STUDIES serve for delight, for ornament¹, and for ability.  Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse²; and for ability, is in the judgment³, and disposition⁴ 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 sloth⁵; 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 proyning, by study; and studies themselves, do give forth⁶ directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience.  Crafty⁷ men contemn⁸ 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 curiously⁹; 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 distilled¹⁰ books are like common distilled waters, flashy things. 

 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 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 witty¹¹; the mathematics subtitle¹²; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic¹³ and rhetoric¹⁴ able to contend. Abeunt studia in mores¹⁵.  Nay¹⁶, there is no stand or impediment in the wit, but may be wrought¹⁷ out by fit studies; like as diseases of the body, may have appropriate exercises.  Bowling¹⁸ is good for the stone and reins¹⁹; 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 demonstrations²⁰, 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 sectors²¹.  If he be not apt to beat over matters, and to call up one thing to prove and illustrate²² another, let him study  the lawyers' cases.  So every defect of the mind, may have a special receipt
 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）