原文：

? ? STUDIES serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment, and disposition of business. For expert men can exe-cute, 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 judgment wholly by their rules, is the humor of a scholar. They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need proyning, by study; and studies themselves, do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Crafty men contemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teach not 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 and discourse; 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 some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them bothers; but that would be only in the less important arguments, and the meaner sort of books, else distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy things.

? ? Reading make a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact 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 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; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend. Abeunt studia in mores. 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 mathematics; for in demonstrations, if his wit be called away never so little, he must begin again. If his wit be not apt to distinguish or find differences, let him study the Schoolmen; for they are cymini sectors. 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 defect of the mind, may have a special receipt.

譯文（由“@旺旺先輩810”本人翻譯）：

論學(xué)（談讀書）

弗朗西斯·培根

?? ???學(xué)，可修身養(yǎng)性，可增光添彩，亦可增長才干。獨居之時，顯其修身養(yǎng)性；談吐之間，顯其增光添彩；決斷之際，顯其增長才干。行家能手可處理要事，亦可逐一決斷，但縱觀全局，結(jié)集概要，則學(xué)識淵博之人略勝一籌。曠日持久之學(xué)易致怠懈；過于華麗之辭易致做作；墨守成規(guī)之?dāng)嘁字掠馗W(xué)習(xí)彌補天資，而經(jīng)驗彌補學(xué)習(xí)：天資猶如花草樹木，學(xué)則使其枝繁葉茂，學(xué)乃無窮無盡，若無經(jīng)驗之限，則亦無的放矢。奸詐之人蔑學(xué)，無才之人慕學(xué)，明智之人踐學(xué)；而學(xué)本身并未教導(dǎo)實踐，故智在學(xué)外，而非學(xué)中，踐學(xué)全憑洞察。閱讀時不可處處批駁，不可拘泥于書，亦不可生搬硬套；而應(yīng)用心權(quán)衡斟酌。書籍有供品味者，有供吞咽者，亦有為數(shù)不多需咀嚼消化者。是則，書籍有應(yīng)跳讀者，有應(yīng)略讀者，亦有為數(shù)不多應(yīng)精讀者，且精讀時需全神貫注，持之以恒。書亦可請他人替讀，并取其概要；但此法僅適于無關(guān)緊要或價值較低之書，否則濃縮之書如同蒸餾之水，淡然無味也。

? ? ? ?多讀造就滿盈，多說造就聰慧，多寫造就切實。是以少寫之人須過目成誦；少說之人須天資聰穎；少讀之人須八面玲瓏，方能以博學(xué)之象掩無知之態(tài)。史學(xué)使人高明；文學(xué)使人機智；數(shù)學(xué)使人敏銳；哲學(xué)使人深沉；倫理道德使人莊重；邏輯修辭使人巧辯。長年累月之學(xué)，皆會塑成性情。若天生才智受限，則需以適當(dāng)學(xué)習(xí)煉之；正如萬般病痛，皆可以相應(yīng)運動治之。投球益腎，射箭益肺，漫步益胃，騎乘益腦，諸如此類。若心不在焉，可研究數(shù)學(xué)計算，以其需全神貫注，若稍有不慎，則須從頭推演也。若難明事理，可研究經(jīng)院哲學(xué)，以其辯證，皆為細瑣繁雜也。若難以全面觀事，不善于以一物證一物，可研究律師斷案。故一切才智缺陷，皆可對癥下藥。