SGB Chapter 358

## Chapter 358: Brighter Than the Stars

“Gentlemen, Mr. Hastings has arrived.”

Arthur, escorted by the secretary, entered the office. His gaze met the two prominent figures of the Cabinet, who leaned back on the sofa, their smiles revealing a scrutinizing gaze.

Although Arthur had been briefed by Chadwick about the purpose of the meeting, a lingering unease remained within him. The matter wasn’t entirely clear, and his heart felt unsettled.

To be honest, a lower-order knighthood was merely a title, something he already possessed in abundance.

He desired something tangible, something more substantial than the honorific “Sir.”

At the very least, he needed to extract some useful information from these two gentlemen. He was still completely in the dark about the assassination in Liverpool, and whether the Home Office had any involvement.

While Talleyrand had firmly attributed the incident to the Russians, Arthur always took his words with a grain of salt.

Metternich had spent millions of francs to acquire intelligence from Talleyrand, only to find that much of it was false. Could he, a mere Scotland Yard inspector, extract genuine information from the old cripple without paying a penny?

The precedents of Louis XVI, the Directory, Napoleon, and Louis XVIII were stark reminders. Business with Talleyrand required caution.

Arthur politely removed his hat and greeted the two gentlemen. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they quickly moved to the main topic.

Brougham extracted a document from the drawer of his desk, the one Arthur had sent from Liverpool, and spoke with a smile.

“Your work in Liverpool has been impressive, as everyone has witnessed. The Customs Department is jubilant about the checks on underreported duties. As for the Central Board of Health, while medical authorities remain skeptical about the new treatment, the objective fact is that Liverpool’s emergency measure of sealing wells did indeed contain the spread of cholera.”

“Coleridge, Southey, and Wordsworth, those three Lake Poets, were initially mocking the government’s forced isolation measures and Liverpool’s decision to replace drinking water with beer. But as the cholera outbreak gradually came under control, they fell silent.”

Arthur set down the document bag and asked with a puzzled look, “How are those three connected to cholera prevention?”

Lord Melbourne, leaning back on the sofa with a wine glass in hand, said softly, “Not connected, but rather, they attached themselves to it. They blamed the government’s excessive control over the epidemic for the Liverpool assassination, and argued that cholera’s occurrence was due to Britain’s industrialization and urbanization over the past century. Dirty cities became breeding grounds for diseases, many of which were unheard of in the past decades.”

Arthur sat on the sofa, pondering for a moment, and offered a mild critique. “In a way, I think those three aren’t entirely wrong. But specifically regarding cholera, based on the statistics I’ve gathered, the incidence rate in rural areas is actually no lower than in cities. Moreover, due to the lack of professional doctors, once cholera breaks out in rural areas, the death rate is frighteningly high.”

Brougham inquired, “You’re referring to that village near Sunderland, right? That was truly a tragedy. An entire village of several dozen people perished without a single survivor. It wasn’t until the postman went to deliver mail the second week that they discovered everyone was dead. If it weren’t for that prepaid letter, we might still be in the dark about what happened there.”

Lord Melbourne shook his head. “They can’t delve into matters like this, after all, they aren’t in government service. Besides, after the French Revolution, their views gradually shifted towards conservatism and pragmatism. If they just want to talk about moral issues, let them be.”

Arthur frowned at these words.

He never imagined that these three Lake Poets could be linked to the French Revolution.

Arthur asked, “Are you saying those three are Republicans?”

“They were.”

Lord Melbourne chuckled. “During the French Revolution, Wordsworth was in Paris. He was close to the Girondists during that period, even joining them for a while. Even after returning to England, he vigorously promoted France’s so-called advanced ideals in London.

However, after the Jacobins seized power in 1793, the Girondists, once in control, were brutally suppressed. Many of Wordsworth’s friends were executed during that period. In his own words, Robespierre and the Reign of Terror cast a shadow over the revolution’s brilliance, but his downfall didn’t bring back the light of hope.

