moved in foul weather, dull and heavy in such tempestuous seasons? Gelidum contristat Aquarius annum : The time requires, and the Autumn breeds it; Winter is like unto it, ugly, foul, squalid, the Air works on all men, more or less, but especially on such as are melancholy, or inclined to it, as Lemnius holds, They are most moved with it, and those which are already mad, rave downright, either in, or against a tempest. Besides, the devil many times takes his opportunity of such storms, and when the humors by the air be stirred, he goes in with them, exagitates our spirits, and vexeth our souls; as the Sea waves, so are the spirits and humors in our bodies tossed with tempestuous winds and storms.' To such as are melancholy therefore, Montanus, consil. 24. will have tempestuous and rough air to be avoided, and consil. 27. all night air, and would not have them to walk abroad, but in a pleasant day. Lemnius, 1. 3. c. 3. discommends the • Hor Lib. 1. hist. lib. 2. cap. 41. Aura densa ac caliginosa tetrici homines existunt, & subtristes, & cap. 3. stante subsolano & Zephyro, maxima in mentibus hominum alacritas existit, mentisq; erectio ubi telum solis splendore nitescit. Maxima dejectio mærorque siquando aura caliginosa est. P Geor. Mens quibus vacillat, ab aëre cito offenduntur, & multi insami apud Belgas ante tempestates sæviunt, aliter quieti. Spiritus quoq; aëris & mali genii aliquando se tempestatibus ingerunt, & menti humanæ se latenter insinuant, eamq; vexant, exagitant, & ut fluctus marini, humanum corpus ventis agitatur. • Aer noctu densatur, & cogit moestitiam. South South and Eastern winds, commends the North. Montanus, consil. 31. "Will not any windows to be opened in the night." Consil. 229. & consil. 230. he discommends especially the South wind, and nocturnal air: So doth Plutarch. The night and darkness makes men sad, the like do all subterranean vaults, dark houses in caves and rocks, desert places cause melancholy in an instant, especially such as have not been used to it, or otherwise accustomed. Read more of air in Hippocrates, Etius, l. 3. à c. 171. ad 175. Oribasius, à c. 1. ad 21. Avicen. l. 1. can. Fen. 2. doc. 2. Fen. 1. c. 123. to the 12, &c. SUBSEC. VI. Immoderate exercise a cause, and how. Solitariness, Idleness. NOTHING so good, but it may be abused: Nothing better then Exercise (if opportunely used) for the preservation of the Body: Nothing so bad, if it be unseasonable, violent, or overmuch. Fernelius out of Galen, Path. lib. 1. c. 16. saith, "That much exercise and weariness consumes the spirits and substance, refrigerates the body; and such humors which Nature would have otherwise concocted and expelled, it stirs up, and makes them rage: which being so inraged, diversly affect and trouble the body and minde." So doth it, if it be unseasonably used, upon a full stomack, or when the body is full of crudities, which Fuchsius so much enveighs against, Lib. 2. instit. sect. 2. c. 4. giving that for a cause, why school-boys in Germany are so often scabbed, because they use exercise presently after meats. Bayerus puts in a caveat against such exercise, because it corrupts the meat in the stomack, and carries the same juyce raw, and as yet undigested, into the veins (saith Lemnius), which there putrifies, and confounds the animal spirits." Crato, consil. 21. 1. 2. 2 protests against all such exercise after meat, as being the greatest enemy to concoction that may be, and cause of corruption of humors, which produce this, and many other diseases. Not without good reason then, doth Salust. Salvianus, 1. 2. c. 1. and Leonartus Jacchinus in 9. Rhasis. Mercurialis, Arcubanus, and many other, set down immoderate exercise, as a most forcible cause of melancholy. t a x Lib. de Iside et Osyride. Multa defatigatio, spiritus, viriumq; substantiam exhaurit, et corpus refrigerat. Humores corruptos qui aliter à natura concoqui et domari possint, et demum blandè excludi, irritat, et quasi in furorem agit, qui postea mota camerina, tetro vapore corpus variè lacessunt, animumque. * In Veni mecum; Libro sic inscripto. y Instit. ad vit. Christ. cap. 44. cibos crudos in venas rapit, qui putrescentes illic spiritus animales inficiunt. di hæc humoris copia per venas aggreditur, unde morbi multiplices. modicum exercitium. 