Of Studies Francis Bacon

　　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 judgement and disposition of business.

　　For ecpert and execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the general counsels, and the plots and marshalling of affairs, come best form those that are learned. To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgement wholly by their rules, is the humour of a scholar.

　　They perfect nature, and are perfectec 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 by others; 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 maketh 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 morse.

　　Nay there is no stand or impendiment 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 mans 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 sectores. 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：

　　求知可以作為消遣，可以作為裝潢，也可以增長才干。

　　當(dāng)你孤獨寂寞時，知識可以消遣。當(dāng)你高談闊論時，知識可供裝潢。當(dāng)你處世行事時，正確運用知識意味著力量。

　　懂得事物因果的人是幸福的。有實踐經(jīng)驗的人雖然能夠辦理個別性的事務(wù)，但若要綜觀整體，運籌全局，卻惟有掌握知識方能辦到。

　　求知太慢會弛惰，為裝潢而求知是自欺欺人，完全照書本條條辦事會變成偏執(zhí)的書呆子。

　　求知可以改進人的天性，而實驗又可以改進知識本身。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)習(xí)嘗試則可檢驗修正知識本身的真?zhèn)巍?/p>

　　狡詐者輕鄙學(xué)問，愚魯者羨慕學(xué)問。知識本身并沒有告訴人怎樣運用它，運用的發(fā)法乃在書本之外。這時一門技藝，不經(jīng)實驗就不能學(xué)到。不可專為挑剔辯駁去讀書，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。

　　有的知識只須淺嘗，有的知識只要粗知。只有少數(shù)專門知識需要深入鉆研，仔細揣摩。所以，有的書只要知其中梗概即可，而對于少數(shù)好書，則要精讀，細讀，反復(fù)地讀。

　　有的書可以請人代讀，然后看他的筆記就行了。但這只限于質(zhì)量粗略的書。否則一本好書將象已被蒸溜過的水，變得淡而無味了!

　　讀書使人的頭腦充實，討論使人明辨是非，作筆記則能使知識精確。

　　因此，如果一個人不愿做筆記，他的記憶力就必須強而可靠。如果一個人只愿孤獨探索，他的頭腦就必須格外銳利。如果有人不讀書有想冒充博學(xué)多知，他就必定很狡詐，才能掩飾他的無知。

　　讀史使人明智，讀詩使人聰慧，演算使人精密，哲理使人深刻，倫理使人有修養(yǎng)，邏輯修辭使人善辯?？傊?，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，可以通過運動來改善一樣。例如打球有利于腰腎，射箭可擴胸利肺，散步則有助于消化，騎術(shù)使人反應(yīng)敏捷，等等。同樣，一個思維不集中的人，他可以研習(xí)數(shù)學(xué)，因為稍不仔細就會出錯。缺乏分析判斷能力的人，他可以研習(xí)經(jīng)院哲學(xué)，因為這門學(xué)問最講究繁瑣辨證。不善于推理的人，可以研習(xí)法律學(xué)，如此等等。這種頭腦上的缺陷，都可以通過求知來治療。

　　Of Studies Francis Bacon

　　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 judgement and disposition of business.

　　For ecpert and execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the general counsels, and the plots and marshalling of affairs, come best form those that are learned. To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgement wholly by their rules, is the humour of a scholar.

　　They perfect nature, and are perfectec 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 by others; 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 maketh 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 morse.

　　Nay there is no stand or impendiment 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 mans 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 sectores. 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：

　　求知可以作為消遣，可以作為裝潢，也可以增長才干。

　　當(dāng)你孤獨寂寞時，知識可以消遣。當(dāng)你高談闊論時，知識可供裝潢。當(dāng)你處世行事時，正確運用知識意味著力量。

　　懂得事物因果的人是幸福的。有實踐經(jīng)驗的人雖然能夠辦理個別性的事務(wù)，但若要綜觀整體，運籌全局，卻惟有掌握知識方能辦到。

　　求知太慢會弛惰，為裝潢而求知是自欺欺人，完全照書本條條辦事會變成偏執(zhí)的書呆子。

　　求知可以改進人的天性，而實驗又可以改進知識本身。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)習(xí)嘗試則可檢驗修正知識本身的真?zhèn)巍?/p>

　　狡詐者輕鄙學(xué)問，愚魯者羨慕學(xué)問。知識本身并沒有告訴人怎樣運用它，運用的發(fā)法乃在書本之外。這時一門技藝，不經(jīng)實驗就不能學(xué)到。不可專為挑剔辯駁去讀書，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。

　　有的知識只須淺嘗，有的知識只要粗知。只有少數(shù)專門知識需要深入鉆研，仔細揣摩。所以，有的書只要知其中梗概即可，而對于少數(shù)好書，則要精讀，細讀，反復(fù)地讀。

　　有的書可以請人代讀，然后看他的筆記就行了。但這只限于質(zhì)量粗略的書。否則一本好書將象已被蒸溜過的水，變得淡而無味了!

　　讀書使人的頭腦充實，討論使人明辨是非，作筆記則能使知識精確。

　　因此，如果一個人不愿做筆記，他的記憶力就必須強而可靠。如果一個人只愿孤獨探索，他的頭腦就必須格外銳利。如果有人不讀書有想冒充博學(xué)多知，他就必定很狡詐，才能掩飾他的無知。

　　讀史使人明智，讀詩使人聰慧，演算使人精密，哲理使人深刻，倫理使人有修養(yǎng)，邏輯修辭使人善辯?？傊?，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，可以通過運動來改善一樣。例如打球有利于腰腎，射箭可擴胸利肺，散步則有助于消化，騎術(shù)使人反應(yīng)敏捷，等等。同樣，一個思維不集中的人，他可以研習(xí)數(shù)學(xué)，因為稍不仔細就會出錯。缺乏分析判斷能力的人，他可以研習(xí)經(jīng)院哲學(xué)，因為這門學(xué)問最講究繁瑣辨證。不善于推理的人，可以研習(xí)法律學(xué)，如此等等。這種頭腦上的缺陷，都可以通過求知來治療。