Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1817-10-14
ORIGINAL Miscellany.
v.lsrAFF A MAY OF COURAGE.

suppose hah q uoLen Peis"hs' e''e'
seeing Shakespeare's tragedy Of Henry
". performed at one Of our theatres,
were to adjourn to a neighborins tavern
70 refresh themselves and talk over the
beauties of the PLAY, and ir discussing
the merits Of that prodigious offspring OF
the poets brain, Falstaf, and laughing
heartily at that singular care for his per-
son ard precious lie, which re Is inees-
sanity made to bctray, one ct the com,
PAW should affirm that all the others were
mistakea-that' the pablo in general
were mistaken in their prepossesslons
bout the Fat knights character; Tor that
the said Falstaff not only was not intend
ed BY Shakespeare, but aPen the plain
intent and meaning of all thst is done
or said By him or Of him in the several
ulays in which he is introduced or ailu-
ded 10, could not. BY fair inference, De
considered constitutional coward. 10
saw thar such an assertion would De
thought paradOsisal, would be to say too
little. Some would be disposed TO treat
itas a notion too absurd to be answered
some wOald laugh, upon the suPPositian
that the prorOundsr Of Il had mind Tor
;,sc: scme would regard it as trap
Cor al arguuent; but the probability is
that not one Of them would give himself
the trouble 10 examine how Tar the propo-
sition yas tenable. ! AN sure that nine
huni,ed and niDety-nine in thousand
Of those who had ever read the character,
or seen il acted, or heard it talked OF,
would as soon think Of entering into an
argument 10 prove that one and two mike
three, or of asserting TO a proposition
that two and two made five, as enter IN.
to contest upon point, to their jndg-
nen,s, so very manifest; and | confess
that myseif once made one OF the nus
boz. am not now, however, altogether
80 sure. Having met with complete
RECITATION Of the old taken-ior-granted
notions about : staff, ! thought the sub
7eet ~ wort examination. i laid q
side INV do:matisn--l considered the or
eument, and. in order to give it fair play,
read over again the character in ever,
play into which Shakespeare has intro
duced i, and carefully perused all thar
is put BY ihepOet alto the mouths OF other
ehaActers respecting it. and l am deci-
dedly Of opinion that Fa'saf ras iHf'nd-
ed By the author for a character Of a GER
tain kind Of eoarsge--a courage, as the
writer TO whom | asa indebted for this
discovery says, out of the guidance OF
any thing like principle
To me (says this ingenious gentle
mani il appears that the leading quality
in Fslstaa's character, and that from
.rkich all the resi- take their color, is a
high degree Of wit and humdr, accomPa
MED with great tigOr and alacrity oil
mind. This quality, 50 accompanied
led him probably very early into lie,
and made him highly acceptable to soe'e'
ty; 50 acceptable as to make it seem un-
necessary for him to acquire any other
virtue. Hence his continual debauthe-
ries and designations Of every kind. he
seems hy nature to have had mind Tree
from malice or any evil principle but he
never took the trouble Of acquiring any
good one. He found himself caressed
and beloved with all his faults, which
were all connected with humor, aud for
the most part grew out Of it. As he had
no vices but such as he thought might O.
penly be professed, SO he appeared more
dissolute through ostentalion. To the
character of wit and humor, to which all
his other qualities CONFIRMED themselves,
he added very necessary support, tina,
Of the profession Of a soldier He had
from nature, as l presume to say, spirit
Of bo.dness and enterprise, which, in a
military age, though employment was on