OfStudies
读读书
FrancisBacon
弗朗西斯·培根
Studiesservefordelight, forornament, andforability. Theirchiefusefordelight, isinprivatenessandretiring; forornament, isindiscourse; andforability, isinthejudgmentanddispositionofbusiness.Forexpertmencanexecute, andperhapsjudgeofparticulars, onebyone; butthegeneralcounsels, andtheplotsandmarshallingofaffairs, comebestfromthosethatarelearned.
读书足以冶情,足以博彩,足以长才。其冶情也,最见于独处幽居之时;其博彩也,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,则非好学深思者莫属。
Tospendtoomuchtimeinstudiesissloth; tousethemtoomuchforornament, isaffectation; tomakejudgmentwhollybytheirrules, isthehumourofascholar.
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。
Theyperfectnature, andareperfectedbyexperience: fornaturalabilitiesarelikenaturalplants, thatneedpruningbystudy; andstudiesthemselvesdogiveforthdirectionstoomuchatlarge, excepttheybeboundedinbyexperience.
读书补天然之不足,经验又补读书之不足;因为天生才干犹如自然花草,读书之后方知如何修剪移接,而书中所示,如不以经验范之,则又大而无当。
Craftymencontemnstudies, simplemenadmirethem, andwisemenusethem; fortheyteachnottheirownuse; butthatisawisdomwithoutthem, andabovethem, wonbyobservation.
有手艺者鄙读书,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。
Readnottocontradictandconfute; nortobelieveandtakeforgranted; nortofindtalkanddiscourse; buttoweighandconsider. Somebooksaretobetasted, otherstobeswallowed, andsomefewtobechewedanddigested; thatis, somebooksaretobereadonlyinparts; otherstoberead, butnotcuriously; andsomefewtobereadwholly, andwithdiligenceandattention. Somebooksalsomaybereadbydeputy, andextractsmadeofthembyothers; butthatwouldbeonlyinthelessimportantarguments, andthemeanersortofbooks; elsedistilledbooksare, likecommondistilledwaters, flashythings.
读书时不可存心诘难作者,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,有只须读其部分 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,摘要也可请人代作,但只限题材较次或价值不高者,否则书经提炼犹如水经 蒸馏,淡而无味矣。
Readingmakesafullman; conferenceareadyman; andwritingandexactman. Andtherefore, ifamanwritelittle, hehadneedhaveagreatmemory; ifheconferlittle, hehadneedhaveapresentwit; andifhereadlittle, heheadneedhavemuchcunning, toseemtoknowthathedoesnot.
读书使人充实,讨论使人机智,笔记使人准确。因此不常动笔者须记忆特强,不常讨论者须天生聪颖,不常读书者须欺世有术,始能无知而显有知。
Historiesmakemenwise; poetswitty; themathematicssubtle; naturalphilosophydeep; moralgrave; logicandrhetoricabletocontend. Abeuntstudiainmores.
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,逻辑修辞使人善辩。凡有所学,皆成性格。
Naythereisnostondorimpedimentinthewit, butmaybewroughtoutbyfitstudies: likeasdiseasesofthebodymayhaveappropriateexercises. Bowlingisgoodforthestoneandreins; shootingforthelungsandbreast; gentlewalkingforthestomach; ridingforthehead; andthelike.
人之才智如有滞碍,无不可读适当之书使之顺畅,一如身体百病,皆可借相宜之运动除之。保龄利睾肾,射箭利胸肺,慢步利肠胃,骑马利头脑,诸如此类。
Soifaman'switbewandering, lethimstudythemathematics; forindemonstrations, ifhiswitbecalledawayneversolittle, hemustbeginagain. Ifhiswitbenotapttodistinguishorfinddifferences, lethimstudytheschoolmen; fortheyarecyminisectores. Ifhebenotapttobeatovermatters, andtocalluponethingtoproveandillustrateanother, lethimstudythelawyers'cases. Soeverydefectofthemindmayhaveaspecialreceipt.
如智力不集中,可令读数学,因为演题须全神贯注,稍有分散即须重演;如不能辩异,可令读经院哲学,因为研究经院哲学者吹毛求疵者也;如不善分析论证,不善以一物阐证另一物,可令读律师之案卷。头脑中凡有缺陷,皆有特药可医。