Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1817-10-22
Original Miscellany.
sALsTAFF A MAN OF COURAGE.
(Continuea.)


In the heat Of the battle at Shrewsbury
he says, and as he speaks it in soliloquy
it cannot be suspected Of falsehood or
Boosting,
Ihave led my ragcamufEins where they
are perper'd: there's not three OF Eiy
hundred and fifty left alive; and they are
for the towns end to beg during life.
how he had escaped himself is no mat
ter he had led bis soldiers into service
Of very great danger, and stood BY them
70 the last. We see him after thus ex-
tending his whole corps, with sword and
target in the midst of the battle, in per-
feet possession Of himself-stil rePlete
with wit and humor and POPULARITY, pun
ming with Hal
p. Henry. I pr'ythee lend me thy
sword.
Falstaf. Nay, Hal, if Percy be alive
thou get'st not my sword. Take my pls-
tol if thou wilt.
P. Henry. Give it me. What, Is it in
the case ?
Fatstaf. Ay, Hal-'tis hot, 'tis hot:
there's that will sack city.
THE prince drarS out bottle Of Srek.)
: p Henry. What, is i: time to jest
and daily now ? (IhrolrS the bottle al
him and e1:t
In such circumstances a prudent man
1oala not jest, but coward could no'.-
When the price departs, and Falstahis
about to follow him into the heat Of the
acton, he says,
If Percy be alive ~ pierce him. If he
do come in my way, 50: il he do mott
come in his willingly, let him make
carbonate OF me. / like not such grin
ming honor as Sir Walter Blunt hath
Give me life: which if can save, SO; If
not, honor comes unlocked ter, and
there's an end.
r.;-, ton !. -.-L." ~ aoliloquy and in
battle. II every soils4uy in similar cir
cumstances were as audible as Falstaf's,
the imputation, perhaps, might be found
too general for censure; yet, after all,
what does he say7 He is resolute to take
his fate :--if Percy do come in his way.
so; he will abide the consequence If not,
he will not seek certain destruction. He
Is willing to save his lifej but if that can
not be, " honor comes unlocked for, and
there's an end" What is there Of cow
ardice in this There is neither the
bounce nor the whine Of that character.
But now comes an unlu Ky circum-
stance for ralstaff's reputation as a man
Of courage. While he is encouraging the
prince in his combat with Percy, -" Wei
said, Hal, 10 him, Hall" he is himself at.
tackled by "that hot termagant Scot"
Douglas. Here resistance on his part
would be quite out of the question-there
was no match: nothing remained, then,
but death or stratasem-grinning honor
or laughing lite; but an eIpedient occur
red, ard what was the more to his liking,
a ludicrous one. Take your choice,
Jack-a point Of homer, or point Of drol-
lery 1t could not be question Fall
staff falls, Douglas is cheated, and the
world laughs; but he falls like butoop
ouly-the superior principle prevails, and
he lives by stratagem growing out OF
his character, to n owe himself no coun.
terfeit, to jest and to fight again.
The robbery at Gadshill is still more
forcible against his character; yet,
what appears even in this business but
that Falstaff was surprised into fear in
one single instance; that being taken of
his guard he acted like coward he was
not, more than greater heroes, free from
the sudden impression Of moment, or
exempt from panic and surprise. If
single exception can destroy a general
character, Hector was q coward, FEEDER
lick II. recrean., and Mark Anthony a
poltroou. 10 the present instance, Fall
s,asf had committed an illegal act; the
exertiou was over, and he had unbent his
niad in security; the spirit Of enterprise
and the animating principle of hope were