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OFSTUDYSTUDIESservefordelight,forornament,andforability.Theirchiefusefordelight,isinprivatenessandretiring;forornament,isindiscourse;andforability,isinthejudgment,anddispositionofbusiness.Forexpertmencanexe-cute,andperhapsjudgeofparticulars,onebyone;butthegeneralcounsels,andtheplotsandmarshallingofaffairs,comebest,fromthosethatarelearned.Tospendtoomuchtimeinstudiesissloth;tousethemtoomuchforornament,isaffectation;tomakejudgmentwhollybytheirrules,isthehumorofascholar.Theyperfectnature,andareperfectedbyexperience:fornaturalabilitiesarelikenaturalplants,thatneedproyning,bystudy;andstudiesthemselves,dogiveforthdirectionstoomuchatlarge,excepttheybeboundedinbyexperience.Craftymencontemnstudies,simplemenadmirethem,andwisemenusethem;fortheyteachnottheirownuse;butthatisawisdomwithoutthem,andabovethem,wonbyobservation.Readnottocontradictandconfute;nortobelieveandtakeforgranted;nortofindtalkanddiscourse;buttoweighandconsider.Somebooksaretobetasted,otherstobeswallowed,andsomefewtobechewedanddigested;thatis,somebooksaretobereadonlyinparts;otherstoberead,butnotcuriously;andsomefewtobereadwholly,andwithdiligenceandattention.Somebooksalsomaybereadbydeputy,andextractsmadeofthembothers;butthatwouldbeonlyinthelessimportantarguments,andthemeanersortofbooks,elsedistilledbooksarelikecommondistilledwaters,flashythings.Readingmakesafullman;conferenceareadyman;andwritinganexactman.Andtherefore,ifamanwritelittle,hehadneedhaveagreatmemory;ifheconferlittle,hehadneedhaveapresentwit:andifhereadlittle,hehadneedhavemuchcunning,toseemtoknow,thathedothnot.Historiesmakemenwise;poetswitty;themathematicssubtitle;naturalphilosophydeep;moralgrave;logicandrhetoricabletocontend.Abeuntstudiainmores.Nay,thereisnostandorimpedimentinthewit,butmaybewroughtoutbyfitstudies;likeasdiseasesofthebody,mayhaveappropriateexercises.Bowlingisgoodforthestoneandreins;shootingforthelungsandbreast;gentlewalkingforthestomach;ridingforthehead;andthelike.Soifaman'switbewandering,lethimstudythemathematics;forindemonstrations,ifhiswitbecalledawayneversolittle,hemustbeginagain.Ifhiswitbenotapttodistinguishorfinddifferences,lethimstudytheSchoolmen;fortheyarecyminisectors.Ifhebenotapttobeatovermatters,andtocalluponethingtoproveandillustrateanother,lethimstudythelawyers'cases.Soeverydefectofthemind,mayhaveaspecialreceipt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。（王佐良先生译）