The Code of Health and Longevity

(163) 3 APPENDIX. NUMBER V.- ON WRESTLING. THERE is a book on this fubjeft, intituled, Inn Play, or Cornijh-Hugg Wrejller, digejled in a method which teacheth to break all Holds,and throw mojl falls, mathematically : Eafy to he underjlood by all Gentlemen, \3c. and of great ufe to fuch whounderfland the fmall- fword in fencing ; and by all I'radefmen and Handicrafts, that have competentknowledge of the ufe ofthe Stilliards, Bar, Crow, Iron or Lever, with their Hypomochlions, Ful~ ciments orBaits,' By Sir 'ThomasParkyns of Bunny, Ba­ ronet. London, printed for Thomas Weekes, at the White Hart in Weflminfier Hall, and fold byHumphry Wain- wright, at Bunny, in Nottingham/hire, I7 2 7* Xhere is little of any confequcnce in this work, ex-i cepting the following obfervations : u Therefore I advife all m y fcholars, never to exercife on a full ftomach, but to take light liquids, ofeafy digef- tion, to fupport nature, and maintain.llrength only. " I never couldhear the Norfolk out Play much ap- provcn of, or the rending and tearing of waiftcoats, kick­ ing and breaking of fliins, and rendering them fo tender they could not endure to be rubbed *, but the Bedford- Jhire Inn Play,in& the Corniih clofe hugg, are to be pre­ ferred. 44 Though at the beginning of the preface, I take no­ tice, that wreftling was in vogue, great credit, eftima- tion and reputation, in Martial the poet's days ; wreft­ ling without all doubt is of greater antiquity, as appears, Genefis xxxii. 24. Jacob wreflled with an angel i whe­ ther