读书使人充实,讨论使人机智,笔记使人准确…… 　　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. 　　这是弗朗西斯·培根的《论读书》 　　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,thatneedproyningbystudy；andstudiesthemselvesdogiveforthdirectionstoomuchatlarge,excepttheybeboundedinbyexperience. 　　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. 　　Naythereisnostandorimpedimentinthewit,butmaybewroughtoutbyfitstudies:likeasdiseasesofthebodymayhaveappropriateexercises.Bowlingisgoodforthestoneandreins；shootingforthelungsandbreast；gentlewalkingforthestomach；ridingforthehead；andthelike.Soifaman'switbewandering,lethimstudythemathematics；forindemonstrations,ifhiswitbecalledawayneversolittle,hemustbeginagain.Ifhiswitbenotapttodistinguishorfinddifferences,lethimstudytheschoolmen；fortheyarecyminisectores.Ifhebenotapttobeatovermatters,andtocalluponethingtoproveandillustrateanother,lethimstudythelawyers'cases.Soeverydefectofthemindmayhaveaspecialreceipt. 　　译文： 　　论学习 　　弗朗西斯·培根 　　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,