OFSTUDIES 　　FrancisBacon 　　Studiesservefordelight,forornament,andforability.　Theirchiefusefordelight,isinprivatenessandretiring;forornament,isindiscourse;andforability,isinthejudgmentanddispositionofbusiness. 　　Forexpertandexecute,andperhapsjudgeofparticulars,onebyone;butthegeneralcounsels,andtheplotsandmarshallingofaffairs,comebestformthosethatarelearned. 　　Tospendtoomuchtimeinstudiesissloth;tousethemtoomuchforornament,isaffectation;tomakejudgementwhollybytheirrules,isthehumourofascholar. 　　Theyperfectnature,andareperfectedbyexperience:fornaturalabilitiesarelikenaturalplants,thatneedproyning(pruning)bystudy;andstudiesthemselvesdogiveforthdirectionstoomuchatlarge,excepttheybeboundedin/byexperience. 　　Craftymencontemnstudies,simplemenadmirethem,andwisemenusethem;fortheyteachnottheirownuse;butthatisawisdomwithoutthem,andabovethem,wonbyobservation. 　　Readnottocontradictandconfute;nortobelieveandtakeforgranted;nortofindtalkanddiscourse;buttoweighandconsider. 　　Somebooksaretobetasted,otherstobeswallowed,andsomefewtobechewedanddigested;thatis,somebooksaretobereadonlyinparts;otherstoberead,butnotcuriously;andsomefewtobereadwholly,andwithdiligenceandattention. 　　Somebooksalsomaybereadbydeputy,andextractsmadeofthembyothers;butthatwouldbeonlyinthelessimportantarguments,andthemeanersortofbooks;elsedistilledbooksare,likecommondistilledwaters,flashythings. 　　Readingmakethafullman;conferenceareadyman;andwritinganexactman.Andtherefore,ifamanwritelittle,hehadneedhaveagreatmemory;ifheconferlittle,hehadneedhaveapresentwit;andifhereadlittle,hehadneedhavemuchcunning,toseemtoknowthathedothnot. 　　Historiesmakemenwise;poetswitty;themathematicssubtile;naturalphilosophydeep;moralgrave;logicandrhetoricabletocontend.　Abeuntstudiainmorse.(Studeisgotomakeupaman’scharacter.-be-"unt-'stü-dE-"?-"in-'mO-"rAs) 　　Naythereisnostandorimpedimentinthewit,butmaybewroughtoutbyfitstudies:likeasdiseasesofthebodymayhaveappropriateexercises.Bowlingisgoodforthestoneandreins;shootingforthelungsandbreast;gentlewalkingforthestomach;ridingforthehead;andthelike. 　　Soifaman'switbewandering,lethimstudythemathematics;forindemonstrations,ifhiswitbecalledawayneversolittle,hemustbeginagain.　Ifhiswitbenotapttodistinguishorfinddifferences,lethimstudytheschoolmen;fortheyarecyminisectores.(Hair-splitterssim-minisek-torr-es)　Ifhebenotapttobeatovermatters,andtocalluponethingtoproveandillustrateanother,lethimstudythelawyers'cases.　Soeverydefectofthemindmayhaveaspecialreceipt. 　　论读书 　　培根 　　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