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miferable fupport ; he was not only a poor, weak filly creature, 

 but had the abfurd vanity of being thought a hero in his day. 

 Nothing then could be more natural than for fuch a fellow to 

 puff tlie charaders of his own time, and particularly of his 

 acquaintance. Though he was forlorn, as well in fpirit as in 

 perfon, we hear him mix an account of his own feats with 

 FalftafFs, and we may well imagine that he was difpofed to 

 exaggerate both. " Lord, Lord," fays FalftafF, " how fubjedl 

 " we old men are to this vice of lying ! this fame ftarved Juftice 

 " hath done nothing but prate to me of the wildnefs of his 

 " youth ; and every third word a lie, duer paid to the hearer 

 *' than the Turk's tribute." He had juft wit enough to know 

 that an intimacy with wild and daring fpirits in his youth might 

 give him fome charadler, and that his lies of himfelf, unlefs ac- 

 companied with equal praifes of his companions, could not pof^ 

 fibly efcape detedtion. We " fee to the bottom of Mafter Shal- 

 " low" in this cafe ; nor is the fmalleft credit due to the teftimony 

 of the bragging fool. 



Another fentiment in his favour is fought for in the miftaken 

 account given by Lord Bardolph of the battle of Shrewfbury. 

 " The king, by this account, was wounded ; the prince of Wales 

 " and the two Blunts flain ; certain nobles, whom he names, 

 " had efcaped by flight ; and Harry Monmouth's brawn, the hulk, 

 " Sir John FalllafF, was taken prifonfr." Hence the writer would 

 conclude that Sir John was a foldier of good fame ; otherwife he 

 would not have had a place in this lift. But this ftrikes me in 

 a very difl'erent light ; I am rather inclined to think that the 

 poet has mentioned him in this place and company, defigning 



him 



