"Your Excellency, Mr. Hastings has arrived."

Arthur walked into the office under the guidance of his secretary, and when he looked up, he saw two important members of the cabinet leaning on the sofa and looking at him with a smile.

Although Arthur had already learned about today's highlight from Chadwick's mouth, as long as the matter was not fully clarified, he always felt unsettled in his heart.

To be honest, it's just a knight's medal of the lower ranks, and he already has a lot of this kind of false name.

Rather than letting others open their mouths and call Sir, he wants to catch something real by the way.

At the very least, he has to extract some useful information from the mouths of the two Excellency, what is going on in the assassination of Liverpool, and whether the Ministry of the Interior is involved, he is still confused.

Although Talleyrand insisted that this matter had something to do with the Russians, Arthur had always listened only half of the old lame's words.

Metternich spent millions of francs to get information from Talleyrand that he, the little superintendent of Scotland Yard, didn't have a penny to make the old lame man who played Europe dig out his heart and lungs?

Louis XVI, the Directory, Napoleon, Louis XVIII and others are there, and you still have to be careful when doing business with Talleyrand.

Arthur politely took off his hat and greeted the two Excellencies, and after a while, everyone quickly cut to the chase.

Broughham pulled the document Arthur had sent back from Liverpool from the desk drawer and said with a smile.

"The results of your work at Liverpool are for all to see. The General Administration of Customs, for its part, is also pleased with the inspection of underdeclared tariffs. As for the Central Health Commission, although the medical authorities are still skeptical about the new treatment, at least Liverpool's emergency measures to close the wells have indeed contained the further spread of cholera from an objective point of view.

The three lakeside bugs, Coleridge, Saussey and Wordsworth, who had previously mocked the government's enforced quarantine and the Liverpool authorities' substitution of beer for drinking water, have now stopped squeaking as the spread of cholera has been brought under control. ”

Arthur put down the document bag in his hand and asked suspiciously: "How did the three of them get involved with cholera control?" ”

The Viscount of Melbourne leaned back on the sofa and held a wine glass and said softly: "It's not that they pulled it together, but the three of them put it on themselves." They blamed the Liverpool assassination on the government's over-control of the pandemic, and said that cholera was due to a century of industrialization and urbanization in Britain. Filthy cities have become hotbeds of disease, many of which have been unheard of in the past few decades. ”

Arthur sat on the sofa and pondered for a moment, and commented euphemistically: "In a sense, I don't think the three of them are wrong. But in the case of cholera alone, according to the statistics I have obtained, the incidence rate in rural areas is actually no lower than in urban areas. And, due to the lack of professional doctors, cholera outbreaks in rural areas have appallingly high mortality rates. ”

"You're talking about the little village near Sunderland, it's a tragedy." A village of a few dozen people was spared, and it was not until the second week that the postman went to deliver the letter and found that there were no more people alive in the village. If it weren't for that cash letterhead, we probably wouldn't know what was going on there. ”

The Viscount of Melbourne shook his head and said, "This kind of thing, the three of them can't study in detail, after all, they don't work in the government." Moreover, since the French Revolution, the ideas of the three of them have gradually tended to be conservative and pragmatic, and it is up to them to talk only about moral issues. ”

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help frowning.

He could never have imagined that these three Lakeside poets could still be tied to the French Revolution.

Arthur asked, "You mean that the three of them are republicans?" ”

"It used to be."

The Viscount of Melbourne smiled: "When the French Revolution happened, Wordsworth was in Paris, and during that time he was very close to the Girondins, and even joined them for a time. Even when he later returned to England, he vigorously promoted the so-called advanced ideas of France in London.

However, after the Jacobin dictatorship in 1793, the Girondins, who had once been in power, were bloodily suppressed, and many of Wordsworth's friends were executed during that time. In his own words, it was Robespierre and the Reign of Terror that cast a shadow over the light of the Revolution, but his downfall did not restore hope.

