培根·论读书(中英文)

论读书

读书足以怡情，足以博彩，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，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、淡而无味矣。

读书使人充实，讨论使人机智，笔记使人准确。因此不常作笔记者须记忆特强， 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。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，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，盖演题须全神贯注，稍有分散即须重演；如不能辨异，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。

（

译者：王佐良）

Of Studies

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 judgment, and disposition of business. For expert men can

exe-cute,

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 pruning,

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

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 bothers; 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 makes 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