326 
that Sir John Falstaff was going with lord 
Johu of Lancaster, against the earl of 
Northumberland, he prays Heaven to 
bless his expedition,” without noticing as 
untrue, orreprehensible, Falstaff’s boast, 
“that not a dangerous action can peep 
out its head, but he is thrust upon it. 
Tf you will needs say I am an old man, 
you should give me rest,” he exclaims 
with some colour of reason. 
5. It appears that sir John Falstaff was 
originally page to Thomas Mowbray, 
duke of Norfolk, and that he was dis- 
tinguished in his early youth for spirit 
and courage; that he had the flattering 
honour of being noticed by John of 
Gaunt and had risen through many mi- 
litary gradations to his present com- 
mand. ' 
6. He is represented as ready to en- 
counter Sir John Coleville of the Dale, 
“a famous rebel,” in single combat. 
“ Do you yield, Sir, (says he) or shall I 
sweat for your” To which Coleville re- 
plies, “I think you are Sir John Falstaff, 
and in that thought yield me:” thus ex- 
plicitly acknowledging his high military 
reputation, Sir Jotin Falstaff is indeed 
severely blamed by prince John of Lan- 
caster, ‘ who does not love him,” for the 
tardiness occasioned by his unseason- 
able visit at, master Shallow’s; but he 
engages, though with an ill grace, to 
make a favourable representation of his 
subsequent services, “a better report of 
him,” to use the prince’s own words, 
at court than he deserved.” To which 
Falstaff replies with spirit, “ I would you 
had the wit; ’twere better than your 
dukedom.” 
‘That Shakespeare, in his delineation of 
a character so difficult to pourtray, so 
extraordinary, so original, should have 
deviated in certain points, and to a cer- 
tain degree, from the unity and integrity 
of his design, may perhaps be allowed. 
‘The colouring is in some places a little 
too high; but, taking it as a whole, the 
execution is as masterly as the con- 
ception was felicitous; and Sir John 
Falstaff will ever remain the most ex- 
guisite and delightful of dramatic cre- 
ations. 
a" ; 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, ) 
WNHE Act of Parliament for the abo- 
lition of the slave-trade having 
passed very nearly four years, it may 
well be expected that considerable be- 
nefit should have arisen from it, both in 
Africa and the West India islands. 
4 
Abolition of Slacery—Improvements of 
[May 15 
That some has been felt in Africa, there 
is good reason to believe, but whether 
any has, to the unhappy victims of 
avarice in the Islands, is to ne unknown. 
I was one, (among many, I imagine,) who 
had great hopes that the Act would not 
only tree Africa in a considerable degree, 
froin one of the greatest evils which afflict 
mankind; but that the slaves already in the 
West Indies would find their bondage less 
severe than formerly. Whether this is 
the case or not, I must wish to be ins 
formed by some one who has lately vi- 
sited those parts. The abolition of the 
trade was only a part (and a very cone 
siderable one) of the object which the 
friends of justice atid humanity should 
have had in view, and which no doubt 
many had; the other is the abolition of 
slavery itself—the preventing one human 
being from selling another. 
When-we are told, that as soon as 2 
man sets his foot in England, he is free, 
how inconsistent does it sound to hear 
that the British legislature cannot in- 
terfere with the government of the 
Islands, so as to abolish slavery there! 
If thousands-of pounds are annually spent 
there, of money raised by taxes here, 
for the protection of the colonies, is it 
not reasonable to conclude that our par- 
liament should have a right to legislate, 
so far as to protect the inhabitants from 
cruelty and oppression? A statement of 
what is generally. reckoned to be the 
connection of the colonies with this 
country, might be interesting to many of 
your readers, and be of use to those who 
are concerned in the welfare of the 
negroes. It is certainly somewhat re- 
markable, that out of the numerous 
writers on the subject of the slave-trade 
and slavery, some years ago, few, if any, 
have oflate taken up the pen to vindicate 
the rights of the oppressed Africans in 
the Islands. If the abolition of the trade 
has made any alteration in the conduct 
of the slave-holders, communications on 
this subject will much oblige, 
} _. AConsrant READER. * 
March 11, 1811. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Site 
| Big surprising that in an age, 
in which so much attention has been 
paid to Aldus, Caxton, and their vene- 
rable fraternity, the great alteration, in- 
deed, the total revolution, that has taken 
place in typography during the last 
twenty years, should have been so little 
commented upon by our modern Ameses. 
Conceiving 
