[ ^8 1 



" my mercy." By the way what becomes of the critic's nice 

 diftindion between boafting before and after events; for upon 

 this diftindion he reHes greatly, when fpeakins; of Falftaff's 

 bragging hes after the affair of Gadihill. Colville's reply to this 

 flrange rhodomantade is, " I think you are Sir John Falft.iff, and 

 " in that thought yield me." If Falftaft''s fpeech determined 

 Colville's mind, he muft have been an arrant coward; if not, 

 his queftion was the mere formality of honour, requiring an 

 affurance that he was going to furrender to a man of fome rank 

 and name. At this day the point is fometimes infifted upon, 

 and certainly prevailed more generally in times of knight-errantry, 

 when the dignity of knighthood was held in higher eiiimation 

 than at prefent. Colville was fo circumftanced, that he muft 

 in prudence have yielded to the commoneft foldier in the field ; 

 but it was a confolation to know that he fell into the hands of 

 a perfon of equal rank with himfelf, and at the fame time it was 

 an ad of courtefy upon which the knights of old piqued them- 

 felves. In this view Lancafter's obfervation is juftified. " It was 

 " more of his courtefy than your deferving." Falftafi"'s reply, 

 " I know not ; there he is, and there I yield him, &c." is a clear 

 admilTion of its truth. Lancafter's opinion of his general cha- 

 rader for backwardnefs in the field is clear and decifive : and 

 Colville's behaviour is eafily accounted for without afcribing it 

 to the terror of his name. The whole incident feems to have 

 been chofen with great art by the poet. Poor Jack had hitherto 

 been found in his military capacity under circumftances of dif- 

 grace. How he would condud himfelf as a conqueror ftill re- 

 mained tj be fhewn. And here Shakefpear's contrivance is 

 inimitable ; he has predifpofed matters in fuch a way as that 



he 



