1、1FrancisBacon OfStudiesSTUDIESservefordelight,forornam ent,andforability.Theirchiefusefordelight,isinprivatenesandretirng;forornam ent,isindiscourse;andforability,isinthejudgm ent,anddispositonofbusines.Forexpertm encanexcute,andperhapsjudgeofparticulars,onebyone;butthegeneralcounsels,andtheplotsand
2、m arshalingofafirs,comebest,fromthosethatarelarned.Tospendtoom uchtim einstudiesisloth;tousethem toom uchforornam ent,isafectaion;tom akejudgm entwhollybytheirules,isthehumorofascholar.Theyperfectnature,andareperfectdbyexperience:fornaturalbilitesarelikenaturalplants,thatneedproyning,bystudy;andstud
3、iesthem selves,dogiveforthdirectionstoom uchatlarge,xcepttheybeboundedinbyexperience.Craftym encontem nstudies,im plem enadmirethem ,andwisem nusethem ;fortheyteachnottheirownuse;butthatisawisdomwithoutthem ,andabovethem ,wonbyobservation.Readnottocontradictandconfute;nortobelieveandtakeforgranted;n
4、ortofindtalkanddiscourse;buttoweighandconsider.Somebooksaretobetasted,otherstobeswalowed,andsomefetobechewedanddigestd;thatis,omebooksaretobereadonlyinparts;otherstoberead,butnotcuriously;andsomefewtobereadwholly,andwithdiligenceandatention.Somebooksalsom aybereadbydeputy,andextractsm adeofthem byot
5、hers;butthatwouldbeonlyinthelesim portantarguments,andthem eanersortofbooks,elsdistiledbooksarelikecomm ondistiledwaters,flashythings.Readingm akethafullm an;confernceareadym an;andwritnganexactm an.Andtherefore,ifam nwritelitle,hehadneedhaveagreatm em ory; ifheconferlitle,hehadneedhaveapresntit:and
6、ifhereadlitle,hehadneedhavem uchcunning,tosem toknow,thathedothnot.Historiesm akem enwise;poetswity;them athem aticssubtile;naturalphilosophydeep;m oralgrave;logicandrhetoricabletocontend.Abeuntstudiainmores.1Nay,thereisnostondorim pedim entinthewit,butm aybewroughtoutbyfitstudies;likeasdiseaseofthe
7、body,m ayhaveappropriatexercise.Bowlingisgoodforthestoneandreins;shootingforthelungsandbreast;gentlewalkingfortheTHESAYSORCOUNSELS,CIVILANDMORAL,OFRANCISLd.VERULAMVISCOUNTS.ALBANS1Studiespasintothecharcter.2stomach;ridingforthead;andthelike.Soifam nswitbewandering,lethim studythem athem atics; forin
8、dem onstrations,ifhiswitbecaledayneversolitle,hem ustbeginagin.Ifhiswitbenotapttodistinguishorfinddifernces,lethim studytheSchoolm en;fortheyarecyminisectores2.Ifhebenotapttobeatoverm aters,andtocaluponethingtoproveandilustrateanother,lethim studythelawyerscase.Soeverydefectofthem ind,m ayhaveaspeci
9、alrecipt.談讀書讀書足以怡情，足以傅彩，足以長才。其怡情也，最見於獨處幽居之時；其傅彩也，最見於高談闊論之中；其長才也，最見於處世判事之際。練達之士雖能分別處理細事或一一判別枝節，然縱觀統籌、全局策劃，則捨好學深思者莫屬。讀書費時過多易惰，文采藻飾太盛則矯，全憑條文斷事乃學究故態。讀書補天然之不足，經驗又補讀書之不足，蓋天生才幹猶如自然花草，讀書然後知如何修剪移接；而書中所示，入不以經驗範之，則又大而無當。有一技之長者鄙讀書，無知者羡讀書，惟明智之士用讀書，然書並不以用處告人，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，亦不可祇為尋章摘句，而應推
10、敲細思。書有可淺嚐者，有可吞食者，少數則須咀嚼消化。換言之，有祇須讀其部分者，有祇須大體涉獵者，少數則須全讀，讀時須全神貫注，孜孜不倦。書亦可請人代讀，取其所作摘要，但祇限題材較次或價值不高者，否則書經提煉猶如水經蒸餾，淡而無味矣。讀書使人充實，討論使人機智，筆記使人準確。因此不常作筆記者須記憶特強，不常討論者須天生聰穎，不常讀書者須欺世有術，始能無知而顯有知。讀史使人明智，讀詩使人靈秀，數學使人周密，科學使人深刻，倫理學使人莊重，邏輯修辭之學使人善辯：凡有所學，皆成性格。人之才智但有滯礙，無不可讀適當之書使之順暢，一如身體百病，皆可借相宜之運動除之。滾球利睾腎，射箭利胸肺，慢步2Dividersofcum inseds,orhair-spliters王佐良译： 英国诗文选译集（ 北京：外语教学与研究出版社， 1980）， p.7&p.93利腸胃，騎術利頭腦，諸如此類。如智力不集中，可令讀數學，蓋演題須全神貫注，稍有分散即須重演；如不能辨異，可令讀經院哲學，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。
