of tudy (论读书）
STUDIES erve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief ue for delight, i in privatene and retiring; for ornament, i in dicoure; and for ability, i in the judgment, and dipoition of buine. For expert men can exe-cute, and perhap judge of particular, one by one; but the general counel, and the plot and marhalling of affair, come bet, from thoe that are learned. To pend too much time in tudie i loth; to ue them too much for ornament, i affectation; to make judgment wholly by their rule, i the humor of a cholar. They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilitie are like natural plant, that need proyning, by tudy; and tudie themelve, do give forth direction too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Crafty men contemn tudie, imple men admire them, and wie men ue them; for they teach not their own ue; but that i a widom without them, and above them, won by obervation. Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and dicoure; but to weigh and conider. Some book are to be tated, other to be wallowed, and ome few to be chewed and digeted; that i, ome book are to be read only in part; other to be read, but not curiouly; and ome few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some book alo may be read by deputy, and extract made of them bother; but that would be only in the le important argument, and the meaner ort of book, ele ditilled book are like common ditilled water, flahy thing.[由Www.haozuowen.com整理]
Reading make 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 preent wit: and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to eem to know, that he doth not. Hitorie make men wie; poet witty; the mathematic ubtitle; natural philoophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend. Abeunt tudia in more. Nay, there i no tand or impediment in the wit, but may be wrought out by fit tudie; like a dieae of the body, may have appropriate exercie. Bowling i good for the tone and rein; hooting for the lung and breat; gentle walking for the tomach; riding for the head; and the like. So if a man' wit be wandering, let him tudy the mathematic; for in demontration, if hi wit be called away never o little, he mut begin again. If hi wit be not apt to ditinguih or find difference, let him tudy the Schoolmen; for they are cymini ector. If he be not apt to beat over matter, and to call up one thing to prove and illutrate another, let him tudy the lawyer' cae. So every defect of the mind, may have a pecial receipt.
译文：
读书足以怡情，足以精彩，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。