New-York tribune., 1898-12-26
POOR OLD JOHN FALSTAFF.
IAN WINTER ON HIS PLACE IN
SHAKEsPEARE'S PLAYS
To the Editor OF The Tribune.

series. and have Just laid down the chapter en-
titled "The Merry Wives and Fastan. al page
2iS Of the first OF that dainty series
| have sometimes been able to brace myself up
10 the point Ct differing with Mr.. Winter as to n
shakespearan detail. But only after dropping his
essay Of the moment. While reading him. the nec-
romancy Of his English watts me along in com
pete submission Indeed. | think we are entitled
TO thank Haven for making Mr.. Winter the gem
tlernan and genial optrnist Tint he is. a man who
can so dominate his roaders-who can be at once
so dainty. strenuous and stalwart. and so always
absorbng-had he sinister purpose would be
peril TO the race
Beyond Mr. Winters spell for the moment, then
I going TO ask permission TO ceTnur 10 MI
Winters scheme for the four arrivals Of Sir John
Falstaf In Shakespeares PLAYS, namely. that they
appear in this order: First In the first Henry
w. second. in The Merry Wives Of Windsor
third. in the second Henry "" and. fourth IN
the brief entracte relating his death-bed scene In
Henry V" | am sure that Mr.. Winter Is
right when he says that the "Epiogue Spoken by
an Actor" TO the second part OF Henry "
not written by Shakespeare IT was probably
made UP for that actor as sort OF Invitation 10
the audience TO come again (much as Mr. Hopper
in response a fourth encore. is apt 70 say Come
tomorrow nlght,). and the stenographer pirateh
faithfully he did servilely.
But this being granted It seems to me that the
curtain drops Falstaff quoad Falstan. with the
second Henry "" and that We must manage to
get him. his Windsor. Merry Wives" episode
somewhere outside the perspective which closes
with the finale OF that play. When the new King
breaks the old mans heart in the pageant scene
he for find no repartee. The Irresistible
old humorist, who could turn everything else into
absurdty could Offset the rebuke Of n Lord
Chief Justice with demand for a loan OF thou
sand pounds is no more. II he have no retort In
the locker surely FastaT az Falstaff. Is dead. II
follows. 1t to me- then. that there arrives at
Windsor this poor. broken old man. withered IN
sef-respect banished not only from Court but
from the tavern. whore. on the strength OF
princes comradeshp. he had taken his ease ana
eaten OF its best. sans money and sans price
What else could this outcast do but strut out
at heels. in suburb. II perhaps ne might
impress Ike Autolycus the air OF the Court on
the country folk? Especially, when he has still
hangers-on. who must still steal and be fed?
Surely. Mr.. Winter cannot find II in him 20
believe that after tho degradation Of the beating.
the buck-basket the horse-pOnd and the pnching
black and blue Windsor. old bobs
sercney in Eastchoap again. TO resume with the
Prince the madcap ribadry and dissipation OF the
second Henry "? am he will wish to revise
that Itinerary.
Whatever Dame Quickly may have said meant
where the folio reports her rs stating that poor
Falstan's nose was sharp AS a pen and table
Of Grcenefelds." | am sure that Shakespeare would
have indorsed Theobald's reading If he had ever
seen It, Had anybody but Shakespeare created
stood for "A statemen. that the dying old reprobate
had babbe1 a snatch OF the ribald song Of MY
Lady Green Sleeves ne had troed so often at The
Boars Head. and. perhaps, at the Garter. at WinG-
sor. But think Shakespeare would have man
aged somehow wind up that delightfully."- wicked
old life with tear. over every jester must some
body sob. Alas poor Yorckr So via Shake
speare or via Theobald. the world has come 70 ac-
cept Il that Falstaf. after his collapse. strayed
back TO the OF his first autocracy. and. dy-
Ing babbled Of green helds-perhaps the green
pastures Of the XIXth Psalm. as Hanover conject-
ured almost hundred years ago.
admit the danger. in speaking Of Shakespeare
especially of sweeping assertions and OF cocksure
propositions of fact But I think that whatever
Shakespeares text or treatment anywhere, he Is as
rule orderly and regardful of the fitness of things
Even Fals,af. erratc he is. and exuItant in his
utter disregard Of any Of proprety. Will be
found TO move In the narrative along reasonable
lines He does not. for example. set out TO impress
soldiers for the kings armies before war Is de-
clared And, impudent as the demand on the
Civil Justice for the loan of fl 600 Fastaff
would have had some colorado apology for the
demand had His Lordship committed him for con-
tempt OF court And the meeting OF Fastan and
Shallow in Worcestershire IS not mere play
wright's device bring two old pals together but
n compliance with the statute Of the realm which
provided that the mpressing officer should report
10 the Justice Of the Peace Of the vcinage, and
make requistion on him for funds to carry on the
kings business. 0ndeed this whole portion Of the
play is a precise exemplifcation of the method by
which an English army raised in that in
terval Of time. before the days OF standing armies.
but after the collapse Of the feudal epoch. during
which the great Crown vassals had been requisi-
toned for their quotas Of troops for the Crowns
legons) II follows therefore, that II Falstan had
chosen to claim that the Chief Justice by calling
him to account, was sitting as a committing mags-
trate Chat Is. Justice OF the Peace. he might have
claimed his prorogative a pressing officer 10 re-
quire for funds. under Henry VIII And it is
pleasan; to think too that. In this view Of It. poor
old Shallow did not ultimately lose the 1900 he
loaned Sir John. but could have rccouped for It OF
the Crown after the peace.
Similarly. therefore It seems right to look for
an orderly sequence In the plays themselves. Mr
Winter is right In assigning Falstan to high a
niche In Shakespeare's gallery. Though-and here
I am afraid / dsagreeins with Mr. Winter
again-not alone account OF the perfection OF
workmanship. Mr. Winter disikes what he calls
"the corner grocery" theory Of Shakespeare. VIZ.
that he wrote his plays for me money there was
literary biography of Shakespeare. ana very niue
biography OF him Of any kind ana II It's Is only py
following Shakespeare along trade lines, so ., 70
speak that We get any biography OF MIN at az.
NoT io9~ng T dscoYer tnq hn FSsa With his hang
ers-on, Pistol and the rest OF the irregular humor-
cess Then II was that he became worth stealing
from. Then the quarto printers began piratng
thing TO which Shakespeare's name properly, or
even ques estionably. belonged (Which accounted by
the way for such brilliant work as The Merchant
OF Venice" and "A Midsummer Nights Dream ap-
nearing In the same year with Titus AndrOnicus'
and other lesser work. which has done iis share
toward puzzling the dusty commentator) There.
fore We may down the Falstan scenes ol
Shakespeare as his first success in estimating and
capturing the public taste and the public ear OK
Hoyt and MIR. Harrigan have succeeded IN doing
the same thing IN New-Iork,
Pad a. the steaage OF the printers was for
Shakespeare's pocket, however, ] question whether
II was not the very best thing that could have pos
sblv happened for in this nineteen ih-tWentieth
century day For, had there been no quartos tand
naturally there would not have been, for Shake
speare wanted the revenue from his stage right in
his plays and under then existing laws could reap
no proft from their printing! there doubtless
would have been first folio. Anu mad there been
no first folio of this nineteenth twentieth cen
t,rv might rever have had any Shakespeare So 1t
is not altogether without its uses that the gallery
nref4rred PISTOL to Hamlet or Bardoph and Nym
and Launcelot Gobbo 10 Brutus and Cassus or