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 ord