He claimed to still believe in the early Republican ideals and, like all radicals, believed that the war was avoidable. However, as France’s expansionist ambitions became increasingly evident, especially after their refusal of Britain’s peace proposal in 1796 and Napoleon’s victory in Italy, Wordsworth completely changed.

Faced with reality, he could no longer believe the French government’s propaganda, no longer believe that the continuation of the war was solely a conspiracy by the British Pitt cabinet, and no longer believe that the ideals of the revolution remained intact somewhere amidst the chaos in France.

After 1796, Wordsworth disappeared from public view for a long time. When he reappeared, he was the person he is now – devoid of clear doctrines to proclaim, the once fervent radical had lost his faith, and even lacked a contrary belief.

Gradually, he began to utter words that were no longer Wordsworthian, making it hard to imagine that this was the same man who once supported Louis XVI’s execution.

‘I am resolutely opposed to violence in any form, unless it is made necessary by obstinate arrogance and folly.’

‘Only by vigorously promoting universal principles essential to human well-being can we prevent similar disasters from occurring in Britain.’

In a way, I do sympathize with this gentleman. Although the earlier Wordsworth was fiery and irritating, I could sense a youthful energy in him. But now, except in his poetry, you can no longer find that earthy fragrance of the countryside in any other aspect of him.”

Lord Brougham’s fingertips tapped on the desk. “It’s not just the lack of youthful energy, he’s now more Tory than a true Tory. When I campaigned for election in Westmoreland in 1818, my campaign platform was to denounce the Lowther family’s long-term monopoly on the two parliamentary seats in the region, to advocate for limiting the political influence of large landed families upon election, and to promote radical reform, universal suffrage, and religious tolerance.

I thought Coleridge would support me then, but he sided with the Lowther family. Perhaps my supporters’ attack on the Lowther family’s campaign convoy triggered his sensitive nerves. He actually published a pamphlet called “Two Letters to the Yeomanry of Westmoreland,” individually refuting my arguments, even saying he saw the Jacobins in me.”

Lord Melbourne asked with a smile, “How did he refute you?”

Brougham looked up at the ceiling. “Let me think. In the first letter, he claimed that the democratic actions of the urban industrial areas would be unbearable for the national constitution and laws if not balanced by certain hereditary landed families.

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In the second letter, he emphasized that nothing could absolutely guarantee a person’s prudence and knowledge other than property. As for my slogan of ‘annual parliaments and universal suffrage,’ he said I was simply copying the ideas of ‘The Rights of Man.’

Although he had also supported this view in his early years, the twenty years of history following the French Revolution showed that this expectation of making parliament more popular and members more frequently replaced was a fallacy. Moreover, considering that I didn’t have much property in Westmoreland, my campaign was simply using ‘rude slogans from the dirty alleys of the city’ to disrupt the simple and self-sufficient lives of the people of Westmoreland.

At the end, he couldn’t resist dragging John Wilkes, who had sparked the election riots, into the criticism, warning local voters not to repeat the mistake of Middlesex County, electing a persuasive outsider as a member of parliament.

However, he wasn’t entirely against reform, it’s just that his kind of reformist views are too Tory.”

Arthur, hearing this, couldn’t help but think of the articles Wordsworth had published in Blackwood’s Magazine.

He repeated, “It’s not immoral to make it a fundamental principle that citizens must own a certain amount of fixed property to be eligible to bear the heavy responsibility of legislation. We must abandon the idea of making farmers or artisans legislators, because only through extensive education can they distinguish from their neighbors who is more qualified to be entrusted with the public interest. And the current level of education in Britain is clearly insufficient for them to acquire the ability to discern the truth.”

Brougham nodded with a smile. “That’s right, exactly. His transformation is truly remarkable. The Wordsworth of old is gone. He has gone from a Whig more radical than myself to a Tory more conservative than Robert Peel.”

Lord Brougham, having said this, suddenly turned to Lord Melbourne.

“Logically, you shouldn’t have such a high regard for Wordsworth. Back in the Almack’s Club, I remember you had some arguments with him and the ladies over him, right?”

