Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1817-11-10
ALEXANDRIA,:
.NONrDAP, ,N'orEABER 10 ISL
SIR Join FALSTAFF.


observes. What Shakespesre's intention
in drawing the character was we Cannon
pretend to say; but in pabfe opinion Fall
stat has been universally considered as
an old, humorous, vaporisg, cowa'dly'
living. drunken debauchee." The ari'-
cIes Published in our paper on the sub
iect stated all that; and the writer oil
them avowcd that his object was to de-
monst.ate that the public opinion in that
respect was wrong. One Of the most
striking excellencies in the writings oil
Shakespeare is the consistency oil his cha
racter.. OF all poets in the world he was
the last who could be guilty OF the ab'
surdity of putting character he intehd-
ed to exhibit as grea: coward in c'rcum-
stances which required the greatest
bravery, or to represent as such, man to
whose capacity as military officer, &C.
nera!s, princes and kings gave the most
unequivocal Of all possible testimonies
that Of employing him, giving him COM
mand in their armies, going into the held
with him, and calling him into councils
of war. 1t should be recollected that the
loose opinions Of the public cannot larry
be allowed to weigh at all against the re-
corded ,cords Of the poet, because the
character has no existence, nor ever had,
: but in those words; aud the public gene
rally see repre- ;ented Ola The stage but
small part Of the character, and that a.
most wholly the worst side of it.
As to the TACT maintained by the edI-
| tor oil the Albany Gazette-namaiy, that
" the knight, whom Shakespeare has ~
dicaled in that whimsical compound, Sir
John Falstaf. was a valiant general, oil
an ancient family, born at Yarmouth, lii
Norfolk, about lS77"--it may, perhaps,
be true. though ii is not decisively ascef-
tanned that at wss ShakesPears's o.
iect. Ii is certain that Sir JShn fasto'te
ATTENDED the duke OF Clarence as lore
lieutenant Of Ireland, tina, he vas, at Ole
\ -;.-.-- ru1rr'L NTH lanre,s hrsvsiy won
in the fed, that he was hospNsU!r, grur'
rou. and benevolent, ina. he was Cat one
time at leas0 young and grave, discreet
and valiant, chaste and sober, and eni-
ncnt for every virtue" Why then, it may
be asked, have the world supposed that
he wa. the original whom Shakespeare
caricatured into FalstaF: Cou!d il be
on account Of the resemblance in The
sound of the TWO rsm:s' That Of iise!t,
one would think, could never have given
rise TO the suggestion. We must look
further, therefore, than to common OPT
MON for a reasonable eonjecture-to
| Lenfriese's Abridge Biography TOR the
whole OF the circumstances, which, IL full
ly understood, woald in all probability
help to throw distant CLEAN Of light up
on Shakespeare's design. History in.
forms US that Sir John Fastoife did, in
fact, notwithstanding his high reucHr,
lose all his laurels, ard was stript Of all
his honors, for an act, whether OF real
personal detect or casual misfortune it is
hard 10 say; b1t, in truth, an act OF gross
cowardic-. IL the reader will lcck into
Hume's History Of England. reign of
Henry 9Th, he viii find the whsie related
with historical fidelity. Sir John Fas-
;o.fe, az that tine esteemed one OF tie
mos. nsbIe and valiant knights hving.
was employed in the wars in France un-
Ger the renowned TALBOT, and had s |
high command in the British army at the |
time that The French. animated By the !
celebrated Maid Of Orleans, chased the |
English from tha. CIV. In battle at
tbs village Of Psay. the Erglish. d:.may-
eI, Eel from TIE fielj an SIR J ,hr Fas-
tolfc, who commanded tlsn. ;, showed !
them tie example. II consequence If
which. he was strip, OF BIZ g2r;er, as
punishment Tor hi, eoua.d;1e 80 say,