[ ai ] - 



The writer's encomium on the wifdom of the prince anticipates 

 the matter a little too foon ; at this period, and for fome time 

 after, he never mixes a ferious thought in his condud to Falftaft : 

 And I am fure the dignity of his princely charadler would have 

 fufFered more from this incongruous mixture of levity and fobriety, 

 of bufinefs and diiFipation, of virtue and vice, than by his ap- 

 pearing " a wrhile to uphold the unyoked humour of his idlenefs." 

 The feverity of that poetic juftice, which alone can make us 

 endure with any patience the prince's final treatment of his old 

 companion, cannot be fo well maintained, if we fuppofe him to 

 have done at times good fcrvice to the ftate, as to have been 

 uniformly worthlefs and profligate. 



The next evidence produced is no lefs a perfon than the chief 

 juftice of England ; who tells Falftaff, " that his day's fervice at 

 " Shrewfbury had gilded over his night's exploit at Gadfhill." 

 " This," fays the writer, " is furely more than common fame. 

 " The chief juftice muft have known his whole charadler taken 

 " together, and muft have received authentic information, and 

 " in the trueft colours, of his behaviour in that adion." But 

 how was this at all neceffary ? It no where appears that the chief 

 juftice was deeply verfed or concerned in matters of ftate ; his 

 judicial charader is all we are acquainted with ; and from the 

 dignified integrity with which he has difcharged it, we have reafon 

 to imagine that it engaged his whole pttenlion. Falftaff was 

 brought forward to his notice, as concerned in the robbery at 

 Gadfliill. In this light he came diredly within his jurifdidion: 

 as to his military condud, he was probably quite ignorant. The 

 very point before us, his knowledge of Falftaff's fervices at 



Shrewfbury, 