He said that he still believed in the ideas of the early republicans and, like all radicals, believed that war could have been avoided. However, Wordsworth changed completely when France's expansionist ambitions became more apparent, especially after their rejection of the British peace offer in 1796 and Napoleon's victory in Italy.

In the face of the facts, he could no longer believe the propaganda of the French government, could no longer believe that the continuation of the war was only a conspiracy of the British Pett Pett Cabinet, and no longer believed that in the midst of the turmoil in France, the ideals of the Revolution still existed somewhere.

From 1796 onwards, Wordsworth disappeared for a long time. And when he reappeared in the public eye, he would be what he is now—there is no clear creed to declare that the once fanatics have finally lost their faith, or even the opposite.

Slowly, he began to shout words that were so less Wordsworth that it was hard to imagine that this man had supported the execution of Louis XVI.

I am firmly opposed to any form of violence, unless stubborn arrogance and ignorance make it necessary. ’

Only by vigorously propagating universal principles essential to the well-being of mankind can the same catastrophe be avoided in England. ’

In a sense, I still sympathize with this gentleman. Although Wordsworth's rhetoric was fierce and obnoxious, I could sense a youthful vigor in him. But now, nowhere else can the earthy scent of the field be found in him but in his verses. ”

Lord Broughham's fingertips tapped on the table, "Not only is he devoid of the youthful vigor, but he is now more trusty than a true Tory." When I ran for parliament in Westmoreland County in 1818, my campaign ideas were to denounce the Lawther family's long-standing monopoly of the two local councillors, to limit the political influence of the large estate families when elected, and to advocate vigorous reforms, universal suffrage, and religious tolerance.

I thought Coleridge would support me, but he was on the side of the Lawthers. Perhaps it was my supporters' attack on the Lawther family's election convoy that struck a nerve in his nerves, and he went so far as to publish a pamphlet called "Two Letters to Westmoreland County Homesteaders," refuting my claims one by one, and saying that he had seen in me the Jacobin style. ”

The Viscount of Melbourne smiled and asked, "How did he refute you?" ”

Bruham stared up at the ceiling and said, "Let me think." In his first letter, he argued that the country's constitution and laws would not have been able to withstand the many shocks experienced by the country's constitution and laws had it not been checked and balanced by certain family hereditary estates.

In the second letter, it is emphasized that there is nothing that can absolutely guarantee a fair or accurate judgment of a person's prudence and knowledge, except property. As for my slogan of 'Annual Parliament and Universal Suffrage', he said that I was simply copying the ideas of the Theory of Human Rights.

Although he supported this view in his early years, the twenty years since the French Revolution have shown that the expectation of a more popular parliament and a more frequent change of parliament is a fallacy. And given that I don't have much property in Westmoreland, my campaign is nothing more than a 'rude slogan from the dirty streets of the city' to break the simple natural contentment of the Westmoreland people.

At the end of the day, he dragged John Wilkes, who had sparked the campaign riots, out of his criticism and warned local voters not to repeat the mistake of Middlesex County in electing demagogic outsiders to council.

However, he was not entirely opposed to reform, but his reformist views were too trusty. ”

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but think of Wordsworth's old article in Blackwood.

"It is not immoral to make it a basic principle that a citizen must have a certain amount of fixed property in order to be eligible for the arduous responsibility of legislation," he repeated. We must put aside the idea of making the peasant or the artisan a legislator, because only a great deal of education will enable them to discern from their neighbours which one is more qualified to be entrusted to the interests of the multitude. The current level of education in Britain is clearly not sufficient to enable them to discern the truth. ”

Broughham smiled and nodded, "That's right, this is it." He's changed so much that the Wordsworth of the year is gone, and he's gone from being a Whig more radical than I am to an old Tory who is even more conservative than Robert Peele. ”

Lord Broughham said this, and suddenly turned his head to look at the Viscount of Melbourne.

"It stands to reason that you shouldn't have such a high opinion of Wordsworth. When you were at the Olmark Club before, I think you had a bit of a quarrel with the ladies because of Wordsworth? ”

"It's not a quarrel."

