弗朗西斯·培根/Francis Bacon

Studies serve for delight,for ornament,and for ability.Their chie f use for delight,is in privateness and retiring;for ornament,is in d iscourse;and for ability,is in the judgment and disposition of busines s.For expert men can execute,and perhaps judge of particulars,one by one;but the general counsels,and the plots and marshalling of affairs,come best from those that are learned.To spend too much time in studies is sloth;to use them too much for ornament,is affectation;to make jud gment wholly by their rules,is the humor of a scholar.They perfect nat ure,and are perfected by experience:for natural abilities are like nat ural plants,that need pruning by study;and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large,except they be bounded in by experie nce.Crafty men contemn studies,simple men admire them,and wise men us e them;for they teach not their own use;but that is a wisdom without t hem,and above them,won by observation.Read not to contradict and conf ute;nor to believe and take for granted;nor to find talk and discourse;but to weigh and consider.Some books are to be tasted,others to be s wallowed,and some few to be chewed and digested;that is,some books ar e to be read only in parts;others to be read,but not curiously;and so me few to be read wholly,and with diligence and attention.Some books a lso may be read by deputy,and extracts made of them by others;but that would be only in the less important arguments,and the meaner sort of bo oks;else distilled books are like common distilled waters,flashy thing s.

Reading maketh a full man;conference a ready man;and writing an ex act man.And therefore,if a man write little,he had need have a great memory;if he confer little,he had need have a present wit;and if he r ead little,he had need have much cunning,to seem to know that he doth not.Histories make men wise;poets witty;the mathematics subtle;natur al philosophy deep;moral grave;logic and rhetoric able to contend.Abe unt studia in morse.Nay there is no stand or impediment in the wit,but may be wrought out by fit studies:like as diseases 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 the like.So if a man's wit be wandering,let him study the m athematics;for in demonstrations,if his wit be called away never so li ttle,he must begin again.If his wit be not apt to distinguish or find differences,let him study the schoolmen;for they are cymini sectores.If he be not apt to beat over matters,and to call up one thing to prove and illustrate another,let him study the lawyers'cases.So every defe ct of the mind may have a special receipt.

读书可以怡情，可以博采，可以增智。读书的主要用途，就怡情而言，体现在独处幽居的时候；就博采而言，体现在交谈的时候；就增智而言，体现在判断处理事物的时候。专家学者能有条不紊地处理事情，辨析事物的微妙之处，而深思好学者能统筹策划，全盘考虑大小事务的计划安排。读书耗时过多是懒散；文采太过浮躁华丽是矫情；完全循规蹈矩则是学究怪僻。读书可以使人的性格趋于完美，而亲自体验则能补充完善书本知识：因为自身的资质犹如自然生长的植物，需要借助书本知识得以修整。要想把这种修整做得尽善尽美，就必须把书本知识与实践相结合。手艺人鄙视读书，无知的人羡慕读书，明智的人学以致用。因为书本不会教人如何运用，学以致用的智慧不在书中，而在其外，全凭经历体验才能获得。不要为了吹毛求疵而读书；不要尽信书中所言；不要只是从书中摘文引句，而应该思量斟酌。有些书浅尝即可，有些书吞食即可，只有少数的书需要细嚼慢咽地消化掉。也就是说，有些书只需摘选其部分内容来读，有些书只需粗略浏览，只有少数的书必须仔细认真地阅读。有些书可以请人代读，并取其所做的摘要，但只有那些题材不太重要或价值不高的书籍才适合这样做，否则从这类书中提炼的就像蒸馏水一样，寡淡无味。

阅读使人充实，交谈使人敏捷，写作使人严谨。因此，很少写作的人必须有很好的记性，很少与人交谈的人必须天生灵敏，读书不多的人必须非常狡猾得看起来没有知识也像有知识一样。历史使人明智，诗歌使人聪颖，数学使人精细，自然科学使人深沉，伦理学使人庄重，逻辑和修辞学教人雄辩。读书可以陶冶性情，正如运动可以治疗生理疾病一样，适宜的读书可以治疗心理上的弊病。打保龄球有益于睾肾，射箭有益于胸肺，慢走有益于肠胃，骑马有益于大脑，如此等等。倘若是精神不集中的人，就让他学数学，因为在演算时稍一走神，就得重做；倘若是不善辨别异同的人，就让他学科院哲学，因为那些哲学家都喜欢条分缕析；倘若是不善洞察事物、不善于推理的人，就让他研究律师的案卷。所以，智力上的种种瑕疵都有专门的处方来弥补。