2 Cru a • Im R 2 Opposite 4 66 e f Opposite to Exercise, is Idleness (the badg of gentry) or want of Exercise, the bane of body and minde, the nurse of naughtiness, stepmother of discipline, the chief author of all mischief, one of the seven deadly sins, and a sole cause of this and many other maladies, the devil's cushion, as Gualter calls it, his pillow and chief reposal. "For the minde can never rest, but still meditates on one thing or other, except it be occupied about some honest business, of his own accord it rusheth into melancholy. As too much and violent exercise offends on the one side, so doth an idle life on the other, (saith Crato) it fills the body full of flegm, gross humors, and all manner of obstructions, theumes, catars, &c." Rhasis, cont. lib. 1. tract. 9. accounts of it as the greatest cause of melancholy. "I have often seen (saith he) that Idleness begets this humor more than any thing else." Montaltus, c. 1. seconds him out of his experience, They that are idle are far more subject to melancholy, then such as are conversant or imployed about any office or business." Plutarch reckons up idleness for a sole cause of the sickness of the soul: "There are the (saith he) troubled in minde, that have no other cause but this." Homer, Iliad. 1. brings in Achilles eating of his own heart in his Idleness, because he might not fight. Mercurialis, consil. 86. for a melancholy young man urgeth it is a chief cause; why was he melancholy? because idle. Nothing begets it sooner, encreaseth and continueth it oftener then idleness. A disease familiar to all idle persons, an inseparable companion to such as live at ease, Pingui otio desidiosè agentes, a life out of action, and have no calling or ordinary imployment to busie themselves about, that have small occasions; and though they have, such is their laziness, dulness, they will not compose themselves to do ought, they cannot abide work, though it be necessary, easie, as to dress themselves, write a Letter, or the like; yet as he that is benumbed with cold, sits still shaking, that might relieve himself with a little exercise or stirring, do they complain, but will not use the facile and ready means to do themselves good; and so are still tormented with melan с Hom. 31. in 1 Cor. 6. Nam qua mens hominis quiescere non possit, sed continuo circa varias cogitationes discurrat, nisi honesto aliquo negotio occupetur, ad melancholiam sponte delabitur. < Crato consil. 21. Ut immodica corporis exercitatio nocet corporibus, ita vita deses, et otiosa: otium, animal pituitosum reddit, viscerum obstructiones et crebras fluxiones, et morbos concitat. Et vidi quod una de rebus quæ magis generat melancholiam, est otiositas. Reponitur otium ab aliis causa, et hoc à nobis observatum eos huic malo magis obnoxios qui plane otiosi sunt, quam eos qui aliquo munere versantur exequendo. De Tranquil. animæ. Sunt qua ipsum otiü in animi conjicit ægritudinem. Nihil est quod æque melancholiam alat ac augeat, ac odium et abstinentia à corporis et animi exercitationibus. h Nihil magis excæcat intellectum, quam otium, Gordonius de observat. vit. hum. lib. 1. choly. choly. Especially if they have been formerly brought up to busines, or to keep much company, and upon a sudden come to lead a sedentary life, it crucifies their souls, and seazeth on them in an instant; for whilst they are any ways imployed, in action, discourse, about any business, sport or recreation, or in company to their liking, they are very well; but if alone or idle, tormented instantly again; one day's solitariness, one hour's sometimes, doth them more harm, then a week's physick, labor and company can do good. Melancholy seazeth on them forthwith being alone, and is such a torture, that as wise Seneca well saith, Malo mihi malè quam molliter esse, I had rather be sick than idle. This idleness is either of body or minde. That of body is nothing but a kinde of benumming laziness, intermitting exercise, which if we may beleeve Fernelius, "causeth crudities, obstructions, excremental humors, quencheth the natural heat, dulls the spirits, and makes them unapt to do any thing whatsoever.” k Neglectis urenda filix innascitur agris." As Fern grows in untild grounds, and all manner of weeds, so do gross humors in an idle body, Ignavum corrumpunt otia corpus. A horse in a stable that never travels, a hawk in a mew that seldom flies, are both subject