“Not exactly arguments.”

Lord Melbourne chuckled. “I just felt that Wordsworth’s poems, while well-written, didn’t reach the level that lady was claiming.”

Arthur, intrigued, asked, “What exactly happened? Could you elaborate?”

“Nothing really.”

Lord Melbourne said, “You should know that Wordsworth is quite popular in the ladies’ literary circles.

At the time, I was at Almack’s Club, chatting with a lady about literature. She asked me, ‘Have you read Wordsworth’s new poetry collection?’

So I replied, ‘I thought buying a copy fulfilled my duty as a civilized person.’

The lady, upon hearing this, straightened her face and insisted, ‘A civilized person should read Wordsworth.'”

Arthur, hearing this, covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed repeatedly. “While I know the ladies have a preference for Wordsworth, to say it so directly in your presence is a bit unexpected.”

Lord Melbourne just blinked helplessly. “Actually, the ladies don’t just favor Wordsworth, they treat Faraday the same way. My incident with Faraday earlier didn’t please them. Even my own sister, my blood relative, criticized me to my face. Arthur, I’m truly grateful you could help persuade Faraday.”

Arthur waved his hand with a smile. “It’s just a small favor. And the key to resolving this matter is your willingness to humble yourself and write an apology letter to Mr. Faraday. In my opinion, not everyone can have such magnanimity.”

Lord Melbourne, hearing this, chuckled softly. “Writing an apology letter is just a matter of using some ink. It’s no wonder the ladies are increasingly favoring you nowadays, since you can handle things so gracefully. Although your reputation is still not as high as Wordsworth or Faraday, you already have quite a few loyal supporters, including my sister Emily Cowper. And I think you’re destined to achieve more than Wordsworth and Faraday in the future.”

Arthur, upon hearing Lord Melbourne showering him with praises, became increasingly cautious.

He replied with a smile, “Your judgment is always astute, but perhaps you’re mistaken this time. How can I compare myself to those two outstanding figures?”

Lord Melbourne said earnestly.

“Arthur, I’m not flattering you, I’m speaking from experience. In my view, Mr. Faraday is too absorbed in the study of natural philosophy that he’s reluctant to even leave the Royal Society. He could have become a great figure like Sir Isaac Newton, remembered by posterity, but he self-limited himself, so he could only stop at research.

Wordsworth, on the other hand, carries too much psychological baggage. He was an ardent supporter of the French Revolution in his early years, and even Byron and Shelley considered him one of their own, praising him as ‘the uncastrated democratic singer.’ But after experiencing intellectual transformation and life’s tribulations, Wordsworth, due to financial constraints, ultimately accepted the position of stamp collector.

At this point, Shelley and the others mocked him as ‘the man who abandoned being a pioneer and a free man for a mere piece of silver.’ But those people didn’t know that Wordsworth, relying on his writing, earned less than 140 pounds a year, yet had five children to support. Besides that, he had to support Coleridge, who was addicted to opium, and help Coleridge’s children with their tuition fees.

Compared to them, you have fewer constraints, you walked the right path at a young age, and you haven’t prematurely concluded your destiny, so even if you make a small mistake, you have the opportunity to repent. In this regard, you are destined to become a more outstanding figure than them.”

Arthur, upon hearing this, simply replied with a smile, “If you’re comparing me to Mr. Faraday, while I don’t think I can match his achievements, I feel like we’re at least in the same category. But if you’re using Mr. Wordsworth as an example, then you’re clearly going down the wrong path.”

“Hmm?” Lord Melbourne asked, “Can you elaborate?”

Arthur replied, “Your Lordship, like Mr. Faraday, I’m dedicated to making the world a better place. But before that, I’m bound by the Metropolitan Police Act. You know, police officers can’t have personal political stances. As long as it benefits the public good, the police will do it, regardless of Whig or Tory.”

“Then how do you define the public good?”

Arthur chuckled softly, “That requires a case-by-case analysis.”

(End of Chapter)