Of Study (論讀書）

STUDIES serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is indiscourse; and for ability, is in the judgment, and disposition of business. 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 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 studiesthemselves, 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 andattention. Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them bothers; but that would be only in the lessimportantarguments, 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; themathematicssubtitle; naturalphilosophydeep; 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.

中文版：讀書足以怡情，足以博彩，足以長才。其怡情也，最見于獨處幽居之時；其博彩也，最見于高談闊論之中；其長才也，最見于處世判事之際。練達(dá)之士雖能分別處理細(xì)事或一一判別枝節(jié)，然縱觀統(tǒng)籌、全局策劃，則舍好學(xué)深思者莫屬。讀書費時過多易惰，文采藻飾太盛則矯，全憑條文斷事乃學(xué)究故態(tài)。讀書補(bǔ)天然之不足，經(jīng)驗又補(bǔ)讀書之不足，蓋天生才干猶如自然花草，讀書然后知如何修剪移接；而書中所示，如不以經(jīng)驗范之，則又大而無當(dāng)。有一技之長者鄙讀書，無知者羨讀書，唯明智之士用讀書，然書并不以用處告人，用書之智不在書中，而在書外，全憑觀察得之。讀書時不可存心詰難作者，不可盡信書上所言，亦不可只為尋章摘句，而應(yīng)推敲細(xì)思。書有可淺嘗者，有可吞食者，少數(shù)則須咀嚼消化。換言之，有只須讀其部分者，有只須大體涉獵者，少數(shù)則須全讀，讀時須全神貫注，孜孜不倦。書亦可請人代讀，取其所作摘要，但只限題材較次或價值不高者，否則書經(jīng)提煉猶如水經(jīng)蒸餾、淡而無味矣。（ 譯者：王佐良）

讀書使人充實，討論使人機(jī)智，筆記使人準(zhǔn)確。因此不常作筆記者須記憶特強(qiáng)，不常討論者須天生聰穎，不常讀書者須欺世有術(shù)，始能無知而顯有知。讀史使人明智，讀詩使人靈秀，數(shù)學(xué)使人周密，科學(xué)使人深刻，倫理學(xué)使人莊重，邏輯修辭之學(xué)使人善辯：凡有所學(xué)，皆成性格。人之才智但有滯礙，無不可讀適當(dāng)之書使之順暢，一如身體百病，皆可借相宜之運(yùn)動除之。滾球利睪腎，射箭利胸肺，慢步利腸胃，騎術(shù)利頭腦，諸如此類。如智力不集中，可令讀數(shù)學(xué)，蓋演題須全神貫注，稍有分散即須重演；如不能辨異，可令讀經(jīng)院哲學(xué)，蓋是輩皆吹毛求疵之人；如不善求同，不善以一物闡證另一物，可令讀律師之案卷。如此頭腦中凡有缺陷，皆有特藥可醫(yī)。

普通話　　讀書可以作為消遣，可以作為裝飾，也可以增長才干。 　　 　　 　　孤獨寂寞時，閱讀可以消遣。高談闊論時，知識可供裝飾。處世行事時，知識能增長才干。有實際經(jīng)驗的人雖能夠處理個別性的事務(wù)，但若要綜觀整體，運(yùn)籌全局，卻唯有學(xué)識方能辦到。 　　 　　 　　讀書太慢的人會馳惰，為裝潢而讀書是自欺欺人，完全按照書本做事是書呆子。 　　 　　求知可以改進(jìn)人性，而經(jīng)驗又可以改進(jìn)知識本身。人的天性猶如野生的花草，求知學(xué)習(xí)好比修剪移栽。學(xué)問雖能指引方向，但往往過于泛泛，必須依靠經(jīng)驗才能賦予形態(tài)。 　　 　　 　　狡詐者輕鄙學(xué)問，愚魯者羨慕學(xué)問，聰明者則運(yùn)用學(xué)問。知識本身并沒有告訴人怎樣運(yùn)用它，運(yùn)用的智慧在于書本之外。這是技藝，不體驗就學(xué)不到。 　　 　　 　　不該挑剔辯駁去讀書，但也不可輕易相信書本。求知的目的不是為了吹噓炫耀，而應(yīng)該是為了尋找真理，啟迪智慧。 　　 　　 　　書籍好比食品。有些只須淺嘗，有些可以吞咽，只有少數(shù)需要細(xì)細(xì)咀嚼，慢慢品味。所以，有的書只要讀其中一部分，有的書只須知其梗概，而對于少數(shù)好書，則應(yīng)當(dāng)通讀，細(xì)讀，反復(fù)讀。 　　 　　 　　有的書可以請人代讀，然后看他的筆記摘要就行了。但這只應(yīng)限于不太重要的議論和質(zhì)量粗劣的書。否則一本書將像已被蒸餾過的水，變得淡而無味了。 　　 　　 　　讀書使人充實，討論使人機(jī)敏，寫作則能使人精確。 　　 　　 　　如果一個人懶于動筆，他的記憶力就必須強(qiáng)而可靠。如果一個人要孤獨探索，他的頭腦就必須格外銳利。因此，如果有人不讀書又想冒充博學(xué)多知，他就必須很狡黠，才能掩飾無知。 　　 　　 　　讀史使人明智，讀詩使人聰慧，演算使人精密，哲理使人深刻，道德使人高尚，邏輯修辭使人善辯。總之，知識能塑造人的性格。 　　 　　 　　不僅如此，精神上的各種缺陷，都可以通過求知來改善——正如身體上的缺陷，可以通過適當(dāng)?shù)倪\(yùn)動來改善一樣。例如打球有利于腰腎，射箭可擴(kuò)胸利肺，散步有助于消化，騎術(shù)使人反應(yīng)敏捷，等等。同樣道理，一個思維不集中的人，他可以研習(xí)數(shù)學(xué)，因為數(shù)學(xué)稍不仔細(xì)就會出錯。缺乏分析判斷的人，他可以研習(xí)經(jīng)院哲學(xué)，因為這門學(xué)問最講究繁瑣辯證。不善于推理的人，可以研習(xí)法律案例。如此等等。這種心靈上的缺陷，都可以通過讀書而得到改善。

在讀書的意義和作用方面培根有十分精辟的論述：“讀書足以怡情，足以博彩，足以長才。其怡情也，最見于獨處幽居之時；其博彩也，最見于高談闊論之中；其長才也，最見于處世判事之際?！薄白x史使人明智，讀詩使人靈秀，數(shù)學(xué)使人周密，科學(xué)使人深刻，倫理學(xué)使人莊重，邏輯修辭之學(xué)使人善辨，凡有所學(xué)皆成性格?！迸喔f：“人的天性像是野生的花草，讀書像是修剪移栽。一個沒有目標(biāo)沒有重點盲目讀書的人，最終只能成為書的奴隸?！?/p>

讀書方法上培根注重理論與實踐相結(jié)合，“運(yùn)用的方法乃在書本之外，這是一門技藝，不經(jīng)實驗就不能學(xué)到?！迸喔f：“有的書只要讀其中的一部分，有的書只須知其中梗概即可，而對一些好書則要反復(fù)地讀。

《培根論讀書》對讀書的意義、作用和方法都作了透徹的論述，今天，無論是讀書治學(xué)還是掌握現(xiàn)代先進(jìn)的科學(xué)技術(shù)，都是值得我們借鑒的。我想，做到愛讀書，會讀書，這樣才能讀好書，才能學(xué)好知識……《培根隨筆》英國