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words, I believe, nobody confiders as fpoken with any view 

 except to the pun. What follows them implies, that if Percy 

 fhould come in his way, he can't help it; he muft abide the 

 confequence ; every man's deftiny awaits him; but that he will 

 avoid it as long as lie can. With this imprelTion of his charadler 

 we fee his behaviour in this fcene with Douglas is very natural j 

 the readinefs of his wit fupplies him with an expedient, and he 

 baffles his adverfary as fie always does. But neither the quick- 

 nefs of his invention on this occafion, nor his fporting with 

 danger on others, prove a conftitutional courage; they only fhew 

 an inexhauftible vein of wit and humour predominating through 

 every part of his charadler ; triumphant over every thing, over 

 calamity, danger and difgrace ; and we might as well aflert, 

 that he was infenfible to all the miferics of poverty, infamy and 

 difeafe, when we hear him fporting with thofe difmal fubjeds, 

 as fuppofe him courageous for exprefling his fenfe of danger in 

 a witty form. At the moment we feel him a coward, we are 

 delighted with his humour amid furrounding dangers; for we 

 know and feel that habits of charader break out upon the moft 

 unlikely occafions ; and that habit above all others, I believe, 

 which we are now confidering. I have heard of inftances of its 

 fantaftic fport in the extremes of violent grief, and even at the 

 hour of death. And furely if ever there was a wit which could 

 tinge every affcdion and paffion of the foul with its gay colours, 

 it was the inimitable vein of Falftaff, which converts every thing 

 it touches to gold. 



What remains behind of this fcene is, in my humble opinion, 

 a damning proof of FalftafFs cowardice, his flabbing Percy after 



his 





