Bacon's "On Reading"

Reading makes people enriched, discussion makes people witty, and notes make people accurate. Therefore, those who do not often take notes must have a strong memory, those who do not often discuss must be naturally smart, and those who do not often read must be deceived and skillful in order to be able to show their knowledge from ignorance. Reading history makes people wise, reading poetry makes people smart, mathematics makes people thoughtful, science makes people profound, ethics makes people solemn, and the study of logic and rhetoric makes people eloquent: everything learned becomes character. If a person's intelligence is blocked, there is no need to read appropriate books to make it smoother. Just like all diseases in the body, they can be cured by appropriate exercises. Rolling a ball is good for the testicles and kidneys, archery is good for the chest and lungs, slow walking is good for the intestines and stomach, riding is good for the mind, and so on. If the intelligence is not concentrated, it can be taught to read mathematics, and the performance questions must be concentrated, and if there is a slight distraction, it must be repeated; if it is not possible to distinguish differences, it can be taught to read scholastic philosophy, because these people are all fault-finding people; if they are not good at seeking common ground, they are not good at uniting. One thing can prove another thing by reading the lawyer's case file. In this way, every defect in the mind can be cured by special medicine.

(Translated by Mr. Wang Zuoliang)

The original text is as follows:

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 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 subtile; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend. Abeunt studia in mores. Nay, there is no stond 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.