论读书 OF STUDIES

OF     STUDIES

STUDIES serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Thief use for delight id in privateness and retiring; for ornament, id in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgement and disposition of business.

    For expert men can execute, 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 spent 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 humor of a scholar.

They perfect nature, and are perfect 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 experience.

Crafty men contempt 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 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 therefor, 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 witty; the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral gravel; logic and rhetoric able to contend. Abeunt studia in mores.

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 appropriates 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; 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 sectors.

If he be not apt to best over matters, and illustrate another, let him study the lawyers’ cases.

So every defect of the mind may have a special receipt.

          论读书

   习以养性，学以修身，读以长智。

     其养静之最在于独处幽静时，露其表；其修身之巅在于言谈举止间，现其身；其长智之能在于审时度势，显其形。

专于术业者，虽能逐一辨之是非而理其事，非能就其事。然，守其事，审其时，成其业者，惟博闻者是矣！

惰者，多费时于读书；娇者，用之于修饰；愚者，则因书而为之。

学以养性，补其缺；为以修身，成其美。是故，人之性似草木，载之以学问，修之以道理，善其身，美其行。然，闻不以道为先，则空矣！

耻于学者，奸也；慕其博者，痴也；惟习以用之者，智也。概书中不授之以道，乃智士达人善假于书，深于理，入于中，方可获之。

习者，不因作者之不足而挑其疵，不因文章之道理而尽信之，亦不因自身言辞之拙而学以助之。所谓智者，用读书于举事之轻重，权之利弊也。

书者，或浅尝辄止，或囫囵吞枣，或细嚼慢咽。亦曰，书者，或习之一二而弃之，或通知大概而搁之。然欲取书之精华者，应深其中，入其骨，用心也。

读书之道，于其庸俗之书，可雇人代读之，摘其要，过目足以。然于其书之精华者，另当概论也。所由摘录之文字犹如蒸馏之水，索然无味。

善其身者，读书也；敏于书者，辩说也；慎于言者，写作也。

故，疏于写作者必优于记忆，劣于论说者定胜于悟性，而孤陋寡闻者，亦有狡黠之头脑，能佯装博学也。

喜于读史者，智也；好于吟诗者，秀也；勤于演算者，精也；擅于物理者，庄也；专于逻辑与修辞者，善辩也。

人生而不足，或于心智，或于身体。然智力之缺可由读书以美之，恰似身躯之缺亦可因锻炼而强之。

诸如，欲强腰利肾，多行滚球之事；欲善胸利肺，多行射击之事；欲好胃通肠，多行漫步之事；欲强身健脑，多行骑射之事。

其心神不定者，使其研习数学；如此，稍有不专之倾向，其必因错而自始也。

其不善于析难辨者，使其师之以经院学者。是故，学者多因细致入微而闻名于天下。

其不善于明察暗辨，以此证波者，则令之习法律之事，以利于逻辑推理也。

故，人若有一缺，亦有一技成全也。