The Viscount of Melbourne smiled and said, "I just think that Mr. Wordsworth's poetry, though well written, is far from what the lady said it is." ”

Arthur was curious when he heard this: "What is going on?" Can you tell us about it? ”

"Actually, it's nothing."

The Viscount of Melbourne spoke: "You should know that Mr. Wordsworth is very popular in the little literary circles of the ladies.

I happened to be talking to a lady at the Allmark Club about literature, and she asked me, 'Have you read Mr. Wordsworth's new collection of poems?' ’

So I replied to her, 'I thought I was doing my duty as a civilized person to buy a copy.' ’

When the lady heard this, her face straightened up, and she insisted on asking me, 'Civilized people should still read Wordsworth.' ’”

When Arthur heard this, he took out a handkerchief and covered his mouth and coughed repeatedly: "Although I know that the ladies have a preference for Wordsworth, I am still a little surprised to speak so bluntly in front of you. ”

The Viscount of Melbourne just blinked helplessly when he heard this: "Actually, the ladies not only favor Wordsworth, they will also give Faraday the same treatment." The incident between me and Faraday before made them unhappy. Even a blood relative like my sister counted my mistakes in front of me. Arthur, I'm really grateful for your help in convincing Faraday. ”

Arthur smiled and waved his hand, "It's just a gesture." And the key to solving this problem is that you are willing to put down your shelf and write an apology letter to Mr. Faraday. In my opinion, not everyone can have this kind of bearing. ”

When the Viscount of Melbourne heard this, he laughed softly: "Writing an apology letter is just a matter of some ink. You can do things so decently, and it's no wonder that the proportion of ladies who prefer you is starting to increase nowadays. Although your reputation is not as good as that of Wordsworth and Faraday, you already have quite a few die-hard supporters, and my sister Emily Cowper is one of them. It seems to me that you will definitely be better off than Wordsworth and Faraday in the future. ”

Arthur heard that the Viscount of Melbourne had put a bunch of top hats on him, and his vigilance grew.

He replied with a smile: "You have always had a good eye, but this time you may have seen it wrong. How can I compare myself to those two brilliant men? ”

The Viscount of Melbourne is serious.

"Arthur, I'm not boasting, I'm saying these things are well-founded. It seems to me that Mr. Faraday was so obsessed with the study of natural philosophy that he was reluctant to even leave the Royal Society. He instinctively became a great figure like Sir Isaac Newton to be remembered by posterity, but he set limits himself, so he had to stop at the field of research.

Wordsworth, on the other hand, was a strong supporter of the French Revolution in his early years, and even Byron and Shelley regarded him as their own, praising him as an 'uncastrated singer of democracy'. However, after a change of thinking and the trials of life, Wordsworth finally chose to accept the position of stamp duty collector due to the pressure of life.

At this time, Shelley and the others ridiculed him as 'just a handful of silver, and he gave up being a pioneer and a free man.' Unbeknownst to the gang, Wordsworth earned less than £140 a year from writing, but had five children to raise. In addition, he also has to help Coleridge, who is addicted to opium, and help Coleridge's children raise school fees.

Compared with them, you have a lot less constraints, you are on the right path when you are young, and you do not draw conclusions about your fate prematurely, so even if you make a small mistake, you have the opportunity to repent in time. At this point, you're destined to be even more prominent than them. ”

When Arthur heard this, he just smiled and replied, "If you compare Mr. Faraday with me, although I don't think I can compare with his achievements, I think we are the same kind of people. But if you're going to use Mr. Wordsworth as an example, you're obviously going to be mistaken. ”

"Huh?" The Viscount of Melbourne asked, "Can you be more detailed?" ”

Arthur replied, "Your Excellency, like Mr. Faraday, I am committed to making the world a better place. But before that, I was subject to the Metropolitan Police Regulations of Greater London. As you know, the police can't have a personal political stance. As long as it is in the public interest, the police will do it, and it has nothing to do with Whigtory. ”

"So, how do you define what is in the public interest?"

Arthur chuckled softly: "This is a matter of specific analysis." ”

(End of chapter)