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 judgment and disposition of business.

For expert 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 perfected 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 nee

d 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 ontend. Abeunt studia in morse. Nay there is no stand or impediment 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 man's 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.

论学习

弗朗西斯·培根

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读者，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，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，皆有特效可医。

第二篇：Of studies有感

A review of Of Studies

----How should a college student read? Recently, I reread the classical essay Of Studies written by Francis Bacon who is the father of experimental philosophy and a statesman as well as a man of letters---a renaissance man of his time. Reading this essay benefits me a lot. Today I want to say something about “How should a college student read”.

To many of us, we think whether reading or not is a personal affair. What kind of books we like to read has nothing to do with others. But as college students, especially the normal students, it is obvious wrong. Once we choose a university to continue our study, then we should be clear that our main duty is to learn. It’s a necessary process and step for us to be a comprehensive developed man.

Reading is an endless job. But what read is for? In the essay, Bacon said, “Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability.” But with a pity, the reading ethos nowadays is very blundering. Many students read articles with a utilitarian attitude. They only select the books which are useful for their specific vocation or something else to read. They ignore the books which can really cultivate their morality and broaden their horizons and think they are irrelevant to them so as to be set aside just for ornament. In my opinion, we should read a book just for the book itself, without purpose, without utility. We shouldn’t judge whether a book is good or bad just by how much it can benefits us. The attitude a reader holds determines the altitude he could achieve. Study has an incomparable influence on a person’s thinking way and living style in unspectacular ways. Classic books have their rich historic precipitation and popular ones have all-embracing era full of flavor. No matter what type of books, they must have something valuable for us to read, of course, excluding the books which are decayed or have no connotation.

Books benefit us much. But how can we select a book? For an initial learner, you can choose a book based on your interest. Then, after reading, what you should do is to think more and note down some ideas you think about the book. Gradually, your reading taste will become better and better. You can study in different professions more deeply. At last, you will form your own thoughts and taste. When you are reading a book, you feel as if communicating with the writer and experiencing a new life you have never experienced before. As Bacon said, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.”. For the books which can’t serve for delight, for ornament and for ability, we just read them roughly. For the classic works which can serve, we have to read them carefully, chew and digest them. While reading, we should concentrate, consider and deliberate. It’s a long hard process.

“Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.” Books can improve one’s cultural literacy, enlarge one’s ideological level and develop one’ s wisdom potential.“Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend.” Books make us all-rounder.

Let’s enjoy reading and read for pleasure. Thus, we can own the happiness and satisfaction the book brings to us. Thus, we can be a cultivated man.

---08英教3班 丁梅