培根的《论读书》OfStudies(原文和译文).doc

Of StudiesSTUDIESservefordelight,forornament,andforability. Theirchiefusefordelight,isinprivatenessandretiring; forornament,isindiscourse;andforability,isinthe judgment,anddispositionofbusiness.Forexpertmencan execute,andperhapsjudgeofparticulars,onebyone;but thegeneralcounsels,andtheplotsandmarshallingofaffairs, comebest,fromthosethatarelearned.Tospendtoomuchtime instudiesissloth;tousethemtoomuchforornament,is affectation;tomakejudgmentwhollybytheirrules,isthe humorofascholar.Theyperfectnature,andareperfected byexperience:fornaturalabilitiesarelikenaturalplants, thatneedpruning,bystudy;andstudiesthemselves,dogive forthdirectionstoomuchatlarge,excepttheybeboundedin byexperience.Craftymencontemnstudies,simplemenadmire them,andwisemenusethem;fortheyteachnottheirownuse; butthatisawisdomwithoutthem,andabovethem,wonby observation.Readnottocontradictandconfute;nortobelieve andtakeforgranted;nortofindtalkanddiscourse;butto weighandconsider.Somebooksaretobetasted,otherstobe swallowed,andsomefewtobechewedanddigested;thatis, somebooksaretobereadonlyinparts;otherstoberead, butnotcuriously;andsomefewtobereadwholly,andwith diligenceandattention.Somebooksalsomaybereadbydeputy, andextractsmadeofthembothers;butthatwouldbeonlyin thelessimportantarguments,andthemeanersortofbooks, elsedistilledbooksarelikecommondistilledwaters,flashy things. Readingmakeafullman;conferenceareadyman;andwriting anexactman.Andtherefore,ifamanwritelittle,hehad needhaveagreatmemory;ifheconferlittle,hehadneed haveapresentwit:andifhereadlittle,hehadneedhave muchcunning,toseemtoknow,thathedothnot.Histories makemenwise;poetswitty;themathematicssubtitle;natural philosophydeep;moralgrave;logicandrhetoricabletocontend. Abeuntstudiainmores.Nay,thereisnostandorimpedimentin thewit,butmaybewroughtoutbyfitstudies;likeasdiseases ofthebody,mayhaveappropriateexercises.Bowlingisgoodfor thestoneandreins;shootingforthelungsand*;gentle walkingforthestomach;ridingforthehead;andthelike.So ifamanswitbewandering,lethimstudythemathematics;for indemonstrations,ifhiswitbecalledawayneversolittle, hemustbeginagain.Ifhiswitbenotapttodistinguishor finddifferences,lethimstudytheSchoolmen;fortheyare Cyminisectors.Ifhebenotapttobeatovermatters,andto calluponethingtoproveandillustrateanother,lethimstudy thelawyerscases.Soeverydefectofthemind,mayhavea specialreceipt.论读书王佐良译读书足以怡情，足以傅彩，足以长才。其怡情也，最见于独处幽居之时；其傅彩也，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，则舍好学深思者莫属。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。读书补天然之不足，经验又补读书之不足：盖天生才干犹如自然花草，读书然后知如何修剪移接，而书中所示，如不以经验范之，则又大而无当。有一技之长者鄙读书，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。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，有只需读其部分者，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，取其所作摘要，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。读书使人充实，讨论使人机智，笔记使人准确。因此不常做笔记者须记忆力特强，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。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，逻辑修辞之学使人善辩；凡有所学，皆成性格。人之才智但有滞碍，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。滚球利睾肾(筋骨)，射箭利胸肺，慢步利肠胃，骑术利头脑，诸如此类。如智力不集中，可令读数学，盖演题需全神贯注，稍有分散即须重演；如不能辩异，可令读经院哲学，盖是辈皆吹毛求疵之人；如不善求同，不善以一物阐证另一物，可令读律师之案卷。如此头脑中凡有缺陷，皆有特药可医。