Francis Bacon

Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight, is in privatenessand retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment and disposition of business.

For expert and execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the general counsels,and the plots and marshalling of affairs, come best form those that are learned.

To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; tomake judgement wholly by their rules, is the humour of a scholar.

They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants,that need proyning (pruning) by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions too muchat large, except they be bounded in/ by experience.

Crafty men contemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teachnot their own use; but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation.

Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk anddiscourse; but to weigh and consider.

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested;that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and somefew to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.

Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them by others; but that wouldbe only in the less important arguments, and the meaner sort of books; else distilled books are, likecommon distilled waters, flashy things.

Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if aman write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a presentwit; and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth not.

Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtile; natural philosophy deep; moralgrave; logic and rhetoric able to contend. Abeunt studia in morse. (Studeis go to make up a man’scharacter.)

Nay there is no stand or impediment in the wit, but may be wrought out by fit studies: like asdiseases of the body may have appropriate exercises. Bowling is good for the stone and reins;shooting for the lungs and breast; gentle walking for the stomach ; riding for the head; and thelike.

So if a man's wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics; for in demonstrations, if his wit becalled away never so little, he must begin again. If his wit be not apt to distinguish or finddifferences, let him study the schoolmen; for they are cymini sectores. (Hair-splitters sim-mini sek-torr-es) If he be not apt to beat over matters, and to call up one thing to prove and illustrateanother, let him study the lawyers' cases. So every defect of the mind may have a special receipt.

论读书

王佐良 译

读书足以怡情，足以傅彩，足以长才。其怡情也，最见于独处幽居之时；其傅彩也，最见于高谈阔论之中；其长才也，最见于处 世判事之际。

练达之士虽能分别处理细事或一一判别枝节，然纵观统筹，全局策划，则舍好学深思者莫属。读书费时过多易惰，文采藻饰太盛则矫，全凭条文断事乃学究故态。

读书补天然之不足，经验又补读书之不足，盖天生才干犹如自然花草，读书然后知如何修剪移接，而书中所示，如不以经验范之，则又大而无当。

有一技之长者鄙读书，无知者羡读书，唯明智之士用读书，然书并不以用处告人，用书之智不在书中，而在书外，全凭观察得之。

读书时不可存心诘难读者，不可尽信书上所言，亦不可只为寻章摘句，而应推敲细思。

书有可浅尝者，有可吞食者，少数则须咀嚼消化。换言之，有只需读其部分者，有只须大体涉猎者，少数则须全读，读时须全神贯注，孜孜不倦。书亦可请人代读，取其所作摘要，但只限题材较次或价值不高者，否则书经提炼犹如水经蒸馏，淡而无味。

读书使人充实，讨论使人机智，笔记使人准确。因此不常做笔记者须记忆力特强，不常讨论者须天生聪颖，不常读书者须欺世有术，始能无知而显有知。

读史使人明智，读诗使人灵秀，数学使人周密，科学使人深刻，伦理学使人庄重，逻辑修辞之学使人善辩；凡有所学，皆成性格。

人之才智但有滞碍，无不可读适当之书使之顺畅，一如身体百病，皆可借相宜之运动除之。滚球利睾肾，射箭利胸肺，慢步利肠胃，骑术利头脑，诸如此类。如智力不集中，可令读数学，盖演题需全神贯注，稍有分散即须重演；如不能辩异，可令读经院哲学，盖是辈皆吹毛求疵之人；如不善求同，不善以一物阐证另一物，可令读律师之案卷。如此头脑中凡有缺陷，皆有特效可医。

（信息员：黄晓宁）