FOOD.—MEDICINE.—POISON.—OBSTRUCTION.
1. That which is digested wholly, and part of which is assimilated, and part rejected, is—Food.
2. That which is digested wholly, and the whole of which is partly assimilated, and partly not, is—Medicine.
3. That which is digested, but not assimilated, is—Poison.
4. That which is neither digested nor assimilated is—Mere Obstruction.
As to the stories of slow poisons, I cannot say whether there was any, or what, truth in them; but I certainly believe a man may be poisoned by arsenic a year after he has taken it. In fact, I think that is known to have happened.
May 14. 1833.
WILSON.—SHAKSPEARE'S SONNETS.—LOVE.
Professor Wilson's character of Charles Lamb in the last Blackwood, Twaddle on Tweed-side[1], is very sweet indeed, and gratified me much. It does honour to Wilson, to his head and his heart.
[Footnote 1: "Charles Lamb ought really not to abuse Scotland in the pleasant way he so often does in the sylvan shades of Enfield; for Scotland loves Charles Lamb; but he is wayward and wilful in his wisdom, and conceits that many a Cockney is a better man even than Christopher North. But what will not Christopher forgive to genius and goodness! Even Lamb, bleating libels on his native land. Nay, he learns lessons of humanity even from the mild malice of Elia, and breathes a blessing on him and his household in their bower of rest."