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was therefore wife and prudent. But was FalftafFs nothing 

 more, when upon hearing there were eight or ten travellers he 

 exclaimed as he did ? In his own party he found but fix ; and 

 attentive only to fuperior numbers, he feems to have loft all 

 other hope of fuperior ftrcngth ; it never once occurred to him 

 that his own party were provided, and the poor travellers un- 

 prepared for the attack. Here we fee his mind alive to the 

 remoteft apprehenfion of danger, unable to colled itfclf and 

 deprived of all manly refource : nay, his imagination ads fo ftrong- 

 ly, that he inftantly fancies the charaders of the parties inter- 

 changed, and that he was likely to fuffer the very thing he 

 came to execute. The fecond point is the charge made upon 

 him in confequence of this by the prince, " What! a coward, Sir 

 " John Paunch !" The defence fet up here is his own reply, 

 *' I am not indeed John of Gaunt, your grandfather, but yet no 

 " coward, Hal." It is alfo faid " to contain the true charader 

 " of Falftaff, and to be thrown out here probably as a caution 

 " to the audience not to take too fadly, what was intended 

 " only as argument for a week, laughter for a month, and a jeft 

 " for ever after." If this be the natural impreffion of the anfwer, 

 and not the very refinement of criticifm, my fentiments I muft 

 own are very miftaken ; for I have always confidered it rather 

 evading a charge, the force of which he had felt ; and in this 

 view of it there appears admirable addrefs, as by indiredly ad- 

 mitting the charge to a certain extent, and flattering the prince 

 with the remembrance of his grandfather's prowefs and courage, 

 he has contrived to difarm him of his wit, and prevented him from 

 urging matters to extremity; 



Blt 



