Notes and Queries | Page 6

it is not likely that Wither
would so soon again have committed himself by the publication of the
Abuses in 1613, if he had suffered for his "liberty of speech" so shortly
before.
Mr. Cunningham's addition to Mr. Campbell's note is incorrect. The
Scourge is part of the Abuses Whipt and Stript printed in 1613 (a copy
of which is now before me), to which it forms a postscript. Wood, who
had never seen it, speaks of it as a separate publication; but Mr.
Willmott has corrected this error, although he had only the means of
referring to the edition of the Abuses printed in 1615. Mr.
Cunningham's note, that Wither was imprisoned for the Scourge in
1615, is a mistake; made, probably, by a too hasty perusal of Mr.
Willmott's charming little volume on our elder sacred poets.
EDWARD F. RIMBAULT.
* * * * *
USEFUL VERSUS USELESS LEARNING
A single and practical plan for the formation of a complete and useful
library and respository of universal literary knowledge.
The design which I propose in the following few lines, is one which I
should imagine nearly all the more learned and literary of your readers
would wish to see already in existence and when I show that it might be
effected with very little trouble and expense (indeed no trouble but such
as would be a pleasure to those interested in the work), and that the
greatest advantage would follow from it,--I hope that it may meet with
favourable consideration from some of the numerous, able, and
influential readers and correspondents of your journal.
I am the more induced to hope this from the fact of such a wish having
been partially expressed by some of your contributors, and the excellent
leading articles of Nos. 1 and 2.
What I propose is simply this: the SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT
of all the existing literary knowledge in the world that is considered of
value by those best qualified to judge, disposed in such a manner as to
answer these two purposes: 1st, to give a general connected and
classified view of the literary treasures of the whole world, beginning
from the most ancient in each language and department (including only
what is valuable in each); and, 2dly, to afford the greatest possible

facility (by means of arrangement, references and _indexes_) to every
inquirer for finding at once the information he is in search of, if it is to
be found anywhere by looking for it.
There are two ways in which this work might be accomplished, both of
which were desirable, though even one only would be much better than
none.
The first and most complete is, to make a real COLLECTION of all
those works, arranged in the {294} most perfect systematic order; and,
while doing so, to make at the same time a corresponding classified
Catalogue.
The chief (and almost the only) difficulty in the way of this would be,
to find a room (or suite of rooms) to contain such a library and
repository; but such would probably be found if sought.
The other way in which this object might be attained is by the
formation of a simple CATALOGUE in the same order, such as does
already exist and lies open for public use (though only in manuscript,
and not so accurately classified as might be) in the noble library of the
Dublin University.
This plan would be far easier than (besides forming the best possible
basis for) that so urgently advocated by MR. BOLTON CORNEY (Vol.
i. pp. 9, 42, 43.).
Of course so extensive a design would require to be distributed among
many hundred persons; but so does any great work: while, by each
individual undertaking that department in which he is most interested
and most experienced, the whole might be accomplished easily and
pleasantly.
The great fault of antiquarians is, that they are constantly _beginning at
the wrong end_: they fix on some one piece of information that they
want to get, and devote a world of labour to hunting about in all
directions for anything bearing on the subject; whereas the rational way
obviously is, to have the whole existing mass of (valuable) knowledge
_classified_, and then the inquirer would know where to look for his
purpose.
Of course there will always remain much knowledge of a
miscellaneous and irregular nature which is picked up by accident, and
does not come within the scope of the present design; but this is
generally of a trifling and fugitive kind, and does not at all controvert

the principle above laid down.
In conclusion, I have worked out a tolerably complete series of
arrangements for the above design, showing its practicability as well as
usefulness, which will be much at the service of any one who can use