“April 20th.—During this and the two last days I have fared as usual. Still troubled with the bile and headache, though not so unwell as before.
“The next three days I shall eat nothing but bread and butter, the bread of the same kind as before.”
He next tried dry toast, cold toast and butter, hot toast and butter, bread and bacon, bread and cheese, rice pudding, boiled green pease and salt, damson-pie and sugar, bread and sugar; living for three days on each article. It is not, perhaps, surprising that, in the course of the experiments, he one day records “an acute pain in my left side nearly the whole of the day.”
The next entry that I quote is of a very different kind:—
“February 15th, 1819.—Campbell, the poet, is now in Birmingham. He is engaged by the Philosophical Society to deliver a course of twelve lectures on poetry. This morning he called here to put his son under our care during his stay in Birmingham. We consider this a feather in our cap.
“March 2nd.—Young Campbell, who is about fifteen, is a boy of talent. He has never been at a school, but has been educated at home by his father. Mr. Campbell is so pleased with what we are doing for the boy, that he says he should like exceedingly to leave him with us; but, as he is an only child, he cannot persuade Mrs. Campbell to part with him.
“March 12th.—Yesterday, Mr. Campbell dined with us. He is a very pleasant man in company. He related a great number of pleasing anecdotes; but he did not answer the expectations I had formed of the poet Campbell.[62]
“August 22nd, 1819.—The people of Birmingham have taken the first decisive step towards parliamentary reform. A town’s meeting has been held at New Hall Hill for the purpose of considering the best means of obtaining the representation of all the unrepresented people of England, and particularly those of Birmingham. At this meeting an immense concourse of people assembled; some accounts say eighty thousand. I was present, and witnessed nearly the whole proceedings. It was unanimously resolved to appoint Sir Charles Wolseley representative of Birmingham, with directions to make every effort to obtain a seat in the House of Commons when it shall again assemble after the present vacation. The object of this meeting was treated by the opposite party with the greatest ridicule; but that it deserves anything rather than ridicule is manifest from the alarm it has evidently excited in the minds of the supporters of the present system.
“At our Birmingham meeting the people conducted themselves with the greatest decorum. Our magistrates had the good sense not to provoke them by the presence of the military, and the immense assembly dispersed without the least mischief being done.”
“August 10th.—A few days ago I accompanied my brother Matthew to Warwick, to assist him in preparations for the defence of Major Cartwright, who was tried at the Assizes just concluded. The offence charged against him, and the others who were tried with him, was the election of a legislatorial attorney or representative of the people of Birmingham (Sir Charles Wolseley). My brother was engaged for the major, Denman for Edmonds and Maddocks, and Wooller and Lewis defended themselves. The trial occupied two whole days, the Court sitting to a late hour each day. The speeches of Denman, Matthew, and Wooller were, I think, the most eloquent I ever heard; but in spite of justice, reason, and everything else but the advice of the Judge, the blockheads in the jury-box gave a verdict of guilty.... Matthew, as usual, received the compliments of the Judge. He is rising very fast into fame.”