to diseases; which left unto themselves, are most free from any such incumbrances. An idle dog will be mangy, and how shall an idle person think to escape? Idleness of the minde, is much worse then this of the body; wit without employment, is a disease, 'Ærugo animi, rubigo ingenii: the rust of the soul, a plague, a hell it self, Maximum animi nocumentum, Galen calls it. 66 D As in a standing pool, worms and filthy creepers increase, (& vitium capiunt ni moveantur aquæ, the water itself putrifies, and air likewise, if it be not continually stirred by the wind) so do evil and corrupt thoughts in an idle person," the soul is contaminated. In a Common-wealth, where is no publike enemy, there is likely civil wars, and they rage upon themselves : this body of ours, when it is idle, and knows not how to bestow it self, macerates and vexeth it self with cares, griefs, false-fears, discontents, and suspicions; it tortures and preys upon his own bowels, and is never at rest. Thus much I dare boldly say, He or she that is idle, be they of what condition they will, never so rich, so well allied, fortunate, happy, let Se Path. lib. 1. cap. 17. exercitationis intermissio, inertem calorem, languidos spiritus, & ignavos, & ad omnes actiones segniores reddit, cruditates, obstructiones, et excrementorum proventus facit. * Hor. Ser. 1. Sat. 3. Mororem animi, & maciem, Plutarch calls it. "Sicut in stagno generantur vermes, sic & otioso malæ cogitationes. Sen. R 3 neca. them them have all things in abundance, and felicity, that heart can wish and desire, all contentment, so long as he or she, or they are idle, they shall never be pleased, never well in body and minde, but weary still, sickly still, vexed still, loathing still, weeping, sighing, grieving, suspecting, offended with the world, with every object, wishing themselves gone or dead, or else carried away with some foolish phantasie or other. And this is the true cause that so many great men, Ladies, and Gentlewomen, labor of this discase in Countrey and City; for idleness is an appendix to nobility, they count it a disgrace to work, and spend all their days in sports, recreations, and pastimes, and will therefore take no pains; be of no vocation : they feed liberally, fare well, want exercise, action, employment, (for to work, I say, they may not abide) and company to their desires, and thence their bodies become full of gross humors, wind, crudities, their mindes disquieted, dull, heavy, &c. care, jealousie, fear of some diseases, sullen fits, weeping fits seize too familiarly on them. For what will not fear and phantasie work in an idle body? what distempers will they not cause? when the children of Israel murmured against Pharaoh in Egypt, he commanded his officers to double their task, and let them get straw themselves, and yet make their full number of Bricks; for the sole cause why they mutiny, and are evil at ease, is, "they they are idle." When you shall hear and see so many discontented persons, in all places where you come, so many several grievances, unnecessary complaints, fear, suspitions, the best means to redress it, is to set them awork, so to busie their mindes; for the truth is, they are idle. Well they may build castles in the air for a time, and sooth up themselves with phantastical and pleasant humors, but in the end they will prove as bitter as gall, they shall be still I say discontent, suspicious, P fearful, jealous, sad, fretting and vexing of themselves; so long as they be idle, it is impossible to please them, Otio qui nescit uti, plus habet negotii quam qui negotium in negotio, as that Agellius could observe: He that knows not how to spend his time, hath more business, care, grief, anguish of minde, than he that is most busie in the midst of all his business. Otiosus animus nescit quid volet: An idle person (as he follows it) knows not when he is well, what he would have, or whither he would go, Quum illuc ventum est, illine lubet, he is tired out with every thing, displeased with all, weary of his life: Nec benè domi, nec militiæ, neither at Now this leg, now that arm, now their head, heart, &c. * Exod. 5, +(For they cannot well tell what aileth them, or what they would have themselves) my heart, my head, my husband, my son, &c. P Prov. 18. Pigrum dejiciet timor. Heautontimorumenon. a Lib. 19. c. 10, home, |