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Lancqfter. " It was more of his courtefy than your de- 

 " ferving. 



Faljiaff. " I know not : her^ he is, and here I yield him, &c." 



It is pleafant enough to think how this defence has impreffed 

 the writer. - " Falftaff," fl^iys he, " anfwers the general effed of 

 " Lancafter's fpeech by a feeling and ferious complaint of in- 

 " iuftice. He then goes on to apply his defence to the vindication 

 " both of his diligence and courage; but he deferts by degrees 

 " his ferious tone, and taking the handle of pleafantry which 

 " Lancafter had held forth to him, he is prudently content, as 

 " being fenfiblc of Lancafter's high rank and ftation, to let the 

 " whole pafs off in buffoonery and humour." Here again, I 

 think we fee a folemn air thrown round this bufinefs, and 

 efpecially the charader of Falftaff, which the poet never defigned, 

 Lancaftcr, in the firft inftancc, is made to play off the deep and 

 fubtle politician, for the purpofe of ruining Falftaff and recom- 

 mending himfelf to the court. Then Falftaff, perceiving the 

 malice of his intent, begins a ferious vindication of himfelf, 

 which he might have continued to the end, had not Lancafter 

 by chance given him a handle of pleafantry, and had it not 

 been fafer to pafs it off in a joke. Every thing here appears to 

 me uncharaderiftic in the higheft degree. The writer feems to 

 have loft fight of the true intent of Falftaff's charader, which 

 furely never was to excite fentiments of jealoufy and malice, but 

 to entertain the v.hole world, even thofe who were objeds of 

 his wit and humour. " Men of all forts," fays he, " take a 

 *' pride to gird at mc. The brain of this foolifti-compounded 



" clay, 



